I was out in my back yard earlier this evening when I happened to glance up and noticed that our next door neighbors were enjoying the colorful sunset. Although I didn’t have my big zoom lens, I was still lucky enough to get a few halfway decent shots of this pair of house finches. Hopefully I’ll be seeing more of […]
I’ve known about the remains of the Rattlesnake Bar Bridge at Folsom Lake for several years; this month I was finally able to go out and see it for myself. Before Folsom Dam was built in 1955, quite a number of small communities and isolated dwellings — not to mention mining concerns — dotted both sides of the American River. […]
The water level is low; the people are few and far between; and if you keep your eyes open, you never know what you might see.
I’m not sure how long this young Blacktail buck was standing there watching us approach. He was hiding in plain sight just off the dirt trail — but neither of us spotted him until he decided we were close enough, thanks very much, and turned to trot behind the bushes and out of sight.
I spotted this Phainopepla — or as I call it, the black bird with red eyes and the name I can never remember — while hiking around Mississippi Bar this morning. While I was pleased to get a few good shots, it was a little frustrating that the tree branches blocked my view; and then of course my phone rang […]
While staying a few nights at the Fort Ross Lodge, we decided to take a drive up the coast beyond Gualala, farther than we usually go on our escapes to the ocean. Since I failed to consult a map, I had the mistaken impression that Fort Bragg was just a short trip up the coast, and I expected we would […]
The day after the rainstorm, the ocean off the Mendocino County coast looked calm and the sky was a serene blue, but the waves still pounded the shoreline, throwing foam high up onto the cliffs. We stood back and admired the sea from a safe distance!
With the Folsom Lake water levels so low at this time of year, it’s not uncommon to see more old structures appearing along the shore. At Sweetwater Creek the difference between now and my previous visit last spring is pretty dramatic. I was pleased to find evidence of historic water diversion during my hike, but it was also fun comparing […]
If you’d like to get at least some hint of what the American River looked like prior to the building of Folsom Dam, try hiking the shore in the area between Sweetwater Creek and the New Salmon Falls Bridge (built in 1953) during the late fall/early winter season. The area is certainly more picturesque in the springtime; but if you […]