Mendocino meandering

When I arrived at my chosen trailhead on this mid November morning, the “steam” vapor was still rising at 10:30 a.m. I was eagerly looking forward to exploring an unknown path; I’d actually checked this spot out on an earlier trip but only managed to get a short way before time forced me to turn back. Today I had plenty […]

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An unexpected detour

How is it possible that it’s been nearly three years since I last hiked at Doton’s Point, on Folsom Lake’s north fork? I can’t believe so much time could have passed already — but it was high time for me to get back out there. Or at least I thought so, until I arrived at Granite Bay and found Park […]

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Monte Vista Loop Trail

It’s been awhile since I hiked the Monte Vista Loop, and we picked a day that was pretty much perfect. It had rained overnight, so there was enough lingering dampness to keep down the dust and prevent the burs and foxtails from being too bothersome. I also didn’t intend to hike the full 3-mile loop, but there was so much […]

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Farewell to Flagstaff

My last group of pictures from our overnight stop in Flagstaff last June includes images from late afternoon on the forest path as well as a couple of views of the area which I shot the next morning. The scene outside our hotel room balcony was so welcoming that it was extremely tempting to stay over another night! But we […]

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Late afternoon light

When I took my camera and started out on the trail at our hotel in Flagstaff, Arizona, the last thing on my mind was taking advantage of the afternoon golden hour. All I wanted was to stretch my legs and decompress from two long days of driving! It was early June and the southwest monsoon season had yet to start; […]

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Goodbye to the garden

Here is the last batch of images from my visit to the Mendocino Coast Botanical Garden in Fort Bragg last October. I’m still hoping to return and check out the garden during the springtime for a completely different experience!

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Arizona pine forest

Here are a few more images from my walk along the nature trail at the Little America Hotel in Flagstaff, Arizona, last June. I was quite happy to have the path mostly to myself (the Big Guy had chosen to ignore the trail and set off on his own, cross country), and the clouds and cooler late afternoon temperatures were […]

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Consolation for the heart

We discovered Hendy Woods State Park in Mendocino County’s Anderson Valley for the very first time in late October of last year. I was sorry we had arrived so late in the afternoon because I was more than happy to keep exploring the trails. However, the Big Guy was tired from fishing all day, and the sun was headed for […]

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