Quail Snail Blog

California on Fire

August was a tough month. On August 18th, in the early morning hours, we woke to the sounds of thunder. Like many Bay Area residents we sat by our windows and watched lightning and counted seconds until thunder claps. Summer Read more

Pelican Nesting View

Have you picked up any new hobbies since the COVID closed the world? Me? I’ve become a birdwatcher. Pre-March, I could sort out a jay from an egret, but not much more than that. While we were sheltering, I downloaded Read more

Fall Creek

Fall Creek, a unit of Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park in Felton, CA, is a place I consider “my park.” Having spent almost a decade living in the San Lorenzo Valley, I have hiked these trails many, many times, though Read more

Wildcat Loop Trail

Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve is one of the Peninsula’s most popular parks, getting more than 700,000 visitors each year. We lived within half a mile of this park for three years and never visited, so it was well Read more

Ohlone Ridge Trail

Exploring with your kids gives you a chance to measure their growth not in feet and inches, but by miles. I love to see how the kids’ experiences change, and what hikes they are willing to tackle when we return Read more