Last week on Tuesday afternoon we were restless in our little Sonoma coast motel room and looking for a place to get away from the gusty winds — Kruse Rhododendron Reserve turned out to be the perfect spot! We’ve passed by this hidden treasure so many times and never fully appreciated it; but I think we’re finally beginning to realize […]
There are plenty of places to hike and explore the rocky coastline of northern Sonoma and southern Mendocino counties, and I’ve barely seen anything at all yet, but Gualala Regional Park is already one of my new favorites. When we visited the area in late April, we had a clear, breezy day, perfect for wandering. We pulled off Highway 1 […]
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 […]
Sometimes when I’m at home I find myself rushing about for no reason at all: quick, run into the kitchen! Hurry up, put the dishes away! Let’s go, empty the drier! Move it …. wait, what did I come in here for? It’s great that I feel energized, but most of the time that rushing around probably looks like I’m […]
The disappointment of seeing ever-lower water levels at Folsom Lake on each successive visit is only just counterbalanced by the abundant wildflowers and the fact that, so far at least, everything looks very green and fresh. Now is the best time to get out hiking, before everything dries up and the temperatures start climbing beyond the magical springtime range into […]
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 […]
This week I have slides from winter and summer, in two very different locations. First up, January 1981, when I took a quick trip with my mom and dad up to Post Falls, Idaho. We went to visit my grandpa; and although we only stayed for a couple of days, the whole journey was something of an adventure for me. […]
After getting the grocery shopping done this morning, we decided to reward ourselves with a trip out to Granite Bay at Folsom Lake.
I’ve been spending an awful lot of time along the north fork at Folsom Lake lately, so the other day I decided it was high time to return to the south fork — specifically, the Sweetwater Creek/Salmon Falls area. I prefer to get out there in the morning because I have the sun at my back; and even though I […]