hiking Archives

Posted on June 24, 2013 by Barb — 7 Comments

Oregon Camping – Beaches, Tall Trees, and Tidepools

We all were aching to get on the road and start our week long camping trip in Oregon. Part of the joy of driving to Oregon are the views along the Northern California and Southern Oregon Coast. Amazing! The photo above is between Arcata and Crescent City along a stretch of the coast that at this time of year is ablaze with lupine…the fragrance is divine as you walk through the vegetation to the sandy beach.

When the boys get out onto to the sand for the first time it is pure joy! They stretch their legs after a long car ride and enjoy the Northern California wide open sandy beaches. We walked a long way, looking for beach treasures as we went. Then it was back into the car for the last leg of the trip over the California/Oregon border and up to Brookings and our beloved Harris Beach.

Yes! This is our campsite this year which overlooks the Pacific Ocean…looking westward and perfect for watching the sun go down each day. We were surprised at how light it was late into the evening…sunset was about 9 PM each day but it was light much longer than that.

Two of the days we were there we were able to take advantage of the negative tide and do some serious tidepooling.

Lots and lots of anemones to be seen…large and small!

Look carefully in this image and you can see the sea star’s “feet” that are clinging to the rocks at low tide. There were so many sea stars of many colors, sizes, and types. I love being able to see up close all the things we learned about from books.

I brought along a Stomp Rocket for the family to use on the beach. This was a fabulous idea and the boys (and mom and dad) each had turns stomping the rocket and watching it propel off down the beach.

We spent many, many hours walking the beaches and collecting colorful rocks…sometimes my pockets were all filled to capacity. I enjoyed sorting my rocks by colors on the picnic table at the campsite. I left them out each night and in the morning the dew would make them shiny and shimmery again.

These were my favorites…the red, green, and gray ones.

I also like this colorful kind which sort of looks like wood. I have a couple more rock related entries to share with you next month as part of my nature study goals and collecting various kinds of rocks. This was a great way to keep nature study at the forefront of our trip..love a good goal.

Mr. A was my fellow photographer at the tidepools. He was willing to really get out where he might slip and get wet to capture some great images of his own. He uses his cell phone camera and they turn our really great.

Here is a shot of my other photography buddy…Mr. D. He is more of an artist with his camera and takes his time to get just the right shot with the right setting. His images are amazing. This was also the very first time that our Kona dog has gone camping with us. She settled right in and had a great time. The wonderful thing about Oregon is that dogs are allowed on the trails as long as they are on a leash. She was able to take every hike with us…love Oregon!

We spent two different days in the redwoods hiking in the quiet stillness. We pretty much had the place to ourselves and it was so very refreshing. I already miss it. I am checking off another new hike on my 2013 Nature Study Goals, two down and two to go!

Can you just imagine how far you can walk on this Oregon beach? It was a windy day but it wasn’t cold so we took advantage of the open space and just roamed for a very long time. (I collected a few rocks too.)

Hello Mr. Snail!

Oh wow! These ferns were amazing! I loved seeing the black stems and the graceful way the fronds grow.

Aren’t they just incredibly pretty? I knew that our California Maidenhair fern had a black stem so I though maybe they were related. I looked it up when we got home and sure enough! This is the Northern Maidenhair fern.

On our last day we visited Crissey Field State Park which has a wonderful visitors center. We spent some time viewing all the nature displays and gathered some pamphlets for future use. We had a picnic lunch and then adventured out to the beach which is so very beautiful. Driftwood, dune plants and flowers, and a nice sandy beach are just what we needed to end our trip on a high note.

We were so happy that our trip turned out with gorgeous sunny skies for the majority of the week. We were able to do a lot of hiking, a lot of exploring, and enjoyed each other’s company while visiting the Southern Oregon Coast.

Until next time….

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Posted on June 19, 2013 by Barb — 8 Comments

Our Oregon Coast Wildflower and Weed Grid

This is the Oregon Coast Edition of the Wildflower and Weed Grid Study! I had a fun-filled week of hiking and beach-combing in Oregon and we had our eyes out for as many wildflowers as we could possible find. It wasn’t hard because each trail had an abundance of wildflowers for us to enjoy.

I tried to capture as man of them as I could to share with you in this post.

Blue Oregon Iris – These are a frequent flower along the trail.

