Recent visit: Sonoma Valley Walk

This has been a cool summer so we managed a walk at Sonoma Valley Regional in the afternoon. Amazing. The new plantings seem to be overwhelmed with weeds – hard to tell how they’re doing. The blackberries are creeping back. But the oaks and the grasses look just fine. It’s a great short walk on

Spring at Healdsburg Ridge

Spring 2017 Update: Dogs on leash now allowed on trails. Beware ticks and poison oak. Not too late for spring flowers this year. (See June 2013 post below. Other posts: Dream  April 2013, Heights April 2010. The meadow up on Serpentine Trail is so amazing, I just have to try my best to climb the

Walking Cloverdale River Park

This post was from February 2013 with a few 2010 pictures added. We’ve visited Cloverdale many times  and it’s great for winter with its wide paved path. Going uphill to the cemetery will possibly be more soggy right now. Don’t forget it for the wildflowers in later in February and March. Cloverdale River Park follows

Sunday’s Revisit: North Coast

Here’s a trip from five years ago, but we’re planning another January trip. What will we revisit and what will be new? Not that we spent much time going up the valley, we were anxious to get to Mendocino. We stopped for the obligatory pastry and coffee at the Downtown Bakery in Healdsburg. And on

Riverfront Park in Windsor

This original post was in March of 2010. We have visited many times since then and written many more posts. What a great place. There’s still trouble with the trail where the dam doesn’t quite keep out the Russian River in winter floods. The trees and bushes are bigger so that some of the benches

Sunday’s Revisit: Bird and Birdwatching Heaven at Shollenberger Park

Back in January 2010, we made this walk at Shollenberger Park in Petaluma. It was a time of freezing ear, plenty of water and plenty of birds. Lately, due to the drought this park has been dry much of the year. Here’s hoping for a wet winter and happy migrating birds. — Don’t forget to visit

Sunday’s Revisit: Trying to Walk Along a Wet and Wild Coast

Back when I first started this blog, I wrote a lot and covered a lot. This one, from January 2010, covers the magnificent Salt Point State Park (the coastal part) and MacKerricker State Park in Mendocino. There are also hints about Gualala and Sea Ranch – including Walk On Beach that I just posted more about. These

Walking at Garland Ranch – Carmel

Before our recent trip to Monterey Peninsula, Mike studied a map of the area. That’s how we found Jack’s Peak and how we wound up at Garland Ranch Regional Park. Both great finds for us. Here’s a link to Jack’s Park and here is some of our visit to Garland Ranch Park. We drove out

Walking more Bay Trail & the Napa River

Last week I did another walk with fellow-Walkabouters at the JFK Memorial Park along the Napa River. Tule Marsh used to dominate the area until the mid-1800s.  San Pablo Bay (off of San Francisco Bay) was 18,000 acres of tidal marsh. Some of that is being restored. We chose to start our walk at the

Sugarloaf Ridge via Planetary Walk

Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, a 2700-acre park in the mountains above the Sonoma Valley, is still worth a visit even for people who need a flat walk. Just past the entrance kiosk, on the left, is a parking lot, with a trailhead to Bald Mountain and to Meadow Trails.