Outdoors

After two months off the bike to give my suddenly-dislocating thumbs a little rest from the brakes, I got back in the saddle this past weekend. With a mild vengeance. And it got me to thinking, once again, how deliriously grateful I am for the assortment of cycling jaunts within minutes of my front door. […]

It was April 23, 2006, when I first realized that the ocean has a heartbeat. I was participating in a Godwit Days tour of Trinidad Bay led by Marna Powell, owner of Kayak Zaks, and Michael Morris, a local birder. I had been in a kayak before, but this was my first time on the […]

California blacktail deer rifle season opened on Aug. 25 in zone "B4" (all lands west of the Eel River), but most of the land in that zone is privately owned. Now, many sportsmen and women are gearing up for the season opening of zone "B1" — lands that lie east of the Eel River — […]

"Ever since the first caveman picked up the first cudgel, went to the front door and smacked the first nosy saber-toothed tiger in the snout, mankind has known the atavistic power and pleasure of the bat." — Thomas Boswell, How Life Imitates the World Series Slow pitch softball players in Humboldt County may not exactly […]

In Humboldt County, surfing doesn’t exist. Don’t believe it? Go ahead, ask the next guy parked outside Wildberries with a stack of boards poking out of the back of his Tacoma, salt crusted in his hair, cell phone and tidebook splayed on the dash. Ask, “So where’s the best place to surf around here?” He’ll […]

A long, difficult hike in — but well worth the effort. Photo by Bret Bosma. A few hours drive away from the fog and traffic noise of Eureka, hikers and backpackers huff their way up hundreds of feet to escape the trappings of everyday life. They come to explore untouched wilderness with a guarantee to […]

The West has long been characterized as a place with wide-open spaces. The “purple mountain majesties above the fruited plain” does not refer to the East Coast. Many of us delight in getting off the beaten path — standing on a mountain, ridge line, hill or even in a field and surveying the landscape for […]

"What’s the worst that could happen?" Alarm bells ring whenever I hear these words uttered. Yes, there are times when you find yourself in situations while exploring the wilds that you have no choice. Go for it! Do or die time! It’s a good day to die! I wouldn’t say I seek these moments out […]

I remember reading somewhere that high adventure, like high treason, often comes with a hefty price tag. If you manage to finagle your way past the king’s men relatively unscathed, then you are not doing too badly. My battle scars from the adventure last weekend are mostly psychological. I can expect the night terrors to […]

Summer seems to be here, finally. Two weeks of beautiful weather — the week before finals and the week of , according to the students’ lament. Now it would seem the ubiquitous summer fog is back, with only dribbles of sunshine falling through. When it does, the beaches are in full-bloom with red-tinged alabaster bodies. […]

When I look at the images I pull from my camera I often find that there are pictures within pictures. I can crop the image and find two, three, even five powerful images within one frame. As a photographer and a reveler of beautiful natural areas it is easy to get caught up in grand […]

Springtime in Humboldt County has to be my favorite season. Some will argue summer is best. I’ll admit that it is hard to beat jumping into a turquoise pool on the un-dammed and naturally warm South Fork of the Trinity River while steelhead swim past, but as inland temps soar the companion coastal fog gets […]