Sea pinks along the shore…blowing in the wind, casting cool shadows.

Our campsite was filled with clover and daisies. Imagine…daisies so plentiful they seem like weeds!

Cow parsnip lines the roads and pops up along the shore. Some of these plants are super tall and the flower heads are enormous.

Inside Out Flower was found in the shady spots and it is one of my favorites from this trip. I decided to include a special page in my nature journal for it (see below).

We found patches of lupine along the Humbug Mountain Trail. This trail was a new one for us and what a view! It was a lot of fun to adventure up and we look forward to taking this trail again.

The Monkey flower was amazing! There were areas along the moist gully that just screamed yellow from this pretty flower.

A familiar sight along any redwood forest trail this time of year is the rhododendron….this one was a pale pink. This was spotted along the Shrader Old Growth Trail. This is a fun hike out of Gold Beach and worth the long dusty dirt road to get there. We had the trail all to ourselves on this morning. There is nothing like being out in the wilderness hiking along hearing the birds and nothing else.

One day we visited Crissey Field State Park which has an awesome visitor’s center and several trails. The beach there is wide and open which invites you to walk a long way next to the shore. This Sea Verbena was growing along the sandy dunes. My boys were entranced by all the driftwood and they spent about an hour just hunting among the piles for interesting shapes. Boys.

These are pretty little Seaside daisies….another one I really like and will be adding to my nature journal. I think the delicate fringe-like petals are the best part of this flower.

Smith’s Fairybells…another shade loving plant we saw a lot of as we hiked.

It always makes me happy to see where flowers naturally grow to make pretty color combinations. These sweet peas and daisies were found right along the edge of the bank in our campground.

Seaside Tansy…the interesting part of this plant are the fern-like leaves. They also grow right along the dry cliffside going down to the beaches.

This Tiger Lily was actually in Del Norte County, California. The drive up Hwy 101 takes you through Redwoods National Park where the Tiger Lilies are blooming profusely along the road. I had to stop and capture one for you! Gorgeous!

We found Wild Bleeding Hearts too! We have these planted in our garden here at home but it was fun to see them growing in their natural environment.

Aren’t these lovely? Western Azaleas grow in Harris Beach State Park and we always look forward to seeing their happy blossoms.

We saw many Wild Cucumbers blooming but this one had its fruit already formed. Isn’t it interesting? It is in the gourd family and you can see why when you see the fruits.

Here are the flowers from the Wild Cucumber.

I know this is a non-native invasive plant but we saw it on many of the trails. Wild Radish comes in a variety of colors…white, soft pink, light lavender.

This is my first unidentified wildflower…if anyone knows what it is you can leave me a comment.
EDIT: I think this is Yellow Parentucellia...figwort family. Range: Western Washington to NW California.

This is my second unidentified wildflower…yellow ones stump me for some reason.

This we saw in a pond at Lagoon Creek which is technically in California. Yellow Pond Lilies were blooming all over the pond.

So there you have all the interesting images that I could pull from my camera. We did see quite a few more and if you look closely at my Wildflower Grid nature journal page you will see them listed.

Posted on June 10, 2013 by Barb — 4 Comments

Using Less Plastics: Stanless Steel Lunch Containers

We are continuing to try new ways of cutting back our plastic consumption and this month we started to use stainless steel lunch box containers. I purchased two different kinds and we tested them out thoroughly on our last trip to Yosemite. Mr. A and I both packed our lunch and snacks in the stainless containers. The first thing we decided is that stainless steel is heavier than the plastic containers or baggies we have been using. It takes a bit of commitment to carry them in your day pack.

Mr. A used the ECO Lunchbox 3-in-1 container. He really liked the way it all fit together and he could keep his sandwich and chips from getting crushed in his day pack. He noted that they are not air tight so you don’t want to put anything in here that will leak. He also noted that his sandwich was a little dried out when he went to eat it.

I used the Kids Konserve Nesting Trio for my lunch. (One on top is the small container from Mr. A’s 3-in-1 Container.) I truly love these containers and have used them many times this month for on the go snacks and lunches. On this hike I packed two hard boiled eggs and some granola/dried fruit mix in the two containers. I found that my reusable hemp-cotton produce bag from Chico is the perfect way to carry the individual containers in my day pack (on my lap). This trio of containers comes with plastic lids and is leak proof.

