Camping

California Fires

/ Bulldog Travels / 10 Comments

It’s fire season in California again. I can only remember a handful of big fires growing up in this state as a kid. Now this is the new norm every year from probably about June-December. The Forest Service has even taken the monumental position of closing the Forests because if another fire kicks off they don’t have the resources to evacuate people and put out the fire. (Everyone is ok!) It’s crazy times. It’s devastating and dangerous for many; my family being impacted this time by the Caldor Fire. This photo was taken at a reservoir called Stumpy Meadows when the smoke from the Dixie fire was wafting over. If you glance quickly it looks like cool fog…

It’s been a while since I posted. I hope all of my friends out there are well. It seems many of us aren’t traveling much for many reasons COVID likely being one of them. Take care everyone. Happy Travels.

Donner Train Tunnel Petroglyphs

/ Bulldog Travels / 6 Comments

While walking up to the Donner Train Tunnels from where we parked we were perplexed as to why there were perfectly manicured rock trails seemingly where there should not be any. We started poking around and realized we had walked right past some pretty epic petroglyphs. I say pretty epic because there aren’t a whole lot of them around this area. Apparently the area was knows as a region where various groups of American Indian groups would gather and trade. The petroglyphs were thought to have noted the meeting spots with meaningful images.

Loon Lake Ashes

/ Bulldog Travels / 11 Comments

With COVID and the California fires it was time to flee the city. We went up to the family cabin and took a short drive to visit the beautiful Loon Lake. This lake is magnificent and on this day it was showing off. Sadly, a large fire broke out nearby yesterday which has me nervous for the emergency personnel, our cabin, anyone still in the area, and of course the wildlife. It seems California is on fire again and our friends to the north in Oregon are burning up too. Fire season likely won’t be over until December… Send any spare good vibes to the West Coast please. We could use them. #2020

Wide Open Walls 916 – Social Distancing Edition

/ Bulldog Travels / 8 Comments

Sacramento continues to encourage and promote it’s Wide Open Walls art festival.  This colorful wall spoke to me as I am always partial to rainbows and color flows like this.  Funny enough this was shot as only part of the wall.  I preferred this simplicity to the other part of the wall which had the actual substance to it.  Art can speak to us in many ways.  

Check out other Wide Open Walls 916 murals I have captured here and tell me your favorites!

Bodega Bay’s Kortum Trail

/ Bulldog Travels / 8 Comments

My husband and I and friends have been camping in Bodega Bay for years and years. We typically camp on the beach in the Sonoma Coast State Parks which is pretty darn glorious. During many of those trips we hiked portions of the Kortum trail which parallels the coast for approximately 5 miles round trip. The mild and maintained trail connects Wright’s Beach all the way to Blind Beach.

Since baby made his arrival in my life two years ago we haven’t been back to the beach or the trail. So finally my Mom and son and I spent the weekend visiting the area and I took the opportunity here to show you some views from the trail. One can see magnificent views of the ocean, beautiful rock outcroppings, lovely wild flowers, seals, birds, rabbits, and sunsets. iPhone photos but hopefully I get the point across.

It frankly does not get much better than this friends.

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Joshua Tree National Park – Save the parks

/ Bulldog Travels / 23 Comments

I cut my teeth photographing Joshua Tree National Park with my first medium format Hasselblad somewhere around 2000.  Looking back the photos I was so proud of at the time have a lot of flaws.  But, my memories are some of the best I have ever had photographing a National park or the outdoors in general.  I fell in love with this park and its unusual and amazingly distinct Joshua Trees.  It breaks my heart to see that the park has been shut down due to politics.  And it is even worse to read reports of damage to the park’s treasured and protected Joshua Trees.  I am disappointed in the people who would do such damage to a park and it’s innocent trees.  And I am disappointed in our government for not doing what it has been charged to do.  It is up to us individually to make good decisions and protect our treasures.  Do no harm, Leave no trace behind and take care of our parks, P.L.E.A.S.E.

For the love of Trees

Memorial Day Mendocino Botanical Gardens

/ Bulldog Travels / 21 Comments

Yes, yes, I know.  I have posted about the Mendocino Botanical Gardens before.  But, it’s sort of become my muse.  (If I may humbly use that term.)  Right about the time I think I might start get tired of the place I go back and fall in love all over again.  We spent a four-day Memorial Day weekend up in Mendocino and spent the better part of an afternoon exploring the garden and enjoying the hummingbird wars, coastal breeze, roses, veggie garden, golden rod crab spiders (what?), and Dahlia buds.  As I sit in 100+ degree Sacramento heat this week I am channeling the coastal breeze and cooler weather from Mendocino wishing we never came home…

Golden Rod Crab Spider known to change its color based on if it is hanging out on a white or a yellow flower. Had to do a little research after spying this creepy lady. I can’t remember ever seeing one before. Hope never to see one in my house…
Another specimen I cannot remember seeing before with blue cones
Never get tired of Dahlias
Dahlia Baby
The garden has a good collection of public art that changes regularly
Mother Nature is creative in the interesting things she creates is she not?
Saved this little one who had flown in to a green house and couldn’t figure out how to fly out the door.
Never grow tired of this view

Check out other posts I have done on Mendocino here…

Mendocino Guest House Inn

/ Bulldog Travels / 32 Comments

While visiting Mendocino last weekend we finally stopped by the Mendocino/Fort Bragg Guest House Museum.  It was a short and cute little museum.  But, the fun part was the large redwood stump out front displaying rings from almost Pre-Christian times.  We don’t see many trees this large anymore outside of the State Parks that care for them.  But, for those of you who may never have seen anything like this before check it out and then read of the many historic events that occurred in its lifetime.  I have never seen anything like this outside of California, has anyone else?

Memorial Day Mendocino

/ Bulldog Travels / 21 Comments

A week late but here I am.  For Memorial Day we bombed up to Mendocino, Bulldog and trailer in tow.  Our favorite site at MacKerricker State Park was full so we found a superb little private campground within walking distance feeling lucky we found anything at all. The weather was perfect, about 70 degrees all weekend, without a cloud in the sky.  70 degree weather gave way to over 100 degree + weather following.  We enjoyed it while it lasted…

 

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Sorry for the terrible iPhone photo but the bulldog was as excited as we were to go somewhere fun and get out of the heat.

 

We took our favorite local Fern Canyon hike to the full and flowing waterfall at Russian Gulch State Park nearly 7 miles round trip.

We also checked out the Mendocino Botanical Gardens as usual.  So, stay tuned for more flower photos on that…


 

 

Jenner Coast, California Hwy 1

/ Bulldog Travels / 17 Comments

I have been camping for years now near Bodega Bay, California in the Sonoma Coast State Park area.  Just north of that up the famed California Highway 1 is a little seaside town called Jenner.  Some friends bought a small piece of property and are building a “tiny home” on it.  They recently invited us up for a visit and we took them up on it.  The drive from Sacramento took us through Santa Rosa and along the Russian River along Hwy 166 until the road dead ends in to the coast.  From there you head north on a dizzyingly windy road past Jenner towards Stillwater Cove on Hwy 1.  Mother Nature was kind to us providing us with a glorious view of the ocean and the rocky coastline saving her fog and haze for another day.  Once we made it to the property we set out for a brisk fern lined walk through the oaks and redwoods mushroom spotting along the way.

Friends, its days like this that remind me why I live in California.