LITTLE BIRD SANCTUARY IN CRESCENT CITY
I had a hard time photographing this as it is between two parking lots one is for a dry cleaner/bakery and the other a fast food restaurant. I had to crouch and aim to avoid building and cars and garbage dumpsters!
There are tons of birds here but only one photo came out halfway in focus…
LUMBERING WATER BUFFALO COOLS OFF IN CRESCENT CITY
I went to the coast on Thursday and Friday….nice break from the heat! Both Crescent City and Brookings were cool and both days were foggy. I’m more the foggy…stormy…coast loving girl rather than the sunny beach lover.
Its been awhile since I posted my weight. Getting ready for a vacation and then recovering from vacation is time consuming. In addition I have been using the Nike+ gadget and site on a regular basis. It’s a good thing and keeps me motivated.
I have stopped running due to my running shoes breaking down they now have 183 miles on them A LOT for shoes that were worn by someone close to 200lbs….I still use them to walk in but running is much harder on the feet. And after my three week vacation….new tires (I don’t buy cheap shoes or tires!) hotel rooms and lots of gas….liquor…a vacation!!
Unpaid vacation at that!!
(I kept cleaning off my lens but to no avail….there were always water spots…) I don’t think I had ever seen the tide this far out!
Lumbering around isn’t so bad more photo opportunities! And lumbering in sand is a healthy workout. I would love to also get a pair of Nike Frees for the beach…they are light and the soles are made in such a way that it mimics being barefoot in order to build the muscles in the foot. I wouldn’t dare wear them on anything but the softest of ground. My feet wouldn’t survive! I admire the people who actually run in them….like those Kenyon’s who run barefoot! I can’t stand to be without shoes. In my youth I remember running around barefoot but not for decades has this occurred….I will only wear slippers for about five minutes!
Lets see in other exercise and health issues….I totally fucked up my goal not to eat desserts for 100 days when I was in Montana….my friend bought me an A&W ROOT BEER FLOAT (I was relaying a story how my sister and I re-discovered them on her last visit). COULDN’T POSSIBLY LET THAT GO TO WASTE!! Then I discovered CHILI MANGO JELLY BELLY’S!! DAMN!! ARE THOSE TO DIE FOR!!! I had Ice cream on the coast the other day too. Not really too bad in the scheme of things but IT WAS NOT FOR 100 DAYS!! Oh shit!! I forgot about the donut from Continental Bakery in Crescent City….Now that is the best bakery on the west coast I have found so far!!!
ok I need to pull myself together…..
I’ll see how my friend Tiffy did with her goals and hopefully she will inspire me once again. Her challenge was 100 days and if you fucked up….YOU WERE MISSING THE POINT!! Yep I missed it alright!
Now for my Nike+ Challenge 10 miles a week in 2010….I missed THAT two weeks too!!! Now I could say that one week I did 33 miles and then the next did five…SO IT EVENS OUT…but I don’t think that way….I MISSED TWO WEEKS.
But I have recovered and continued on with the challenge.
I was not watching my eating while on vacation….How could I? I spent quite a bit of time at my friend who is a great cook! I couldn’t possibly pass that opportunity up! Being single I have gotten lazy when it comes to cooking. I own a cast iron skillet, a soup pot and a steamer. I love veggies and rarely cook meat. Most of my protein comes from sardines and eggs….I eat too much jerky when I am traveling. On occasion I will buy a tri-tip from a great place in Klamath Falls from local ranchers. I think I have used my oven about 4 times in five years.!
Oh and I love oysters…get them at Costco on occasion.
I have been looking into buying one of those stabilizing boards they are supposed to improve core muscles…my core muscles are in terrible shape. Us Tools all have bad backs…no not the type of bad backs that keep us from being employed and on food stamps…the type of bad back where we all have to take pain medication a few times a year. I try not to slouch too much but when your hobbies are painting, quilting and a blog with lots of photos well…one needs to be careful about letting it go too far.
The weight I have dropped so far has been healthy…not to fast which leaves one with sagging skin instead of muscle. It has been healthy over all in how much easier I can move. Being overweight is just a tremendous strain on the body and organs. I’m so healthy in so many other ways but it is just miserable being unable to move in certain ways.
I think that maintaining a healthy body and a healthy mind is mostly about slowing down and allowing yourself to experience yourself. Just yourself…no other considerations. Even being single I tend to worry about others put others before me and end up running around like a chicken with my head cut off. You have to be a bit selfish as someone said all eating issues are really nourishment issues. Nourish…truly nourish yourself and changes will happen. Not the forced regiment of diet or exercise or consuming those ridiculous diet products that leeches use to prey on society for a few $$$. Fundamental changes not noticeable overnight or in a week or a month. 
