America’s Public Lands – Malheur NWR
At the northernmost end of the Great Basin in western North America lies Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Set aside in 1908 as a bird sanctuary by President Theodore Roosevelt, and added to over the century since, Malheur today consists of 187,757 acres of wildlife...
Water Therapy
When I first went on the road in 2014, Proxy Falls was on my list of possible waterfalls to visit. That autumn, I chose a different route and ended up in the Columbia River Gorge. With my appetite for waterfall photography thoroughly satiated, I put Proxy Falls on the...
The Magic of Nature
Not long ago, I was sitting outside at sunset, watching the swallows fluttering and swooping around catching bugs in flight. Every so often, two swallows would zero in on the same bug, causing a near collision in mid-air. This would result in some unhappy squawking...
Whales in the Smith River!
On Sunday and Monday, March 11th and 12th 2018, whales entered the Smith River in northern California. To be honest, I don't know for sure if there were multiple whales or just one, but there were at least three different times over two days when a whale was in the...
Winter on the North Coast
The north coast of California is a place of wonder and beauty. Most people know there are redwood forests and breathtaking ocean vistas here. What many might not realize is that Del Norte and Humboldt counties are treasure troves of wildlife viewing. Elk, sea lions,...
Best of 2017
Hard to believe another year has already gone by. Time for my annual "best of" choices. 2017 was an interesting year, full of new places and new adventures. For the first time since I became a full-time vagabond, I had the urge to be a "snowbird" and head to the...