#2- Identify and journal three new birds. Two out of three done!
I have completed the Bewick’s Wren and Clark’s Nutcracker.
#3- Identify and journal three new rocks. Once again, I am failing at this goal. I need to refresh my memory and make a plan. (See below for my new plan to accomplish my goals.)
#6- Post a nature photo of the week for the entire year. Up to date!
#7- Camping in all four seasons.
So our spring trip didn’t happen because of my road trip to the East Coast with my daughter…BUT we have gone on three camping trips this summer! (We have a camping trip planned for the end of September and then another in December…plus a trip for spring 2015 to the Grand Canyon!)
My New Plan For Accomplishing my Goals
I have added a Nature Study Goals box to the Nature Study Planning Page in the newsletter for October (take a peek at the original page in this entry). This may remind me and all of you too of your nature study goals each month. Let me know how it helps you or if you have any other ideas for the planning page.
Great Basin National Park is a surprising place…way out in the middle of a lot of nothing-ness (close to both the Utah and Nevada borders). It takes some planning and forethought to get there but it is worth the effort. We stayed three days earlier in August along with my husband, son, and two of his friends.
We camped in one of the five campgrounds in the park, Baker Creek which is three miles up a gravel road that is accessible to most cars whether they have four wheel drive or not. We looked at each of the other campgrounds during our stay and they each have their own benefits so make sure to read about them on the website. All are first come, first serve so arrive early in the day for the best selection of sites. There are no hook-ups for RVs, all have simple vault toilets, and there are no showers….making for a real camping experience. There were lots of trees, nice picnic tables, and a babbling creek that some children were exploring when we were there.
The nearest place to perhaps find a room is in Baker, Nevada but Ely, Nevada is not too far either. Baker had a little grocery store (very limited), a cafe, and a gas station. The national park does not have a store except for a gift shop. There is a small cafe at the Lehman Caves Visitor Center.
There are two visitor centers at Great Basin National Park. The Great Basin Visitor Center (closest to the highway) is superb! We thoroughly enjoyed the interactive exhibits, historical displays, and nature based information that was presented. You can learn all about the bristlecone pines, the Great Basin habitat, and all the creatures found in this unique desert environment.
Great Basin National Park is trying to make a name for itself as a dark sky destination for viewing the night sky beauty. It bills itself as “one of the last true dark skies in America“. We wish we had been able to experience that part of the park but because of the super moon and the clouds…it wasn’t a great star viewing weekend. It will go back on the bucket list for future visits. You can find a schedule of astronomy events on the park’s Astronomy page.
The second other visitor center is the Lehman Caves Visitor Center. This wasn’t as updated or interactive as the other center but still very informative and interesting. We booked our cave tour here early in the morning and we only had a few choices of times available. Make reservations or arrive early to make sure to fit in a tour of the caves. There are two different cave tours and we took the ninety minute tour which takes you to every room open to the public. It was amazing!
I have been to quite a few caves but this one by far is the most interesting and beautiful of all. I also want to note that this cave has lots of tight confined spaces that you have to fit through (usually by turning your body sideways) and lots of low ceilings. I am fairly tall (5′ 10″) and many times I had to walk a distance with my head down to avoid touching the ceilings. Just a warning. This tour is appropriate for all ages as long as they are comfortable with walking since you can’t take strollers, carriers, or even backpacks on this tour.
There are also Park Ranger programs you can attend by viewing the schedule in the park newspaper or asking at either visitor center. The day we were there they were offering up scopes to few the sun and an interpreter to tell you all about what you are looking at.
There is a Jr. Ranger program at Great Basin National Park that we observed quite a few of the children participating in….ask at either visitor center for information. They also have a “Cave Cadet” pin so ask about that too!
My guys enjoyed the viewing scopes to look down from the park across the Great Basin…
Our group split up on hiking day. Three of use hiked the Bristlecone Trail and two hiked to the top of Wheeler Peak!
The trail up to the Bristlecone pines was empty when we hiked up early in the morning (around 8:30 AM). There is a rather large parking lot at the trailhead but it was FULL when we got back later in the morning. There are vault toilets (clean) in the parking lot once you wind your way up the road from the visitor’s center. It is a very high altitude and the views as you round the corners are majestic.
Bristlecone Pine Trail:The hiking trail itself is a little longer than posted at closer to 3.1 miles and not 2.8, as measured by our pedometers. It is a moderately difficult hike because of the length and elevation when you end up at a little over 10,000 feet.
