Under the Crossing
Schoefer Creek Trail
There are so many beautiful places to wander within the Mendocino Coast Botanical Garden in Fort Bragg! It seemed to me that most of the other visitors while I was there last October headed for the bluff trails to enjoy the views of the ocean. I preferred the woodland areas and had them mostly to myself — with only birdsong, […]
October hike
I really have mixed feelings about hiking from the Sterling Pointe trailhead at Folsom Lake. On the plus side, parking is free and the lot is usually nearly empty whenever I go. It’s also a fairly easy hike downhill to the lakeshore with great scenic views and even a bench or two along the way. Once at the bottom, you […]
A road less traveled
Whenever we head over to Clear Lake, our normal route of travel is via Interstate 5 to Williams, then east on Highway 20. But driving home a few years ago I decided to explore a less direct option — Highway 16, which splits off from Highway 20 to wind alongside Bear and Cache creeks and through the Capay Valley before […]
View from the hill
Hiking up the Dorn Nature Trail at Clear Lake State Park two months ago was one of my most enjoyable outings this year. I had the trail nearly to myself, and while the sun frequently vanished behind clouds, leaving behind a chilly wind, I was able to take things at my own pace and spend time just listening to the […]
Lost cars
Why — and how — do random cars always seem to end up in the bottom of an otherwise attractive ravine? The sight of this abandoned wreck of a pickup truck in Roseville a couple of weeks ago instantly brought back to mind a similar eyesore that rested in Orangevale’s Snipes Ravine for many years (although I suspect it may […]
On the Dorn Nature Trail
One day during our stay in Nice last month, the Big Guy suggested that I drive around to the opposite side of Clear Lake and explore the trails at Clear Lake State Park. I’d been to the state park a few times in the past but only to launch the boat and go fishing. He was convinced that I’d find […]
Hidden history in Rocklin
Looks like the end of the road — and it is actually an extremely short section of paved bike path that comes from nowhere and leads nowhere, at least for now. But I had searched out this spot after noticing what looked like a couple of old quarries on Google Maps, and when I arrived, I wasn’t disappointed. Well, maybe […]
Hiding in plain sight
About a month ago, I discovered an amazing undeveloped green space along the border between Roseville and Rocklin completely by accident; and once the rainstorms finally let up I was able to get out and do some exploring. As I wandered the many trails that crisscross the area I was reminded of the pre-development landscape near Whitney Oaks in Rocklin. […]