http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA Travels and Journeys... Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:41:18 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 2006-2010 heather@heatherdugan.com (Heather Dugan) heather@heatherdugan.com (Heather Dugan) 1440 http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogNEW/wp-content/plugins/podpress/images/powered_by_podpress.jpg http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA 144 144 http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogNEW/?feed=podcast Footsteps Travels and Journeys... Travel, outdoors, adventure, Heather, Dugan, stories Heather Dugan Heather Dugan heather@heatherdugan.com no no http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2012/01/23/deceiving-distances/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2012/01/23/deceiving-distances/#comments Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:15:20 +0000 Heather Dugan http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogNEW/?p=5174 http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2012/01/23/deceiving-distances/feed/ 5 0:00:47 ...Hance Rapid (pictured at right from Desert View) is rated an 8 in difficulty on a 1 to 10 scale. This mile long stretch of river features the Canyon's greatest single drop. Thirty feet doesn't sound like much in a place where everything else seem[...] ...Hance Rapid (pictured at right from Desert View) is rated an 8 in difficulty on a 1 to 10 scale. This mile long stretch of river features the Canyon's greatest single drop. Thirty feet doesn't sound like much in a place where everything else seems to be measured in miles, but in a kayak?... Extremes, Hiking, Kayak/Canoe Heather Dugan no no http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2012/01/20/mega-monuments-muir-woods-national-monument-california/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2012/01/20/mega-monuments-muir-woods-national-monument-california/#comments Fri, 20 Jan 2012 13:18:31 +0000 Heather Dugan http://www.heatherdugan.com/blog/photo/mega-monuments-muir-woods-national-monument-california/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2012/01/20/mega-monuments-muir-woods-national-monument-california/feed/ 17 0:01:38 ...With the tallest redwood stretching 258 feet above the forest floor and the oldest one dating back at least 1200 years, there is plenty to inspire awe within this national monument. President Roosevelt segregated the land in 1908; its name honors[...] ...With the tallest redwood stretching 258 feet above the forest floor and the oldest one dating back at least 1200 years, there is plenty to inspire awe within this national monument. President Roosevelt segregated the land in 1908; its name honors naturalist John Muir, founder of the Sierra Club and a pivotal figure in the establishment of our national park system... Hiking Heather Dugan no no http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2012/01/16/the-giants-of-mariposa/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2012/01/16/the-giants-of-mariposa/#comments Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:22:41 +0000 Heather Dugan http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogNEW/?p=3950 http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2012/01/16/the-giants-of-mariposa/feed/ 12 0:01:14 That they are old is not enough.  Age is an effortless achievement -just ask any woman over forty.  But here also is grace.  A simple yet steadfast strength.  The presence of a peace that expands from within one’s own self to embrace the ver[...] That they are old is not enough.  Age is an effortless achievement -just ask any woman over forty.  But here also is grace.  A simple yet steadfast strength.  The presence of a peace that expands from within one’s own self to embrace the very sanctuary that seems to call it forth. The Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias provides perspective on a grand scale.  One of three protected sequoia groves within Yosemite, Mariposa at the south-western edge of the park is the largest and most visited.  Unlike the coastal redwoods of Muir Woods, these Sequoias are more solitary.  The drier inland zone results in less undergrowth and clustering, making it easier to imagine unique personas for the individually named trees. Walking through, the sensation is similar to being in the presence of stalwart timeless heroes.  Some will fall, but even the decay of the fallen is deliberate due to a bacteria that suppresses the qualities of tannic acid in the wood.  The “Fallen Monarch” (pictured at right) has lain in state for centuries, and the trees around it will grow for centuries more. I think I’m ready for another visit to Yosemite. Updated from February 10, 2010. Hiking Heather Dugan no no http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2012/01/09/hoodoo-heaven-bryce-canyon-national-park-utah/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2012/01/09/hoodoo-heaven-bryce-canyon-national-park-utah/#comments Mon, 09 Jan 2012 13:25:55 +0000 Heather Dugan http://heatherdugan.com/blog/taking-the-kids/hoodoo-heaven-bryce-canyon-national-park-utah/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2012/01/09/hoodoo-heaven-bryce-canyon-national-park-utah/feed/ 17 0:03:44 Bryce Canyon has lingered as a treasured still-shot in my memory for some thirty years. One of those "perfect moments” from childhood that somehow attaches itself to your life and becomes a trailing accessory to it… Bryce Canyon has lingered as a treasured still-shot in my memory for some thirty years. One of those "perfect moments” from childhood that somehow attaches itself to your life and becomes a trailing accessory to it… Canyons, Extremes, Hiking Heather Dugan no no http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2012/01/04/featured-photo-seasonal-mix/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2012/01/04/featured-photo-seasonal-mix/#comments Wed, 04 Jan 2012 13:08:36 +0000 Heather Dugan http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/?p=10128 http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2012/01/04/featured-photo-seasonal-mix/feed/ 2 http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/12/19/colossal-cones/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/12/19/colossal-cones/#comments Mon, 19 Dec 2011 13:14:50 +0000 Heather Dugan http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogNEW/?p=4003 http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/12/19/colossal-cones/feed/ 6 0:00:48 Surrounded by trees extending almost three hundred feet straight up, I had an understandable urge to look skyward as we wandered through the Mariposa Grove in Yosemite National Park. Fortunately, a young boy showed me what was lying right at my fee[...] Surrounded by trees extending almost three hundred feet straight up, I had an understandable urge to look skyward as we wandered through the Mariposa Grove in Yosemite