Our group thoroughly enjoyed the hike and then the interpretive trail with signs teaching you more about these ancient trees. More information on the hike here.
Fascinating to think about how old some of these trees are and after going through the interpretive trail I am fairly sure I can identify these interesting trees.
View from the trail…amazing light and clouds the whole day long!
Wheeler Peak Summit Trail: We dropped the other group off at the Summit trailhead and they started off at around 8 AM. It is advised to start early so you aren’t up on the peak when the threat of afternoon thunderstorms roll in. There is a very small parking lot for this trailhead so plan to have someone drop you off or get there early. This is a very strenuous hike and fairly long at 8.6 miles roundtrip. You start at 10,100 feet in elevation and gain 2,900 feet going up to the summit. My son said the last portion of the hike is all exposed with no tree cover.
These two young boys completed the hike and said it was worth the effort because of the beautiful view from the top. I will take their word for it.
There is a turnout alongside the road where you can use these telescopes to look up at the peak. We could actually see people up there but not our boys.
One evening we walked along this trail which parallels Baker Creek and ended at our campground. What a beautiful place with the aspen trees, green grass, and the sound of running creek water.
There were lots of wildflowers which makes me happy.
Plenty of fungi to observe too!
Not so very glamorous after a week of camping and no showers at Great Basin. Our children are all growing up so we treasure the time we have to spend with even just one of them during a camping adventure. Planting seeds of appreciation for the natural world gifted to us by a loving Creator is something we highly value and have tried to do throughout our years as parents. Seeing our youngest share his love of the outdoors with his friends makes me smile from ear to ear.
Thanks for coming along on our Great Basin experience!
Some other things to know about Great Basin National Park:
No entrance fee!
There is a ticket cost for the cave tours.
This is the desert but it gets cold here so make sure to bring a jacket or sweatshirt even in the summer.
Vacations can be many things. Our trip to Utah and Nevada was rich in nature study opportunities and family adventures too! I love that type of vacation because it leaves us refreshed and full of memories.
The road between California and Utah is really captured in the image above. Open roads, big skies, and lots of NOTHING. We had a long trip to get there but watching the clouds and then early evening lightning in the sky was enjoyable. Plus, there are many rest areas that you can stop at along the way to stretch your legs, get a cold drink (most have vending), and use the clean restrooms. We didn’t have a single rest area where that wasn’t clean and inviting.
We took several longer stops where we all got out and walked a bit before hopping back on the road. This rest stop (Grassy Mountain/Cedar Mountain Wild Horse Range) in Utah had a path up to where you could see the pioneer trail across the Great Basin. We had our youngest son and two of his friends on this trip which made for a lot of boy time…I felt very outnumbered.
Yep, the sign says snakes and scorpions. The boys were disappointed that we didn’t see either of those things on our hike to to top of the hill and back. What we did have was an awesome view!
Just another road shot on the way to Utah along Hwy 80. More rocks, more sky, more clouds, more road…..along about this time I was ready to be at our destination.
We arrived at Jordanelle State Park and had a terrific spot in the Hailstone Campground. This is a super place to camp and a great home base for our trip….between Park City and Heber City (where we were visiting friends).
The Jordanelle campground was filled with lots of wildflowers which surprised me. It was nice to talk walks in the evenings when it was cooler.
We spied a large patch of milkweed!
We all were invited to hike up in Park City up at Summit Peak. We started off with sprinkles of rain but it never did get us too wet. What a beautiful trail! We had a lot of fun hiking here and getting to know the boys’ friends.
Along the trail there were lots of wildflowers growing and my husband and I noted this plant in abundance. At first I wasn’t sure what it was, so I took some photos of the big distinct leaves. Later on I discovered one with flowers and was able to identify it…burdock! I was thrilled because that is one of our new Outdoor Hour Challenges coming up in September. This gave me an opportunity to observe it up close and I will share more photos next month.
Lots of these along the trail too!
One night we walked up and down the historic downtown of Park City. I love doing window shopping, finding a nice place to eat, and then strolling through a town to get the feel of it. This is a very casual and friendly place that I would love to go back to in the winter…skiing!
Loved this sign downtown that shows the direction and distance to other Olympic game sites around the world. I live closest to Squaw Valley…how about you?
