South Fork Little Sur

June 12, 2011

There’s no sign, but the Little Sur Trail begins at this easily recognized gate on the Old Coast Rd. Just take the Old Coast Rd. north, a little under 4 miles, from its south end at Andrew Molera State Park. Read the rest of this entry »


Soberanes Wildflowers

May 16, 2011

Soberanes Point as drawn by Rosa Laura Soberanes about 1888. Rosa was one of the twelve Soberanes children who grew up on the ranch that now comprises much of Garrapata State Park.

With Garrapata State Park on the closure list, we thought we’d post some photos of the wildflowers in the popular Soberanes Creek/Rocky Ridge portion of the park. We didn’t take these today (most of them were taken last Spring), but a lot of the same things – and a lot of things not pictured here – are currently in bloom. Read the rest of this entry »


East Garland Wildflowers

April 30, 2011

Here’s a little of what we saw today …

Chinese Houses (Collinsia heterophylla) Read the rest of this entry »


Modoc Easter

April 25, 2011

The Warner Mountains at sunrise.

It may be spring in the rest of California, but winter is only just beginning to loosen its grip on Modoc County. Read the rest of this entry »


Wildflower Show Opens in Pacific Grove

April 15, 2011

Clarkia rubicunda

The annual Wildflower Show opened at the Pacific Grove Natural History Museum this morning and will run through the weekend. With hundreds of species on display and plenty of experts on hand to answer questions, you can learn more about the native flora in an hour here than you can in a week anywhere else. They say it’s the biggest wildflower show in the northern and western hemispheres (does that mean there’s a bigger one in South Africa, or somewhere?). And it only costs five bucks! But it’s one weekend only. Miss it and you’ll have to wait for next year.

Hours are 10 to 5.

Sea Pink (Ameria maritima ssp. californica) and California Poppies (Eschscholzia californica) blooming on Granite Pt.


Garland After the Rain

March 27, 2011


The Mesa at Garland Regional Park

Hard to remember the last day without rain. With the sun finally shining, we take a look at what’s up at Garland.
Read the rest of this entry »


East Molera & Post Summit

March 13, 2011

The East Molera Trail begins with a moderate climb through live oak woodlands… Read the rest of this entry »


March at the Pinnacles

March 5, 2011

With temperatures more than 30 degrees higher than just one week ago, we head for the Pinnacles Read the rest of this entry »


September on Mt. Manuel

September 19, 2010

A walk up the Mt. Manuel Trail (or Manuel Peak Trail, if you prefer) can be brutal on a hot summer day. That’s why we waited for a mild autumn day to make the trip. Notice how the deerweed (Lotus scoparius) that turned these hillsides yellow when it was in bloom a few months ago has now turned the hills a rusty brown as the flowers dry out. Read the rest of this entry »


Bicycle Tour to Lake San Antonio and the Pinnacles

May 31, 2010

A beautiful day in the making Read the rest of this entry »