National Park. Fortunately, a young boy showed me what was lying right at my feet: giant sequoia cones... Hiking Heather Dugan no no http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/12/16/black-friday-2011/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/12/16/black-friday-2011/#comments Fri, 16 Dec 2011 13:14:08 +0000 Heather Dugan http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/?p=10041 http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/12/16/black-friday-2011/feed/ 0 0:01:26 Not quite what you expected? Let me explain... My best shopping experiences generally involve selecting the tastiest tomatoes in produce or the cool tools at the hardware store (I even have a favorite sales guy in electrical)... Not quite what you expected? Let me explain... My best shopping experiences generally involve selecting the tastiest tomatoes in produce or the cool tools at the hardware store (I even have a favorite sales guy in electrical)... Hiking Heather Dugan no no http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/12/12/wagon-trail-capitol-gorge-in-capitol-reef-national-park-utah/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/12/12/wagon-trail-capitol-gorge-in-capitol-reef-national-park-utah/#comments Mon, 12 Dec 2011 13:47:17 +0000 Heather Dugan http://www.heatherdugan.com/blog/taking-the-kids/wagon-trail-capitol-gorge-in-capitol-reef-national-park-utah/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/12/12/wagon-trail-capitol-gorge-in-capitol-reef-national-park-utah/feed/ 11 0:01:12   The Capitol Gorge spur road revealed no more than its next winding turn, one intriguing twist at a time. The vistas were vertical. Rocky skyscrapers of Wingate sandstone towered dramatically, enclosing us in a one-way maze. The pitted gravel road[...]   The Capitol Gorge spur road revealed no more than its next winding turn, one intriguing twist at a time. The vistas were vertical. Rocky skyscrapers of Wingate sandstone towered dramatically, enclosing us in a one-way maze. The pitted gravel road offered few options but “forward” with measured care and speed. Every so often I slammed into my sensory limit, shifted into park and cautioned the kids to watch for non-existent cars out the rear window while I snapped off a couple of pictures. Finally parked at the road’s dead end, we set off on foot down a Mormon pioneer trail. In the hush, it wasn’t hard to imagine the distant creaking of wagon wheels. Evening would soon sheath the canyon area in utter darkness, but we walked the first part of the trail -sadly noting petroglyphs marred by not-so-ancient vandals. Further along the trail is a Pioneer Register with the scratched signatures of long ago passers-by. Approaching darkness would have prompted those turn-of-the-century travelers to set up their night’s camp but sent us on a reluctant trek back to our car and a slow winding drive in dimming light.       Updated from November 28, 2008. Canyons, Hiking Heather Dugan no no http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/12/07/featured-photo-trail-view-on-montserrat/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/12/07/featured-photo-trail-view-on-montserrat/#comments Wed, 07 Dec 2011 13:22:06 +0000 Heather Dugan http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/?p=10028 http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/12/07/featured-photo-trail-view-on-montserrat/feed/ 0 http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/12/05/down-by-the-bay-upper-newport-bay-california/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/12/05/down-by-the-bay-upper-newport-bay-california/#comments Mon, 05 Dec 2011 13:34:08 +0000 Heather Dugan http://www.heatherdugan.com/blog/adventures/down-by-the-bay-upper-newport-bay-california/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/12/05/down-by-the-bay-upper-newport-bay-california/feed/ 16 0:02:13 When your hotel is situated on the edge of a nature preserve, it’s bound to get interesting. When there’s ten miles of trails winding through it? Even better. I spent a lot of time on the trails of Upper Newport Bay Preserve and Ecolog[...] When your hotel is situated on the edge of a nature preserve, it’s bound to get interesting. When there’s ten miles of trails winding through it? Even better. I spent a lot of time on the trails of Upper Newport Bay Preserve and Ecological Reserve a few years ago, both strolling with my camera and running without it. There’s nothing like fresh scenery to add a little spring to your step and pull time off your mile. Upper Newport Bay Map and Visitor Information Upper Newport Bay is dedicated wetlands. Without intervention and education, it would eventually fill with sediment and evolve into meadowland. Home to half a dozen rare or endangered bird species, the estuary hosts over 30,000 birds a day during winter migration. Birds are only part of the story though; fish, native plants and assorted critters and mammals share the space in an intricate food web sustained by the unique conditions of a wetlands habitat. Some thirty to forty percent of California’s halibut catch is said to originate from spawning beds in the Bay. A flood control project in the late 60′s has impacted the Bay to the point that regular dredging is necessary to maintain its natural state. Fortunately, many believe the estuary to be worth the effort.The serene liquid landscape teems with life; mollusks, fish and snails emerged along the waterline as well as assorted shorebirds that fluttered away at our approach. We searched in vain for a California trapdoor spider, but a sleek long-tailed weasel caught my eye as it slipped across a narrow channel. The Muth Interpretive Center was an unexpected find, tucked away beneath a curve of the trail. The paths of an outdoor garden led us down to fascinating displays on the Bay’s ecosystem. We arrived with questions and the employees were more than happy to share information and point us to helpful exhibits. Muth Center guides also helped us identify a couple of plants that intrigued us, including the coyote gourd or coyote melon plant. The trailing vines of this flowering plant were expansive, invading the territories of all surrounding vegetation and even creeping out onto the horse trail that runs alongside the biking and running path. Jumping the vines daily as I ran the bayside path seemed reason enough for an introduction…   Updated from July 29, 2009. Upper Newport Bay Map and Visitor Information 1000 acres of preserved wetland with 10 miles of hiking/biking/running trails. Kayaking, fishing, birdwatching... Peter and Mary Muth Interpretive Center: Exhibits and information Directions/Phone: 2301 University Drive; Newport Beach, CA 92660(949) 923 2290    Website Newport Aquatic Center: Kayak and pontoon boat tours Directions/Phone: 1 Whitecliffs Drive; Newport Beach, CA 92660(949) 646-7725   Website View Upper Newport Bay Preserve and Ecological Reserve in a larger map Hiking Heather Dugan no no