The sun is up, but it’s not too hot, yet. There are people getting in their daily exercise; others seem content to simply take in the view while enjoying their morning cup of java. I pass two scruffy looking guys in their mid-twenties standing next to a beater Ford Ranger with a camper shell. The …
Hello old friend, it’s been a while…
Four years to be exact, almost to the day. It doesn’t feel that long, but it was. How did this happen? Was I jealous at how popular you’ve become? Was I was tired of having to share you with others? Was I seduced by ‘new’ and ‘different’? It’s not like you’ve been lonely, you had …
Art and the Wild
"Yet most of us, when we think about it, realize that after our own direct experience of nature, what has contributed most to our love of wild places, animals, plants – and even, perhaps, to our love of wild nature, our sense of our citizenship – is the art, literature, myth, and lore of nature. …
Wild in the Age of Man
Anthropocene - The Age of Man. The current theory is there is no place on earth that hasn’t been affected by humans, primarily through global climate change, but also by other factors such as pollution and nuclear testing. As a species we have increased the percentage of CO2 in the atmosphere; we have cauterized the …
Pinnacles National Park – Discovery & Remembrance
On the High Trail, just below Scout Peak, I pulled out a map to orient myself. I was also curious how well my smartphone’s mapping program was working. The phone had been in airplane mode for most of my stay in the park since there hadn’t been a signal since turning off Highway 25. This …
Continue reading Pinnacles National Park – Discovery & Remembrance
Butano State Park – Hiking and Camping under the Redwoods
If you haven’t heard of Butano State Park you’re not alone. I hadn't either, until I was listened to a KQED podcast on California State Parks and one of the guests mentioned it. Nestled in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Butano State Park is smaller and harder to get to than more famous Big Basin Redwoods State …
Continue reading Butano State Park – Hiking and Camping under the Redwoods
Point Reyes National Seashore – A tame adventure on a wild coast
Earlier this May I made a much anticipated, and much overdue, trip to Point Reyes National Seashore. Point Reyes was the second stop of a ten day trip combining family visits and outdoor adventure. Back in 2015 I had a permit to stay at Glen Camp, but due to personal commitments and other factors, it …
Continue reading Point Reyes National Seashore – A tame adventure on a wild coast
On The Road – Going from Adventure to Adventure
I'm currently on the road with 'just' a smartphone so there won't be a post this week, but there will be a double post next week. Here are a couple of photos to tide you over. (Pun intended.)
Not all adventures are meant to be shared
Not all adventures are meant to be shared. Not all locations should be disclosed. There aren’t any details in this post, just a story about a blank spot on the map. A special place, a cave where I’ve only brought one other person. It all started with a rumor. I decided to follow up on …
Nearby Adventures: Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve
If you live in Southern California, it can feel like one, big, massive, ever-growing, sprawl. Standing atop many of the regions highest peaks, the views are ‘marred’ by homes and strip malls and freeways and factories and skyscrapers: sprawl. There are however, places not too far away and not too difficult to get to, where there …
Continue reading Nearby Adventures: Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve
Adventure-to-Adventure 