It took me awhile, but I finally got around to exploring the nearby Hinkle Creek Trail. Over the last few years there’s been some controversy around a plan by the City of Folsom to build a road right through this small greenbelt for a sewer maintenance road. The plan called for ripping out as many as 250 mature oak trees […]
One of the best things about getting out for my hike by 6 AM is that I see and hear more birds. Like the mockingbird above — he was so busy singing his heart out he didn’t notice me at first. He looked a bit surprised, then decided it was time to move his concert elsewhere. I still haven’t decided […]
This big male turkey is hanging out on a local street corner with his harem of hens. He may not be as colorful as a peacock, but he’s got plenty of style and attitude, strutting around like a boss!
How does the Meadow flower its bloom unfold? Because the lovely little flower is free down to its root, and in that freedom bold — William Wordsworth
This cute little female common merganser was enjoying the still waters of Lake Natoma this morning. I love the mohawk, but I’m sure it looks better on her than it would on me!
I celebrated July 4th by taking a hike along one of my favorite Lake Natoma trails. There are quite a few spots with overgrown weeds and berry bushes as well as poison oak; I had to negotiate fallen trees and trail damage from last winter’s storms. I rarely meet anyone else on the trail, and this morning I had it […]
Back before The Big Guy was able to afford a fishing boat, we did an awful lot of fishing from the shore. There was frequently a fair bit of hiking to get to the water from wherever we’d left the car, and then of course we had to hunt around for the “right” spot to find the fish. Our dogs were […]
Blackberry season is coming! Quite a few of the berries I see on morning hikes have already turned dark, but they’re not quite sweet enough just yet. I’ve learned to very gently wiggle them to see if they easily detach from the plant; if not, I leave them alone to continue ripening. Even when far from ripe the colors of […]
The mother eagle teaches her little ones to fly by making their nest so uncomfortable that they are forced to leave it and commit themselves to the unknown world of air outside. – Hannah Whitehall Smith I heard these juvenile bald eagles before I saw them on my hike this morning. All the warning signs along the top of the bluff […]