As the Garden Grows...

We're really loving home-ownership. We love the fact that the walls of our home are no longer just plain white. We love that everything we own fits inside our home, so we no longer need a storage unit. And we LOVE the fact that we can do a little bit of gardening in our own backyard. We're just beginners, but it's pretty exciting to watch our little lettuce plants sprout, and the sugar snap peas climb up the chicken wire and form little white flowers. What's even more exciting is walking over to our blueberry bushes and popping a few berries in our mouths each day! We're experimenting with flowers, too...the forest service was handing out packets of native poppy seeds, but they haven't been in the ground long enough to sprout yet. More updates to come.

We have four different varieties of blueberries, each one producing fruit at a slightly different time of year, and with varied flavors.

Some people wonder why our blueberry garden looks like Fort Knox...well, we have issues with groundhogs getting the roots, slugs getting the leaves and berries, and neighborhood cats using it as their litter box. So now our blueberries are very well-protected. And delicious. :)

I can't wait to taste the snap peas once they've had a few more weeks to grow. :)

Return to the Alps...

...the Trinity Alps, that is! We spent a fantastic 3 days in the Trinity Alps on a backpacking trip from Hobo Gulch. We decided to stay lower in the mountains, as the high peaks are still covered in heaps of snow. Highlights included coming across a rattlesnake at Rattlesnake Creek (campsite number 1), gazing at alpenglow on the snowy peaks near campsite number two (Backbone Creek), watching lots of black tailed deer and finding a pacific giant salamander in a creek. The biggest highlight though, was simply spending time in a wild place, letting the magic of the wilderness surround us.

Summer arrives in Northern California!

Summer has arrived in Northern California. The rains have finally ended and the interior is heating up drastically. We did a dayhike recently along the South Fork of the Trinity River and temps skyrocketed up to 85! We took a wonderful swim in the icy cold river half way through. The spring rains have meant a fantastic spring and early summer wildflower season.

This past weekend, we backpacked through old growth redwood trees in Redwood National Park and up into the Little Bald Hills. This area was full of Jeffrey Pine and meadows with views east to the bigger mountains inland and west to the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean.

This weekend, our goal is to get into the higher mountains of the Trinity Alps. Snow levels are still amazingly low and rivers are running very fast up there, so it will be an adventure!

Late Spring Wildflowers

Spring has been an amazing wildflower season around here. It began months ago, but over the last month, it seems to have intensified. These first couple of photos are from a dayhike in the Bald Hills of Redwood National Park. The lupine made for a great foreground to the lush green meadows behind it. In the far back of the meadow (not visible in the photo), was a herd of elk.

We also have spent time recently along the Lost Coast in King Range NCA (BLM administered land). We camped overnight at the Mattole River a few weeks back. Over Memorial Day weekend, I backpacked the Lost Coast for work...a tough couple of days on the job! On both trips, the wildflowers were fantastic. The late spring rains are still falling, but the dry summer is sure to follow.

Hanging below a helicopter

I spent the last couple of days getting trained to be transported on the outside of a helicopter! As odd as it sounds, this is a good way to transport someone a short distance over uneven terrain. The helicopter doesn't have to find a landing spot and (assuming you hook yourself up properly) is quite safe.

The training took place in Redding, which is about a three hour drive from here. While hanging below the helicopter, I kept gazing out at the distant mountains of Lassen, Shasta and the Trinity Alps. They are still thick with snow, but the summer season is coming!

Visit #2 from Michigan

Just after Al left, our good friend Gabe arrived for a visit. Gabe also came all the way from Michigan! Once again, we had a wonderful time exploring the local area with our visitor. Our exploring ended up taking us out of the area as well. Gabe and I drove up into Oregon to visit friends Smitty and Shawn, who live just south of Crater Lake National Park. Suddenly, we were back in winter.

We had a fantastic time snowshoeing and skiing along the rim of Crater Lake. With the brilliant blue sky and even more brilliant blue lake, along with the sparkling snow from a blizzard that had just ended, no words could describe how beautiful it was. We just soaked in one of the most breathtaking scenes in the world with little more than occasional exclamations of "Wow!"

After returning back to coastal California, we found continued blue sky with very strong winds. Once again, we marvelled at the rugged, windswept coast. Thanks for a wonderful visit, Gabe!

Visit #1 from Michigan

On the final day of March, our good friend Al arrived for a visit all the way from Michigan. We had a wonderful time exploring the coast and redwood forests near our house. We drove the "Wildcat," which is a twisty, turny road that goes south to the Mattole River and the Lost Coast. Along the way, we saw the "Triple Junction", (two photos below) an earthquake-prone spot where three continental plates merge. The spot is a massive, jagged, rock island that juts out from the ocean floor just offshore.



We also explored several local redwood forests. Most notably was Humboldt Redwood State Park, Redwood National Park and Prairie Creek State Park. At Prairie Creek was saw the "Corkscrew Tree," (below) an amazing twisted giant of a redwood.

To top off the visit, we spent as much time as we could admiring the rugged, windswept coast just north of our home. The weather was wild with storms and wind, but also brilliant sun. Thanks for an awesome visit, Al!