2BP: Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge and Mount Shasta

February 25, 2016

A made an unexpected road trip last week.  I got a phone call from my dad about ten days ago.  Mom was in the hospital for heart surgery.  It was Wednesday night.  Surgery would be on Friday.

That's not the kind of phone call you want to get.

Marsh Wren -- Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, CA

Black-tailed Jackrabbit

I decided to drive up Thursday and stay until Mom got settled back at home for recovery.  The foster dog situation was a little crazy at my home (my wife runs a dog rescue organization) so she asked me to take Pongo along.  No problem there, He's a good travelling companion and I could use the company.  Plus, I wasn't planning on doing much adventuring but it gave me a reason to at least get out and do short versions of the dog-friendly variety since he'd be spending a good chunk of his time in a crate.

Black-tailed Jackrabbit -- Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, CA

Stopping at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge has become pretty standard for us when driving up Interstate 5 in the colder months.  Pongo and I both enjoy the auto loop.  He hangs out the window and watches the birds and rabbits while I slowly drive and stop for pictures.  There are a couple of places where we can stop and stretch our legs and there are a few short trails for strolling.

Snow Goose -- Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, CA

Pacific Pond Turtle & Cinnamon Teal -- Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, CA

Red-shouldered Hawk -- Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, CA

Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge is one of the best places I know for getting good hawk photos.  They often sit in the trees alongside the auto route and aren't spooked by cars.  It's almost too easy to get nice shots.

Red-tailed Hawk -- Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, CA

Greater White-fronted Goose -- Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, CA

Greater White-fronted Goose

Another regular stop is near Weed, CA.  There's a rest stop there.  Near the rest stop are some train tracks, and from that spot near the train tracks is one of the best views of Mount Shasta that I know of.  I'm no expert, mind you.  I stop for photos there now on every drive up I-5.  The mountain has so many moods that I'm never bored with shooting from that same location.

Mount Shasta, CA

Half Moon Bay to Point Lobos

It was a wonderfully rainy day yesterday.  It was the kind of rainy day that left a person mostly dry but kept everything in sight wet.  Not always soaked, mind you, things were sometimes in a state of drying out but had obviously been very wet only an hour or two ago.  It was the kind of day the Oregon coast does often and well.  We get these types of days less frequently in California, but our coast knows how to put its own spin on just such a day.

Half Moon Bay, CA

My first stop on the day's route was at Half Moon Bay.  No special reason other than that's where Highway 92 ends.  When we lived on the Peninsula this was our beach town.  It has a couple of nice golf courses and a few nice views and a large surf break known as Mavericks.  Throw in a couple of surf shops and chowder houses and I'm not sure there's much more to this nice little town.  Pumpkins and Christmas trees, I guess.

San Gregorio State Beach, CA

Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk

My plan was to drive South down to Point Lobos.  Unlike some drives, making it to my destination was kind of important to me this time.  I haven't been there in a while because it's not at all dog friendly and most of my recent coast trips have been with Pongo.  I specifically left him behind so I could go to Point Lobos, so although it actually wasn't at all important whether or not I reached my destination it felt important to me if for no other reason than Pongo's sacrifice should not go in vain.

Pescadero State Beach, CA

Southern Sea Otter -- Moss Landing, CA

Brant

It's hard to drive by Moss Landing without stopping for a few pictures of the otters.  I wasn't sure how the photos would turn with no sun peeking through the clouds.  My big lens needs a lot of light.  I got a few shots that weren't too bad.  I also saw a couple of brants.  They aren't rare birds, I guess, but they are rare for me to see.

Gull and Southern Sea Otter -- Moss Landing, CA

Headland Cove, Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, CA

By the time I got to Point Lobos the sun was starting to peek out from behind the clouds.  It was off and on, but when it was on it was pretty spectacular.  Not much else to say.

Allen Memorial Grove, Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, CA

South Point, Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, CA

South Point, Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, CA

Headland Cove, Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, CA

Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge & Salem, OR

Saying Goodbye

November 9 - 11, 2013

My mother called me Thursday night with some bad news.  My Aunt Caroline had passed away.  She'd been fighting leukemia for a couple of years.  The funeral was on Sunday in Salem and I made the drive up to attend.

Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, CA

Red-shouldered Hawk

Even though I'd been there just the week before with Pongo, since it's along the way I decided to take the drive around Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge again.  Pongo and I certainly enjoyed it the first time and I thought I might get lucky and see a few different types of birds.  Unlike the week before, it was a bright, sunny day on Saturday.  As far as waterfowl goes, it was  pretty much the same as before.  I'd also seen about a dozen northern harriers the week before (I know, right?) but I didn't see a single one on this trip.  The hawks were out in force, though.  I talked with one of the ladies working in the visitor center and she said a lot of different types of birds had arrived over the last couple of days, but I guess I'm not sharp enough to tell the difference.

Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, CA

I saw a couple of pheasants on the loop.  the first one was too quick and too far away for me to get a picture.  I almost missed the second one.  I had to back up to pick him up.  They sure are beautiful birds.

Ring-necked Pheasant -- Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, CA

White-fronted Geese

After leaving the refuge, I bombed my way up to Salem.  I met my brother downtown and we had a  couple of beers.  Salem has a few nice places to hang out now.  That didn't used to be the case.  It's still a town dominated by chain restaurants and strip malls, but smaller, more interesting places have been sprouting up over the last few years.  I kept my mom up until after 2:00 in the morning talking about this and that.  She's not used to those late nights.

Mount Shasta, CA

Beaver Lodge

The funeral service was on Sunday afternoon.  Roughly 1100 people were in attendance.  It was way too religious for my taste, but it suited Aunt Caroline and my cousins did great delivering eulogies.  Before the service, I went in search of a beaver dam my brother had told me about.  Unfortunately, the river was running too high and had flooded out the field on which the dam was built.  I couldn't get close to it, or even really see it for that matter.  I was able to find the lodge the beavers had built, though.

Minto-Brown Island, OR

Boo Radley's House

I also visited the neighborhood I grew up in.  The house my parents owned was small, but the neighborhood was full of kids.  Of course, everything looked a lot smaller to me than as I remember it.  This neighborhood has been the setting in my mind for just about every book I've ever read.  Some books fit better than others, of course.  As I recall, it was a great place for trick or treating.

European Starling

After the service, I met my brother and my oldest friend Eric for drinks.  Eric's mother and my mother were close friends.  Our dad's were in the service when we were both born a couple of months apart.  My mom said Carol drove her to the hospital and she drove Carol to the hospital.  I'd never heard that before.

Wallace Marine Park, Salem, OR

I drove back to Alameda on Monday.  Before leaving Salem, I drove around and took a few pictures.  It was foggy, which gives the city a more romantic feel than it normally can pull off.  I don't really have a whole lot of nice things to say about this town, but it sure looks good when it's hard to see.

Riverfront Park, Salem, OR

On my way home, I stopped for lunch at King's Estate Winery near Cottage Grove.  They make some darned good wine there.  The food was pretty good, too.  I met my aunt and uncle there, who were hooking up with a couple of old friends from Texas.  It was a nice ending to what was basically a tough trip to help put a family member to rest.  There are times when being a part of a family seems important, and this was certainly one of those.

European Starlings -- King's Estate Winery, OR