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The Adventure Continues... Survival Food
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September at Eagle Lake
Spalding Marina
Oh, look — I discovered another bunch of images from last year that I had completely forgotten about! I shot all but one of these with my beloved Fujifilm camera while exploring around the west shoreline of Eagle Lake, in the small community of Spalding (Google seems to think it’s “Spaulding”). I would love to go back and see what this area looks like in the winter and especially…
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Just dandy
Today (April 21) is Earth Day, and I’ve been thinking a lot about dandelions lately. That’s partly because I recently finished reading Hannah Holmes’ Suburban Safari: A Year on the Lawn (Bloomsbury, 2005). I was attracted by the cute squirrel on the book’s cover, but as I read I also learned terms like “Freedom Lawn,” and “grass-farming” — I haven’t checked recent numbers, but back when the book…
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Sense of spring
Menzies fiddleneck and purple vetch grow near a fallen palm tree
As I wandered around an abandoned and overgrown portion of Spanish Flat Campground at Lake Berryessa, I found an oak woodland covered in foxtails and invasive vetch as well as a surprising variety of flowers growing wild alongside forgotten pieces of roadway and cement pads. I can only guess at what this hilltop headland looked like…
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Lizard love
I can always be pretty sure of spotting Western Fence Lizards (also called Blue-bellies) on my outdoor adventures during the spring, usually perched atop sun-warmed rocks or old logs. Sometimes it takes sharp eyes to spot their camouflage. Still, for all the many times I’ve seen and photographed these little guys, I never knew until today that they have the amazing ability to kill the bacterium…
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The Adventure Continues... Hot Creek
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Russian Gulch headlands
Headlands Trail and Sink Hole at Russian River State Park
It was six months ago, when we were at the Mendocino coast in late October 2023, that I finally got a chance to visit Russian Gulch State Park (not to be confused with Sonoma County’s Russian Gulch Beach). The clouds threatened rain and even delivered a few scattered showers; still, the day seemed perfect to me. While the Big Guy set off…
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Off the beaten track
Spring is an excellent time to explore around the shores of Lake Berryessa, as we recently did on our day trip during the first week of April. I discovered this unobtrusive trail near the Lupine Shores campground — guarded by a rather suspicious ground squirrel — which took me around the headland in a wide loop. I found the peace and quiet of nature, some lovely views of the lake, several…
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Osprey love
Gliding on the wind with eyes scanning the ground
After recovering from a drop in numbers some 25+ years ago, Ospreys seem to be thriving again in Northern California. I see them frequently whenever I visit Clear Lake or Lake Berryessa — especially in the February through August, when they’re always busy nesting and raising their young. On our recent day trip to Steele Canyon at Lake Berryessa, I…
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Tumbling waters
Miners Ravine, April 2024
Yesterday I paid a visit to my newest favorite suburban greenspace, along Miners Ravine in Rocklin. I only stumbled upon this tiny oasis last spring, so I was eager to get back out there and see how the creek looked. As you can see by the image above, it looks pretty good right now! Since I love photographing whitewater (although my skills still need some work), I…
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The Adventure Continues... Muybridge
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A visit to the vernal ponds
When I made this year’s first trip to Phoenix Park last week I was hoping to see a lot of wildflowers after all the rain storms we’ve had. I was a little surprised that the various pools didn’t seem to be overflowing, although I know that only the earliest flowers are blooming right now. All in all, it was a good outing, which included my usual side trek through the Lake Natoma Heights…
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More from the Ecological Staircase
Shoreline Highway at Jug Handle Creek
The trail crosses under the bridge and continues east before crossing the creek
Scotch broom beside the trail near the highway bridge
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Scenes from Steele Canyon
A couple of days ago I drove over to Lake Berryessa with the Big Guy, and we spent the day at Steele Canyon Campground, near the south end of the lake. There is so much to explore all around this gorgeous lake that anytime we go over there, I find something new! Of course, my very favorite time of year to visit is early in springtime, when the hills are still green, the wildflowers are popping…
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The Adventure Continues... Chavez Center
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Eco Staircase -- phoning it in
I was originally going to call this post “One last look.” Then I started browsing through my collection of photos from the hike at Jug Handle Preserve last October and realized I’ve barely even scratched the surface! So instead, these images are the last batch that I shot with my phone camera, and I’ll save the rest for some later date(s). The fact is that not everything I shot that day is worth…
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Aquatic Park Bathhouse
I had been hoping to go check out San Francisco’s Aquatic Park Bathhouse for a few years; when I finally got there last August I was slightly disappointed to find the upper floor blocked off. But despite my disappointment, there was still a lot of fascinating items on display in this beautiful building, constructed in the mid 1930s. The Aquatic Park and the Maritime Museum are now part of San…
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