It was a bit chilly when I started my hike from the parking area at Anderson Marsh SHP (Lower Lake) a bit after 10 AM, but as the afternoon wore on, staying warm was no problem at all. In fact, I was grateful for any shade I could find and wishing I had brought along just a bit more drinking […]
When the afternoon sun gets a bit too strong, there’s nothing like hiding under the shade of old oak trees for a few minutes. It’s extra good if a cool breeze happens to come along. A drink of cool water from my flask, and then I can carry on and make it back to the waiting car. Which is parked, […]
I wasn’t too sure what to expect when I arrived at the Browns Valley Open Space trailhead in Vacaville, although I did know there’s no actual parking lot and I would need to leave my car alongside the road. That really wasn’t a problem since traffic is fairly minimal. But I’ll admit I felt intimidated when I realized that once […]
This week I did a couple of hikes at different sites to the north and west of Vacaville, California. One was the Brown’s Valley Open Space; the other was Lagoon Valley Park, just off I-80. Even though I normally prefer to hike in the cooler morning temperatures, I wound up cutting my exploration of the Brown’s Valley site very short […]
It’s been quite a long time since I walked along the Palisades; when the skies are blue and the temperatures mild, the trails are full of other folks walking, running, or riding bikes. This morning I calculated that the misty weather would mean fewer people — and I was right. It may have had to do partly with the fact […]
I explored the Oaks Nature Trail at Folsom Lake’s Peninsula Campground once before, last summer; even though this path is a bit more “civilized” than the dirt horse trails I usually like to wander, I still enjoyed myself a lot. And this time out was even better. Everything was much more green than during my summertime visit. I had a […]
I’m not sure of this oak tree’s age is or how long it’s been lying sideways, but despite its unusual position the tree seems to be alive and well. The first time I recall noticing it was around 2004, and it’s still surviving. I hope that it remains in this spot for many more years to come, an old familiar […]
I’ve hiked the Gerle Loop Trail off Highway 49 a few times this year, including this visit two weeks ago. It feels so close to home, even though it takes me about an hour to get there, winding along Salmon Falls Road up to Pilot Hill. I like that it seems just a little way upstream from my house — […]