Camp Taylor February into March 2025
March 3, 2025
Hiking in the Redwoods, but not at Samuel P Taylor.
We arrived back at Samuel P Taylor State Park from our trip to The Bahamas late on the night of Tuesday, February 4, 2025 to find the park was closed, and to find Lagunitas Creek running higher than we had ever seen it. Quite the contrast from the mild, sunny weather we had experienced with son Scott and daughter-in-law Kristy on quiet seas in the Abacos Islands of The Bahamas! It was nice to miss the storm, but honestly I kind of wished I'd been there for all the excitement of wind, rain, raging waters and falling trees! Surprisingly during the several days' storm the power stayed on. We can always tell if it's been off because it turns our dehumidifiers turn off and they don't come back on automatically. They were running just fine when we arrived back to LesThora, our RV, but they were pretty full! Our six inch rain gauge had overflowed, and depending on who you talked to we had received 9 or 12 inches in the 10 days we were gone, 4 of them in the 24 hours before our arrival.
Notice all the mud in front of our collapsed tent?
Another view of the tent.
A ranger showed us a video of water rushing through the tent during the height of the storm. The tent collapses when there is an over abundance of rain, but it pops right back up again. There was an unfinished jigsaw puzzle inside that I was a little worried about, but I was actually able to complete it after we dried out a bit.
Rob cleaning up the mud, February 5.
Looking downstream from the campground bridge, Wednesday morning, February 5.
This is the highest we've ever seen the creek flowing.
And looking upstream.
In the back of the picture you can see water coming out of the pipe into the creek. Normally the water falls many more feet down to the flowing creek.
The little seasonal creek in Wildcat Canyon was not so little!
Trees fell in the picnic area.
This was quite a sight to see, having never seen anything quite like it before. Two trees fell one way and two the opposite way. They had been growing out of an old Redwood stump and they split down the middle. They took out one historic picnic table and managed to block roads on both sides of the picnic ground.
Rob had an all day board meeting to attend in Stockton on Thursday, February 6, and since rain was forecast for Thursday we decided it best to go down on Wednesday evening and stay over. While Rob was in the meeting Thursday morning I went for a walk in the neighborhood, and eventually found a bike trail along a river.
The river I walked along for a bit in Stockton.
And two Canada Geese in the water.
Friday, February 7, 2025.
The first Trillium of the year for me at Camp Taylor!
Pretty droopy with the rain - it would be awhile before I'd see their faces.
A patch of Trilliums along Pioneer Tree Trail.
The one in the top right is the only one with an opening bloom.
The Trilliums continue to delight me, and I continue to learn new things about them. The most recent thing I learned is that they are actually pollinated by bees - I used to think it was ants, but it's bees. The ants play an important role in their reproduction though. They gather the Trillium seeds and then eat the tasty coating (tasty to an ant) off and then discard the seed where it can grow into a new beautiful flower. But remember, it takes many many years before the plants will produce a flower, and if the flower is picked it will take many more years to bloom again. I also learned recently that a Trillium plant can live up to 50 years!
Saturday, February 8.
Loved this mix of left over fog, blue sky and trees on the Pioneer Tree Trail.
Sun rays breaking through the trees.
The sun often catches my attention as I round this corner on the Pioneer Tree Trail!
What I call the most beautiful waterfall in the park, February 8.
But this one is VERY seasonal and only shows its beauty for a short time after a big rain fall. It is a short way from our campsite, but takes about a half mile walk to get around to where it can actually be seen. LesThora is actually just up stream from this view. The water that flowed through our tent forms this waterfall.
Some Circinate Vernation.
The method by which ferns roll out their fronds.
Tuesday, February 11, I decided to take a long overdue hike at Point Reyes National Seashore. I chose the 7 1/2 mile Estero, Glenbrook, and Muddy Hollow Loop. There were beautiful views of the ocean and Drakes Beach, some early wildflowers and some Elk. I knew there might be Elk and I worried a little that I might go several miles and find Elk on the trail and have to retrace my steps, or that I might encounter a fallen tree from the recent storm and that might cause me to retrace my steps also. But as it turned out the Elk I did encounter spooked and ran off when they saw me, and other than some wet spots on the trail, it was in good shape.
