Boondock adventures out west
Elephant seals have a rookery near the Piedras Blancas Lighthouse, just south of the Big Sur Wilderness on the Pacific Coast. January is a fantastic time to visit the rookery to watch the newborn pups with their mothers. Massive sized bulls are also active making loud challenges to any encroaching
Read more
One of my most personal encounters with a scorpion was of all places at the checkout counter of a mini-mart/ gas station in Panamint Springs, California. Panamint Springs Resort is a remote oasis along the way into Death Valley’s western border. We fueled up our 4×4 truck there and I
Read more
Wildflowers inspire me with their perseverance. Despite their fragile appearance, these flowers are tough! Wildflowers adapt themselves to periods of drought by banking seeds when rain is scarce. This year California has enjoyed a desperately needed rainy season, and the wildflowers have responded by carpeting barren hills in their rich
Read more
Stargazing is a major perk of camping in the backcountry under the vivid night sky. Void of city light pollution you can see the Milky Way and an array of stars and planets. Stargazers can get to know these heavenly bodies by using a star chart – either manual or
Read more
It is inevitable while traveling in the California desert, Sierras and Pacific coast range, that you will come across a rattlesnake. I live in rattlesnake country and it is still unnerving to have a close encounter. Rattlers tend to mind their own business and are an important part of rodent
Read more
Answering the call of nature is an integral part of wilderness camping and requires some heightened awareness of your surroundings. We dig a hole designated for this purpose when we camp and choose an area free of cactus, Prickly Poppy, rattlesnake hideouts, and watercourses. As we have gotten older we
Read more