With three teenage boys around, they were always eager to have a campfire after dinner. This night though it was my husband that got it going and I sat and enjoyed the warmth and glow of the flames. Jordanelle has these awesome cement fire pits complete with grill that swings over and a hook for hanging a dutch oven.
This was the night of the really bright moon….too bad we had clouds that obscured the light and brightness. We still enjoyed sitting out late and watching it peek in and out from the cloud cover.
We reluctantly left Utah and headed back home at the end of the week. Here is our smiling faces somewhere on a summit near the border of Utah and Nevada on Hwy 50. We were heading back into Nevada to Great Basin National Park. This is a very remote park but very much worth the effort.
Here is a little sneak peek into our campsite at Great Basin….more on this national park in an up-coming post!
I fell in love with Utah on this trip and we are eager to go back again maybe next fall to experience Zion National Park. We just couldn’t work it in this time but it will give us something to plan on and look forward to in the future!
We have spent lots of time outdoors in the evenings this summer because it is too hot to be out much during the day. We usually start our evening off with dinner on the back deck and then sit later in the evening as the sun sets. We are still experiencing lots of finches flocking to our tree just at dusk…accompanied by lots of singing and chirping.
We also notice the hummingbirds at the feeders as the sun descends lower and lower on the horizon.
The bats come as well and several times I have felt them whisk past my ears while I am on the deck, startling me but they never actually touch me so I am okay with that.
We have been on the lookout for insects at all times of the day. We noticed grasshoppers in Utah and Nevada on our trip a few weeks ago.
I was able to capture some butterflies at my dad’s house that were in among his flowers. This butterfly had a lot of his wings broken off…didn’t seem to stop him from flying skillfully from flower to flower.
My favorite insect of the month so far is this Milkweed beetlethat we saw in Utah. Amazing colors and design!
Here is an interesting bee we saw in our front yard on the lavender.
And then there were crickets in our yard. When I took a video (so I could capture the audio), I realized that there are two distinct sounds. One is definitely a cricket but the other is a buzzing sound. I am thinking it is a cicada of some sort and have done some research on cicadas found in California. There are some so I am now on the hunt to actually see one.
Just remembered that we saw cave cricketswhen we were at Great Basin National Park in the Lehman Caves, which are pale and have really long antennae. I was so focused on the cave and its awesome formations that I forgot to really pay attention to the crickets or take a photo.
I love it when we take one topic and focus on it for a month….I highly recommend it for more in-depth study of anything topic your children are interested in learning more about.
The drought in California just keeps going on and on…creating conditions in my yard much like the thick of autumn. We have brown leaves falling and dry crispy lawns brought on by the heat and watering restrictions imposed by our local water district. We can water three days and with very limited time windows. Even watering for those three days a week with longer watering times, my yard has suffered. I gave up trying to keep the flower beds going and we never even planted a vegetable garden.
Our grapes look more like raisins and the usually lush green foliage is turning brown and leaving the vines exposed.
Even our drought tolerant plants are withering in the heat leaving us wondering if they will come back next year. Time will tell.
Our sunflowers are all dried up and the birds have already eaten most of the seeds from each flower head. I am glad that they have a source of food to draw from in our yard but it is much earlier than normal for them to be scouring the yard for food.
August is usually prime time for my cutting garden and I can count on gathering vases and vases of flowers for my kitchen table and window sill. Not this year. My daisies, coneflowers, zinnias, and hydrangeas are all done and dying.
There are a few flowering plants left in the front still going strong…sage, lavender, butterfly bush. I have seen the hummingbirds visiting each and every plant in the front yard. There have been butterflies and bees, moths and beetles. Now I wish we had switched the backyard over to be more drought tolerant like the front yard. It may survive.
To contrast this year, here are a few August garden entries from the past:
I know there will come a time when I can freely water my yard again. I will plant vegetables and see my green grass grow soft under my feet. I look forward to eating the fruits of our labor and feasting my eyes on the wonderful colors of my garden flowers. In the meantime, I will be patient.
Exploring a new area is one of my favorite things to do. Nothing makes me happier than traveling to a new place and spending time learning about the habitat. Our trip to Eagle Lake was just that sort of experience. We found new plants to observe, interesting birds to watch, and experienced some wild weather too!
We loved the campground which was nicely arranged with spaces far apart and lots of trees. Our particular space was within view of the lake and we enjoyed watching the activity of the afternoon and the changing colors of the water as the sunset each evening. (We were at the Merrill Campground.)
