Redwood Sorrel in bloom in in the Sinkyone Wilderness

During a trip to the Redwood Coast of California in August, 2014, the Redwood Sorrel flowers were in bloom. You sometimes see another type of sorrel growing in people's yards which you can recognize by the leaves, but this one is a wild species native to California. It grows in shady places under the big trees and up the coast into Washington state. This flower has 5 petals with purple veins and 10 stamens. Plants in the sorrel family, including Oxalis, have sour sap.

This Redwood Sorrel was blooming in the Sinkyone Wilderness State Park. We saw it during an overnight backpack trip where we camped near a beach. This part of California's coastline is the most remote coast in the state, even though the area used to have a large lumber operation that ceased operating many decades ago. 

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Bull elk in velvet along the trail in the Sinkyone Wilderness State Park, California. 2014-08-08

We encountered this bull elk along the trail in the Sinkyone Wilderness State Park, California, while heading back to the trailhead during a backpacking trip. In early August, the elk's antlers would still be growing with the furry-skinned velvet covering them as they're growing. Later, when the antlers are finished growing, the velvet will die and slough off. Sometimes, the elk will get an itchy feeling from the whithering velvet and feel the need to rub the antlers against a tree or shrub to get the velvet to come off faster.

This particular elk didn't seem to have any problem with our presence and was actually lying down when we first came across him. Another bull elk headed downslope off the trail at a leisurely pace and got his antlers caught in grape vines.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Cape Mendocino and the Sugarloaf Island on an overcast day

Cape Mendocino with the Sugarloaf Island just off the coast of California during an overcast day.This is perhaps California's most remote coastal area to which you can drive. The drive here involves winding 2-lane roads that often look in dire need of maintenance. The area is also mainly private land, so there are only a few places where you can stop and take in the scenery. The Sugarloaf Island really stood out because of how white it appears, even on this overcast day it appeared bright.

This image is the result of two images merged together to create a wider final product. I made sure not to include the breaking waves in the right image, so that only the left image had the waves, so that merging the two images wouldn't end up with blurred waves in the final image.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!