Ancil Hoffman Park - 11/28/2025

Yesterday, we took a walk in Ancil Hoffman Park over in Carmichael, CA. It was a dreary day, but we had a good time.

The trail took us by the American River, so we wandered down to it and saw several cool birds.

We also walked very close (perhaps too close) to a young coyote.

We saw a turkey vulture up on an antenna, scoping the river below.

We also walked along a nature trail, also within the park.

We were still close to the river and the landscape was very groovy.

We walked right near some deer and they didn't flinch. We figured they were accustomed to people walking around there. 

We came across some ducks floating in the river.

And at the end of the hike, we met a friendly squirrel, or else he was hoping for some free human food?

Black Miner's Bar, Folsom, CA - 11/15/2025

With the recent rain creating mud on most trails, we decided to hike a paved path that ran along the American River in Folsom, CA.  

It was pretty busy there with bikes, walkers and runners, but it was great to be outside and enjoy some fresh air.  

Then we had the good fortune of spotting a bald eagle. First, we chatted with a woman briefly and, as we were moving on, she said to shout if we saw an eagle. Then we saw an eagle about five minutes later sitting high above in a tree and while I was taking pictures, we talked with a local man who told us it was the papa eagle and the whole family lived up there. He also pointed out the nest a little further up the path. 

The nest was higher up on the cliff.

We walked about 3.5 miles out, and then turned around for approximately 7 miles. The river was very calm along that stretch.

Aside from birds, there was no other noticeable wildlife.

It was a nice respite to the rainy days we continue to have over here. 

Magnolia Ranch - 11/08/2025

This past Saturday, we drove over to Magnolia Ranch to hike and poke around some areas that we had not previously explored. It was a foggy morning, but the forecast was warm and clear.  

The fog was mostly gone by the time we arrived, I guess it was around 8:30am. There was plenty of parking and we saw a few people walking their dogs or finishing up an early morning hike as we were starting ours.

There was some frost on the grass, but the air felt fine and fresh.

The light was great and it was nice and quiet, just the sounds of nature. 

We followed a path that led into the forest and crossed a cool bridge. 

The path opened up into a lovely space, as if we were walking through a landscape painting by one of the masters.

We could see the South Fork of the American River raging below.

This was an interesting mix of open space and dark forest clustered with trees.

There was a raven posing for photo on the side of the trail.

We saw more scenic views along the way, some uphill and some downhill - in fact, one of the trails we traveled on was called the Up and Down Trail. 

We came across a structure that, according to the sign, was erected in 2003 for the movie, Love Comes Softly with Katherine Heigl and Dale Midkiff (never saw it, or heard of it).

As usual, we saw more people heading out, as we were heading in. 

When we cross the bridge again, there were a couple of people on horses who asked us to walk back across to get the horses, who were afraid of the bridge, to cross behind us. They explained that one of the horses had a bad experience on a bridge.

There were a lot of people with dogs (mostly all were off-leash).

The parking lot was more crowded when we left. We hiked 9.9 miles with a 1,350 foot elevation gain.

Emigrant Trail-Hobart Mill Road - 11/02/2025

 About a month ago, we hiked about three-quarters of the Emigrant Commemorative Trail. This week, we decided to complete it by starting at the end and working our way back to the spot where we had previously turned around.

It was a bit chilly when we started out, like 39 degrees F, but the forecast for that area was in the mid-sixties.
 

There was ice on the ground in some parts, but the sun was shining and the sky was cloudless and blue. 

We came across a little “oasis” in a clearing that was picturesque and inviting, though we continued on without indulging the bench and the atmosphere.

We walked through a few areas of forest as well, which added some interesting diversity to the day.

We had the place to ourselves for the entire hike to the spot where we had eaten our lunch and turned around.

We encountered people on bicycles on our return trip, but no other hikers. The light was nice the entire trip

Getting back to the car, we were still full of energy so we continued in the other direction toward Stampede Reservoir. 

We turned around and walked back, but while we walked we noticed smoke. The Forest Service had signs about prescribed burns, so we figured it was from that. However, it made us nervous. There were cars driving by on Hobart Mill Road, so we assumed others would call, though that didn’t stop Sue from making the call. We reached the Truckee Police who transferred us to Cal Fire who transferred us to the Forest Service. Sue gave a detailed account of what we had seen. Then a Forest Service guy called for the details and she sent him some pictures. Apparently no one else had called.