Little by little we are finding new and acceptable ways to reduce our plastic consumption. I am always on the lookout for more ideas to implement, sort of a personal challenge.

We are going to be camping this month – Any camping related “using less plastic” tips? Leave me a comment.

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Posted on May 21, 2013 by Barb — 5 Comments

Yosemite in Spring- Waterfalls and Biking

Nature Study Goal – Visit Yosemite in all four seasons.

Our spring trip to Yosemite National Park happened this past weekend…under brilliant blue skies and with warm spring breezes. Our original plans were for my husband and I along with the two younger boys to make the trip. When it came down to it, my nineteen year old and I were the only ones who were able to go. Fire season came early this year so my husband had to work a fire in Southern California. See? I always make plans but then remain flexible.

We were up and out of the house early and hit the road for the four hour drive to Yosemite. The time went by fast and I have to say it is super nice to have children that can drive me places while I enjoy the scenery flash by the window. After an uneventful trip there, we parked at Curry Village and took the shuttle to the trailhead at Happy Isles.

The trail to the bridge below Vernal Falls is mostly paved and sections are rather steep. The biggest obstacle are all the people! This is a popular day hike and on this particular Saturday….lots and lots people from all over the world. My son commented on how many different languages he heard as we hiked…Yosemite is a world-class destination for sure.

The one thing I really like about this hike is that you can hear and see the river as you hike. This makes it appear cooler and it reminds you that there will be a spectacular view just around every corner. I am always amazed at the power of water.

Here is what the lower trail looks like as you go from Happy Isles up to the bridge below Vernal Falls. Granite boulders and slabs surround you and the river runs along one side.

From the bridge up the trail to the falls the trail turns into slippery wet granite steps. You can tell how steep they are by observing how much the hikers are leaning over as they climb.This part is called the Mist Trail because you get the spray from the waterfall drenching you with water. I didn’t capture it this time but you can see whole rainbows in the misty air coming off the waterfall as you look over and back. Amazing!

Want to see how wet you get? Here is a video: Mist Trail at Yosemite National Park

At last! I am up at the top of Vernal Falls after a last heroic effort of encouragement from my son. He was such a great hiking partner and really cheered me on when I thought I had gone as far as I could up the HUGE granite steps and then inching my way up the last ledge with just a hand railing to keep me from falling off the cliff. See my smile? I was happy to up there and it was so very much worth the effort for this 50+ year old woman to be there. It helps that I have lost 40 pounds in the last three months…not so much weight to haul up the trail.

Here is the video from the top: Vernal Falls.

We had lunch and then hiked further up the trail to the bridge below Nevada Falls which was beautiful this time of year. We took our time going back down the trail and called it a day. Our tent cabin at Curry Village was super clean and comfortable. I think I slept better that night than I have in the last six months. I highly recommend the tent cabins at Curry Village for a camping experience without the fuss of taking your own equipment.

Milkweed with Half Dome in the distance

Our second day was spent biking around Yosemite Valley on the bike trails. This is my favorite way to take in the sights and we made the grand loop from Curry Village to Yosemite Village and then around the Swinging Bridge back to the Lodge and then on back to Curry Village where we had our car parked. There are 12 miles of biking trails around Yosemite Valley and you can rent bikes from Curry Village or Yosemite Lodge.

My son took a panoramic photo of the valley floor with Half Dome in the background and me on my bike. Awesome morning ride and we can hardly wait to go back and do it again this summer.

We are always sad to leave but we made some great memories and I feel great for having accomplished the hike to the top of Vernal Falls.

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Barb — 4 Comments

Waterfall Hike – Early Spring at Eagle Lake

Grabbing the opportunity to take a day hike up in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, my husband and I decided to visit Eagle Falls and Eagle Lake in the Desolation Wilderness. The trailhead is about an hour from our home and we couldn’t resist the time out in the sunshine and fresh air.

Hopefully this is the first of many day hikes for the spring and summer seasons.

It is an easy hike to the falls and the water was gushing over the rocks…love the sound of water when I am hiking since it makes me feel cool just hearing it. We crossed the bridge and continued up the mountain. If you look carefully in the top left of the photo you can see the rock staircase leading up to the trail.