A screen shot of my hike.
I took the screen shot when I was at the blue arrow.
I still had the green part to complete.
A wild Iris along the trail.
A view to Drake's Bay and Point Reyes.
One of two bridges I crossed.
Looking across the ocean towards San Francisco.
One of the small herd of Elk I encountered.
Part of the estuary.
Another view of Drake's Bay and the estuary.
I was grateful for good trail signs.
Where the trail becomes a creek.
Looks like a Daisy, but it's a Chamomile.
Pretty flowering shrub.
Looking to some of the beautiful winter scenery.
This puzzle survived the tent collapse.
Some of the pieces were compromised by the moisture so the puzzle won't be able to be taken apart and done again so I put it in a frame and took it to the house. This is a collection of prints of a number of Smokey Bear puzzles, some of which I have done. I love the Smokey Bear art.
Two Steelhead Trout I saw in Devil's Gulch Creek on February 15.
This is one of the signs I designed 3 years ago.
Rob and I finally put it up in Devil's Gulch on February 15.
I was a little worried about this placement since it stuck out into the trail.
We would later move it.
Another new sign, "To Pioneer Tree Trail."
This is for a .2 mile trail connecting the campground to the Pioneer Tree Trail.
Looking into the canopy in Wild Cat Canyon, February 17.
If you look close you can see a small Redwood Tree leaning.
The leaning tree was new.
On February 17 I decided to hike to Barnabe Peak from Devil's Gulch so that I could check the mileage against the sign we had posted two days earlier. The sign says it is 2.2 miles to Barnabe Peak because that is how I designed it 3 years ago. It replaced an old sign that said it was 3 miles to Barnabe Peak and I was worried I had ordered it incorrectly, so I wanted to check. I was relieved to find that my mileage, 2.2 miles, was more accurate than the previously posted sign. The trail is quite steep and it feels like a lot more than 2.2 miles, but it's not.
Heading to Barnabe Peak on February 17.
There is the look out up ahead.
Looking out toward Tomales Bay from up on the mountain,
Looking into Lagunitas from the peak.
And there is Mt. Tamalpais.
And Kent Lake.
Hounds Tongue blooming on my way down from Barnabe Peak.
Finally got to see the face of a Trillium on February 20!
Another, February 21.
And this one is already turning pink.
They turn pink after they've been pollinated.
On Tuesday, February 18, we headed to Napa to visit a friend at the California Veteran's Home in Yountville. We had lunch, got a tour, and met some very diverse and interesting folks. It's a beautiful campus with lots going on. On our way back to Camp Taylor we stopped at Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park in Petaluma, a park we'd never visited before. The 41 acre park is what is left of the sprawling 66,000 acre Rancho Petaluma owned by General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo prior to California becoming a state. The historic building was interesting, but the best serendipity of the day was running into Ranger Cecelia Rejas, the one who "hired" us to be camp hosts here at Samuel P Taylor State Park almost 5 years ago. She left our park for Sonoma County during our first season here, and it was good to catch up with her. She is what some call an "old style ranger," because she's not just interested in law enforcement. Her passion is protecting and interpreting the cultural and natural history of our beautiful California State Parks. Ranger Nick Turner, our supervisor at Samuel P Taylor, is also an "old style ranger."
Petaluma Adobe State Park markers.
Rob next to the cactus hedge on the grounds of the park.
February 24 and 25 we were at our house in the Colfax area for some appointments, and I of course got some walking in there. I have been enjoying the Merlin bird identification app on my phone, especially the sound recognition feature. There seems to be more bird activity near our house than in either of the parks we host in, and on the morning of Tuesday, February 25 Merlin picked up the voice of a Red Shouldered Hawk which I was able to see in the top of a tree.
