Moments in Dirt and Ink

California Coastal National Monument Click for interactive map After poking around Ocean Ranch , I headed up the hill to Lighthouse Ranch, one of the 6 pieces of California Coastal National Monument that can be visited along the mainland. There's a loop trail, interpretive signs, picnic tables, and a toilet. If you are trying to get a stamp for your National Parks passport, you probably have to go to the Arcata BLM Field Office. Other nearby pieces of the National Monument are the Trinidad Head Lighthouse to the north, which is only open during certain hours on certain days; Lost Coast Headlands to the south, which has a little more trail but the road in can suffer winter damage; and of course most the rocks and islands you can still see at high tide. This is the easiest to visit. The pathway entry from the unpaved parking at Waluplh-Lighthouse Ranch. The path is well established and the edges get mowed. Taking the right side of the loop, the trail comes quickly to t...

Eel River Wildlife Area Click for interactive map A little after I first (and last) visited Ocean Ranch , the California Department of Fish and Wildlife launched a restoration project in this bit of the Eel River Wildlife Area that I keep meaning to check out. It gets a mention sometimes on the twice monthly DERT days by Friends of the Dunes because they decided to test the best removal system for the invasive beach grass we pull by hand. The winner for efficiency includes fire. I pulled into the now paved parking lot at the top because that's all I was expecting, only to find there is now a paved road where there was a gated, uneven track down to another parking area with picnicking that is open sunrise to sunset. The wooden sign got an upgrade. There was very obviously a billowing plume of smoke originating from somewhere over by the mouth of the Eel River. A blackberry hunter suspected that folks who came to Crab County Park for the 4th to light up massive mounds of ...

Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge Click for interactive map The fact that the National Wildlife Refuge doesn't allow dogs (or horses or bikes or even running) tends to create more possibilities for wildlife encounters. That this particular bit is closed Tuesday to Thursday and sits beside a bit that's closed to all except those who have obtained a permit makes it a little more wild. For one frequent volunteer with the Friends of the Dunes, that meant getting to watch a family of otters diving and chomping away at their catch from the end of one trail. After the regular third Sunday removal of invasive beach grass on the far north end of Ma-le'l South, I headed out to where the otters had been seen, not that I really expected to see them too. Kayakers on the Mad River Slough send the shorebirds on the nearby island into flight. The otters were seen a the end of Tsoutsgish Trail, a very flat route following the old railroad grade at the edge of Mad River Sloug...

Shasta-Trinity National Forest Click for interactive map We hit the Swift Creek trailhead for a day hike up to the snow survey cabin. Daniil wanted to do a survey of the terrain, but the fact of the cabin suggests it's pretty safe hiking in winter. We only hit snow on the road shortly before the trailhead around 4000 feet, although the trailhead parking was totally covered in white. We started out with the snowshoes on our backs. Snow exists, as we see at the trailhead. Into the wilderness that started a quarter mile back down the road according to the map. Soggy trail with a little running water at the second sign for the Trinity Alps Wilderness. The morning wasn't freezing and the trail ran with water. We passed several very seasonal streams and the ones marked on the map tended to need a well placed rock to keep the feet out of the water. When we hit snow, it was neither hard nor particularly soft. Swift Creek churning below. Closer to Swift Creek. Bei...

Patapsco Valley State Park interactive map link I returned to the Ilchester area, this time parking in a lot the park considers more acceptable, up the hill from where Ilchester once stood ( and where I parked before ). There was a small lot closer, but it had a locked gate. The small, unpaved lot is free and has some informative signage and was getting toward half full as I pulled in. Two trails diverging, one to start on and one to finish. You can take both! A downy woodpecker was finding good stuff on one small tree. My plan for the day was to head down the hill and cross over the river for a low route over to where I first hiked to the little waterfall . Then I would cross over and stay low a little longer until a collection of trails that rose to an area marked Soapstone. I sort of expected some to be on display along the way, somewhere. Then I'd wander along a high route back. This would be a little more complicated navigation, but I've got a map and the S...

Liberty Reservoir Cooperative Wildlife Management Area interactive map link The Liberty Reservoir Cooperative Wildlife Management Area sits just north of Patapsco Valley State Park. Instead of surrounding a river, it surrounds a lake, or rather a reservoir. The land and lake belong to the City of Baltimore to keep the people hydrated. It is managed by Maryland Department of Natural Resources as more green space. There's also some Environmental Police, but I saw no evidence they're very active. Those who enjoy the green space don't have enough respect for those who provide the green space to keep their dogs, which are required to be leashed but rarely are here, out of the drinking water as requested. On Old Liberty Road after the gate, a few of the area rules and a second block. Access to this section of Liberty Reservoir seems to be fairly restricted by the small amount of legal street parking along Old Liberty Road. One side of the road was still empty as I par...

Patapsco Valley State Park interactive map link Just down the road from my parking for an excursion east of Marriottsville , I pulled into a gravel lot for an excursion west of Marriottsville. I wouldn't have thought this was a legal lot, tucked up next to the active train tracks, except that I found there was already one parked, another pulled in after me, and there's an information kiosk at the end. What I didn't find was either of the trails I planned to hike in a loop of sorts. The train came by right after I got out of the car for a start that was more extraordinarily loud rather than excellent. Wowsa did it ever screech and rumble. Parking just off the railroad right-of-way access road by an informative kiosk. My map showed a trail running off the side of the access road to the right and another crossing the rails to wander off left of the tracks. I looked for the one on the right, but couldn't find it. Something to worry about later since it was my pl...

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park interactive map link I guess I am in search of waterfalls, because I decided to go off and see the Great ones. One may go to see them from the Virginia side by visiting Great Falls Park or the Maryland side by visiting Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. Both are National Park Service units and with the government shutdown, all pay areas were closed. This meant the whole of Great Falls Park was closed, but only the Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center was closed on the canal side. When they are open, these pay areas have a $20 entrance fee. The parking area I chose beside Macarthur Boulevard is both official and free. I chose to visit the Maryland side because the trail system has more obvious looping excursions, but it looks like there's plenty of good hiking on the Virginia side too. I hoped that with so many people inside the Beltway shirking their work, traveling the Beltway to just outside the Beltway would...

Patapsco Valley State Park interactive map link The multitude of ruins marked in the Ilcheter Area of Patapsco Valley State Park drew my attention, so I made a rough plan of wandering among them. My first choice for access was a public lot in Ellicott City. The whole area doesn't show much "heat" on the Strava map, but what there is shows this as one access point that is actually used, so it was a bit disappointing to see a bit of new fencing across the access. As this access follows the active railroad right of way for a distance, it wasn't completely surprising. I also see some heat suggesting the end of Red Stag Court is an entry, but decided against trying this one. My next try was the hunter parking. This was open and has a lot of information provided at the lot, including that to park there legally, you need to place your hunting permit in the car window. My third option was a parking area next to Ilchester Road. Although a sign across the hiker bridge su...