The water is down in the lake pretty far…exposing a lot of beach with plants that are growing from the volcanic rocky shore. This is the second largest natural lake in California and it lies with in 60 miles of Lassen National Park. It is in a wilderness area and has its own particular species of trout. Some of the neighbors in the campground had been out fishing in their boat and related that they caught their limit every day.
The wildflowers are very pretty and we enjoyed walking along the shore with our dog…she enjoyed getting wet.
There were sections of the beach just covered in white aquatic snail shells. Just part of the ecosystem I guess.
We saw so many osprey here at Eagle Lake and enjoyed every single sighting. We went up to the Osprey Overlook which had binocular equipment to view the tops of the trees, looking for nests. We didn’t see a nest but we saw a platform where they have had a nest in the past. It was a spectacular view (no photos because as we got up there a thunderstorm rolled in so we didn’t spend a lot of time there).
We saw lots of other birds too: Steller’s jays, Mourning doves, Tree swallows, American white Pelicans, Western grebes, Canada goose, California Towhee, Dark-eyed juncos, Lesser goldfinch, Western tanager, and even an Anna’s hummingbird. (Excellent list for the lake area’s birds HERE.) If we ever go back to Eagle Lake, I am going to take better camera equipment to document the many amazing birds!
There was a nice paved bicycle trail along the shore of the lake connecting several of the campgrounds and the marina. We were wishing we had our bikes!
The afternoon thunderstorms were mostly dry…no rain. But, the sunsets were amazing because of the layers of clouds. The wind was brisk and we were quickly cooled off from the hot summer temperatures when the storms would roll through.
The highlight of the trip was a day at Lassen Volcanic National Park! But, of course, that will be in a separate entry in the near future!
We will be heading to Utah for another adventure soon…looking forward to exploring another habitat with the family and a couple of my son’s friends.
We made a trip to our cattail spot for our summer observations. We are in the middle of a drought in my part of California and I was sure that our cattail spot would be dry. I was right.
There was no water at all in the pond for this summer observation. The cattail plants were still green but the ground was bone dry.
The cattail flowers were really large and the soft parts were much longer than in previous years. What does that mean I wonder?
I am estimating that if I was able to stand on the ground next to the cattails that they would be taller than I am…much more than 6 feet I think.
The area has filled in a lot since April but the water is all gone making it look very different. We shall now look forward to making some autumn observations.
We have spent quite a bit of time over the last decade exploring Redwood National and State Parks in Northern California. Redwood National and State Parks is actually a network of parks that cover an extended area.
You can view and download the most current park newspapers here: Redwoods Park Guide.
There are five visitor centers that operate with Redwood National and State Parks. You can find them listed here: Redwoods Visitor Centers.
As I tried to write this post, I realized the scope of what we have experienced in these parks is more than can fit into one neat little package. I know most of you probably think that Redwood National Park is just about the big trees but in reality, this park has such a diverse habitat that it really can’t be experienced just by getting out of the car and viewing the famous trees or even stopping at the visitor’s center.
Redwood National Park needs to be experienced by walking or hiking out into the forest where you can stand quietly and soak in not just the majesty of the trees but the melodic sound of birdsong, the fragrance of the forest floor as you walk, and the beauty of the wildflowers and ferns that crowd in the understory. Hiking trails are abundant.
There are beaches to explore with crashing waves. A fern canyon with the trickling sound of a stream is to be found at Prairie Creek. You can hike to a waterfall in Jedediah Smith Redwood Park…just past the Boy Scout Tree. I give the Boy Scout Tree Trail a five star rating because it is one you can truly experience the redwood forest while hiking virtually on your own. We have hiked this several times, continuing onto the waterfall, and have felt the awesomeness of this habitat like no other place.
I realize not all of you have as much time as I do to explore the redwoods. If nothing else, drive the Newton Drury Scenic Parkway or Howland Hill Road. Stop along the way, get out of the car, and just drink it all in. Take some photos of your children with this giant trees so they have a record of their visit. Maybe it will spur them on to bring their children some day.
Now for some glimpses into some of our family’s memories of Redwood National and State Parks.
My two youngest boys have accompanied us every redwood forest hike and visit. They love the opportunity to hike under these tall trees and love even more to find a fallen tree to walk on or crawl over. This is a boy’s playground and along the way the grow to appreciate how special a place this is to explore.
