http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA Travels and Journeys... Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:57:18 +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/2012/01/04/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/2011/12/23/winter-wildlights/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/12/23/winter-wildlights/#comments Fri, 23 Dec 2011 13:01:55 +0000 Heather Dugan http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogNEW/?p=7286 http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/12/23/winter-wildlights/feed/ 9 http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/12/09/unknown-trails-beat-usual-routes/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/12/09/unknown-trails-beat-usual-routes/#comments Fri, 09 Dec 2011 13:22:34 +0000 Heather Dugan http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogNEW/?p=5912 http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/12/09/unknown-trails-beat-usual-routes/feed/ 6 0:01:30 ...The hazards ranged from coconuts and hermit crabs to wild horses, chickens and mosquitoes. Occasional encounter with spraying irrigation systems were generally a nice counterbalance to the humid heat, however! ...The hazards ranged from coconuts and hermit crabs to wild horses, chickens and mosquitoes. Occasional encounter with spraying irrigation systems were generally a nice counterbalance to the humid heat, however! Vieques Heather Dugan no no 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 http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/11/04/go-hannah-go/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/11/04/go-hannah-go/#comments Fri, 04 Nov 2011 12:07:41 +0000 Heather Dugan http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/?p=9865 http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/11/04/go-hannah-go/feed/ 0 http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/07/25/road-running-with-roosters/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/07/25/road-running-with-roosters/#comments Mon, 25 Jul 2011 11:55:00 +0000 Heather Dugan http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogNEW/?p=7205 http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/07/25/road-running-with-roosters/feed/ 2 0:01:21 In Utah, it was renegade cows. On St John in the U.S. Virgin Islands? Wild donkeys on the patio gave room service a new twist. There were wild chickens in Bermuda. And on Vieques this past summer? At times the small island had the feel of a pett[...] In Utah, it was renegade cows. On St John in the U.S. Virgin Islands? Wild donkeys on the patio gave room service a new twist. There were wild chickens in Bermuda. And on Vieques this past summer? At times the small island had the feel of a petting zoo, with a menagerie of animals wandering about at will... Vieques, Wildlife Heather Dugan no no http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/04/29/detour-to-dawes-arboretum/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/04/29/detour-to-dawes-arboretum/#comments Fri, 29 Apr 2011 11:03:06 +0000 Heather Dugan http://heatherdugan.com/blog/photo/detour-to-dawes-arboretum/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/04/29/detour-to-dawes-arboretum/feed/ 13 0:02:31 If not for photography I might run too much. Sadly, when friends refer to rehab projects, I think of ankles and knees... If not for photography I might run too much. Sadly, when friends refer to rehab projects, I think of ankles and knees... Hiking Heather Dugan no no http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/02/07/fumbling-through-february/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/02/07/fumbling-through-february/#comments Mon, 07 Feb 2011 16:40:04 +0000 Heather Dugan http://heatherdugan.com/blog/general-interest/fumbling-through-february/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/02/07/fumbling-through-february/feed/ 2 0:02:48 ...February cold fronts generate in me the polite applause mustered for the final graduates crossing the stage to the diploma table... ...February cold fronts generate in me the polite applause mustered for the final graduates crossing the stage to the diploma table... Heather Dugan no no http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/01/31/in-town-tourist-dog-days-of-winter/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/01/31/in-town-tourist-dog-days-of-winter/#comments Mon, 31 Jan 2011 21:17:49 +0000 Heather Dugan http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogNEW/?p=7928 http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/01/31/in-town-tourist-dog-days-of-winter/feed/ 2 http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/01/21/can-you-hear-it-south-mountain-park-phoenix-arizona/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/01/21/can-you-hear-it-south-mountain-park-phoenix-arizona/#comments Fri, 21 Jan 2011 05:00:49 +0000 Heather Dugan http://heatherdugan.com/blog/photo/can-you-hear-it-south-mountain-park-phoenix-arizona/ http://www.heatherdugan.com/blogBETA/2011/01/21/can-you-hear-it-south-mountain-park-phoenix-arizona/feed/ 11 0:01:49 There was so much to see that it took a moment for me to realize there was nothing to hear. It was silent. And then a warm breeze rustled the leaves of the aptly named brittle bush and there was sound in the Sonoran Desert.... There was so much to see that it took a moment for me to realize there was nothing to hear. It was silent. And then a warm breeze rustled the leaves of the aptly named brittle bush and there was sound in the Sonoran Desert.... Hiking Heather Dugan no no