Forest hike

I’m not sure if there’s a name for this phenomenon, but maybe you’ve noticed that whenever you’re driving carefully along a winding, narrow, possibly dirt road full of potholes searching for a specific location in the middle of nowhere, three miles can feel more like 50 miles. Just a few miles up Little Lake Road in Mendocino, not far from […]

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A walk along the creek

The dirt trail running parallel to Hinkle Creek is roughly a half mile in length, passing through oak woodland inhabited by a variety of wildlife. The murmur of the creek is never far away even though much of its banks are crowded with prickly blackberry bushes. The location is not exactly isolated; visible just up the steep hill to the […]

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Up on the bluffs

Whenever I head over to Phoenix Park in Fair Oaks, I usually try to find time to walk a little farther, through the neighborhood behind the park and over to the bluffs. There I can always find a slightly different view of Lake Natoma than the one I normally see, with a wide vista of Mississippi Bar below me. On […]

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More from The Sea Ranch

A week ago I mentioned that I was surprised to discover some forgotten photos from my trip to the Sonoma Coast back in September. I was sure I had posted all my pictures already; but the great thing about carrying three different cameras is that I can capture three times as many images! Today I’m sharing the photos I shot […]

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On the Bobcat Trail

I was so certain I had already blogged about exploring the neighborhood trails when we stayed at The Sea Ranch last September — but none of the photos are showing up in my media library. I guess my attempt at being organized has failed me again, but this time I don’t mind so much because it gives me an excuse […]

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A memory of trees

I’m doing a slightly different Memory Monday today only partly because I discovered a few previously overlooked family slides. Another reason, strange as it may seem, has to do with trees. With all the powerful storms that have been blowing through our region this month, a lot of neighborhood trees have come down — many landing on vehicles and houses. […]

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Along the Bobcat Trail

One of the very best parts about our recent stay at The Sea Ranch cabin was the private network of trails winding through the neighborhood. Houses are constructed to blend in with the natural environment, with plenty of undeveloped buffer zones; so it was possible to wander among the redwood trees and barely notice any structures. I also never ran […]

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Aftermath

I’m still trying to find the words to express my feelings after taking a drive last Tuesday up to the west shore of Lake Almanor in Plumas County. Maybe I should have been more prepared for what I saw — the effects of the Dixie Fire, which burned nearly 1 million acres over five California counties from July through October […]

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