I’m a dedicated trip planner/researcher. So, I was a little surprised when I saw I would be going close to the Rainbow Basin Natural Area and knew nothing about. I had to stop and explore, and I was happy I did.


23 Saturday Mar 2024
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I’m a dedicated trip planner/researcher. So, I was a little surprised when I saw I would be going close to the Rainbow Basin Natural Area and knew nothing about. I had to stop and explore, and I was happy I did.


20 Wednesday Mar 2024
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For years I had wanted to see a super bloom at Carrizo Plains. I would be somewhat close to the area, so I checked the wildflower bloom forecasts on-line. Everything I read was positive, so off I went.

15 Friday Mar 2024
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I was headed to Field Van in Fresno without campground reservations and soon to discover that there wasn’t a camping site within 100 miles to be had. No problem, I checked my resources and found Tumey Hills, a BLM site that allowed disperse camping. Great. I was getting tired of campgrounds.

13 Wednesday Mar 2024
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I had heard about seeing elephant seals at Point Reyes. I had to investigate. Sure enough, big males and pups where there laying on the beach. Watching them was like watching paint dry. But the outstanding docent volunteers explained the life of the seals and made the visit memorable. I will go back if I’m ever in the area.

13 Wednesday Mar 2024
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In my quest to get to Santa Rosa, I drove south on I-5 and turned west at Williams, CA and ventured southwest to the Doran County Park via Calistoga. I spend the night at the Sycamore Grove USFS campground by Red Bluff. I had stopped there in 2021 and found it enjoyable. It didn’t disappoint me on this trip. I walked the loop trail.

09 Saturday Mar 2024
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Sometimes memories are hidden away until something shakes them loose. Such were my memories of walking under and behind a waterfall. It was an intriguing experience as a child. Recently a friend described such a place to me. Silver Falls, Oregon.

08 Friday Mar 2024
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I headed off on my spring trip – heading south along I-5, not anywhere close to the middle of nowhere. But sometimes you have to do what you have to do. Along the way I managed to see some wonderful grist mills. Where things were powered by water and used belts and pullies to transfer the power through the mill. Ah, mechanically engineering by the common man before technology.

05 Thursday Oct 2023
Posted in camping site, Fall 2023, Uncategorized
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Looking for a place to spend the night, I drove to the failed Teton Dam overlook. Once there, it looked vandalized. There were no signs explaining what had happen or what I was looking at. Just a paved surface, curbing and sidewalks. And then I began to understand. I was at the overlook built to showcase the dam – its ability to provide power, reduce flooding, and provide irrigation water. Now all mention of the failed dam has been removed from the overlook. There was nothing. It was as if the wish was to remove all memory of the dam. The spillway can be seen, that is the only reminder that a dam once stood there. The spillway now provides a new purpose, a surface for artists to express themselves on.

02 Monday Oct 2023
Posted in Fall 2023, Uncategorized
After cleaning up in Mackay, I went to the Craters of the Moon National Monument to wait out the weather. It was cold and rainy. Dogs aren’t allowed on the trails there, but they are allowed on the road. Razzy and I walked the road with my wool cap and raincoat on. The plants stood out against the black volcanic rock.

25 Monday Sep 2023
Posted in camping site, Uncategorized
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Bayhorse Mine, Black Magic Canyon, BLM Bayhorse Campground, Fourth of July Lake, Idaho, Ramshorn Mine, Ramshorn slate, Shoshone Ice Caves, Skylark Mine
I was getting into my new routine with the van and most of the time (not always) I remembered where I stored stuff. And being in such a small space I felt like I was stumbling over myself at time, but those times were getting less and less. And my dog and I were getting our system worked out. Thankfully she was learning to understand that she needed to jump off the bed/sofa when I wanted to change the function. The first couple of mornings when I wanted the change the bedroom to a living room/kitchen, she did her best to imitate a dead dog, not letting me easily change the bed to a sofa.
