Have you ever wanted to collect and test water, using those skills you learned in High School biology and chemistry? Sign up to volunteer for Snapshot Day. This is an annual community water quality monitoring event where volunteers assist in gathering and testing water from the rivers and streams that flow into the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. This year the event will be held on May 7, 2011, from 9am to 1pm. Volunteers are trained to monitor temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, electrical conductivity and transparency in the field and collect water samples for laboratory analysis of nutrients and bacteria levels. Trainings will be held on the following dates (please plan on attending one training): Santa Cruz: Sunday, May 1, 12-3 pm at the Santa Cruz Yacht Harbor, Public Meeting Room, 365 Lake Avenue, Suite A, Santa Cruz Monterey: Saturday, April 30, 12-3 pm at REI in Marina San Mateo: Monday, May 2, 6-8 pm at the San Gregorio General Store Cambria: Tuesday, May 3, 5-7 pm To get involved, please contact the Coastal Watershed Council at: 831-464-9200 or via email at: djchirco@coastalws.org.
Have you ever wanted to collect and test water, using those skills you learned in High School biology and chemistry? Sign up to volunteer for Snapshot Day. This is an annual community water quality monitoring event where volunteers assist in gathering and testing water from the rivers and streams that flow into the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. This year the event will be held on May 7, 2011, from 9am to 1pm.
Volunteers are trained to monitor temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, electrical conductivity and transparency in the field and collect water samples for laboratory analysis of nutrients and bacteria levels.
Trainings will be held on the following dates (please plan on attending one training):
Santa Cruz: Sunday, May 1, 12-3 pm at the Santa Cruz Yacht Harbor, Public Meeting Room, 365 Lake Avenue, Suite A, Santa Cruz Monterey: Saturday, April 30, 12-3 pm at REI in Marina San Mateo: Monday, May 2, 6-8 pm at the San Gregorio General Store Cambria: Tuesday, May 3, 5-7 pm
A young couple from England completed the Walk the Bay this week, choosing a Slow Adventure over the Royal Wedding. Their fine decision making was equalled by their sense of adventure and curiosity about the wonderful Monterey Bay. They tackled the four day walk with good humor and enjoyed excellent weather and visibility. The food along the route was a novel experience for them. They tried artichokes for the first time, without much success, as they were not provided instructions on how to eat this unique vegetable. We hope they spread the word back home about this amazing area and their challenging walk around the Monterey Bay.
Taking a break at Ft. Ord
A young couple from England completed the Walk the Bay this week, choosing a Slow Adventure over the Royal Wedding. Their fine decision making was equalled by their sense of adventure and curiosity about the wonderful Monterey Bay. They tackled the four day walk with good humor and enjoyed excellent weather and visibility.
The food along the route was a novel experience for them. They tried artichokes for the first time, without much success, as they were not provided instructions on how to eat this unique vegetable.
Four Days - Forty Miles!
We hope they spread the word back home about this amazing area and their challenging walk around the Monterey Bay.
John Muir is on my mind this month as PBS presents a documentary of his life and work, John Muir in the New World. John Muir arrived in California in 1868. He was already an accomplished walker at the age of thirty, having walked from Indiana to Florida. He wanted to see Yosemite and chose to walk. He walked from Oakland through the Santa Clara Valley, over the Pacheco Pass, across the San Joaquin Valley, and then up the foothills through Coulterville to Yosemite Valley. “I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.” I hope this famous quote by Muir inspires you to take a slow walk to a destination in the near future.
John Muir is on my mind this month as PBS presents a documentary of his life and work, John Muir in the New World. John Muir arrived in California in 1868. He was already an accomplished walker at the age of thirty, having walked from Indiana to Florida. He wanted to see Yosemite and chose to walk. He walked from Oakland through the Santa Clara Valley, over the Pacheco Pass, across the San Joaquin Valley, and then up the foothills through Coulterville to Yosemite Valley.
“I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.”
I hope this famous quote by Muir inspires you to take a slow walk to a destination in the near future.
