https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/writing daily 0.75 2021-08-17 https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/writing/edwin-way-teale monthly 0.5 2021-08-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1629232418633-1ASVW8AOX3435VZ5SMO3/C5428040-389B-4DFF-913D-819F85F2E61D.jpeg WRITING - Edwin Way Teale: a biographical sketch - Make it stand out “A Naturalist Buys and Old Farm,” Teale’s book about his rural property in Hampton, CT, was a national best-seller in the 1970s. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/writing/a-swim-for-the-ages monthly 0.5 2021-08-01 https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/writing/the-only-civilized-form-of-transportation monthly 0.5 2021-07-27 https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/writing/project-one-wf8nt monthly 0.5 2021-07-25 https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/writing/category/River+Experiences monthly 0.5 https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal daily 0.75 2025-10-10 https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/echoes-of-leonardo-thoreau monthly 0.5 2025-10-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/6a2a3b7d-b5d9-4ba8-af12-d7b72a815d7d/DSC03815.jpeg JOURNAL - Echoes of Leonardo, Thoreau - Make it stand out The Connecticut River in Pittsburg, New Hampshire on a July day, tumbling over rocks, creating a mellifluous sound that draws you to the river. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/of-loons-and-quiet monthly 0.5 2025-06-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/9dc7ffec-95ec-4b52-bd92-468a78103e3b/IMG_0321.jpeg JOURNAL - Shh. Listen to the Quiet - Make it stand out Stretches of rocky shoreline in Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in Wisconsin were sculpted by wind and waves over the centuries. This shoreline is part of one of the Apostle Islands, Devils Island, in Lake Superior. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/8c40260b-081f-4923-8840-71a0c761f52e/IMG_0307.jpeg JOURNAL - Shh. Listen to the Quiet - Make it stand out Growing to the edge of the National Lakeshore Trail in Apostle Islands National Lakeshore were abundant wildflowers in bloom, including these bluebead lillies, common in the North Woods. Gentle rain made the leaves glisten. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/07476002-ba87-4bd3-8307-54af21c6a9ff/IMG_0366.jpeg JOURNAL - Shh. Listen to the Quiet - Make it stand out I didn’t see another hiker on the Sullivan Bay Trail in Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota. But I repeatedly heard the melodious song of the wood thrush. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/6e21bcdf-e368-42b2-9379-9781f89a8aae/IMG_0360.jpeg JOURNAL - Shh. Listen to the Quiet - Make it stand out For the most part I had these vast North Woods forests to myself, seeing few hikers on the trails. Here, at a Lake Kabetogama outlook on the Blind Ash Bay Trail in Voyageurs National Park, I ran into a couple from Tennessee and we took each other’s photos. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/a1b5af4e-12fc-4b0e-91e5-e8826d5359ea/IMG_0356.jpeg JOURNAL - Shh. Listen to the Quiet - Make it stand out The jack pine is a pine of the northernmost states and Canada. It can be scraggly and tends to hang on to its cones for years, as with this tree in Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota, on the Canadian border. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/7c80d8fc-3e10-4ba0-9b28-7c98f23f01e8/IMG_0382.jpeg JOURNAL - Shh. Listen to the Quiet - Make it stand out Our guide, Larry, who operates a private tour service in Voyageurs National Park, gave us a custom tour of Lake Kobetogama, sharing his deep knowledge of the lake with us. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/4e612f32-2936-4274-9373-e1cb25293449/IMG_0401.jpeg JOURNAL - Shh. Listen to the Quiet - Make it stand out The Mississippi River as it leaves Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota. From here it flows 2,552 miles to the Gulf of Mexico. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/3cb03547-947a-4710-be80-ae62cf00bd5f/IMG_0407.jpeg JOURNAL - Shh. Listen to the Quiet - Make it stand out The Mississippi River in northern Minnesota moments after leaving Lake Itasca. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/cranes-and-lanes monthly 0.5 2025-11-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/19d3fbcc-4576-410d-a80d-f632738b053d/DSC03739.jpeg JOURNAL - Cranes and Lanes - Make it stand out A late-winter violet in the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge. In wet pine savanna habitat, biologically rich, there can be 30 species of plants in a square meter. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/4bff3a5d-67de-4664-8d4d-8fbfbb3d9eb0/DSC03731.jpeg JOURNAL - Cranes and Lanes - Make it stand out Mississippi Sandhill cranes, with distinctive red cap, in ideal wet pine savanna habitat in the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge in Gautier, Mississippi. Mississippi Sandhill cranes are a rare subspecies of sandhill cranes and are legally classified as an endangered species. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1c5c7ed6-8ac6-4fa6-ad10-e8f08c8430e7/IMG_0144.jpeg JOURNAL - Cranes and Lanes - Make it stand out Wet pine savanna habitat, once abundant in coastal Mississippi, is now scarce, but ideal for the Mississippi Sandhill crane subspecies, an endangered species. Bayou Castille can be seen in the center background. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/eb1fe5cb-bb29-428d-adb4-c78c1fa3ae60/IMG_0151.jpeg JOURNAL - Cranes and Lanes - Make it stand out Yellow butterwort, in Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge in Mississippi. This butterwort is a carnivorous plant that entraps insects on the sticky leaves at its base. It likes wet pine savanna habitat. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/mexico-in-mcallen monthly 0.5 2024-11-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/eb2acdf4-e867-423d-b411-eb1a984bcd74/DSC03608.jpeg JOURNAL - Green Jay? Count It - Make it stand out An Altamira Oriole in Resaca de la Palma State Park in Brownsville, Texas. This oriole is found in the U.S. only in the southernmost forests of Texas. It hangs around in the tops of trees. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/79184bb3-37bb-4a89-aff3-95d4929486a5/DSC03554.jpeg JOURNAL - Green Jay? Count It - Make it stand out Evan Farese, a graduate student studying gray hawks, is a birding guide in the southern tip of Texas with a commanding knowledge of North American birds. He is seen here along the Rio Grande during one of our outings. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/6e2e1742-4a95-46b8-8aac-70bf95a51b05/DSC03586.jpeg JOURNAL - Green Jay? Count It - Make it stand out The green jay is found in the U. S. only in southern Texas. Like its cousins in the jay family, it is gregarious and vocal. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/d2f2909d-4042-487b-a799-b8a7d726308c/DSC03600.jpeg JOURNAL - Green Jay? Count It - Make it stand out Scattered in the Taumaulipan thorn forest are sabal palms, a native species also known as Rio Grande Palmetto. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1b4a048a-1468-44f3-a2ff-a77d4f8cd78b/DSC03643.jpeg JOURNAL - Green Jay? Count It - Make it stand out A least bittern, an otherwise secretive species in its habitat among reeds on South Padre Island, Texas, the longest barrier island in the world, another stop in my visit to the lower Rio Grande Valley. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/f351aea8-1baa-4cf7-9bf6-7f20c1aa8520/DSC03625.jpeg JOURNAL - Green Jay? Count It - Make it stand out An Inca Dove in Resaca de la Palma State Park in Brownsville, Texas. The dark tips of its feathers give it a scaly appearance. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/a-tiny-pocket-of-ancient-forest monthly 0.5 2025-03-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1726760437434-6LKTX302SOIXCAMW5M09/IMG_2995.jpeg JOURNAL - A Pocket of Precious - Make it stand out Access to the north end of the Ice Glen Trail is this memorial footbridge over the Housatonic River in Stockbridge, MA. Click to enlarge https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1726760431344-L0J07Z24LAMBXG41OQ4N/IMG_3007.jpeg JOURNAL - A Pocket of Precious - Make it stand out Bernie Davidow amid the massive boulders in the Ice Glen preserve, a charming relic of Ancient forest in the Massachusetts Berkshire range. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1726760434367-JJG4N7PNIQDHKF5HYRRI/IMG_2998.jpeg JOURNAL - A Pocket of Precious - Make it stand out Etched in a lichen and moss covered boulder beside the Ice Glen Trail is this commemorative message: Ice Glen, The Gift to Stockbridge of David Dudley Field, 1891. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1726760443198-JGPQFMIEHQD6VKQEF1GT/IMG_6340.jpeg JOURNAL - A Pocket of Precious - Make it stand out At the south end of the Ice Glen Trail is this massive white pine, more than 300 years old and towering some 160 feet above the trail. As with many very old trees, the only limbs with any foliage are confined to the very uppermost part of the trunk. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/joshua-tree-national-park monthly 0.5 2024-11-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/d2bf58e8-8ecf-467e-aeb3-0f332b183300/IMG_2821.jpeg JOURNAL - Joshua Tree National Park, California - Make it stand out A Joshua Tree in Joshua Tree National Park, in the Mojave Desert in southeast California. Might the name spine-tipped yucca better describe this very unusual tree? Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/956cd9fc-a847-4c06-9bbc-97fd39dc8583/DSC03286.jpeg JOURNAL - Joshua Tree National Park, California - Make it stand out Black-throated sparrows are plentiful in Joshua Tree National Park. This bird was seen along the Barker Dam Trail, a beautiful loop trail of slightly over a mile that offers views of many plant and bird species. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/7ca16bd4-04dd-4020-b70b-94ea17dafd9b/DSC03314.jpeg JOURNAL - Joshua Tree National Park, California - Make it stand out A California fan palm in the Oasis of Mara, Joshua Tree National Park, Twentynine Palms, California. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/a1c82d8e-e475-4f35-a45b-f34ccfc62322/IMG_2851.jpeg JOURNAL - Joshua Tree National Park, California - Make it stand out A California Barrel Cactus in Joshua Tree National Park. This barrel cactus, found in the Southwest from Southern California to Texas, is often two- to three-feet high. