Every time I drive south down highway 395 between June Lake and Mammoth, I am struck by the imposing face of Mount Morrison. A steep pyramid, it rises from the crest…
The third day of our Thanksgiving trip was spent in the southern end of Mojave National Preserve, exploring some fun rock formations and old mining sights. The Sheep Corral is…
I'm going to use the theme of "Throwback Thursday" to start revisiting some trips I never got around to writing about. First up is an exploration of the Surprise Tank Petroglyphs…
Carrizo Plain is a wilderness area in the middle of nowhere between Kern county oilfields and Paso Robles. At first glance one wonders why this is a special place, but it…
Yesterday I did a short morning hike in Harvey Bear County Park (between Morgan Hill and Gilroy) to see how the wildflowers were doing in this dry year. I didn't…
Hiking in the East Bay can be tricky. In the summer, it can be hot, dry, and rattlesnakey. In the winter it is green and lush, but the trails are…
It takes a lot to throw off my generally happy disposition, but a few weeks of work travel (and the corresponding poor sleep and unhealthy eating) and a head cold have knocked me off my game. I desperately needed a few hours outdoors before kicking off another project, so I took off this morning to see how the wildflowers are looking this year.
Santa Teresa is a pretty good local park for flowers so I decided to start there. My 11 mile hike took me to all different parts of the park, and while some areas were already in bloom others hadn’t even started.
Mammoth Mountain is a playground for people who like to go downhill - namely, skiers and mountain bikers. This mountain is about speed: get to the top as fast as…
Last week we attended a beautiful wedding in the Alabama Hills (yay Paige and Fred!) Before the ceremony we had some down time so we decided to explore some of…