Many of the trails wind under and around the massive trunks, mostly smooth unpaved paths lined with ferns and other green plants. The sun peeks through from time to time but for the most part these hikes are in shadow.
Among the redwoods you will find many flowering plants. This surprised me the first time but the splashes of color cannot be missed with all that green for a backdrop. Redwood Sorrel carpets the forest floor and has delicate flowers.
At the Lady Bird Johnson Grove, the rhododendrons bloom like crazy. We enjoyed this hike on our first visit to Redwood National Park and I have never forgotten its beauty. This is an easy hike that your whole family can enjoy. It was more crowded than some of the other hikes but still worth the effort.
This was a memorable day for our family and I am so glad we were able to have a fellow hiker snap a photo for us. We had such a great hike together, teenage boys can be such fun. Now that they are growing up, I can appreciate the times we spent outdoors experiencing things together.
This is Fern Canyon at Prairie Creek State Park (Part of the series of redwood parks near the national park.) We were able to hike all the way up the canyon from Gold Bluff.
This is Fern Falls at the end of the Boy Scout Tree Trail in Jedediah Smith State Park. We had a picnic lunch here at the base of the falls and I remember working in my nature journal as well. A great hike and a great day!
This is the coastal beach at Gold Bluff at Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. Lots of room for boys to run off some steam along the sandy beach.
Roosevelt Elk can usually be seen within the national park. We have found a herd along Davidson Road several times, right off the highway.
Here is a typical landscape seen during a hike among the redwoods. Amazing! I never get tired of it even after visiting many, many times.
I told you…boys love to find a fallen tree and climb up. It almost always merits a photo.
This image was from our last trip to Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park. We took the drive along Howland Hill Road, practically all to ourselves. We parked the car at a turnout and walked about a mile along the road. It was quiet, damp, and so very enjoyable. It is mostly unpaved and very narrow so don’t take an RV or trailer. We have done this drive four times and have never found traffic to be an issue. One time the road was closed so check at the visitor’s center before heading up.
We have experienced Redwood National Park in summer, autumn, and winter. All were enjoyable with the appropriate clothing. The north coast of California can be damp at any time of the year so plan to layer up. June has been the driest and sunniest time to visit the park.
The month of January has been unusually warm and dry, record-breaking in fact. Since I can’t do anything about the weather, I decided early on to just relax and enjoy each and every warm day that comes our way. This meant more than the usual amount of hiking and trail walking with my family and our beloved Kona dog.
Looking back at my nature study goals for 2014, I realized I have not accomplished much so far except for faithfully sharing my Nature Photo of the Week on Pinterest. I am enjoying the process of remembering to capture at least one image each week. The Pinterest board is filling up with the participant’s images, each one a treasure that makes me see glimpses of nature from other parts of the world.
Here are my images if you are not following the Nature Photo of the Week Pinterest Board.
Creek or Stream – January 2014
Wood- Taylor Creek beaver activity January 2014
Sign – One of my favorite signs at Tallac (Lake Tahoe)
Clouds – January 2014 warm and sunshine just about every day, no rain
Our winter continues to be warmer than normal…even record-breaking temperatures. As much as I love the warm afternoons and sunshine, I am concerned for the drying up reservoirs and the very dry forest conditions. I know I have no power to bring on the rain and snow so I am trying to make the best of it.
This week’s Winter Snow challenge was a big challenge indeed. We did find a bit of snow up the mountain from our house but not a whole lot. We opted to complete the Winter Nature Walk- Scavenger Hunt activity from Hearts and Trees.
I took an image of the page with my phone and we used that during our hike to remember the things we were looking for as we went.
Here are our results:
An evergreen
Buds on a tree
We decided this duck weed was more interesting than moss.
Trees that have lost all their leaves – aspens
a bird – Steller’s Jay
We didn’t find any berries but this rose hip was certainly colorful.
Something with thorns
Pinecones – The squirrels had lunch on the picnic table!
Feather
One last image from our hike at Taylor Creek. The beavers have been clear cutting a lot of the trees along the water. They have quite a few trees that are ready to fall as well. The dam is getting huge! Amazing creatures with incredible strength.
We are still waiting for some real snow here and I will keep the snow study in the back of my mind for a future time. I hope some of you were more successful with this challenge or you took advantage of the scavenger hunt instead.
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