Budget Cuts Affect GGNRA, Point Reyes

Budget woes will force cutbacks in visitor services in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and at Point Point Reyes National Seashore.

Less money means visitor centers will be open fewer days, garbage will be picked up and restrooms cleaned less frequently, and building and road maintenance will be deferred.

For more information, read this report in Saturday's San Francisco Chronicle.

Creating Photo Books with Your iPhone

The free "Mosaic by Mixbook" app (compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5,  iPad, and 3rd through 5th generation models of Apple's iPod Touch) lets you create 7" x 7" photo books like the one Dick Jordan brought along at today's hike.

You pick 20 photos (no more, no less) from photos taken with or stored on your Apple "iDevice," arrange them in the order you wish them to appear in the "photo mosaic" on the first page, and the larger photos on subsequent pages, then send your photo book directly from the your Apple gadget to Mixbook for processing.

The app is simple to use because it gives you no title page, no captions, and no customization.  This YouTube video shows how the app works.

  (Click here if the YouTube player isn't visible)
Each book you order runs $20, plus tax, and shipping. (Dick's total cost was $26.65). You should get your photo book delivered within 4 business days.

Once you've created a photo book, you can always order more at a later date. You can have the books shipped not only to yourself, but to any address. (Mixbook suggests its photo books would be great gifts.)

Here is the cover, inside page, and a two-page spread, from the Mosaic photo book Dick made from photos taken during our Meandering in Marin on Tuesday's hikes.

(Photos in the book are much sharper than these taken of the book by Dick)

Click here to read a review of the Mosaic app. You can also visit the Mosaic app Website for more information.

Chimney Rock (4/2) Hike Preview

We'll return to Point Reyes National Seashore for this hike which we do every year in April. (Click here for a recap of our 2010 trek.  You can also view photos taken on past hikes.)

Here's what Wendy promises for this outing: "This is one of Marin's must-see spring wildflower displays which includes some beautiful endangered flowers. We'll see elephant seals at the overlook and take time to learn about their history and return from the brink of extinction. Bring binoculars if you have them."

Directions to trailhead: Take Sir Francis Drake Boulevard to Olema. Turn right at Olema onto Highway 1, then make an immediate left onto Bear Valley Road. (There are restrooms at the trailhead --- another 30-45 minutes down the road; if you need a restroom break now, take the first left off Bear Valley Road and stop at the Bear Valley Visitor Center).

Continue on Bear Valley Road until you pick up Sir Francis Drake again. Turn left to follow Sir Francis Drake out to Point Reyes. Go through Inverness. At the junction with Pierce Point Road, bear left and stay on Sir Francis Drake. Follow signs towards the Lighthouse and Drake’s Beach. You’ll pass the turn to Drake’s Beach on your left. Keep going until you see a left turn to Chimney Rock. (Sir Francis Drake continues on to end at the Lighthouse parking lot).

Driving time from the College of Marin: One hour, thirty minutes. (Carpoolers can meet at St. Rita's Church in Faifax about 8:30 am). Restrooms at trailhead. (If you need an earlier restroom stop, you can stop at the Bear Valley Visitor Center). Click here to view and print a copy of the park map for the Point Reyes National Seashore.

Weather forecast: As of Tuesday, March 26, the National Weather Service forecast for the Point Reyes Lighthouse area was mostly cloudy, with a high near 51. (Click here for an updated forecast).

Real-time weather reporting for the Point Reyes Lighthouse is also available (click here). Sometimes it is very windy when we do this hike, so in addition to your rain gear (if the forecast changes), be sure to toss some extra layers and a warm jacket and hat (bring some duct tape to "tie" your hat on your head) in your car in case it is "blowin' like snot" (a sailor's term for windy weather).

More on this hike: The general area covered by this hike is shown in hike "G13 PR Lighthouse and Chimney Rock" in the Martin's book, Hiking Marin and the "Chimney Rock" hike in Tracy Salcedo-Chourre's book, Exploring Point Reyes National Seashore and Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

You can also view and print out a map of the Chimney Rock area from the Point Reyes National Seashore Web site. The Google Earth image below shows where we'll be on this outing. (Click on the photo to open a larger image in your Web browser).

Finding Photos From Past Hikes

Each week, photos from the latest hike are posted on the Meandering blog.

You can find a link to the online album of those photos on the "Photo Albums" page of the blog.

On that page you'll also find albums of photos for past hikes taken after December 1, 2009, arranged by hike location.

(Photos taken prior to that December 1, 2009 hike are in three albums, arranged by date.)

GGNRA Headlands Road Construction Starts Soon!

Weekdays, from April 1st through October, road construction will be taking place in the Marin Headlands section of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

From April 1st through June 28th, from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, there will be delays of up to 15 minutes at Alexander Avenue, near the east entrance to the Baker-Barry Tunnel.

