Point Reyes National Seashore is a good place to view how man influences nature and how nature influences man. Here I am viewing an introduced plant, ice plant that had a significant and negative influence on the coastal dunes.
Martha's Musings
The Adventures of Ranger Duckie
Sunday, April 30, 2023
Ranger Duckie at Point Reyes part 2
Saturday, April 29, 2023
Mom took me to point Reyes National Seashore. This is a place filled with both human and natural history and lots of great places to hike.
Our first hike was the estero trail. The first section goes through a grassland where we saw a variety of wildflowers. Here I am checking out some blue eyed grass and coast lotus.
Douglas iris was common almost everywhere we went.
Sun cups.
The trail leaves the grassland and winds through an abandoned Christmas tree farm.
When we reached the estero the tide was out and Mom liked the texture in the sediment as the retreating water left braided rivulets behind.
In this area we saw a variety of shrubs like this ceanothus,
and this plant that Mom was unable to identify.
Finally we reached a place where we could see the open water of Drakes Bay and we turned around and retraced our steps.
Tuesday, March 28, 2023
Ranger Duckie goes to Death Valley part 3
The next day began with a trip to Zabriskie Point
The view here is amazing, across the badlands and Death Valley to the Panamint range.
Mom hiked down into the the badlands
She saw few people on this quiet and other worldly trail. There is a unique beauty in this rugged landscape, one sees the very bones of the earth.In the afternoon we hiked up Golden Canyon
Instead of going up to red cathedral we could have taken the trail up around Manly Beacon here and up to Zabriskie point. Maybe another time.
We left Golden Canyon and the next day left Death Valley a day earlier than planned. Another strong winter storm was forecast and there was concern that the way home would be snowy and icy.
Ranger Duckie goes to Death Valley part 2
After our visit to Badwater we took the Artists drive.

We don't know what the artifact on the right is, perhaps a homemade rocked? The trail fades as it rises so it went up rather than down like a meteor.
Sunday, March 19, 2023
Ranger Duckie goes to Death Valley: part 1
Hi! I'm Ranger Duckie. I'm kind of like a Junior Ranger except I'm a rubber duck. Mom got me several years ago in Yosemite but she never took me traveling. Recently she decided I would be good company and, besides, I am very photogenic and like all good rangers I'm adventurous.
It's a long drive from our home in Lincoln, CA and we drove through some much colder territory. We stopped at the Mono Lake Overlook and looked over a very white scene. Brr!
Our first stop was at the mesquite sand dunes.
Later that day we went down to Bad Water.
Everywhere I looked, salt and the geologist say it is one to six feet thick. That's a lot of salt! The weather was pleasant, in the 60's when we were there but it can get up to 130 in the summer! I might melt!
Well, that's it for now, next time Harmony Borax works, the badlands and Golden Canyon.
Sunday, May 5, 2019
Emerald California
Told that the Chimney Rock trail was a good place to see wildflowers, that was where we headed. It didn't disappoint.
Blue gems were the Lupine, Douglas Iris and Blue eyed grass.

Among the yellows were, of course, plenty of California Poppies along with Mule Ears and Yellow Bush Lupine.

To represent the pinks we saw Checkerbloom, Cow Clover and Beach Morning Glory.
I mustn't forget the Indian Paintbrush.
This is a sampling of what we saw on one of several walks we took. I'll show you more of Point Reyes in another post.
You can find other views of our wonderful world at .
Our World Tuesday