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/fec6f658-ae2f-49e8-9f00-5dcd56433d30/DSC03306.jpeg JOURNAL - Joshua Tree National Park, California - Make it stand out Cholla cacti in a wild cactus “garden” in Joshua Tree National Park. They look cuddly, but they aren’t. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/a-species-rich-florida-habitat monthly 0.5 2024-05-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/74796f20-74b4-45d0-85cb-151ad4823c1f/IMG_2647.jpeg JOURNAL - A species-rich Florida habitat - Make it stand out Longleaf pine is a tall tree with distinctive tufts of needles often a foot long at the ends of branches. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/7d844063-ebe7-4390-a153-b47e4c1efce5/IMG_2664.jpeg JOURNAL - A species-rich Florida habitat - Make it stand out Yellow milkwort (Polygala rugelii) has showy, solitary blooms about 2 inches wide rising from a spindly stalk with sparse, narrow leaves. It is found only in Florida. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/b0302d72-bd42-4d81-8afc-b70ca0343846/DSC03142.jpeg JOURNAL - A species-rich Florida habitat - Make it stand out This Florida scrub jay presided over its ideal sandy, scrub habitat in the Savanna Preserve State Park in Jensen Beach, Florida. A federally classified threatened species, there are thought to be only about 9,000 left due to loss of habitat. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/0c8bc9ff-03a7-4911-81db-ad3b82fe028c/IMG_2651.jpeg JOURNAL - A species-rich Florida habitat - Make it stand out The gopher tortoise, the only tortoise species east of the Mississippi River, is a keystone species that digs tunnels as much as 30 feet long that are used by - and necessary for - many other species. Its numbers also have declined sharply over the decades because of loss of habitat to development. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/4b65de2a-1ccb-413e-a0da-ede27bc8aa28/DSC03172.jpeg JOURNAL - A species-rich Florida habitat - Make it stand out The marsh in Savanna Preserve State Park is described as the “largest most ecologically intact stretch of freshwater marsh in southeast Florida.” I spent a couple of hours kayaking its perimeter on a cloudy weekday morning and had the vast marsh entirely to myself. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/denali-denied monthly 0.5 2023-09-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/00204dc0-665f-4ae8-83ec-28cdb049e451/DSC02870.jpeg JOURNAL - Denali Denial - Make it stand out A view of Byers Lake and the Alaska Range from a kayak on an overcast day with mist. Was that a fragment of Denali in the background right of center? Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/ab4a135d-3863-42f5-9f8d-98e9e7e94442/IMG_2408.jpeg JOURNAL - Denali Denial - Make it stand out Migrating sockeye salmon headed up Byers Creek to spawn in Denali State Park, just north of Talkeetna, Alaska. The state park is just south of the national park. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/6b333c32-2ef2-452f-8b72-63db2f282e22/DSC02910.jpeg JOURNAL - Denali Denial - Make it stand out Shrubby cinquefoil, common in the western U. S., in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/937f5b81-2efc-4b52-922b-e3813748d176/DSC02934.jpeg JOURNAL - Denali Denial - Make it stand out Riley Creek is one of many scenic streams pouring through Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/8da5057b-36d1-4bc5-aa75-eb671e94ff4e/DSC02946.jpeg JOURNAL - Denali Denial - Make it stand out An Arctic Ground Squirrel with a mouthful of food in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska. They eat sedges, plant stems and other vegetation. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/b0103f92-5fea-402d-ab5d-2cb2e25a5858/IMG_2432.jpeg JOURNAL - Denali Denial - Make it stand out Brian Taylor, an interpretive ranger with the National Park Service, led a 2-mile hike in Denali National Park and Preserve one morning, highlighting the history, flora and fauna of the park for about 30 hikers attending. Riley Creek in the background. The park service offers many guided hikes and the Visitor Center has extensive information on geology, history, plants and animals. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/bb1e7b1d-cc7b-4748-b620-93c849ddcb71/DSC02927.jpeg JOURNAL - Denali Denial - Make it stand out The black-billed magpie, shown here near the Savage River in Denali National Park, is widespread throughout the west. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/957f4bae-31bd-4edc-94a0-c3c68906a0b6/DSC02911.jpeg JOURNAL - Denali Denial - Make it stand out The Savage River Loop Trail in Denali National Park, Alaska, is a popular destination for hikers. The trail passes through tundra following one side of the river, crossing a bridge, and coming back on the other side of the river. Mountain and river views the entire way. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/089e4eaf-1df5-42b4-80d4-1d75f26fb1c5/IMG_6319.jpeg JOURNAL - Denali Denial - Make it stand out Even on a day with some sunshine, the Alaska Range and Denali, shown here from one of the highway vantage points between Anchorage and Fairbanks, were muted by clouds. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/12e5c956-83b7-4ea0-9734-d6ee2e8b8778/IMG_2448.jpeg JOURNAL - Denali Denial - Make it stand out The Susitna River was at flood stage with faint rain falling my last morning in the Denali area. With this view from my lodge window I did a slow, gentle yoga practice that included mountain and tree poses. Even if I did not see Denali in all its grandeur, I realized I had had a special time in its presence, if unseen. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/pride-and-precipice monthly 0.5 2023-07-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/ed0a9067-7c48-4e43-80f4-f484f8378318/IMG_2264.jpeg JOURNAL - Pride and Precipice - Make it stand out The White Dot Trail was more difficult than we recalled from our hike of Mount Monadnock decades ago, especially after two days of heavy rain that caused flooding in much of New England. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/df480bec-3824-43d4-8ca1-7a58776972df/00023_n_r10aef3hrug0061+3.jpg JOURNAL - Pride and Precipice - Make it stand out Allison and I atop Mount Monadnock in New Hampshire in August, 1991, when she was 8 going on 9 years old. It was a muggy, overcast day. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/78413986-ff4e-42e0-be01-66f32bf40819/IMG_1041.jpeg JOURNAL - Pride and Precipice - Make it stand out My daughter, Allison Sterner, at a lookout just over 1 mile from the trailhead this week. The sun had come out, but most of the trail through woods was wet rock and mud, very slippery. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/65f8e137-914a-4147-b703-628d7d642638/IMG_1052.jpeg JOURNAL - Pride and Precipice - Make it stand out I’m smiling here as we neared the summit, but minutes later I suggested we head back because I had trouble working my way over a difficult section of trail, all boulders and ledge. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/c16b7218-8ba8-4377-bd34-d2534844abd1/IMG_1047.jpeg JOURNAL - Pride and Precipice - Make it stand out After my shoulder issue closed off one possible route over a difficult boulder and ledge section, Allison sought another route but had to retreat because it was too steep. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/ef68c24d-55a0-4bca-aaa8-b3acaedd8d33/00022_n_r10aef3hrug0060.jpg JOURNAL - Pride and Precipice - Make it stand out Allison hiking the White Dot Trail on Mount Monadnock in 1991. It was her first mountain over 3,000 feet elevation. We’ve hiked many mountains since then. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/a-desert-landscape-reveals-itself monthly 0.5 2023-12-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1688069843382-R4PPRBPSIX73MJ2448XH/IMG_2196.jpeg JOURNAL - A Desert Revealing Itself - Make it stand out A raven atop Delicate Arch in Arches National Park, Utah. Arches is a hugely popular national park that drew 1.8 million visitors last year. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1688069872460-I0R0JXHT5AKTU5EXS3W5/IMG_2152.jpeg JOURNAL - A Desert Revealing Itself - Make it stand out Cushion buckwheat is far more pleasing to the eye than its name suggests. It was growing beside the Murphy Point Trail in Canyonlands National Park, Utah. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1688069871685-PUFNKNIMPS7EQQLRUW0H/IMG_2139.jpeg JOURNAL - A Desert Revealing Itself - Make it stand out Leaves of the Fremont cottonwood, growing beside the Fremont River in Capitol Reef National Park, Utah. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1688069894781-WJ4AF8RNECLAVGG3FDN1/IMG_2113.jpeg JOURNAL - A Desert Revealing Itself - Make it stand out Crowds gatherer along the Rim Trail in Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah for views of the park’s towering, colorful hoo doos, the geological formations that are the centerpiece of the park. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1688069886375-FV0NFG39GJGBWGDA9GH4/DSC02681.jpeg JOURNAL - A Desert Revealing Itself - Make it stand out A scraggly Bristlecone Pine tree at 9,100 feet elevation in early morning light at Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah. Bristlecones are a very uncommon species found at high elevations in the desert southwest. An incredibly long-lived species, one bristlecone in Nevada is more than 4,000 years old. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/6b04e85e-68d2-41ac-852b-afb32fd2be0a/DSC02686.jpeg JOURNAL - A Desert Revealing Itself - Make it stand out The bottle-brush-like needles of the Bristlecone Pine in Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah. Bristlecones can be found along a high-elevation trail at Rainbow Point. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1688069866206-UI5XQXGUAQBNVDGL68PF/IMG_2217.jpeg JOURNAL - A Desert Revealing Itself - Make it stand out The Colorado Rive flows 2,000 feet below a visitor lookout in Dead Horse Point State Park, Utah. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/6e024b68-1022-4230-9e71-14079474a89d/IMG_2214.jpeg JOURNAL - A Desert Revealing Itself - Make it stand out Desert plume, also called Desert Princesplume, was flowering nicely in several of the national parks. This photo is from Dead Horse Point State Park, next to Canyonlands National Park. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/0645b5e1-8ae6-40fd-978c-beee58cd243f/IMG_2182.jpeg JOURNAL - A Desert Revealing Itself - Make it stand out Double Arch in Arches National Park, Utah, is one of the most spectacular geological formations in the park, reached by an easy, short hike from a parking area. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/04ba29a3-d800-48d0-9374-920c6e8099d2/IMG_2156.jpeg JOURNAL - A Desert Revealing Itself - Make it stand out Steve paddle rafting on the Colorado River near Moab, Utah, with guide, Shawn, at the oars. The Colorado is running high because of heavy snowfall this winter in the West. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/canoeing-the-cahaba monthly 0.5 2023-05-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/c4235368-6a07-44b3-b730-b61386966a66/IMG_2067.jpg JOURNAL - Canoeing the Cahaba - Make it stand out David Butler, the Cahaba Riverkeeper, in the background, as we paddled through a large and healthy colony of Cahaba lilies off the Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge in central Alabama. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1685126923746-L63VWOQ5KM7X0EPLFJSN/IMG_2070.jpeg JOURNAL - Canoeing the Cahaba - Make it stand out A Cahaba lily, or shoals spider-lily, found only in Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina, is an especially showy aquatic wildflower that prefers fast-moving water in rocky shoals. Not technically endangered, it is considered a vulnerable species and is now known to exist in but 50 or so locations. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1685126920427-G0O88IXMTY0CG90GA57N/Resized_Resized_20230519_124748.jpeg JOURNAL - Canoeing the Cahaba - Make it stand out Scott and I paddling a quiet stretch of the Cahaba.We’ve spent hundreds of hours canoeing, rafting and kayaking rivers in the U. S. With Scott now living in Mountain Brook, AL, the Cahaba was a must-do. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/54659cfe-46f6-4e2d-a621-ab0fadc2a241/Resized_Resized_20230516_121148.jpeg JOURNAL - Canoeing the Cahaba - Make it stand out Cahaba lilies on the Cahaba River at lower flow with clear water. Photo courtesy of Cahaba Riverkeeper. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1685126924095-Z78YJK599ACPBB6FJOC7/IMG_2072.jpeg JOURNAL - Canoeing the Cahaba - Make it stand out David Butler, staff attorney and Riverkeeper with the private organization Cahaba Riverkeeper, spends countless hours on the river, taking water samples, watching for environmental threats and abuses to a river he cares deeply about. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/a-pleasant-farewell-to-summer monthly 0.5 2022-09-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1313ae58-2092-427d-bbc6-df00c8840ddc/C0A01A95-2B03-4677-B44E-46E2668D3EC0_1_201_a.jpeg JOURNAL - A Pleasant Farewell to Summer - Make it stand out Not long after launching I came upon this bald eagle at river’s edge. The bald eagle was a species almost never seen in summer along the Connecticut River 40 years ago. But with a robust recovery nationally and in Connecticut in recent decades their numbers keep growing. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/fc2e9208-0e47-4a6e-ac49-5a4be31f820f/354E2E3F-3064-43D5-A154-22689B41304A.jpeg JOURNAL - A Pleasant Farewell to Summer - Make it stand out Great egrets were a regular part of the scenery all morning. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/ca25894e-8ad0-40ab-a077-43e39613f584/EF765576-3101-468E-8AAF-4F070FE37607_1_201_a.jpeg JOURNAL - A Pleasant Farewell to Summer - Make it stand out Sneezeweed with its striking yellow flowers blooms abundantly in sheltered water in the lower Connecticut River in late summer and early fall. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/checking-out-north-cascades-national-park monthly 0.5 2022-08-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1657658740577-UJ8V2CAQVSZQ334Z0339/9E94ED9B-29DB-4ADC-A94F-531454C65EDE_1_201_a.jpeg JOURNAL - Checking out North Cascades National Park - Make it stand out A trail around Beaver Pond in the Okanogan National Forest near Winthrop is well-known for fine birding, but it also is rich with wildflowers. Notice the trees on the far shore damaged or killed by a fire last year. Those trees were thick with woodpeckers when I passed by. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1657658747281-M1UVWSGHV1AB5OLKFJLV/AD8FBA62-07FC-4C93-983B-14F4374EF888.jpeg JOURNAL - Checking out North Cascades National Park - Make it stand out Hiking the trail around Beaver Pond in the Okanogan National Forest in the Cascades I came upon this stunning wildflower, mountain lady’s slipper. Unlike the pink lady’s slipper of the Northeast, the mountain lady’s slipper has a white “slipper” with magenta veins. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1657658719134-C5CYBWHL11SUKWIQ8C79/682FD7BC-CC63-4B95-B31B-2815114B36FC.jpeg JOURNAL - Checking out North Cascades National Park - Make it stand out Columbian lily, also known as tiger lily, in bloom beside the trail around Beaver Pond near Winthrop, Washington. This tiger lily differs slightly in size from the tiger lily found in New England. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1657658745885-NTMK7YU8FHZWOYUHRJ14/A7E4FD00-6C15-4006-8714-7F7465195278_1_201_a.jpeg JOURNAL - Checking out North Cascades National Park - Make it stand out The California quail is a striking bird with a scale-like belly pattern and a teardrop-shaped plume on top of its head. It is native to far western states. This bird was tucked into a shrub beside the Chelon River, which flows from Chelon Lake in the North Cascades. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/c1fb8beb-1577-4636-be5f-88c2b8b1ae01/5E0C5CFE-7099-4289-9A1E-38682C256383_1_201_a.jpeg JOURNAL - Checking out North Cascades National Park - Make it stand out The Thunder Knob Trail in North Cascades National Park ascends two miles to an outlook with expansive views of Diablo Lake, a turquoise gem that takes its color from something called rock flour, the tiny particles of rock ground from rocky, glacier-covered slopes in the North Cascades. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/c6bcfafd-5f7c-4ff1-9404-a77d15dc637e/D59B579B-19DB-4D95-9660-FC41CE6E2E2F_1_201_a.jpeg JOURNAL - Checking out North Cascades National Park - Make it stand out At the crest of the North Cascades in northern Washington State snow was still abundant in late June. Some higher elevation trails were still snow covered. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/4cc5439f-a8a8-4ce5-81a2-55e62e48f11c/46D9B24A-35FC-4FC4-A6AE-D375D0836733_1_201_a.jpeg JOURNAL - Checking out North Cascades National Park - Make it stand out I came upon several colonies of Davidson’s penstemon, a low-growing wildflower blooming along the Thunder Knob Trail in North Cascades National Park in Washington. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/6b894ab7-7e1e-4fb9-8922-56708bafbed5/tempImageyF0t6S.jpg JOURNAL - Checking out North Cascades National Park - Make it stand out Thunder Creek flows a chalky green because it is fed by glacial meltwater laden with rock flour, tiny bits of rock dislodged by glaciers. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/ee8e314c-b760-4374-953f-bfcf0ba3cd8b/tempImage0rwXfI.jpg JOURNAL - Checking out North Cascades National Park - Make it stand out A male rufous hummingbird at a feeder outside a diner in the North Cascades. This hummingbird’s range is the Pacific Northwest. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1657658727996-7EAMBJR9DT3B96SO6P5O/1267C290-51BC-44AA-B7BD-64CF61934B67.jpeg JOURNAL - Checking out North Cascades National Park - Make it stand out The Methow is a beautiful, free-flowing river that feeds the Columbia River, one of the major rivers of North America. The Methow was running cold and high and the outfitter strongly suggested I wear a chest-high wet suit in case I flipped over in my kayak. I didn’t. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/c9117268-2617-429b-ad01-e663a69fd430/tempImageF0AIjW.jpg JOURNAL - Checking out North Cascades National Park - Make it stand out My wife, Susan, on the Happy Creek Trail, North Cascades National Park, Washington. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/a-mission-statement-for-humanity monthly 0.5 2023-05-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/a9d0679a-0d73-47fd-a561-89fa066c5271/C0000626-14FF-4414-A24B-998C9C804ED5.jpeg JOURNAL - A Mission Statement for Humanity - Make it stand out Henry David Thoreau, the 19th Century naturalist and philosopher. The image is in the public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/980a67c3-ef92-41a5-8aeb-888c879df467/EDA028C8-7FE4-42B1-84AA-432EB6432E79.jpeg JOURNAL - A Mission Statement for Humanity - Make it stand out The grave of Henry David Thoreau in Concord, Massachusetts. To this day, people leave small items that in some way refer to Thoreau or his writing. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/a-pocket-wilderness monthly 0.5 2022-01-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/b7850651-477a-43e9-be74-cc9d3aae19a3/D2CC0174-6D4E-4961-803F-184B46ACB386_1_201_a.jpeg JOURNAL - A Pocket of Wilderness - Make it stand out The 2.4-mile-long boardwalk in South Carolina’s Congaree National Park is accessed from the Visitor Center and gets visitors well into the old-growth forest of cypress, tupelo, loblolly pine and other species. What appear to be stumps or tiny branch-less trees are cypress “knees,” that rise up from the roots of the cypress. They are thought to provide extra stability when the forest floods. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/cf587203-c76e-404e-81a9-e1173ff23f0c/03487E54-F08B-4C96-9391-007B40A5F48A_1_201_a.jpeg JOURNAL - A Pocket of Wilderness - Make it stand out The red-brown, scaly bark of a huge, old loblolly pine in Congaree National Park. Loblolly pine is a tree of the southeastern U. S. that reaches maximum heights in the park’s old-growth wilderness. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/44424fb2-c965-4032-8af1-4c683f23c012/tempImagersCgfu.jpg JOURNAL - A Pocket of Wilderness - Make it stand out As if planted as ornamentals, a long row of ancient bald cypress trees is on display as paddlers round a corner on Cedar Creek, deep in the old-growth forest. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/60f12860-2bdd-4836-946d-b64117717efe/0399DE4C-F1FF-4410-A384-CD76D4B55387_1_201_a.jpeg JOURNAL - A Pocket of Wilderness - Make it stand out Dwarf palmetto adding color to the forest, as seen from the boardwalk trail. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/98bd2cd3-4e38-4691-bf66-05ba51ddaf23/535ED583-1B3A-4457-A1F7-7F8B8342FA62_1_201_a.jpeg JOURNAL - A Pocket of Wilderness - Make it stand out American holly, an evergreen, adds color to the forest in winter, even overhanging Cedar Creek in places. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/3e144623-ce34-4317-901b-7714fa60e2c6/tempImage4jZgFB.jpg JOURNAL - A Pocket of Wilderness - Make it stand out After paddling 5 miles, I returned to the South Cedar Creek Canoe Landing. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/a-captivating-natural-phenomena monthly 0.5 2022-01-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/c23e4f78-a955-473f-bf38-e5b95a014831/ACB09470-C2FF-496A-982D-FBF3A9F31CE0_1_201_a.jpeg JOURNAL - A Captivating Natural Phenomenon - Make it stand out A pair of horseshoe crabs coming ashore on Merritt Island in Titusville, Florida, on a recent day. Females are larger. When spawning, the male attaches to the female and fertilizes the eggs as she lays them. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/d8c6af43-2090-4efe-bc4a-52019df8ee4d/86CCD926-524C-4BC1-9BB8-C59379D5313C_1_201_a.jpeg JOURNAL - A Captivating Natural Phenomenon - Make it stand out At times, even during heavy rain and wind conditions, hundreds of shorebirds blanketed a small beach, making it difficult to even see the horseshoe crabs. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/ef333256-8080-4056-abd0-f542f4c88fb4/2D815BA9-DD18-4CE5-BA7C-46B462AAA2F1_1_201_a.jpeg JOURNAL - A Captivating Natural Phenomenon - Make it stand out Especially early in the day, sandpipers fed ravenously. Horseshoe crab eggs are an important food source for shorebird species as they migrate north along the eastern seaboard in spring, headed for the far north. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1fd36670-7e8d-4ea4-b29b-fc3a3e0ca662/C346639E-AD8E-4B2D-A7A0-F8C19A603867_1_201_a.jpeg JOURNAL - A Captivating Natural Phenomenon - Make it stand out As the horseshoe crabs emerged from the sea to spawn, sanderling, dunlin and ruddy turnstones mobbed them, feeding on the abundant eggs. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/e0300ed2-7a51-4d76-95df-893830ba9b79/C509807C-4CD3-42D1-8EDC-4CE88967BC37.jpeg JOURNAL - A Captivating Natural Phenomenon - Make it stand out As if standing guard, a willet appeared at water’s edge as horseshoe crabs came ashore to spawn on Merritt Island, Florida. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/14d2278d-a220-4e66-91ba-de0b418caeb5/B57A85B4-BA69-4D5D-8849-150D8B8C4221_1_201_a.jpeg JOURNAL - A Captivating Natural Phenomenon - Make it stand out Later in the day the rain stopped and it began to clear. Dozens of horseshoe crabs covered a short section of beach. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/0449a1c3-6f39-4dda-846a-63db36c2ffd7/6701E86B-61C0-41CD-816F-C56BF2E4ABC6_1_201_a.jpeg JOURNAL - A Captivating Natural Phenomenon - Make it stand out A ruddy turnstone in winter plumage. Like many shorebirds, it breeds in summer in the Arctic. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/uh-oh-tannenbaum monthly 0.5 2021-12-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/d87ebc4e-1eb4-45dd-a848-5fd868220c2b/FA06C6D7-6938-401A-A398-9F0160F82517_1_201_a.jpeg JOURNAL - Oh! Christmas Tree - Make it stand out Allison, age 4, holding baby brother Scott beside a modest Christmas tree of perhaps 6 feet in height. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/20cc7d47-11f3-4915-a325-04b13f79673f/F71A60D9-2185-4AF0-8CB6-F034C279FD59.jpeg JOURNAL - Oh! Christmas Tree - Make it stand out Scott, 2, and Allison, 6. The height of the Christmas tree crept up as they grew up. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/887cbf2e-cf26-4c17-8495-d6edc57409d3/707B4838-BBA3-4D7D-B522-508944C2BC7A_1_201_a.jpeg JOURNAL - Oh! Christmas Tree - Make it stand out After we moved to a new home in Newtown with a very high living room ceiling the kids pleaded for ever larger Christmas trees. This was a 10-footer, as I recall. It crashed to the floor days later. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/dc9ff635-e45e-4a5b-8bdd-c0330fb0e86f/F6273D5E-9B90-47E9-A188-BCEA574952FD_1_201_a.jpeg JOURNAL - Oh! Christmas Tree - Make it stand out Allison and Scott hanging out by the tree. My job was to see that Christmas trees did not fall over. They almost always did. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/checking-out-the-new-river monthly 0.5 2021-11-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1634862174188-RPBSQHMDADOXLKGY4ZO1/169E1AA3-16F0-4B62-946A-1E8A7FE4B7FD_1_201_a.jpeg JOURNAL - Checking Out the New River - Make it stand out The New River Gorge Bridge, said to be the world’s third longest single span steel arch bridge, as seen from the Canyon Rim Visitor Center in New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1634931900505-X0Y6ROK5FOOEPFMTWS4E/2387075D-FA5F-4DB1-BEF6-10BE88B15881.jpeg JOURNAL - Checking Out the New River - Make it stand out An easy trail on a boardwalk with multiple observation decks takes visitors to Sandstone Falls on the New River, a popular spot to see the river itself close up. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1634931528430-POXZNA92LUEHT3VIQXUO/tempImage92sxCw.gif JOURNAL - Checking Out the New River - Make it stand out The Grandview Rim Trail is a 3.2-mile out-and-back trail that follows the rim of the canyon, hundreds of feet above the New River. At the north end of the trail, at Turkey Spur Overlook, is a National Park Service observation tower offering especially long views even on a misty, overcast day. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/three-generations-atop-the-mountain monthly 0.5 2021-08-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1629140223655-EPMH9EJPZW14L02V9DD2/3D9A4E0B-3263-4AC4-A79F-09C67A9CEB7C_1_201_a.jpeg JOURNAL - Three Generations Atop the Mountain - Make it stand out Allison, Sean and the boys atop West Rattlesnake Mountain near Holderness, New Hampshire. The view of Squam Lake is spectacular, even on a hot, hazy, humid day. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1629138577001-HINDFMFQ9B20SBXGWF7Z/FD968DBB-7F73-4304-9C81-7C62E4262C92_1_201_a.jpeg JOURNAL - Three Generations Atop the Mountain - Make it stand out Cy, left, and Andy brought childhood curiosity and playfulness to the hike, spotting a boulder off the trail and racing to climb it. Other than the summit, the trail up West Rattlesnake Mountain is surrounded by forest. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1629141972661-34MQQS3LZMOI3F4UARCH/8F5C03B6-C0A2-4A7B-B605-1FEEC709AB3C_1_201_a.jpg JOURNAL - Three Generations Atop the Mountain - Make it stand out Andy and Cy still had plenty of energy when they reached the summit of West Rattlesnake. Here they are climbing a weather-beaten tree. Yes, Andy is missing a front tooth - and waiting for his big-boy teeth to come in. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/a-wilderness-cocoon monthly 0.5 2021-08-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625756645891-9WOMR43VNC4V4S4IDBIP/image-asset.jpeg JOURNAL - A Wilderness Cocoon - Make it stand out Lower Solitude Campsite on the Rogue River, a designated national Wild and Scenic River that flows through the Klamath Mountains in Southwest Oregon. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625854748511-NBKWFSM1KH4FWXNJ4LYS/image-asset.jpeg JOURNAL - A Wilderness Cocoon - Make it stand out Part of our group of singles, couples and kids. We blended nicely together over four days on the river. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625854981155-KTEWG8DA0RAU8U3S6RFJ/DF52AE6C-6B8D-4DEC-A12E-C1CD1B5926B5.jpeg JOURNAL - A Wilderness Cocoon - Make it stand out Before breakfast a couple of mornings we practiced yoga together, with the river as a very special prop. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625855157537-8IHZ6B7M235JRETA78M1/image-asset.jpeg JOURNAL - A Wilderness Cocoon - Make it stand out I pitched my tent one evening beside a sizable colony of showy milkweed in full bloom. We paddled through a riverscape of wilderness forest and abundant late-spring wildflowers.Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1627691517744-JW0K4AF3DN26K0XF3FK9/F0551D9F-A732-425F-B606-8F5219F78DCD_1_201_a.jpg JOURNAL - A Wilderness Cocoon - Make it stand out We bounced through one rapid after another, the guides briefing us on the best path to take in white water. Here is guide Katie Blanchard rowing. The yellow inflatable kayaks are called “duckies.” Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625855537889-OWJV6IY0I1PSBHDTATAM/image-asset.jpeg JOURNAL - A Wilderness Cocoon - Make it stand out Blossom Bar Rapids on the Rogue River. Some steep and sudden drops in this rapid make it a good idea to scout before plunging in. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625856887243-2H8BO6RPE5LHX297A2O2/0A8FAFC7-8922-4C43-A311-187543F7806F_1_201_a.jpeg JOURNAL - A Wilderness Cocoon - Make it stand out The view upstream from Lower Solitude Campsite, a beautiful scene even on a rainy morning.Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1627831736218-6A6UJTUOPLHYYQLVDDGD/A08A3E23-3B12-497A-935D-8133D84A80EC_1_201_a.jpeg JOURNAL - A Wilderness Cocoon - Make it stand out Lower Whiskey Campsite, Rogue River. Oregon. My home for the night in the foreground. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1627516720200-QHUVZJ0J2ZZBKAKHQXJR/image-asset.jpeg JOURNAL - A Wilderness Cocoon - Make it stand out I had not paddled through Class 3 rapids in a long time, but managed to negotiate my way through Fish Ladder Rapids, a side channel on the Rogue, without incident. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/Blog Post Title One-h84rx monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626208575049-1MUURJ3BQ1JTSXKK4SE3/image-asset.jpeg JOURNAL - A Place That Is All About Flight - Make it stand out A Little Blue Heron perched in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge near Titusville, Florida. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625432832857-PEL1FVOHSUSQYJ5EZN1S/image-asset.jpeg JOURNAL - A Place That Is All About Flight Blue-winged teal are small ducks that are abundant in the interior waters of Merritt Island. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625432874462-W8CFW1Y6WSPNSAJO4DZU/image-asset.jpeg JOURNAL - A Place That Is All About Flight - Make it stand out A male boat-tailed grackle. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625433366743-SXS4EJ52JIPVQNQLMVV6/cinnamon-teal.jpg JOURNAL - A Place That Is All About Flight - Make it stand out The cinnamon teal photographed in bright sun and at a distance. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/blog-post-title-two-5aldy monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625437063261-CBBL0875E98XEDGKSA28/red-shouldered-hawk+.JPEG JOURNAL - Birding the Wastewater Treatment System. Really? - Make it stand out An obliging red-shouldered hawk of the Florida race, which is somewhat lighter than individuals of this species in states to the north. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625437189227-J12KRM8FE4SU7M4D2WX6/wood-stork.JPEG JOURNAL - Birding the Wastewater Treatment System. Really? - Make it stand out A wood stork in Wakodahatchee Wetlands. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626468537768-F2PEN1E7W0F0J8M3YP1B/purple-swamphen.jpg JOURNAL - Birding the Wastewater Treatment System. Really? - Make it stand out A purple swamphen, a comparative newcomer to the Wakodahatchee fauna. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626468563622-323Z9LZJ6LL93NCHVHCY/glossy-ibis.JPG JOURNAL - Birding the Wastewater Treatment System. Really? - Make it stand out Glossy ibis are more colorful than they appear in flight. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625437761551-RM9OFX950CE9INVYZAYN/wakodahatchee-wetlands.JPEG JOURNAL - Birding the Wastewater Treatment System. Really? - Make it stand out Wakodahatchee Wetlands has become a popular birding destination. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/blog-post-title-three-jhwtn monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625439038623-550ET1YPH3VJ1O5CELI9/fullsizeoutput_32e5-1-scaled.jpeg JOURNAL - The Wind, the Water, and the Wall - Make it stand out Minutes into the trip, high wind on the river flipped one of the canoes. But we regrouped quickly. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625581384700-RYWV7T05VNV4WKM1I1M0/pulling-the-canoes.JPG JOURNAL - The Wind, the Water, and the Wall - Make it stand out In places, the Rio Grande was so low we had to pull the canoes through shallow riffles. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625581433776-X2V16XQPZPYXF895FF89/our-campsite.JPG JOURNAL - The Wind, the Water, and the Wall - Make it stand out Our campsite on the Mexican side of the river worked nicely for our small group. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625581480006-GKPHKJ6WEV1TS3H9ZSPK/rio-grande-long-riverr.JPEG JOURNAL - The Wind, the Water, and the Wall - Make it stand out The Rio Grande is one of the longest rivers in North America. But, tapped for irrigation and drinking water for many hundreds of miles as it passes through the desert Southwest, it is never a large river, as seen from this vantage point outside the canyon. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625581517822-2VKFWSEIPYKF8UGDDJY7/sacred-datura.JPG JOURNAL - The Wind, the Water, and the Wall - Make it stand out Sacred datura growing on the banks on the Rio Grande. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625581564699-ETQWAO75X02903HI8LED/steve-tiley-hat.JPEG JOURNAL - The Wind, the Water, and the Wall - Make it stand out With my well-worn Tilley hat on the banks of the river. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625581604582-I363VMP8WTX4J623NP2D/paddling-santa-elena-canyon.JPEG JOURNAL - The Wind, the Water, and the Wall - Make it stand out Part of our group paddling the river through Santa Elena Canyon on an October day. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625581681285-VDFLLHOZNGE23SHU2CF1/Big-Bend-National-Park.JPG JOURNAL - The Wind, the Water, and the Wall - Make it stand out Big Bend National Park is remote and mountainous desert, with sparse vegetation. Ocotillo and yucca are abundant. Clock to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/blog-post-title-four-x7mg6 monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625582132935-AP4276H2O03GG1TFM0LW/PilgrimsLandinOldLyme.jpg JOURNAL - A Marshy Meander - Make it stand out Pilgrims Landing in Old Lyme is a launching area for small boats, ideal for a paddle upriver to Lord Cove. You can see Interstate 95 and the Baldwin Bridge from the launch. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625582193253-ACLYTFDDAVWYFISAZYA9/DeapLordCoveCtRiver.jpg JOURNAL - A Marshy Meander - Make it stand out eep in Lord Cove the Connecticut River is thick with islands of cattails and phragmites. It is quite possible to get disoriented as you work your way among them. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625582255314-0O54XOVSOYN53NNEQ0GL/SnowyEgret.jpeg JOURNAL - A Marshy Meander - Make it stand out A snowy egret in Lord Cove the other day. The cove is an excellent birding spot. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625582295886-MYGI0X3Q12XF3I6LWMJK/PinxterFlower.jpeg JOURNAL - A Marshy Meander - Make it stand out Pinxter flower, or pink azalea, is a native plant with showy blossoms in late May. You’ll see them here and there on the mainland shore in the cove. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/woods-and-water monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625716724521-QSQE52OQQO3EKVLH9RHB/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Woods and Water - Make it stand out Uncas Pond in Lyme, CT, is 69 acres of water surrounded almost entirely by forest. A pleasant place to paddle a canoe or kayak. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625716867867-RSLJHA81ASJ9RMX73V0J/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Woods and Water - Make it stand out An American redstart, a warbler that can be abundant during spring migration, as they were this day. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/a-picturesqe-pond monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625947775211-I6PA36M3YT8HAAIDIQID/image.jpeg JOURNAL - A Picturesqe Pond - Make it stand out Breakneck Pond in Union, CT, is a gem hidden in Nipmuck State Forest. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625947826884-FID2Q8FP7K5UUJ2FWY6O/image.jpeg JOURNAL - A Picturesqe Pond - Make it stand out Marsh marigolds in bloom in the Nipmuck State Forest, Union. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625947869025-2VY6KTMKLN7BHGIVYF7K/image.jpeg JOURNAL - A Picturesqe Pond - Make it stand out Relics of widespread farming in the 18th and 19th centuries, old stone walls can still be found in much of the forest in Northeastern Connecticut. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/exploring-arbuckle-creek monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625948247352-IE70L4B6O3N910ZUK79O/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Exploring Arbuckle Creek - Make it stand out A paddler on Arbuckle Creek framed by old bald cypress trees at river’s edge. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625948294265-JA0FSCPAW1Q2PGHH0FWY/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Exploring Arbuckle Creek - Make it stand out The 106,000-acre Avon Park Air Force Range abuts part of Arbuckle Creek, including the upper section I paddled. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625948342694-HCRX72F1OEGP1QGFYCWX/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Exploring Arbuckle Creek - Make it stand out String lily, also known as Swamp Lilly, is native to the southeastern U.S. and is a most showy plant with big white flowers. It is found at the edge of streams and wet areas. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625948391730-YLQBCEURWTWRT2F0Q70Z/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Exploring Arbuckle Creek - Make it stand out I repeatedly flushed herons and egrets as I paddled. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625948442820-KXPCMNJ5YM3SHF2RJ96A/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Exploring Arbuckle Creek - Make it stand out Pickerelweed, which is found in much of the eastern U. S., prefers slow-moving water and helps stabilize riverbanks and pond edges. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/a-most-pleasant-paddle monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625948769465-0WN7TYD6NMTUNP03PS23/image.jpeg JOURNAL - A Most Pleasant Paddle - Make it stand out The Pinchot sycamore is the largest known tree in Connecticut, named for Gifford Pinchot, a Simsbury native who became the first head of the U. S. Forest Service. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625948851136-LTUY13X0PCJ5ZGAG81DU/image.jpeg JOURNAL - A Most Pleasant Paddle - Make it stand out The Farmington River between the Pinchot sycamore at Route 185 and Curtiss Park, 5.4 miles, is entirely calm water and pleasant paddling. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625948895590-SNCXPU1LY95QK0SD0PK5/image.jpeg JOURNAL - A Most Pleasant Paddle - Make it stand out In late June, the catalpa trees along the river are covered with massive blooms that often drape right over the water, as with this cluster. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625948999397-LV6XP9JRCWK2AUV0VXXV/image.jpeg JOURNAL - A Most Pleasant Paddle - Make it stand out A catalpa in bloom along the river. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625949021508-D8HINQRDG1PCUUNBCJK7/image.jpeg JOURNAL - A Most Pleasant Paddle - Make it stand out Cedar waxwings spend their summer days snatching insects over the river. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/a-hrefhttpsthestevegrantwebsitecoma-peaceful-quiet-place-for-a-special-walk-titlea-peaceful-quiet-place-for-a-special-walka-peaceful-quiet-place-for-a-special-walka monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625949629295-G9DQWG39PC8YHV4QJNYG/image.jpeg JOURNAL - A Peaceful, Quiet Place for a Special Walk</a> - Make it stand out A picnic table in a peaceful setting near the former Edith Morton Chase summer estate at Topsmead State Forest in Litchfield. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625949668210-2ZI5QXCWLV51RWECP045/image.jpeg JOURNAL - A Peaceful, Quiet Place for a Special Walk</a> - Make it stand out Bobolinks are hard to find in Connecticut, but Topsmead State Forest is one place to see them. They nest in the tall grass on the grounds. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625949717946-7WJVC11S7FW52N0JVKUG/image.jpeg JOURNAL - A Peaceful, Quiet Place for a Special Walk</a> - Make it stand out Among the wildflowers growing along the mowed grass paths through the meadows on a late spring day was cypress spurge. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625949753110-IACFENPOEQRQ8UMFCIX8/image.jpeg JOURNAL - A Peaceful, Quiet Place for a Special Walk</a> - Make it stand out Mowed paths through the tall grass meadows bring visitors up close to the birds and wildflowers at Topsmead State Forest. The small building at the top of the frame is a wildlife blind, open to the public. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/paddling-a-lake-of-links monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625952341858-U4UQ6WCKDKBIWNX9QTGA/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Paddling a Lake of Links - Make it stand out Pink azalea in bloom on the shore of Lake of Isles. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625952375835-HA849GNK9ZJWLMXYKKMS/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Paddling a Lake of Links - Make it stand out Bridges carrying golf carts now cross the lake in two places. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625952411438-TANAXNJN7BCXLZH39LI1/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Paddling a Lake of Links - Make it stand out The Lake of Isles golf clubhouse as seen from the lake. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/iv5afzzq8wxr6bn09a5jdmiv7xuati monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625952679827-PZVZ4Q91PCJ3MQ606RDT/image.jpeg JOURNAL - A Trek in Jonathan Dickinson State Park, Florida - Make it stand out Jay Knobel atop the Hobe Mountain Observation Tower. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625952728539-8TZXKUTGS7Y5WC1RBV5X/image.jpeg JOURNAL - A Trek in Jonathan Dickinson State Park, Florida - Make it stand out Wildflowers aplenty along the trail. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/my-35th-audubon-christmas-bird-count monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625952929159-QMRO8E4DYC9C5X9VZYSD/image.jpeg JOURNAL - My 35th Audubon Christmas Bird Count - Make it stand out A common loon on the Connecticut River in Wethersfield was a highlight of our Audubon Christmas Bird Count outing last month. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/kicking-around-in-the-tetons monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625953086935-ISQRGVU8XBOL01PWK5HF/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Kicking Around in the Tetons - Make it stand out Jenny Lake, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625953141367-06VPJQTWNM8S0HQO1AUN/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Kicking Around in the Tetons - Make it stand out Mount Moran rising behind Jackson Lake. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625953184464-42O8JZM2C0IRIO0D6FD5/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Kicking Around in the Tetons - Make it stand out Phelps Lake, from the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve within Grand Teton National Park. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625953227739-SWXWA8DB88TJI1Z8ZBD1/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Kicking Around in the Tetons - Make it stand out Taking photos at Jenny Lake, Grand Teton National Park. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625953267510-5BZPCBLHJ93QXTLJT24J/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Kicking Around in the Tetons - Make it stand out Leigh Lake, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. Many of the lakes in the park have hiking trails along their shores. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/paddling-west-thompson-lake monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625953552066-YFIVS84P5GUUT02JWNRQ/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Paddling West Thompson Lake - Make it stand out A view looking north on West Thompson Lake in Thompson. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625953584867-Z8VYAXBTPKJF8BQIWQ4R/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Paddling West Thompson Lake - Make it stand out Blue flag growing at water’s edge, is a showy wildflower of late spring. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625953620801-LR4UZYC058YCCMWY5CUS/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Paddling West Thompson Lake - Make it stand out Boaters find this sign at the north end of the artificial West Thompson Lake in Thompson, CT. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/a-peaceful-morning-paddle monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625953988605-0HE9SRD35QR3NO83V2JM/image.jpeg JOURNAL - A Peaceful Morning Paddle - Make it stand out The eastern end of the upper basin of the Moodus Reservoir can seem more remote than it really is. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625954025168-DGZMRSXHAK4W2NPIFMH8/image.jpeg JOURNAL - A Peaceful Morning Paddle - Make it stand out Highbush blueberry, a native shrub, in bloom on the Moodus Reservoir shoreline. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625954076701-1IYDX1FITUQSW2U9GN3M/image.jpeg JOURNAL - A Peaceful Morning Paddle - Make it stand out I flushed a pair of adult bald eagles at the more remote eastern end of the upper basin. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625954123713-TQFYU67XIF9VDDIUF1DX/image.jpeg JOURNAL - A Peaceful Morning Paddle - Make it stand out One of the eagles perched again nearby, solo. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/exploring-the-pequabuck-river monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625954361622-7ETWW0ZCOVQFODRV6PMU/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Exploring the Pequabuck River - Make it stand out The Pequabuck once was one of the most polluted rivers in Connecticut, burdened with industrial and municipal wastes. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625954399636-UBO1Z5KX004M5E5JKRDV/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Exploring the Pequabuck River - Make it stand out Canoeists and kayakers will repeatedly come upon overhanging and fallen limbs on the Pequabuck. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625954580766-TPES2WCMCA6Q6WFTEXCN/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Exploring the Pequabuck River - Make it stand out Catalpa trees, sometimes called cigar trees for their long, cigar-like seed pods that often persist through the winter into spring, are numerous along the Pequabuck. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/a-new-look-at-henry-david-thoreau monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625954774413-E2ECJAQ1ZSBGDHFYP0G6/image.jpeg JOURNAL - A New Look At Henry David Thoreau - Make it stand out Henry David Thoreau in 1856. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625954828529-P1F1NDH5ROVANYWH2DJ3/image.jpeg JOURNAL - A New Look At Henry David Thoreau - Make it stand out A replica of Thoreau’s cabin at Walden Pond, where he had many visitors over the 26 months he lived there alone. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625954865717-CA4DD4MTAOYTTATFM9P9/image.jpeg JOURNAL - A New Look At Henry David Thoreau - Make it stand out Thoreau’s gravesite in Concord. Visitors to the grave often leave little momentos that relate to his life or writings. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/the-annual-christmas-bird-count monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625955036806-3BSYUAQUPKB25O2WA9JV/image.jpeg JOURNAL - The Annual Christmas Bird Count - Make it stand out On a chilly December morning, birds were scarce along the Connecticut River in Wethersfield. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625955067055-0E7VMRORMY1291SYJNEF/image.jpeg JOURNAL - The Annual Christmas Bird Count - Make it stand out Steve Kotchko scanning the Connecticut River for birds as part of the 2017 Christmas Bird Count. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/disappointing-fall-foliage-color monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625955390651-JFE2FTA8EZVW72LMU89Y/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Disappointing Fall Foliage Color - Make it stand out A view west from the 1,365-foot summit of Cobble Mountain in Kent, CT. The fall foliage color is far less dramatic this year than in some other years. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625955419162-XAKTIXTKYHZAKHX8YM55/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Disappointing Fall Foliage Color - Make it stand out Another view from the summit of Cobble Mountain, the Catskill Mountains visible in the distance. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625955459666-66R1PQ5IUEORBJGK3ZJ7/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Disappointing Fall Foliage Color - Make it stand out Beside a marsh in Kent, CT., a red maple has already shed most of its leaves. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/paddling-on-an-autumn-morning monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626104499662-OE2PSINT9ZIK4J5FA4GR/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Paddling on an Autumn Morning - Make it stand out Pachaug Pond in Voluntown, CT, on an early fall morning with clear skies. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626104551470-ZF2AODW0WBBI59F7CPXU/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Paddling on an Autumn Morning - Make it stand out Highbush blueberry in full fall color along the shore of Pachaug Pond. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626104823405-3VX8ENZ98DEKSXVF76Y6/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Paddling on an Autumn Morning - Make it stand out The waterfall below Glasgow Pond, bringing the water of the Pachaug River into Pachaug Pond. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626104885853-S18JJDNJ052QYI42INGL/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Paddling on an Autumn Morning - Make it stand out Lady Liberty appears on a property along Pachaug Pond. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626104950577-BOOFMS9MVW1KTYGDV089/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Paddling on an Autumn Morning - Make it stand out New York asters blooming along the shore of Pachaug Pond. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/a-hrefhttpsthestevegrantwebsitecoma-winnipesaukee-week-titlea-winnipesaukee-weeka-winnipesaukee-weeka monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626124772012-H16KK657KK3TYAVGVTES/image.jpeg JOURNAL - A Winnipesaukee Week</a> - Make it stand out Sean & Allison and the little guys. