Say that five times, fast I dare ya. Right now my news feeds are filled with more data supporting trends that show sickening predictions for California and the whole west coast’s drought-filled summer and wildfire season. With not enough atmospheric rivers this winter most of California is already underwater restrictions, and it’s only May. Eeek! Check out this great KQED Infographic that illustrates the severity. Fires can be devastating, but they also give rise to…

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For the month of April we lived in a quiet nook of Mill Valley tucked into the branches of a Bay Laurel, Coast Live Oak and Coast Redwood trees.  So we continued our pattern of exploring nearby our temporary abode during the week and camping or short road trips during the weekend. We were so lucky to have Mt. Tamalpais in our backyard and only a short drive up to the Rock Springs area. But…

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From the beginning of February till the end of March we lived in Joshua Tree, California. Yes there is an actual city named Joshua Tree. It holds two of three entrances to Joshua Tree National Park. Apart from short trips we’ve never spent an extended amount of time in a desert environment, and I can definitely see the appeal! In this post I highlight what we saw and where we explored. Hope you enjoy! RIP…

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Ahhh our time in the Mojave desert area is almost coming to a conclusion! Wow time flies! During this two month stay we’ve patiently waited for annuals to pop out of the ground and perennials to start thriving.  It finally happened! Even though the month of February had basically no precipitation around these parts, some fell in March and plants got blooming. But being a non-super-bloom year and on the drier side of normal the…

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Ahhh our time in the Mojave desert area is almost coming to a conclusion! Wow time flies! During this two month stay we’ve patiently waited for annuals to pop out of the ground and perennials to start thriving.  It finally happened! Even though the month of February had basically no precipitation around these parts, some fell in March and plants got blooming. But being a non-super-bloom year and on the drier side of normal the…

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When naturalizing Trevor and I have some odd ball saying we say to each other while observing certain species. For example, when we find a weevil which is a small beetle with a long snout at some point we will call it an “evil weevil,” even though they have no evil-ness about them. Another phrase is “spurge is the word.” Usually this is said to each other in a funky voice elongating “spurge” and “word.”…

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We are fully into our next location during this nomadic tour of California, and that is the Mojave desert! Being based very close to Joshua Tree National Park means we get to experience the end of winter and early spring in the desert; it’s a totally different landscape, and so beautiful! So with the total switch up in ecosystem from the redwoods of Santa Cruz Mountains where we last inhabited means a totally new switch…

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Insane views, campfires in the rain, just missing a puma with cubs, beautiful native flora, and some very sore feet were all components of this four day trip in the South Chilcotin Mountain Provincial Park.   Acknowledging this trip took on the traditional lands of Tsilhqot’in, St’at’imc, and Secwepemc Nations. For the American July 4th 2020 holiday we spent it in the Canadian wilderness. No better activity, in my opinion. This was my first backpacking trip…

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In this post I reflect back on what my hubs and I have learned about mothing over the past year or so, and a look into the science of why moths are attracted to light. We first started mothing back in October of 2019 and our first attempts were pretty pitiful, and we’ve come a long way. Thank goodness! When we lived in San Jose, we’d drive 45 minutes up to Montebello Open Space Preserve,…

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From mid December 2020 to mid January 2021 the Mister and I explored the beautiful area around Gualala, California. The small and friendly town of Gualala is positioned right on the Pacific coast at the southern end of Mendocino County, about 3 hours north of the Golden Gate Bridge.  We chose this area to spend the beginning of winter in order to search for mushrooms! This area of California hosts an insane diverse array of…

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