Delays of up to 15 minutes will occur from 8:00 am - 5:00 pm along Bunker Road, from the west end of the Tunnel all the way to the Fort Chronkite parking lot at the beach.

The Fork Chronkite parking lot will be closed much of July.

Field Road, which branches off Bunker Road near the east end of Rodeo Lagoon and heads towards Point Bonita, will experience delays of up to 15 minutes from July into August.

The actual schedule may vary from these projections.

(Click here for complete information.)

Spirit Rock Bobcats

Thanks to Wendy for forwarding this YouTube video of bobcats at Spirit Rock in the San Geronimo Valley was done by Paul Berensmeier. He played the Native American flute at the celebration of Silvia's life on Angel Island.

  (Click here if you don't see the YouTube video player.)

Lake Lagunitas Wildlife

While taking his broken leg out for a "test hike" around Lake Lagunitas on Saturday, Dick Jordan and his wife found newts swimming and mating in a stream feeding into a lake, and a Pileated Woodpecker carving out a hole in a nearby dead tree.

Regrettably, Dick's little point-and-shoot camera didn't let him get very clear photos of either the newts (particularly of the cavorting newt couple, which two small kids erroneously decided where a mother and baby rather than a mother-to-be and her consort) or the woodpecker. But you can find a better photo of newt conjugal relations, plus everything you ever wanted to know about newts and salamanders, in this article from the Jan-Mar 2013 issues of Bay Nature magazine.

You may still be able to find the newts just beyond the bend in the stream after crossing the first bridge on the trail as you walk counter-clockwise (they way we Meanderers do on our hike around Pilot Knob) from the dam.

 The Pileated Woodpecker should be just uphill to the south from that spot, along an unnamed trail that appears to dead-end, and which Dick could only find on old C.E. Erickson map of Mount Tam. If you walk up that trail (which does have an MMWD trail sign, but no trail name), turn around, and look to your right, you should have a decent look at the woodpecker's hole in the snag.

Bon Tempe-Lagunitas Lakes "Final Exam" Photos Now Online!

Photos taken by Theresa Fisher during the March 19th Bon Tempe to Lagunitas Lakes "Final Exam" hike are now online!

View them on the Meandering blog or click here for the on-line album.

Indian Valley Open Space Hike (3/26) Preview

Two loops combine to make an interesting hike.  Tomcat Clover,
Fiddleneck, and Plectritis should be in bloom this week, and if we haven't heard the first Pacific Slope Flycatcher yet, we often here it at IVC.  (Click here for a recap of our 2010 hike. You can view photos from past hikes by clicking here.)

Directions to trailhead: Take Highway 101 to the Ignacio Boulevard exit. Go west and follow Ignacio Boulevard into the Indian Valley College campus. Our hike starts from parking lot #7 by the athletic field. (Click here to view and print a map of the campus). Bring a dozen quarters to get a ticket from the parking machines ($3/day ). 25 minutes from College of Marin. Restrooms at trailhead. (Carpoolers can meet at Smith Ranch Park & Ride lot at 9:15 a.m.).

Weather forecast: As of Saturday, March 23, the National Weather Service forecast for the hike was  partly sunny, with a high near 62. (Click here for an updated forecast).

More on this hike: Two hikes in the Martin's book, Hiking Marin, cover the area that we'll traverse: "E6 Indian Valley FR - Waterfall Trail" and "E7 Schwindt - Wildcat Trails". You can also view and print the map for the Marin County Open Space District's Indian Valley preserve. The Google Earth photo below shows this area. (Click on the photo to open a larger image in your Web browser).

Deer Park to Phoenix Lake Photos Now Online!

Photos taken by Theresa Fisher during the March 12th hike from Deer Park to Phoenix Lake are now online!

View them on the Meandering blog or click here for the on-line album.

This Weekend's Environmental Movies in Point Reyes

If you missed the screening at the Rafael Theater last October of Rebels With A Cause, a documentary film about the saving of park, open space, and agricultural lands along the coast north and south of San Francisco, you can catch it tomorrow, Saturday, March 16, at 3 pm at the Dance Palace in Point Reyes Station, during the Geography of Hope conference.

The movie is part of a double-feature and will be preceded at 1 pm by a screening of the Emmy Award winning documentary, Green Fire—Aldo Leopold and a Land Ethic for our Time. Here's the trailer for that film:


(Click here if the Vimeo video player doesn't appear)
$15 "rush tickets" for both movies may be available at the door, but Dick Jordan's friend, Elisabeth Ptak, who is helping stage the Geography of Hope conference, recommends buying them in advance online ($20, plus a $2.09 ticket fee).

