Author: betsydionne
-
Anza Borrego
The lowdown: 585930 acres Borders three counties, Riverside, San Diego, and Imperial. 500 miles of dirt roads, 12 designated wilderness areas, 110 miles of hiking trails. Home of the endangered peninsular big horned sheep. While in Anza Borrego State Park it is easy to feel as if you are in a science fiction novel. It…
-
Big Bear, California
Sometimes a girl just needs to feel like a Norwegian Viking princess, and living in the arid southwest can make this a challenge. Luckily fall has finally arrived to SoCal and Big Bear California is only an hour away. We took the winding two lane highway 38 up the mountain, transitioning from the city of…
-
Joshua Tree is Magic
As luck would have it I had the good fortune to spend the last two weekends in Joshua Tree National Park. J-Tree is my home away from home. When the days begin to grow cooler is when I begin to feel the draw of the high desert. I go to climb, to feel the sun…
-
Desert Alarm Clock
Sleeping outside in nature is a highly advisable activity. A movable bedroom of nylon walls providing a false sense of shelter from the dark wilds around you. The best part about waking up in a tent is the variety of alarm clocks you can enjoy depending on where you roll out your sleeping bag. Sometimes…
-
Time at home; a Maine love story
This is a story of two loves. The first is my love for my home state, the motherland, Maine. No matter where I go or how many beautiful sights I see Maine will always be the most breathtaking and soul soaring place I have ever been. So maybe I’m a bit biased. It it’s not…
-
Notes from the field- Western Pond Turtle
I cut my teeth as a wildlife biologist out in the North Maine woods fighting mosquitoes and black flies, often times shivering in the winter cold or sweating in the humidity of the summer. I always seemed to be covered in poison ivy with bruised shins from running around in the maze of dog hair fir…
-
Hiking : Skyline Trail
AKA-The sun also rises and burns you to a crisp. The lowdown- Approximately 8 miles and 8000 feet of elevation gain to Long Valley, plus an extra 4 miles out and back to Round Valley cause why the heck not. It’s a steep son of a gun. For my husband’s 30th birthday he decided to…
Bit of Betsy 