Moments in Dirt and Ink

Coralville Lake Click for map. As I dropped down off the mountains and into Denver, there was just one brief look out over what I knew was there, an infinite seeming plane of grass known as the Great Plains. It was nice to finally find hills again in the west of Iowa. On the way back through, I took a turn for something tucked into those hills: a lake. This particular one is actually a dammed bit of the Iowa River. It has a few clusters of trails and I ended up at the Woodpecker system, a loop with a couple trails across that allow the short loop to become even smaller. A trail segment across a bridge connects it with the Squire Point system, of similar size, and both are shown on the map at the trailhead. The parking is sunny, but the trail plunges quickly into shady forest. The trees are some broad leaved oaks, cottonwoods, and somewhere there are a few walnuts. The thick green hulls and a few shells lie scattered on the ground. Trail heading under shady trees. The sig...

Lake Sonoma Lake Sonoma is actually a reservoir and has a $5 day use fee that is covered by an America the Beautiful pass. The iron rangers have been under attack, so this needs to be paid at the Visitor Center below the dam rather than at the parking areas. They warned me that the trails were "muddy in places" and since the next visitor asked how full the lake was, I heard that the lake is well over capacity at the moment. They are more likely to have a copy of the rough trail maps, too. I picked out a loop of interconnecting trails around Rockpile Road and initially went to start at Lone Rock until finding that I could not pay my fee. On my return, I decided not to drive up quite so far and start at Little Flat instead. It is usually best not to start at the high point anyway. The parking is a thick gravel lot that takes the rain. The trail is well signed and heads off into the trees. I take in the view of the lake at the side of the lot then follow along in...