Springtime roses
April trails
Today, with the temperature reaching up into the 100+ degree range, I’m staying indoors and looking back to only two months ago, when we visited Rattlesnake Bar one morning and I explored a portion of the Pioneer Express Trail I had never seen before.
Scenic neighborhood
A foggy morning along Highway 1 in Sonoma County.
Lupine superbloom
The waters of Folsom Lake may be at historically low levels this spring, but right now the shoreline that would normally be underwater is covered in something something even more beautiful. We found these purple lupine blanketing the ground at Rattlesnake Bar State Park on the north fork, but it seems to be blooming in profusion elsewhere on the lake […]
Rock and rollercoaster
Hiking the Pioneer Express Trail from the parking lot at Sterling Pointe Equestrian Staging Area is a seriously up-and-down experience. There are some great views of Folsom Lake — but this time of the year, you’ll be too busy avoiding poison oak, watching swallowtail butterflies, and navigating up and down the horse-sized changes in altitude to notice the view. No […]
New York, New York
It’s hard not to fall in love with the gorgeous blue-sky spring weather we’ve had for the last couple of days — but I’m also sorry to say goodbye to those cool, grey days, or the ones with ever-changing gray and white cloud formations keeping the sky interesting and unpredictable. It was on such a gray, overcast mornings that I […]
Willow Creek walk
Birds and squirrels
I really enjoy hiking alone, but I’m also aware that I need to pay attention to my surroundings and not make assumptions about safety. The places I tend to explore are generally quite safe — but it is the outdoors, and sometimes the unexpected happens. So I’m always alert and cautious about meeting up with potentially aggressive wildlife or humans. […]
Suburban back trails
I wanted to get out fairly early this morning, so I decided to stick close to home and chose the bluffs near the Nimbus Dam in Fair Oaks for my hike. It’s been quite awhile since I used these trails — at least two years. Today I was pleased with my choice because I saw very few other hikers. The […]