Most people have not even noticed my weight loss and when I tell them how much I have lost they are genuinely astounded. It has been very slow focusing on the internal mental changes and the consistency of regular exercise rather than the obvious results.
And integrating exercise into my life so that I stay interested….hence the merging of exercise with my love of photography. I could never dedicate myself to running around a track or working out in a gym…not my personality type!
(the harbor was quite empty….must have all been out fishing!)
31 pounds have come off so far…
More on my trip to the coast later..Oh shit I still have photos from Little Bald Hills Trail in the Redwoods. So many photos…so little time!
TOLOWA DUNES
As I think I stated in a previous post the wind was unbelievable on the coast when I was there last week. I love variety of grasses at Tolowa…
this is the trail to the beach….lots of shelter from the wind!
no shelter here!!
I didn’t bother crossing the “creek” to the beach….the wind was so fierce!! I snapped a few photos and headed back.
I took pictures of Dead Lake which I posted on Stellar Healing and then visited the more protected part of the dunes…..hardly any wind
One of my little slug friends!
and hard to take well focused photos of the flowers as the wind once again was present….should have put it on the moving athlete setting!
DEAD LAKE/TOLOWA LEGEND OF THE FALL
When the Redwoods are crowded with tourists Tolowa Dunes is my favorite place to go!
Yesterday I braved the over grown trail to take photos of this remarkable place. Truly not many people make it to this lake…see more photos and read about the legend at STELLAR HEALING
LUMBERING WATER BUFFALO NAVIGATES CRESCENT CITY IN HER NEW NIKE EQUALON 4′S
Finally got my new running shoes Nike Equalon 4′s and took them out for a trial run…after some initial problems getting the tightness of the shoe laces just right( for those of us who have narrow heels they always put extra holes to keep the heel snug but if the laces are tight enough to keep the heel snug then my foot cramps!!!….poor lizzy… ) the cushioning was awesome for a short run around Crescent City…
Still learning how to use the new camera but its taking great photos for the most part….hard not to with such beautiful views!
Temporary beach graffiti….
someone pulled out the rocks from the barrier for a shelter…probably teenagers I don’t think that the city would allow the homeless to set up on this high-profile beach.
warning at the playground…fill in the blank…
this is the roof over a picnic table..
this was a short 1.6 mile run. Stopped to take photos of course!
REDWOODS BEYOND KLAMATH
Every time I go to the California coast I hike a different trail in the Redwoods or along the Smith River. Some trails I have been on many times others only once. I love exploring! Mind you I am not one of those ultra hikers who back pack into the wilderness areas for a few weeks. I would die. I first started hiking about 3 years ago when I moved to Oregon. Took awhile to build up the hiking muscles. Right now I am in terrrible shape. Family emergencies, bad weather, life….has me terrribly out of shape. Or so I thought..I have gained a lot of weight….but yesterday I was in the Redwoods on a trail that went up and up and up. On the way I passed some young men looking to be of college age and looking rather fit who I left in the dust. Got my heart rate up!! But it was a great hike I did not make my destination as I started out too late. I thought I might be feeling it this morning but only a little bit which is good news because it has been by for the most strenuous hike I have been on in awhile.
My day started in Crescent City.
REAL SAILING SHIP
I woke up and was in the hotel lobby where there was a stack of local newspapers. There was a picture of this ship on the front page. It was very windy and this ship took refuge in the Crescent City harbor. And they were giving free tours. So I headed there! But for some reason in addition to being frightened of heights I am afraid to be on the water. I took this picture with my digital but I have more on film. I went on the dock and took a few pictures but I started crying and was too embarrassed to go on the ship because I would have had a panic attack in front of everyone. I can work through panic attacks but I don’t like to do it in front of strangers. I have been on that dock before and it scares the hell out of me. It doesn’t help that there is a sign saying that you are on it at your own risk because some of it was damaged in the mini tsunami two? three? years ago….I was staying right across the harbor when that happened. It just damaged the harbor none of the buildings.
The people on the ship must have felt like celebrities as I had heard one of the other boat owners joking with them that they needed to get their work done before the crowds showed up. Already there were about 10 or 15 people to see the boat and as I was leaving cars were filling the harbor to see the ship. It was awesome!!! People turning out like that and not for a “celebrity”!
THIS IS NOT CRESCENT BEACH....I FORGOT THE NAME IT IS FURTHER SOUTH
LOOKING THE OTHER DIRECTION
POOR STUFFED BEAR
It was very dark inside of the State park headquarters so the photos were blurry as the shutter was left open longer.