The lake is about a mile past the waterfall. The trail is uneven from here on up to the lake and is characterized by large granite steps and slabs as you work your way up. The literature all says this is an “easy” hike but I would say it has sections that are ‘strenuous”. This is all uphill hike to the lake and then all downhill on the way back. There are sections of this trail that are rather muddy from where the streams cross the path.

view of Lake Tahoe from Eagle Lake Trail

The altitude got me on this hike and I found myself a little out of breath from time to time but that gave me an excuse to look around at the scenery and the view of Lake Tahoe in the distance.

We finally made it to Eagle Lake which is a pretty little alpine lake surrounded by mountains and trees. We sat for a long time just enjoying the views and eating a snack before heading back down to the car. I forgot to bring my hat so I was a little red from the sun…and gained about a million freckles.

One last view of the lake before we left…perfect hike on a perfectly spring-like day. The water shimmered like diamonds!

This is Arrowleaf Balsamroot that was in full bloom along the trail and the roads. What a happy flower!

Well, that is a glimpse into our day hike from last week. I hope you get the chance soon to get out into the spring sunshine with your family. Look for an entry this week from our Yosemite National Park visit which included a hike to the top of Vernal Falls and a day biking the valley.

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Barb — 8 Comments

Planning a Spring Trip to Yosemite

Spring Trip to Yosemite

Planning a spring trip to Yosemite is always a lot of fun, anticipating the delights waiting inside the national park boundaries. The waterfalls are always at their best in the spring and the valley begins to turn green and lush. On this trip we are staying overnight at Curry Village in the tent cabins...heated and with electricity. We have been to Yosemite in May before and ended up camping in the snow so we opted for a little more comfortable accommodations for our spring trip.

The price is reasonable and we reserved a cabin that includes a buffet breakfast in the room price. I am always hungry at breakfast and with a snack we can make it through to an early dinner (saves money and time). Note the bear locker outside the cabin door. You MUST keep all your food and fragrant items in a bear locker to prevent bear problems within Yosemite National Park.

So what are we planning on doing on this May visit to Yosemite?

Nevada Falls, Yosemite National Park

I am hoping there is no snow and we can hike up to the top of Vernal falls. That is the plan anyway. We are going to try a much longer hike in July and this would be a warm up hike…we may even go up further to the base of Nevada Falls or to the top…depending on weather.

The Pacific Dogwood may be blooming too and that will be another subject that I could study while we are there. This trip is hopefully going to be filled with spring things that are abundant in Yosemite. Even though we have been there many times, we always find something new to learn about.

But, plans are easily changed if something better comes along.

Of course we will share our adventures when we get back.

You can read more about our adventures and hikes in Yosemite on my Yosemite For Families page on Squidoo.

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Barb — 4 Comments

Nature Study Goals 2013: New Hike #1 Cronan Ranch

I challenged myself to hiking four new trails this year and we are excited to share the very first one with you because it was such an awesome hike! My husband and I had an afternoon to spend together last weekend and he picked the destination. We packed up a few snacks and filled up our water bottles, traveling light. The sun was hot and had the feel of late spring/early summer….I made sure to put on sunblock and secure my hat before setting off on the dusty trail. Northern California doesn’t stay green very long in the spring so I will share with you my green hills while I can.

Our new trail at a familiar spot..the Down and Up Trail at Cronan Ranch. The Bureau of Land Management has a huge section of this foothill property down to the river set aside for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. We opted to hike…I love the slow easy pace that we take and the ability to easily stop and take photos of all the amazing sights.

The rolling foothills give way to a river canyon about two miles from the parking lot. Now you can see why this particular trail is called the Down and Up Trail. The gentle ups and downs make it interesting and around each new corner and on top of each new hill there is another sight to take in as you go along. The soundtrack is birds in the distance, slight breeze blowing over the grasses, and the buzz of bees and other flying insects.

We usually hike the Long Valley Trail but this time we heading up hill and along the ridge. The Fiddlenecks are in full glory and I kept trying to pick just the right spot for a photo. This view is looking up from the trail to a hilltop oak….so very Sierra Nevada foothill in flavor. This IS my habitat.

There were many, many butterflies flying and landing on the wildflowers along the trail. Some places had so many that I thought they were going to fly into my face as I hiked. I don’t complain about dodging butterflies because I love them so much.