This week's Walk the Bay group was surprised to see several gray whales playing in the shallow water at the mouth of the Salinas River today. We were able to see their flukes and watch them spout as if we were aboard a whale watching boat. I'm always telling our walkers to look for whales...I just never thought we'd see them so close to shore. The whales were joined by frolicking dolphins and a multitude of sea birds. We were able to watch all of this for about 30 minutes before the whales continued their northward migration. Birds in the area included brown pelicans, double crested cormorants, surf scoters, whimbrels, and black bellied plovers. This portion of the walk, from Moss Landing to the mouth of the Salinas River, is one of the most remote walks along the Monterey Bay. If you have a couple of hours and are in the area, you will not be disappointed if you head out to the Salinas River State Beach and take a walk south to the river mouth.
This week’s Walk the Bay group was surprised to see several gray whales playing in the shallow water at the mouth of the Salinas River today. We were able to see their flukes and watch them spout as if we were aboard a whale watching boat. I’m always telling our walkers to look for whales…I just never thought we’d see them so close to shore.
Black Bellied PloverThe whales were joined by frolicking dolphins and a multitude of sea birds. We were able to watch all of this for about 30 minutes before the whales continued their northward migration. Birds in the area included brown pelicans, double crested cormorants, surf scoters, whimbrels, and black bellied plovers.
Whimbrel
This portion of the walk, from Moss Landing to the mouth of the Salinas River, is one of the most remote walks along the Monterey Bay. If you have a couple of hours and are in the area, you will not be disappointed if you head out to the Salinas River State Beach and take a walk south to the river mouth.
It's not hiking or walking....but, a road trip can be an excellent slow adventure. I recently drove with friends to Death Valley and then on to St. George, Utah. We saw some amazing country, had a few excellent hikes, and caught up on life, politics, family, and books. If you have not been to Death Valley, I recommend planning a couple of days in this vast and strange landscape. We stayed at the Furnace Creek Ranch. The Ranch provides very basic accommodations and all the necessities without a bit of luxury. We had an excellent breakfast at the cafe after watching a group of coyotes wander through the golf course outside of our room. I recommend the hike into Desolation Canyon. It's not on any of the maps or recommendations but you can easily find the trailhead by following the directions to the popular and crowded Golden Canyon and continuing on for a mile or so. Turn off to the left on an excellent (unsigned) dirt road and drive 1/2 mile to the end. Park and follow the trail to the left back into a colorful canyon. This hike will take only a couple of hours and at the end of the canyon you can climb up for some spectacular views. We continued on to Utah via some relatively empty roadways fighting windy conditions. The unusual beauty of abandoned buildings, strange billboards, endless miles of cactus, and small glimpses of huge military installations, were the highlights as we drove through Nevada, Arizona, and into Utah. The St. George area is known for amazing red rock formations which we enjoyed from the luxury of a friend's newly built dream home. Zion National Park is only an hour away from St. George and it's also a "don't miss" place to enjoy nature.
The road into Death Valley
It’s not hiking or walking….but, a road trip can be an excellent slow adventure. I recently drove with friends to Death Valley and then on to St. George, Utah. We saw some amazing country, had a few excellent hikes, and caught up on life, politics, family, and books.
If you have not been to Death Valley, I recommend planning a couple of days in this vast and strange landscape. We stayed at the Furnace Creek Ranch. The Ranch provides very basic accommodations and all the necessities without a bit of luxury. We had an excellent breakfast at the cafe after watching a group of coyotes wander through the golf course outside of our room.
View from Desolation Canyon Trail End
I recommend the hike into Desolation Canyon. It’s not on any of the maps or recommendations but you can easily find the trailhead by following the directions to the popular and crowded Golden Canyon and continuing on for a mile or so. Turn off to the left on an excellent (unsigned) dirt road and drive 1/2 mile to the end. Park and follow the trail to the left back into a colorful canyon. This hike will take only a couple of hours and at the end of the canyon you can climb up for some spectacular views.
We continued on to Utah via some relatively empty roadways fighting windy conditions. The unusual beauty of abandoned buildings, strange billboards, endless miles of cactus, and small glimpses of huge military installations, were the highlights as we drove through Nevada, Arizona, and into Utah.
Red rocks of Utah
The St. George area is known for amazing red rock formations which we enjoyed from the luxury of a friend’s newly built dream home. Zion National Park is only an hour away from St. George and it’s also a “don’t miss” place to enjoy nature.
There was nothing slow about our return trip. The meandering backroads we enjoyed on the initial journey were abandoned for the giant interstate highways and we made it back to Santa Cruz in 12 hours. The coastal views and climate were a welcome sight.