THIS IS A COOL THING ABOUT NATIVE AMERICAN EARTH RENEWAL DANCES. WE ALL NEED TO START DANCING!!!!
ELK MEADOW
They actually have benches so you can sit and watch the elk grazing.
REDWOOD INFO
There is a book about this that I want to read….but…..I want to read everything and have shelves of books awaiting my attention!!!!
There are a whole bunch of trails around here and I can’t wait to go camping there next month!!!! I love the Redwoods! And never tire of them.
I WANTED TO GO TO FERN CANYON
ONE OF MANY BRIDGES
....
....
I LOVE SLUGS!!!!!
This slug is now my desktop background photo. I change them all the time. He looks even better big enough to fill the screen. I don’t know if WordPress reduces the pixels but you can copy this onto your computer and use him for your background! Of course most people I know don’t like slugs….
ISN'T HE CUTE????
I LOVE HOW THE PATH IS CUT THROUGH FALLEN TREES
PRETTY SURE THAT IS FROM A COUGAR OR BOBCAT IT HAD A BIT OF FUR IN IT
MINIATURE MARSH
FERNS GROW EVERY WHERE FALLEN STUMPS AND TREES
THE TRILLIUMS ARE OUT IN FORCE!!
I took a lot of trillium pictures with my film camera. I had my other film camera but it fucked up a roll of film and I was not happy.
BABY SKUNK CABBAGE AND LITTLE MOSSES
LOTS OF FERNS
YOU JUST HAVE TO DUCK A LITTLE
THESE ARE THE ROOTS OF A FALLEN TREE
WONDER IF THIS WAS THE HALFWAY POINT
MORE FERNS
MORE FERNS...
TRAIL BETWEEN TWO TREES
THIS PICTURE DIDN'T TURN OUT TOO GOOD BUT ITS INTERESTING ANYWAY
THE TRAIL
LOTS OF TRAIL!!
CLOSER TO THE HEADQUARTERS
NEW BORN LEAVES
THIS WAS SO PRETTY
FRIENDSHIP GROVE MARKER
I really need to go back there. Its funny but when I am in the Redwoods and that area I am elated and when I leave I am often overcome by rage. About nothing. I’m not an agressive driver and mostly pull over when ever someone is on my tail because I like to enjoy the scenery very rarely do I speed…but I want to curse everyone when I am driving back….happens all the time. I observe it as if in the third person-with curiosity. I have to wonder if my soul is bitterly disappointed that I don’t choose to stay. If I could find a job there I would stay. The economy is bad there. Maybe I could get a job at Pelican State Prison!! Pelican Bay is right outside of Crescent City but I don’t think that they have had any problems outside of the prison. I believe no one has ever escaped.
YON’TAKIT VII FILM
This picture speaks for itself
As you can see I am quite enamored with the thistles!!!
I liked the moon above the tree too! And lots of sky
NORTH TO YONTOCKET VI
These are the last of the Yontocket photos. Ordinary Sparrow left a comment on my blog awhile ago saying all of the artists from the west are trying to express layers and textures…not an exact quote. She is right sometimes I take photos just for the layers and textures. There is very little that escapes me and I think it is all beautiful..However I’m not quite a good enough photographer to capture what has moved me so much.
I’m starting to feel about grasses the same way I feel about trees!
This is like the dunes reply to the ocean the grasses mimic the ocean waves.
I never thought I could be so fascinated by grass! I finally had to stop and rest my poor feet.
The grass fascinated me close up too
I can assure you the dirt did not come out of those socks!!!
Good Lord its time to take a shower!!! Thank God I have one of those shower mats that has the little fingers sticking up that massage the feet and all of my nerves…they really work on sore and tired feet.
NORTH TO YONTOCKET V
More images of Yontocket and Tolowa dunes…
This place is such a treasure you can wander into the fields to a point where you see nothing manmade to see and there is only wind and ocean to hear. Not that I am against mankind and some of the things we make…the car and the road to get there. But I am also a huge advocate of keeping as much land as possible free from alteration.
I do try to be careful about where I leave a trail as there are some places that are fragile and even foot traffic can be damaging. If your movements disturb too much then stick to the trail that is what they are for. Keeps you from getting lost too!
More soft sand to walk in…my sister told me that is why I was so wiped out. Yesterday when I was looking up stuff another hiker had warned about walking in the sand if you aren’t used to it…and for crying out loud don’t wear crocs!
You can always hear the ocean and though I was quite tired I decided to head over that dune to visit the waves.
Sound was deceiving and when I got to the top of the dune there were more dunes!! But the ocean sounded so close!! Defeated I turned back so I could make it to the car without crawling!!!
