I took my bike out for a spin the other day for the first time in quite a while. Wanting to travel light, I tucked the small Fujifilm camera into my bag — although shooting pictures wasn’t my main goal. Still, as I paused in the shade of the bridge, the sun sparkling on the water caught my eye. I […]
Higher Elevations, Summer 1987 When we weren’t traveling to the coast or fishing in our own backyard, The Big Guy and I liked spending a day or two up in the mountains — especially during the summer when the temperatures were uncomfortable in the valley. Back then our house had only an old “swamp cooler” and sometimes it just wasn’t […]
When you’re hiking along a hot, dusty trail on a summer day, it’s always wonderful to come across a cool stream running across your path, bubbling and singing as it drops down to the lake below. The combination of welcoming shade, colorful wildflowers, and sometimes even a few nice, sweet berries makes it possible to continue on down the trail. […]
It’s always a treat to spot a Great Blue Heron, and even better to get a decent picture. I spotted this one just upstream from the Lake Natoma Crossing in July 2014. According to my Peterson Field Guide to Birds, at 4 feet tall these graceful waders are the second largest long-legged bird in the West (after the Sandhill Crane).
This episode of California’s Gold is among the top ten fan favorites of the entire series. And after watching the episode, I had to add riding a mule into the Yosemite back country to my bucket list! It’s also wonderful to see amazing trees like Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest in Inyo County and the giant Sequoia known as the Roosevelt Tree […]
It’s beautiful in photos and on film, and even more breathtaking in person. The Neptune Pool at Hearst Castle is unique and beautiful; and if you ever get a chance to visit the site, especially on a warm day, you may feel tempted to test the waters for yourself! Of course, that’s strictly forbidden — unless you happen to be […]
Hearst Castle, near the central coast, is one of the most amazing spots in California. It was created by William Randolph Hearst and architect Julia Morgan and completed in the mid 1940s. One could wander the house and gardens almost endlessly and never tire of the experience. I’ve been lucky enough to visit twice, but it remains near the top of […]
For the past month or so here in California, we can’t turn on the news without hearing people talking about water — water filling up reservoirs, overflowing rivers and creeks, covering roads and farmlands, and causing mudslides on the highways. It seems that water is one of those things we tend to take for granted, until we have too little […]