Featured Blog Posts (41)

The annual mass migration along the Pacific Flyway is in full swing by Thanksgiving.  Over 1.5 million ducks, geese, and other waterfowl pass through the Sacramento National Wildlife Complex or stop to claim it for their winter…

The American River starts high in the peaks of the Sierra Nevada.  It winds and crashes through deep canyons down to the foothills where it eventually is tamed to form Folsom Lake.  Released again, it flows wide and powerful to meet the Sacramento River.  This moderate 66-mile, four-day walkabout starts in the foothill town of…

A small herd of tule elk bounded out of the trees and into the marsh.  All males with impressive racks, they splashed through the shallows startling egrets and sending a flock of ducks aloft as they raced to an open field and disappeared.

Grizzly Island, 8,800 acres of marshland is a…

There is a surge of popularity for hiking from inn-to-inn in Europe, and the same is true in California.  Adventurers hike trails connecting coastal villages along the wild Pacific.  They trek through the majestic Sierra Nevada Mountains, along the serene beaches of Southern California, and through the parklands around the San…

Hike the spine of the High Sierra along the Pacific Crest Trail on this 3-day, 30 mile walkabout.  This is a challenging hike, but you’ll be rewarded with stopovers at mountain resorts in spectacular settings and with the solitude and pristine beauty of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Start your journey…

An enchanted land of rugged mountains, alpine lakes, clear streams, deep glaciated canyons, and other-worldly hydrothermal landscapes, Lassen Volcanic National Park is a wild and exotic Northern California treasure.  Towering above it all, Lassen Peak rests after its most recent eruption in 1917.

One…

Is there anything better than a leisurely drive through Tuscany? Yes! A multi-day hike from hill town to hill town savoring the Tuscan countryside at two miles an hour, exploring farmland and forest, walking the quiet streets of ancient villages, meeting the locals, and enjoying the famous wines and cuisine.…

Beautiful Slovenia, a pastoral country of 2 million, lies in So. Central Europe, nestled between the Alps and the Adriatic Sea.  Set in its NW corner, in the Julian Alps, Triglav National Park is a land of raging rivers, crystalline lakes, alpine meadows, and soaring peaks.  At its heart stands Mt. Triglav, Slovenia’s tallest mountain.

After spending a few days in…

They fly 2,000 miles to return to their winter home.  When the temperature dips below 55, they gather in pulsating clusters, clinging to eucalyptus branches, their feet intertwined.  The day warms, and sunlight falls on a cluster.  They burst forth, a fluttering orange and black cloud.

Natural…

The summer Yellowstone crowds disappear, and serenity settles on the land for both people and animals.  Bison gather in the geyser basins where food is more abundant.  Elk graze along river banks.  Wolves and coyotes come to pick off the vulnerable.

     Yellowstone is unique in the world – 2 million acres…

A red-tailed hawk swoops low, and 1,000 startled snow geese lift with a cacophony of honks and chatter.  They ascend in disarray, filling the sky.  Breathtaking chaos.  Then they gradually assemble, circle, and return to their vernal pond.

Winter is the season to visit Colusa National Wildlife Refuge.  On the…

This one day, 23.8 mile “bridge hike” connects two multi-day walkabouts. There are no inns or restaurants, but the inn-to-inn hiker is rewarded with the longest stretch of accessible uninterrupted, undeveloped shoreline for over 200 miles. Hike miles of plateau between coastal mountains and the sea. Walk through Camp Pendleton where you will experience an active Marine Corps base at two miles an hour. This is a challenging hike. Be sure to bring your driver’s license. They will check it as…

Kayaking up stream, the river stirs.  A harbor seal pokes his head above the surface and stares back at us.  Overhead, an osprey glides, searching for lunch.  Blue herons perch on limbs of firs, pines, and redwoods on the river banks.  We startle a cormorant.  Madly slapping the river and running along the surface, she takes…

We round a curve and halt.  A herd of 50 female tule elk crosses our trail.  There are three males.  Two are smaller, but one is massive, standing tall above his harem, with a huge candelabra rack, seven points on each antler.  He looks like he is having a very good year.

It is late October, the tail-end of…

Stand on cliffs overlooking La Jolla Bay, and take in the abundance of wildlife.  Migrating whales feed close to shore.  Sea lions bark a noisy chorus from offshore outcroppings.  Harbor seals lounge on sheltered beaches.  Dolphins, leopard sharks, shovel-nose guitarfish, and Garibaldi damselfish ply the clear waters.…

From San Francisco’s Cliff House, Ocean Beach beckons.  Broad and flat, it stretches as far as you can see, disappearing into the mist.  Stride out on 9 miles of uninterrupted beach to start this 30-mile, 4-day walkabout.  Urban life fades as you hike a coast that is extraordinarily wild.

     Hike miles of…

Driving across the Sierra Nevada Mountains and need to stretch your legs?  Take this short and beautiful High Sierra hike to two pretty alpine lakes.

We hiked this trail in late July.  It was still spring time in the high country.  The wildflowers were spectacular, and they should continue into late…

Cinque Terre is the jewel of the Italian Riviera.  Rugged mountains plunge to the Ligurian Sea where five medieval coastal villages, each with its own dialect and identity, enchant visitors.  Come for the swimming, the sun, the wine, and for hiking.

The car-free villages are connected by a web of trails.  They…

Gliding peacefully across Utica Reservoir, high in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  Boulders, deep below the surface catch the morning sun in the clear waters.  An osprey circles overhead, intently searching for breakfast.  Our kayaks and paddles are all that disturbs the still surface.

Three easily accessed…

Desolation Wilderness is a land of spectacular beauty.  Soaring peaks of granite, honeycombed with scores of lakes, it towers over the southwest corner of Lake Tahoe.  This High Sierra Nevada, 7 mile round-trip hike takes you to Lake Aloha and the heart of Desolation Wilderness.

Leave Hwy. 50 at Echo summit…