Red Shouldered Hawk.
Back at Camp Taylor we enjoyed a mixture of weather during the end of winter and beginning of spring. There has been plenty of rain this year, and the reservoirs are full, but even with all the moisture we haven't had as many mushrooms as some previous years.
A couple of mushroom varieties
More Trilliums.
Freshly painted numbers - painted by Rob the day before these campsites reopened after their winter closure - February 28.
A Trillium Garden.
A flowering fruit tree in the picnic area.
And another beautiful Trillium.
This Trillium surprised me!
It was right next to the side walk in our busy picnic area. The surprise was that it lasted long enough to bloom with all the foot traffic and activity in this area - remember these beauties take many years (5-7) to bloom, and this one's leaves are big enough to indicate to me that it has bloomed before. I wonder if I'll see it here again next year? I hope so.
Us at Roy's Redwoods.
We have passed the Roy's Redwoods Trail many times in the five seasons we have been in Marin County, but never stopped. Finally on Monday, March 3, we headed to Nicasio Valley Road to explore another Redwood Grove less than six miles from Camp Taylor. It was a lovely day to hike the 2 1/2 mile loop trail that went up and over and around a hill, giving some varied scenery. Rob doesn't hike with me often, but he enjoyed this one.
Back at Samuel P Taylor - a Trillium nearing the end of its blooming time.
Remember, the pink/purple coloring indicates this one has been pollinated.
A pretty, little Wood Violet.
A Fairy Bell getting ready to "ring."
Baby Big Leave Maple Leaves, March 7.
I love watching all the early spring buddings!
Here is the Big Leave Maple Tree that those leaves are on.
More Trilliums!
Another Fairy Bell getting ready to "ring."
Though the beach here faces the sunset of course, rather than the sunrise, I had been wanting to be on the beach for sunrise one morning. I figured my last best chance at it before the dreaded time change back to Daylight Savings Time would be March 8 so that I could get to the beach and back before having to do morning camp check. On the way to Limantour Beach I drove through heavy fog as I crossed the ridge between here and there, but though I didn't see the sun directly I had a delightful time in the early morning light on the beach!
Looking across the water to Point Reyes.
A fan of water on the sand.
There's a seal in the surf!
And a live crab on the beach!
Some raccoon footprints headed toward the water.
And some headed back from the water.
Pretty wonderful to be on the beach before other human footprints.
Seagull prints.
And mine!
Sunlight reflecting on the cliff sides of Drake's Bay.
A perfect Sand Dollar in the sand that I just had to pick up and take with me.
Lots of birds in the water.
And a Curlew on the beach!
Finally some blue sky!
The beginning of the Muddy Hollow Trail as I headed to the car.
I truly love trailheads and their promise of adventure!
And 20 Good Things to Do, as posted by a friend.
Still seeing pretty Trilliums, March 9.
Buckeye leafing out.
The place on Pioneer Tree Trail where the sun often surprises me!
A tree across the Riding and Hiking Trail.
Between Irving Picnic Area and Madrone Cabins.
I managed to find a way through.
March 14.
A rainbow over the green hills of West Marin on our way to Terra Linda.
Grandson Jacob came to spend time with us March 14-15.
So we put him to work helping to put up some more signs.
Rob installing the new sign.
There it is.
And here it is with the previous notices attached.
And with Jacob's help we moved this sign to the side of the bridge.
I had hoped to catch up to the present before posting this blog update, but alas, it is already long, and I'm ready to start a new one. Stay tuned for March into April.
And now for some domestic critters - in Roseville and beyond:
Elsie and Daphne sneaking up on each other.
These two are not fond of each other, so they live separately in the house in Rosevill.
Ruth is giving them more and more time together to see if they can come to a truce.
Elie in one of her unusual poses.
Joy competing for strange positions.
This is Onny!
She lives at Big Basin State Park with daughter Erin.
Erin said that Onny was requesting a place in the blog!
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