Tickets for the full weekend of Geography of Hope events has been sold out, but limited tickets for tonight's screening of Green Fire are available, and for all-day Saturday.  (Click here for more information.)

(Dick Jordan will be helping film the Geography of Hope conference for later broadcast on CMCM TV, Comcast Channel 26.)

NO HIKE ON TUESDAY, MARCH 19TH

Just a reminder that there will be no hike this coming Tuesday, March 19th.

The Spring 2013 hike series begins on Tuesday, March 26th at the Indian Valley Open Space Preserve adjacent to Indian Valley campus of the College of Marin.

Zucchini-Pear Soup Recipe

Click here to view and print the recipe for the Zucchini-Pear Soup that Dick Jordan served at today's "Final Exam" luncheon.

Dick used Red Bartlett Pears, but any pear variety should work. You could probably substitute leek for the onion, too.

The recipe calls for either chicken or vegetable stock; Dick used the latter.

The recipe says to saute the vegetables and pears in a skillet, then add broth to finish the cooking.  But if your skillet isn't deep, the broth may slop out.

To avoid making a mess in the kitchen, and the necessity of using a counter top blender or food processor to puree the soup, Dick suggests that you transfer the sauteed ingredient into a 6-8 quart pot before adding the broth, bring the soup to a boil, and then let it cool a bit (so you're not splashed with hot soup) before pureeing it with an immersion blender. Check and adjust the seasoning when you're done.

You can serve this soup hot or chilled. 

SPRING 2013 HIKE LIST NOW ONLINE!

The "Upcoming Hikes" page on the Meandering blog has been updated with a list of all of the Spring 2013 hike dates and descriptions.

Click here to view and print out the details for all of these hikes if you didn't receive it via e-mail from Wendy.

Soup For Lunch!

Thanks much for the "Get Well" card!

My dinged-up leg is still a bit sore, but absent further trauma to it, I should be able to "fly in" with soup to share with you at Tuesday's post-hike "Final Exam" luncheon.

Missing you all,

Dick Jordan

Bon Tempe/Lagunitas "Final Exam" Hike (3/12) Preview

This is a lovely, level lakeside loop! We could see Ring-necked Ducks, Common Mergansers, American Widgeons, Ruddy Ducks, Buffleheads, and more.  This could also be the week for our first Acmon Blue Butterly!  (Click here for a recap of our 2010 hike. There's also an album of photos taken on past hikes.)

Remember to bring your contribution to our gourmet feast, a plate, cup, and utensils.  (We'll have lunch at Wendy's home in San Anselmo if rain - which is not likely - makes it impossible to use the group picnic area at Lake Lagunitas.)

Directions to trailhead:  As you enter Fairfax on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard jog left when you see the movie theater and make an immediate right. This puts you on the street that parallels Sir Francis Drake, but is on the other side of the Parkade.

Make the first left which is Bolinas Avenue. Follow the Bolinas-Fairfax Road for about 1 mile. Turn left onto Sky Oaks Road. You’ll need to pay at the kiosk ($8/day; or purchase a pass for $60 for Marin residents, $30 for Marin seniors 62 and older, good through next January; pay with $1, $5 and $10 bills or Visa or Mastercard.  $20 bills are NOT accepted by the pay station.

Follow the paved road on to Lake Lagunitas. We’ll have lunch at the picnic area at Lake Lagunitas so you don’t need to carry the food for the potluck.

Time: 30 minutes from College of Marin. Restrooms at trailhead, portables en route. Carpoolers can meet at St. Rita's Church at 9:20 am.

Weather forecast:  As of Thursday, March 7th, the National Weather Service forecast for the hike was sunny, with a high near 71. (Click here for an updated forecast).

More on this hike: Hike "C13 Bon Tempe Lake Trail" in the Martins' book, Hiking Marin, shows the general area where we will be hiking. However, we'll start and end at trail junction #2 on their map, rather than at Bon Tempe dam. (Click here for an MMWD map that shows this area). The Google Earth image below shows both lakes in a view looking back towards Fairfax. (Click on the photo to open a larger image in your Web browser).

"Climbing Tamalpais" - Another Meandering "Feature Film"!

Better hope Dick Jordan's leg heals really fast or you'll be bombarded with yet more videos like this.


(The video won't play in the e-mail you received about it, so click here to view it on YouTube.)

"The Meanderers and The Mountain of Destiny" Premiers!

While some of you have been trudging over hill and dale, Dick Jordan has been sitting at home nursing his busted leg and creating this "movie trailer":


(The video won't play in the e-mail you received, so click here to view it on YouTube.)

Indian Tree Hike Photos Now Online!

Photos taken by Theresa Fisher during last week's hike in the Indian Tree Open Space at Novato are now online!

View them on the Meandering blog or click here for the on-line album.