There are some magnificent oaks in this part of California and we could hear and see woodpeckers as well as swallows flying over and around the trees. I dream of having a home with a huge old oak on the property. I love the shape of them and the smell of the hot oak leaves in the sunshine is a wonderful fragrance…one you don’t forget.

I wondered about snakes as I climbed up on the rock for a better view and to take a few photos. I also stood on the top of this rock for a long time having some FaceTime with my daughter who is living in Bolivia…the reception was perfect up there on the rock and my daughter got to see some of the view that she has been missing.

Then we hiked down the trail and I saw unusual metallic bugs on some grasses and I stepped off the trail to investigate. As I stepped back onto the trail my husband starting yelling at me that there was a snake. A snake indeed! It was a huge rattlesnake and it was stretched out across the trail…I hopped over and out of the way and the rattler moved quickly up onto the hillside into the grass. A little way down the trail we saw a much smaller snake but he was a gopher snake…much to my relief. We think this rattler is a Northern Pacific Rattlesnake.

We made it down to the river at last and I took off my shoes to cool my toes. We had a cool drink and watched the whitewater rafters float by and on down the river. It was so refreshing! Two hikers came along as we rested and we told them about the snakes…showed them some photos and swapped snake stories. I love the camaraderie of hikers who share their passions and interests. One of the guys told us of his sighting of a rattlesnake on the trail to Half Dome in Yosemite and we tried to decide how high in elevation rattlesnakes are found. We decided to look it up when we got home. (We read in our field guide that there is a rattlesnake that is found up to 11,000 feet in elevation.)

The water was high and there was very little beach so we opted to sit on the granite rocks and enjoy the sound of the water rushing by. The sun was hot but the water was still freezing…melted snow.

Back on the trail again we found a large area of lupine blooming, this one was in the middle of the trail. The bees were buzzing and it reminds me how much I love the purple and green combination.

Here are some more lovely wildflowers that were clustered along the trail.

I learned about the Monkeyflower a few years ago and now can spot it in the moist parts of our area. These were growing along a little moist ditch with just a bit of water and a bit of shade.

One more snake…snake number three was another gopher snake and he was quickly moving across the trail in front of us as we hiked up the hill. You can read and see the difference between a Rattlesnake and Gopher Snake on the CaliforniaHerps website.

And here is one last look at the trails from the top….left to the Down and Up and right to the Long Valley Trail. This is one of our favorite local hiking spots and there is one last trail to try before we have tried them all. (Don’t you love the panorama setting on my iPhone?)

The East Ridge Trail is on the list of things to do in May before it gets too much hotter. I will be glad if we don’t see any more snakes but I am anxious to explore a brand new area of this park. My goal for the year 2013 is four new hikes…one is accomplished and three more adventures to go!

Posted on February 4, 2013 by Barb — 15 Comments

Using Less Plastics Update – Cutting Back

Using less plastic is one of my long term goals this year and we started off January with a great gusto! If nothing else, focusing on where we use plastic and how it comes into our house everyday has made us aware that we need to make a conscious effort to eliminate the lazy ways we have developed in our family.

I decided I will keep a running list of all the ways we have either cutback or eliminated the use of plastic as we go through each month, sharing a few ideas each month. At the end of the year it will fun to see our improvement in this area of using less and reusing more.

#1 Organize our collection of reusable water containers.
By far the most wasteful use of plastic we have in our family is the use of plastic water bottles. The convenience of grabbing a plastic bottle as we go about our day was just too tempting. Of course we have reusable water containers and Mr. A pretty much always uses them for his water needs, the rest of us did not. That changed this month. I organized our collection of reusable water containers and put them in a convenient location in the kitchen instead of in the pantry. Now, we can grab a container at the beginning of each day and use it whether we are around the house, out hiking, or going to school or work. I decided I actually like the taste of the water from the stainless steel container better than from the plastic bottle and it keeps the water colder for a longer period of time.

#2 Use consistently our reusable shopping bags.
We have a nice collection of reusable shopping bags that go back and forth between the store, the house, and then back into the car. We have used these for a long time now but we not always as consistent as we could have been. I kept track this month and I only had to use six plastic bags this month – two from Target, two from the grocery, and two from Home Depot. I need to remember to bring in my bags to ALL stores. But, those six bags were recycled in various ways during the month so they were not wasted.

