Colusa Tree

As I've mentioned before, taking a photo of this particular tree at the Colusa National Wildlife Refuge has become sort of a tradition of mine. Now that the year is coming to a close, I'm putting all the photos together and creating a timeline of the refuge throughout the seasons...

January

(There's a bit of a gap between visits here because the auto tour was closed due to flooding for a few months.)

April 12

April 26

June

(The big gap in summertime is due to the 100 degree-plus temps here!)

October

(And there's a gap at the end of the year because we don't usually go birding much around the holidays because of the crazy traffic.)

I love seeing how the landscape changes every time we visit the refuge! And there's something so beautiful about a lone tree in the middle of nowhere. By the way, here's the link to my 2016 Colusa Tree post in case you'd like to take a look back...

Let's go on an adventure!

Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge ↔ Auto Tour

The early bird gets the auto tour all to themselves...

Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge

Let's go on an adventure!

Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge ↔ December Birding

Sunrise birding at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge...

For all of my bird photography, please visit Wings and Daydreams!

Let's go on an adventure!

Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge auto tour

From the archive...

The Sacramento NWR auto tour September 2019

Adventures in Writing

Happy New Year!

I have a rigorous writing/publishing schedule this year, so you might not hear from me for a while.

Good luck with all of your 2023 goals and adventures

and I hope to be back on the road exploring nature soon!

RV

Summer Wildflowers ↔ Hat Creek Rim Scenic Overlook ↔ Old Station, California ↔ Pacific Crest Trail

Summer wildflowers are bringing a splash of color to the already beautiful Hat Creek Rim Overlook near Old Station, California...

Located near Old Station, California (on the way to Lassen Volcanic National Park), the Hat Creek Rim Overlook is a breathtaking viewing area showcasing Lassen Peak (10,457 ft), Mt. Shasta  (14, 162 ft), Crater Peak (8,677 ft), Burney Mountain (8,550 ft), and Magee Peak (8,550 ft). There are vault toilets, several picnic tables, and lots of RV parking. This site is wheelchair accessible and the overlook is easy to get to with a paved path.

The Hat Creek Rim Overlook also provides an access point onto the Pacific Crest Trail.

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Let's go on an adventure!

Cinder Cone Hiking Trail ↔ The Painted Dunes & Fantastic Lava Beds ↔ Lassen Volcanic National Park

Long time no see!

I'm so excited to be back in nature after my two-year hiatus due to the pandemic!

In true Vaughn all-or-nothing fashion, we chose to hike the Cinder Cone as our first venture back out into the great wide wilderness. This isn't the easiest hike because of the steep incline and sandy/rocky path, but the 360-degree views at the top offer a fabulous payoff.

We arrived at the trailhead just as the sun was coming up and didn't see anyone else until we came back down the volcano.

How wonderful to have the entire place to ourselves!

This hike took us about four hours, but that's only because we were enjoying the view so much that we walked around the entire Cinder Cone a second time and weren't in a hurry to get back home.

It was so incredibly quiet at the top--the perfect atmosphere to take in the sights of the beautiful Painted Dunes, almost otherworldly Fantastic Lava Beds, and Lassen Peak standing tall in the distance.

Here's to many more enjoyable hikes in Lassen VNP this year!

 

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Let's go on an adventure!