Funny how the sky changed colors depending on where you were.
NORTH TO YONTOCKET IV
I still have a film that needs to be developed…I hope it turns out this is a picture of the cemetery from the North
Across from the cemetery is the Yontocket village site
I looked up all three of these names but found only a headline (website under construction) reference. I am assuming that these people are Indian since this is where the village used to be. Next time I go I will bring them heart shaped rocks.
This dragonfly stayed so still while I took his picture and many on film (these are all digital) The moment I was done off he flew.
NORTH TO YONTOCKET
Another night in Crescent City..
This is a carving outside of my hotel…
I knew the Redwoods were full of tourists and was looking for someplace new to hike with little traffic…Tolowa Dunes is usually the place I head for but I was feeling like something new So I went to National Parks Redwood headquarters…and found a hiking book on the Humboldt Coast.And the first hike which they say is easy…kicked my ass! I don’t know if it is because I, the idiot hiker who forgot my hiking boots and only had a pair of fake CROCS with me or if it was because I’m not used to walking six miles in mostly sand…what ever the reason I was wiped out almost as much as the hike in the Sierras.
I love looking up at the tree canopy
Part of the trail is a road that goes to the environmental campsites and the Yon’takit village site and cemetary(only authorized vehicles allowed). Most of the tracks are sand if you don’t walk in the tracks…stickers get in the holes in my shoes… although some places have a harder surface.
there is something magical about this place I feel the same way about Tolowa Dunes…the wind was blowing fiercely and I am a bit burned. It was actually difficult taking some of the closeup photos because the wind was blowing the leaves…I would have to wait for the wind to subside a bit.
CRESCENT CITY/S.S. EMIDIO HISTORICAL MARKER
HISTORICAL MARKER
...
CLOSE UP OF HULL
CLOSE UP OF HULL II
You can read more about the attack on the U.S.S. EMIDIO here
TWO CRESCENT CITY MURALS
FROM THE FISHERMAN'S RESTAURANT
MARY ADAMS PEACOCK
Not a lot of information on Mary she carried the mail from Grants Pass to Crescent City….the Historical societies fell asleep on this one.
SAILING SHIP IN CRESCENT CITY HARBOR
THE SHIP HAD COME IN BECAUSE OF ROUGH SEAS
THE RIGGING IS ART WORK IN IT SELF
THEY WOULD LET YOU GO ON THE SHIP BUT I HAD TEARS IN MY EYES TAKING THIS PHOTO FROM THE DOCK I START HAVING PANIC ATTACKS WHEN SURROUNDED BY WATER....HAVE NO IDEA WHY ITS A RECENT THING...
MISS YOU
Out of town for a few days
and here are more pictures to look at…I will have lots more when I return
SUNSET IN PAHRUMP, NEVADA
SUNSET ON THE OREGON COAST
SUNSET ON THE OREGON COAST
MY SISTER AT SUNSET ON A CRESCENT CITY BEACH
SUNSET ON THE BEACH IN CRESCENT CITY
PROBABLY COMING DOWN THE MOUNTAIN FROM LAKE OF THE WOODS TOWARDS MEDFORD
SUNSET CRESCENT CITY
SUNSETTING ON THE LIGHTHOUSE IN CRESCENT CITY
SUNSET
SUNSET
NEAR GEARHEART WILDERNESS AREA
SUNSET IN PAHRUMP
CRESCENT CITY HARBOR
And watch those videos on the sidebar about what corporations are doing to our food supply!!!!
Have a great week!!!!
TRAVELING,SEVERE COLD…GLAD TO BE HOME FOR THE NEXT 3 DAYS
I love seeing my relatives when they come to visit but this time my adorable nephew gave me his cold and bronchitis.But how can I be mad at him?
MY PLAGUE CARRYING NEPHEW
I have to throw in this picture so you can see his cute little plague carrying spurs.
MY NEPHEW'S BOOTS AND SPURS CLOSEUP.
He wants to be a Cowboy when he grows up and his favorite toys are his rope and his little horse.
So I started getting sick on Monday but had to drive to Lakeview, Oregon, stayed the night in Klamath Falls at the lovely DAYS INN. It really is nice because it used to be a RED LION. But a hotel is just not the same as sleeping in your own bed….
By the time I got home. I was too tired to do anything except shower and go to bed. The next morning I got up and thought that I would write a post before heading for the coast but delerious with fever I read a comment that someone had posted on my HAUNTED…PISSED OFF ABOUT THE WHOLE ANNIE MAE AQUASH THING. I wrote a response then as I was headed out the door I called my sister and asked her to read it because I was worried that I was too harsh. I was thinking that I may have to write an apology when I got back. She read it and said yes I was too mean. But then she changed her mind when it was understood that the game he/she was commenting on was about gang-raping women…she changed her tune and said I needed to be a lot meaner!!!
