wildflowers

One of Rob’s favorite mountain biking races of the year happens to be in his hometown of Fresno, right before his birthday. Big Sandy is a great weekend escape where we get a double-whammy of visiting his parents and riding with friends. Plus, spring is quite lovely in Fresno, with lots of wildflowers around and warm,…

Our second activity at the Pacific Grove beach house was seaweed pressing. Monterey Bay has GREAT seaweed. As you’ll see in tomorrow’s kayaking post, the kelp forests here are so thick that you can practically walk on the water. My niece Kiera helped me collect samples at the beach in the afternoon and we spread…

As you saw in yesterday’s report about hiking to Harding Icefield, Exit Glacier National Park is blanketed in wildflowers in early summer. Along with plenty of Lupine, Miniature Dogwood and Buttercups I spotted a dozen new varieties. This list is in order of elevation, headed to the 3,000 foot summit from the ranger station. Starting…

I was able to find information on so many Alaskan wildflowers online, but I couldn’t seem to identify this glamorous pink and purple wildflower anywhere. It was growing along the river in Denali National Park. About six inches tall at four inches across. I think it’s a variety of Indian Paintbrush. Do you have any…

A rainy day in Denali National Park doesn’t put a damper on all the lovely Alaskan wildflowers. We had a great time hunting for new varieties on our hikes. This is Dwarf Fireweed, a traditional medicinal plant for treating wounds: Simple pink flower, complicated name. Eskimo Potato Bear Root (seems to be poisonous): I think…

My relationship with wildlife is 2% enchantment, 98% terror. The prospect of running across a moose, beaver or whale while in Alaska is not personally thrilling, not to even consider bears. We went for our first hike today along Montana Creek outside Willow, armed with bear mace and my low-grade panic. It helps to focus on…