Diary of a Wild Hike

Last weekend, my folks took me to a Marin County Open Space area I hadn't explored. It was beautiful and we had it to ourselves... well... with the exception of some other creature species that I had to investigate. Here I am with my dad at the entrance.
Here's a beautiful California redwood! Aren't they impressive?
I've already spotted something up there. I can't convince it to come down and play heheh!
Yeah - I'm thirsty - so thirsty I could jump in - but it's for the horses.
Trot, trot, trot - ooops - missed something!
After I checked out that smell, I lead on as I needed to make sure I cleared the way of any beasts that could attack my parents.
Aha! Gopherland! Some likely candidates to flush out! Dang - missed him!
Beautiful wild iris - tons of them as we hiked on through the meadows and redwood groves.
Comforting my mom.
Hurry! There's so much to do... I smell something afoot up ahead.
Hurry............. I'm smelling something big...
Okay, I'm taking off. (I heard a crack in the woods and couldn't help myself. I took off after a gigantic furry creature that jumped gracefully over every rock and fallen tree. I couldn't keep up) Here I am returning to tell my folks all about it. They looked frantic.
Usually my recall is pretty good, but I just can't help myself. Gotta investigate this thing they called "deer" again. Their calls to me go unheeded.
But what is that? Yonder in the sky is a giant feathered menace. And I can not get him to come down.
We hike on through meadows with wildflowers and our own pretty California poppies.
I just love running through grassy fields in the spring! I'm very happy here!
THIS is the entrance to Lizardland. What a time I had here! You can imagine! I never caught one - they are zippity fast, so I don't know if they taste like chicken or what!
Can you spot me? I'm hiding!
But he is not hiding and I'm going to .... get him!
I jump in the air and pounce and... dang - missed again! That wascally lizard!
You'd think we were in the middle of nowhere, but... as mom pans the camera directly left... look!
Civilization! Drat! I thought we were all alone on this beautiful day!
I am so hot when we get to more redwoods, that I'm thrilled to find a tannin-y pool that I can cool off in.
In one of the giant trees, we find a hole that Dad and I can fit into together. Mom could even fit in with us!
I've never seen such big trees, but they sure have a lot of critters in them. I tried to get them, but they were too high up to climb to.
But I sure had a great time with my folks at this pretty place. There were a couple of minor problems. When we got home, mom and dad saturated themselves with something called Teknu to ward off a possible poison oak attack. ( I didn't know that was an enemy or I would have slayed it.) Then they got a Teknu-ed rag and slathered it all over me. Then I had to go to the spa. There, they removed about 100 ticks!!! They are still removing the little buggers from me and mom even took two out of her hair yesterday and screamed while doing so. Hope we get to go back there soon!

Darwen Jubilee Tower, Lancashire

Led by Mike. With Eddie, Barry, Gordon, Maureen and me. A short morning walk before the drive back. Fine and sunny.


Just the job for a fine morning's leg-stretch before we travel home. But first we have a small pilgrimage to make in Chorley to celebrate a local resident who rides a bicycle.





We set off from the café and car park atRoddlesworth Information Centre, Tockholes. We go past Hollinshead terrace - a row of weavers' cottages, and follow the bridleway until we reach a junction.

We turn left and almost immediately leave the bridleway for a steep track uphill, with a stone marker for the tower.













We follow the track to the edge of the plateau, then turn right before circling back round to the tower itself. We take a small track as a short cut and have to leap a ditch.



The 85-foot high Jubilee Tower was built in 1898 to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Jubilee. It was paid for by local people and represents the victory of an 18 year long legal battle where local people re-established their ancient rights of access to the moor.



We climb the 82 steps of the spiral stairs to the windy viewpoint. You can see the Yorkshire 3 peaks, some of the Lake District hills and the Isle of Man on a clear day. We're not quite convinced today.









Then it's complete the circle of the plateau and down the way we came up. We call in the café for a pre-journey snack. Their bird feeders with one-way glass offer a great spectacle, mainly tits and a grey squirrel today!