This month has been pretty exciting as our whole family has worked together to come up with ways to decrease our use of plastics. I know that we will never totally eliminate the plastic from our lives but that is not our aim. We are striving to be better at not being wasteful when there are alternatives that fit our lifestyle.

What is your best tip for our family in achieving our goal of using less plastic? Leave me a comment!

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Your Backyard: Birds
Your Backyard: Monarch Butterflies

Posted on January 24, 2013 by Barb — 29 Comments

Hoo-Rag Bandanas for Active People – Review and Giveaway

The Hoo-Rag is a seamless bandana that can be worn in a variety of ways by both men and women. I received several Hoo-Rag bandanas to review and share with you here on my blog.

Features: Lightweight and compact to add to your daypack
Versatile uses: Headband, beanie, neck wrap, balaclava, pirate-style cap
Variety of Choices: Fun styles and prints…even custom if you want
Fit: Stretchy but snug enough to stay in place. Comfortable one size fits all.
Where we used our Hoo-Rags: Snowboarding, mountain biking, construction, hiking, around the house
Value: $14.95

My men tested out their own Hoo-rag and found it functioned well as a balaclava for snowboarding because it is thin enough to fit under their helmets. They also used it as a neck wrap when they went mountain biking, keeping them warm but not hot.

I used mine as a beanie and as a headband…loved the feel of it on my head as it kept my hair up out of my face and my ears warm on the chilly days. The Hoo-Rag is just a fun item that is functional but stylish too. I threw it in with my regular laundry and hung it to dry which didn’t take too long. I imagine this summer I will be wetting it to wear on the hot dusty trail to keep my head cool and shaded from the sun. My Hoo-Rag is the Groovy-Hoo just in case you like the print.

I really liked the how-to video on the Hoo-Rag website since it showed me how to actually fold, twist, and manipulate the Hoo-Rag into the various accessories.Take a look and see just how to make those cool beanies and pirate rags.

Would you like a chance to win a Hoo-Rag? I have one of the Sunflower Power print Hoo-Rags to give to one lucky person. See the Rafflecopter widget below for ways to enter and giveaway details. Winner will be drawn at random and announced Monday, January 28, 2013.

Please note: You must leave a way for me to get in contact with you if you leave an anonymous comment. If I don’t have a way to contact you, I will have to choose another winner.
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Posted on December 26, 2012 by Barb — 1 Comment

Watercolor Clouds Nature Journal – Cure for the Winter Blahs

We had plenty of opportunities to observe clouds in the past few days. It has been really cloudy and wet…only a few breaks in the weather where we were able to get outside and breathe some air. I tried to enjoy the rain but it really did just bum me out. I was really glad that this week’s challenge was to pull out some art supplies and make a watercolor entry for the weather in my nature journal.

I collected some water for my watercolor project from the rain gauge. Now that I had my supplies ready I was anxious about actually watercoloring in my journal so I decided to make the painting on a separate sheet of paper and then add the painting to my journal with tape.

I played with my gray watercolor pencil before starting the actual artwork, experimenting with different methods of applying the color to the paper. You should try this if you have a few minutes just to see how different the effects are on your artwork.

If you are interested in this sort of thing, here are the options I used.

Left box: Use the pencil to draw the square, then apply water with a brush.
Middle box: Dip the tip of the watercolor pencil in water, draw the square.
Right box: Use a wet brush on the pencil tip, apply to paper.

All of these squares are made with the same pencil….very different results.

Creating a journal page always cheers me up! Between the journal page and taking advantage of the breaks in the rain to get outside, I was starting to feel not so blah.

One morning we woke to actual sunshine and we decided to take a hike to see our neighborhood waterfall. Kona loves this trail since we can let her off leash. She runs ahead and finds something interesting to sniff, following the scent until she detects another trail to follow. She definitely enjoyed the opportunity to get outside and stretch her legs alongside us on the trail.

We were rewarded for our hiking efforts with the rushing sound of water coming down the hill and over the rocks. We took a few minutes to just enjoy the moment and then we all headed back up the hill, just in time for the rains to return. I realized that without the rain we would have had no waterfall to hike to…..sometimes we need to be reminded of the benefits of all that wet weather.

This will wind down our weather study for the month. Just for fun, I will be keeping our rainfall records as we move through January. We might get a dusting of snow later this week which would be the perfect way to wind up the month.

Category: hiking