As I said I was delerious with fever when I posted the comment and last night when I looked at the blog before passing out I noticed that someone had come to my blog by looking up rape fantasies. So I am kind of sad that this person who has a whole world to explore….millions of options on this Earth is spending her/his (my sister thinks it was a guy but according to my brother who is taking a writing class you wouldn’t believe how many girls write stories about rape fantasies…) days fantasizing about being raped or raping women. I will write a post just on that later this weekend.
Tuesday I had to take off for Crescent City, California which is not far from the Oregon border.I thought the day would never end…and I just crashed into bed thinking I would wake up feeling better. I didn’t. But after drinking a few cups of God-awful hotel coffee I decided to spoil myself by going to the CONTINENTAL BAKERY before starting my work day.
THE CONTINENTAL BAKERY
I know this hole in the wall doesn’t look like much but this is simply the best bakery I have been to in years…..YEARS!!! I almost died and went to heaven the first time I went there. I have not been fond of donuts since working the graveyard shift at the FUCKIN DUNKIN DONUTS in Anchorage, Alaska over 25 years ago…. AND it was by the mental hospital so all night I had to give free refills of coffee to mental patients who would masturbate or display other lewd and obnoxious behavior!!! (Poor Lizzy is having a flashback!!)
So getting back to the CONTINENTAL BAKERY if you are ever in Crescent City never mind breakfast ANYWHERE ELSE. There are no tables so just grab what you want and head to the beach.
MAPLE BAR FROM CONTINENTAL BAKERY
This is not just any donut!!! this is baked fresh and is filled with real yes REAL Bavarian cream not that fake ass plastic vanilla pudding every other bakery uses. It probably wasn’t the best thing for my cold but I had been downing clementines for days! I also got a Mexican coffee I try a different flavor every time I go there. They do not skimp on their coffees like Starbucks does. They are flavorful! It was by far the best Mexican Coffeee I have EVER had! Most places produce a watered down version using less chocolate and cinnamon. sort of like calling TACO BELL mexican food. I also bought lunch for the drive back which was pasta salad.
PASTA SALAD FROM CONTINENTAL BAKERY
That is a bad photo….so let me tell you this pasta salad is sooooo good that they make DEAN AND DELUCA look like RESER’S pasta salad in a plastic tub at the grocery store. Even though I was getting sicker by the hour and my tastebuds were losing their effectiveness this was simply the BEST pasta salad I have ever had. It had almonds, slices of squash, asparagus and lots of garlic and spices. I am not a big fan of pasta salad and almost ordered a sandwich but I didn’t feel like bread at the time. I really wanted to try their clam chowder but it would have been cold by the time I ate it.
Normally I would have went on a good 6 or 7 mile hike but I drove right by the REDWOODS and headed for home. I did stop by the ROUGH AND READY WAYSIDE to stretch my legs and eat my pasta salad.
PICNIC TABLE AT ROUGH AND READY WAYSIDE
The ROUGH AND READY WAYSIDE is located a bit past Cave Junction on the way to the California and Oregon coast.
ROUGH AND READY WAYSIDE TRAIL
This trail is perfect for plague victims, those needing a quick stretch of their legs and those in wheel chairs. It ends at another picnic table that I forgot to take a picture of.
THE SEASONAL RIVER
THERE ISN'T A LOT OF WATER BECAUSE THERE WASN'T A LOT OF SNOW THIS YEAR
While I was eating my wonderful pasta and telling the river my troubles. I noticed this hanging from a plant.
STRANGE GROWTH ON BRANCH
I wonder if it is from an insect or is it a fungus of some sort. Inquiring minds want to know!!!
OUT OF FOCUS CLOSE UP!
All of the above photos were taken with my aim and shoot digital Polaroid…I forgot my real camera and my back pack with my tape measure….I can’t complain because I don’t have to drop off my film at Costco.
My last two rolls were ruined one by water and the other by???
Here are real photos of the Rough and Ready wayside taken in the summer
ROUGH AND READY RIVER BED DURING THE SUMMER
ROUGH AND READY RIVER DURING THE SUMMER
It was about 115 degrees on the day I took these photos and while I brought water it was not enough and by the time I got home I was suffering from heat and dehydration. I couldn’t move the rest of the weekend. This is one of the reasons that I believe in Guardian Angels….I have been on many disasterous hikes usually due to my own stupidity and I always make it back! I don’t collapse until I am safe at home!!!
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