Trek 69er Demo

Today was the ride I was have been anticipating. The Trek Demo tour make it to Omaha with a 69er dual suspension mountain bike. The Trek 69er has a 26" rear wheel and a 29" front wheel.
I have looking at this bike for several reasons:
1) considering a dual suspension bike - with all the different places I ride
2) the larger front tire rolls over roots, rocks, etc.
3) keeping the 26" rear wheel gives me better acceleration and climbing. (takes a lot to move my weight)
4) I rode enough that I could justify another bike.
The trailer had a medium frame Top Fuel 69er. This was my first test ride of the day. The M frame is a small for me, but I was still impressed with the handling. I was able to climb easily (seemed better climbing than with my Trek 4300). The roots of Swanson Park did not bother me. I exchanged the bike for a large frame hard tail 69er. That is the size I need.
Not ready to purchase a new bike, yet. Maybe when I demo the large frame dual suspension 69er. Oh yeah, need to save some money. The bike is a LOT more $$ than my 4300.
In other news: For me, this was the last Friday Night Mountain Bike Ride for the season. With the time change, I want to ride in the daylight. It was a great season. catch everyone on the other trails (or in the Spring).
On my way home from Swanson, I decided to do a lap (my shortened lap) at Manawa. After all, I had my bike with me. Beautiful day for a bike ride. I know I need to work on some of the more technical aspects of my riding. For now, I am enjoying the riding and I know my non-technical riding is getting better.

A Rotten Review

Ralph Waldo Emerson on Jane Austen: "I am at a loss to understand why people hold Miss Austen's novels at so high a rate, which seem to me vulgar in tone, sterile in artistic invention, imprisoned in the wretched conventions of English society, without genius, wit, or knowledge of the world." From the book Rotten Reviews by Bill Henderson

An Afternoon in my Life

Here's how I'm spending a rainy afternoon in Georgia.
Avoiding the housecleaner by hanging out in my studio
Listening to the rain on the tin roof of the studio
Reading new blogs
Drinking a mixture of sweet tea and Monavie
Packing a bag for my watercolors to use in the mountains next week
Wanting to go eat another delicious eggroll made by Laurel
Feeling the breeze made by the ceiling fan
Admiring the new curtain just hung on the door of the studio I made out of an old, white sheet
Looking forward to curling up under a flannel quilt on the couch with the 7th Outlander book
Dreading going out in the rain to take my car in for repairs
Anticipating nodding off over said Outlander book and taking a snooze
So I'd better go in the house and eat that eggroll, read that book, and take that nap. Toodles!

Kong-On-A-Rope + Beach = Ecstasy

This is really a late (not) Wordless Wednesday post! There is almost nothing that makes me so blissed out than my kong and this beach - to wit:

Hiking in Mrs. T's Footsteps!

Whee! Today, we had a beautiful, albeit a bit of a breathy hike up a track called the "Terwilliger Trail." Mrs. T, as she was known, was a most delightful teacher in these parts for much of her 97 years. Always wearing her signature straw hat, towing a long line of kids behind, she'd tell stories about "Mr. Gopher" and others on her nature walks all over the county. One of mom's fave Mrs. T tales involved a trip she took to the Reagan White House to be honored as an extraordinary volunteer. The first thing she did was pick up the garbage outside the gates there. Later, she had Reagan flapping his wings in a "V" form, like a vulture! Good for her! You can find out more about her here. We are at Stafford Lake Park.

There were a bazillion geese out enjoying the amazing day...And a really nice little pond with trees that are just beginning to bud.

And tons of green grasses to fly through on our way to the trail.
I think Avalon's nose got corkscrewed up here!
Not much elevation, but when you start at zero... you do get some views!
Up, up, up through a multitude of forest layerings... from grassy meadow, through oak woods and we even charged through a small redwood grove - all so pretty!
Mom's camera battery died and she began using her phone here...
We were starting to get some nice views here! You should have seen us running!
The redwood pictures and photos from the top didn't come out booooohoooooo! But at the bottom again, we took a well-deserved cooling dip in the stream here!
I REALLY enjoyed my cooldown!!! And now, a challenge: anybuddy know what this thing, below, is? There are a bunch of them here - any guesses? Have a great weekend!