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626124558804-HO8Q6ZUXV8IA767875HU/image.jpeg JOURNAL - A Winnipesaukee Week</a> - Make it stand out A view of Lake Winnipesaukee from Mount Major, a hugely popular hiking trail. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626124600692-OA09F50Y13SMFD92HBPI/image.jpeg JOURNAL - A Winnipesaukee Week</a> - Make it stand out Cy did a lot of fishing while at Lake Winnipesaukee. Click to enlarge https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626124686306-77VRYX3ANG4YTVAD44N2/image.jpeg JOURNAL - A Winnipesaukee Week</a> - Make it stand out Andy, 2, loved splashing around in the shallow water. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626124644649-08ARKKRZLCRDYNC6F1YX/image.jpeg JOURNAL - A Winnipesaukee Week</a> - Make it stand out Here I am hiking to Abenaki Tower with Cy. Photo by Sean Sterner. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/a-woodland-wildflower-walk monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626125591056-F49FZ9TOCB9TQG9ZRZS7/image.jpeg JOURNAL - A Woodland Wildflower Walk - Make it stand out False solomon’s seal in American Legion State Forest, Barkhamsted, CT. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626125760012-HO8U3SY26BW0EJ58F1H4/Brook_HenryBuckTrail.jpg JOURNAL - A Woodland Wildflower Walk - Make it stand out One of the brooks along the Henry Buck Trail in American Legion State Forest. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626125892021-PRWAR4UIGJAK7XX4UVTM/image.jpeg JOURNAL - A Woodland Wildflower Walk - Make it stand out Hemlock varnish shelf mushroom on a fallen trailside hemlock. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/a-must-do-hike monthly 0.5 2022-08-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626126695604-KAIK1UZEGYA4IPL4GE1O/image.jpeg JOURNAL - A Must-Do Hike - Make it stand out The Steep Rock Loop Trail has plentiful views of the scenic Shepaug River. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626126800208-3NIFFMGKYXRMVOQJELZO/image.jpeg JOURNAL - A Must-Do Hike - Make it stand out The view from Steep Rock, elevation 776 feet, in Washington, CT. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626126969724-GDDLON749EIEG54W4DMA/image.jpeg JOURNAL - A Must-Do Hike - Make it stand out A male scarlet tanager along the Steep Rock Loop Trail on a recent day. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626127096155-1SCH3QC98DJTGK5H9AXT/image.jpeg JOURNAL - A Must-Do Hike - Make it stand out A primrose growing beside the Steep Rock Loop Trail, possibly Primula japonica and potentially a first record of it having been naturalized in Connecticut. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/enjoy-before-it-is-gone monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626127756290-WX0313LTL9IQYB8EI9VN/image-asset.jpeg JOURNAL - Enjoy Before it is Gone - Make it stand out A red maple in Farmington is an example of the brilliant fall foliage color that can be seen in much of Connecticut in coming days. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/escaping-to-newport-in-late-summer monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626128936202-5DIZOHPBXV16U000ZI0X/SachuestBeach.jpeg JOURNAL - Escaping to Newport in Late Summer - Make it stand out Sachuest Beach is a big crescent beach popular with surfers. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626129208553-3GRWK47UFZK3UQOOZQ0T/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Escaping to Newport in Late Summer - Make it stand out A surfer at Easton’s Beach in Newport. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626129269508-SBKWF0PCUWVJ8PZ89UFR/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Escaping to Newport in Late Summer - Make it stand out Sachuest Beach fills up quickly on a hot summer day. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/an-appalachian-aviary monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626417921279-QJIJNVM6NJHR7HUM43HF/image.jpeg JOURNAL - An Appalachian Aviary - Make it stand out A veery along the Appalachian Trail in Kent. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626417977513-6T9KRM8YN79QW547VGLX/image.jpeg JOURNAL - An Appalachian Aviary - Make it stand out Steve Kotchko, left, and Judd Everhart, on the Appalachian Trail in Kent, CT., the Housatonic River in the background. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/a-desert-getaway monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626418603816-BMXQU8Q0JQ16HKXDSGTG/image.jpeg JOURNAL - A Desert Getaway - Make it stand out Hedgehog cactus in bloom, Saguaro National Park, southeast Arizona. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626418791948-J8WWX18E5VO4KVSECR0K/gila-woodpeckers.jpg JOURNAL - A Desert Getaway - Make it stand out Gila woodpeckers, male and female, atop a saguaro cactus in Saguaro National Park, Arizona. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626418830465-YBDYOVAW839JCRU29LLR/image.jpeg JOURNAL - A Desert Getaway - Make it stand out Saguaro cactus are long-lived and do not even sprout an appendage until they are about 75 years old. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626418870945-BTUG5FI0VRLSCJDU70AK/image.jpeg JOURNAL - A Desert Getaway - Make it stand out Scott Grant hiking in Saguaro National Park, Arizona. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/exploring-a-coastal-oasis monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626419215175-G7WQGJMHRTINEWG42T5P/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Exploring a Coastal Oasis - Make it stand out The marsh in Savannas State Park, Port St. Lucie, Florida, is nearly 1,000 acres and rich in plants and wildlife. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626419252042-ZXY8KTS46V2MU4GP6FUP/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Exploring a Coastal Oasis - Make it stand out Swamp lily is a showy wildflower found along the shores of the marsh. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626419279668-11SX5RQ7D2AR6X8E97Z4/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Exploring a Coastal Oasis - Make it stand out Pickerelweed in bloom in the marsh. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/a-winter-walk-in-the-woods monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626446873372-BBFZ7PB18SU94PFO6J9R/WinterWoodsWalk.jpg JOURNAL - A Winter Walk in the Woods - Make it stand out Walking one of the woodland paths in the Winding Trails natural area in Farmington, CT, after a fresh snowfall. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/a-very-rare-bird-in-farmington-amp-avon monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626447225029-1J6HCRKBMOGUD6QG3HD1/image.jpeg JOURNAL - A Very Rare Bird in Farmington &amp; Avon - Make it stand out A pink-footed goose surrounded by Canada geese on Lake Dunning, Farmington. It is only the 4th time ever that a pink-footed goose has been identified in Connecticut. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626447270031-LROAUTQOG0ASAFKXUWAT/image.jpeg JOURNAL - A Very Rare Bird in Farmington &amp; Avon - Make it stand out The pink-footed goose was seen Nov. 25 in the northwest corner of the pond in the Fisher Meadows recreation area in Avon, mixed in with Canada geese. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/a-fall-foliage-ramble-in-connecticuts-northeast-corner monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626447466485-NJR689IO5VJKK7AE9QCA/image.jpeg JOURNAL - A Fall Foliage Ramble in Connecticut’s Northeast Corner - Make it stand out Bigelow Brook, Union, CT, at height of the fall foliage color display in October. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626447506894-S3QPBLJ3EKRJ4CD2T3X1/image.jpeg JOURNAL - A Fall Foliage Ramble in Connecticut’s Northeast Corner - Make it stand out Sugar maples are the quintessential New England fall foliage tree with leaves of yellow, orange and red. These trees grace a home and barn on Route 171 in Eastford, CT. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/the-september-27-2015-total-eclipse-of-the-moon monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626447912450-YXM924PZXEDVU36EIDK6/image.jpeg JOURNAL - The September 27, 2015, Total Eclipse of the Moon - Make it stand out The Super Harvest Blood Moon as seen from Farmington, CT. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/the-lifeblood-of-the-landscape monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626448080715-V6SX3747DL7RA45Y93DY/image.jpeg JOURNAL - The Lifeblood of the Landscape - Make it stand out The Farmington River in Connecticut is a hugely popular recreational river that once was burdened with serious pollution issues and now is much cleaner. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/the-wildflowers-of-may monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626457205184-E4F0UQYQ93YPNGHONWP9/wildflowersOfMay.jpg JOURNAL - The Wildflowers of May - Make it stand out Wild ginger, Barkhamsted, CT. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/hard-to-top-lions-head-scenery monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626457397844-C7EGQ85K2FZ13O2APYKZ/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Hard to Top Lion’s Head Scenery - Make it stand out Frances and Jay Knobel atop Lion’s Head in Salisbury, CT. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/martha-on-the-mountain monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626457823919-115BYOULRE2ZYJ6A350S/marthaOnMoutnaint.jpg JOURNAL - Martha on the Mountain - Make it stand out Martha on the Mountain whittling a hiking staff atop Mohawk Mountain on a chilly spring morning. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/a-farmers-manifesto monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626458273288-D9XM3Q8ZGY9N4HCF6PDF/image.jpeg JOURNAL - A Farmer’s Manifesto - Make it stand out Megan Haney kneels in a cover crop of rye and vetch in Kent, CT, where she tends three acres of vegetables and flowers beside the Housatonic River. Photo courtesy of Tom Lapham. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/the-raw-material-of-dreams monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626459057549-DGQZW5CTNCKULANWBF0Z/NortherForestCanoeTrailBook.jpg JOURNAL - The Raw Material of Dreams - Make it stand out The newly published Northern Forest Canoe Trail guidebook Click image to enlarge. Click here to buy on Amazon. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/of-eve-okee-and-the-okefenokee monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626104100539-SGKL68WBU7NCEBF9D7G8/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Of Eve, Okee and the Okefenokee - Make it stand out Eve Capehart paddling in the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626461974394-C5V6XH4L3CCZMN6UKNN1/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Of Eve, Okee and the Okefenokee - Make it stand out A cypress tree with Spanish moss in the Okefenokee Swamp. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626461787841-HYRTW63JVJUCJV3N3N76/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Of Eve, Okee and the Okefenokee - Make it stand out An Okefenokee alligator. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/in-search-of-the-red-cockaded-woodpecker monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626459472453-VANRW1ELOT6WMCEG2VAT/image.jpeg JOURNAL - In Search of the Red-cockaded Woodpecker - Make it stand out A red-cockaded woodpecker, Saint Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere, Florida. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/a-harlequin-on-the-farmington monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626460380373-0E7K51II4W1VTZVTC9AT/image.jpeg JOURNAL - A Harlequin on the Farmington - Make it stand out A harlequin duck on the Farmington River in Connecticut. Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/the-lyrics-of-the-landscape monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626460786890-Q6FKVDIGI6LEI6JXSSS7/moore-dam-NewHampshire.jpg JOURNAL - The Lyrics of the Landscape - Make it stand out A view of a section of the upper Connecticut River valley, with a glimpse of Moore Dam in Littleton, N. H. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/maines-best-idea monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626462741295-IAASSAIR71WDF9LI3MBW/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Maine’s Best Idea - Make it stand out Moose feeding in the Kennebago River, Rangeley, Maine. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626462985005-OSEKZSAKI5D01RUK1RPN/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Maine’s Best Idea - Make it stand out Mooselookmeguntic Lake, in the western Maine mountains. A big, beautiful, clean lake with a shoreline that is easily 90 percent forested. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626462879551-SX7QRSJRUWOU9U28FYXE/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Maine’s Best Idea - Make it stand out Mile-high Mount Katahdin in Maine is the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. The southern terminus is Springer Mountain in Georgia. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626463128363-IC5TO06L54D857QODSZ1/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Maine’s Best Idea - Scott Grant My son, Scott, toasting marshmallows at our campsite along the West Branch of the Penobscot River in Maine. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626463184867-IQ0X7LDFHUVFZGDINLRT/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Maine’s Best Idea - Appalachian Reporters Reporters and photographers who produced the series Appalachian Adventure for 5 newspapers. Atop Mount Katahdin, Maine https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626463243947-J0LCKO0UI1DQ2QEJHORM/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Maine’s Best Idea - Painted trillium Painted trillium, near the Allagash River, northern Maine. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626463270744-KLFCMVXQ27NJN0ERJ7E4/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Maine’s Best Idea - Hemlock Bridge The Hemlock Bridge in Fryeburg, Maine, was built in 1857. It is 116-feet long and spans and old channel of the Saco River. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626463307467-9WKF92AVK7GL3UAZCJQL/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Maine’s Best Idea - Allison Grant Allison Grant hiking the remote Bold Coast Trail in Cutler, Maine, on a chilly late spring day. Five miles of the trail follows one of the wildest remaining sections of coastline in the eastern United States. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626463332369-VGTF37P3642MYDWV08TL/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Maine’s Best Idea - Steve on Knife Edge Steve hiking the Knife Edge, near summit of Mt. Katahdin, Maine, Oct. 1, 1995 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626463347620-3KYOQ4OGXR5EPCPNQ8UK/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Maine’s Best Idea - Grand Falls Grand Falls of the Dead River, Maine. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626463362431-HZBJOQA0WRRO9X734F67/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Maine’s Best Idea - Mooselookmeguntic Lake Mooselookmeguntic Lake, Maine. A Thoreauvian kind of place https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626463377362-CBAFPVNV0XTNC6TJEJD7/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Maine’s Best Idea - Wilderness Region The Appalachian Mountain Club preserved a key piece of the 100-Mile-Wilderness in Maine https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/the-two-connecticut-rivers monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626464278928-6DG56Q77MKIU18PNXV8W/image.jpeg JOURNAL - The Two Connecticut Rivers - Make it stand out Falls in the River in Pittsburg, New Hampshire, is a pristine and scenic stretch of the Connecticut River just a few miles from its origins on the Canadian border. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/a-strange-mushroom monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626464516589-T7IIIT38CGMI7QDWMV38/image.jpeg JOURNAL - A Strange Mushroom - Make it stand out Bear’s Head Tooth, a fungus growing in Hurd State Park in East Hampton, CT. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/putting-the-garden-to-bed monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626464750397-OVIQJI5W6R6P67QI9WJN/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Putting the Garden to Bed - Make it stand out A tomato afflicted with late blight. Click to enlarge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626465163890-09C7TGWAAL73ZL92BCSS/carrots.jpg JOURNAL - Putting the Garden to Bed - Make it stand out Some nice end of season carrots https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/reading-john-muir monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626465778501-MMO7NDRLQZ1WJOVPVR61/image.jpeg JOURNAL - Reading John Muir - Make it stand out John Muir, full-length portrait, facing right, seated on rock with lake and trees in background (Courtesy of Wikipedia) Click to enlarge. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/sedona-serendipity monthly 0.5 2021-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625952465348-JW0XRA9QBC0ITOWREGPP/387D5D4C-E6E0-415F-A94A-B242207C0549_1_201_a.jpeg JOURNAL - Sedona Serendipity - Make it stand out Sedona, Arizona, and its red rock mountains as a thunderstorm approached late afternoon. Hiking and birding in the area is excellent. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625952786146-07EYB0D572PEGSV6XO34/23C04C1A-C553-4525-B5B6-BD4A225E2F45.jpeg JOURNAL - Sedona Serendipity - Make it stand out Sacred datura, a wildflower of the Southwest, has spectacular, large blooms. Came upon this plant while hiking a trail in Sedona. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625953075361-5KZONZ7I48030EYXEVAW/9AD6098F-7FAB-4B75-995B-727BD3837982_1_201_a.jpeg JOURNAL - Sedona Serendipity - Make it stand out An acorn woodpecker moments after stashing an acorn in this woodland “cupboard.” https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/category/Connecticut+Outdoors monthly 0.5 https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/category/National+Parks monthly 0.5 https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/category/Trails monthly 0.5 https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/category/Yoga monthly 0.5 https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/category/Rivers monthly 0.5 https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/tag/adventure+travel monthly 0.5 https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/tag/river monthly 0.5 https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/journal/tag/travel monthly 0.5 https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/about daily 0.75 2026-02-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1618497259178-6XJGK9GR6YAVBQL5L519/20140301_Trade-151_012-2.jpg ABOUT STEVE https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1607694583486-2PQT0LQ193RL7MCB6DX4/20140228_Trade+151_0046.jpg ABOUT STEVE https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625585493968-BUSWVGTJYDY57I8404CO/steve-tiley-hat.JPEG ABOUT STEVE Steve Grant is a writer living in Farmington, Connecticut. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/stevegrant daily 1.0 2021-11-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625607782067-9L4PXS2SRS24JFWZSRCV/blackOysterCatchers.jpg HOME https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625608296505-HUBS70KSKXJSZ7P6ZB2E/bigelowBrook.jpg HOME https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1626895954866-KHR02QDZE96W9YG6DXMF/BA7618B5-0167-477F-9CAE-5C7646F0610D_1_201_a.jpeg HOME https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1628091975970-2E0FHMDRMWNIQCSMTXEG/DF52AE6C-6B8D-4DEC-A12E-C1CD1B5926B5.jpeg HOME https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1628092345414-8AWL8IUOW5CHHNENGDAC/3A161685-BA1A-43C0-8AFE-EA4BF81F39EF.jpeg HOME https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1628107536071-5LHMSR5BZUUMB3VTJRQF/62059EF4-4E47-4AD8-BD06-F8F84D970B48_1_201_a.jpeg HOME https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625434679232-ZZ9WBQNN3DYEJ9X2QKX6/A-Place-about-Flight-Blog-Image.jpg HOME - Wandering, Wondering. My journal is a place for me to relate my experiences in the outdoors, reflect upon those experiences, and share photographs of what I have seen. I spend a lot of time paddling a canoe, kayak or raft exploring rivers, lakes and coastal waters, and I hike on trails throughout the country. I’ll stop to snap a pic of a wildflower, a bird, an especially striking tree - or a landscape that brings a smile to my face. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/squarespace-test daily 0.75 2021-07-15 https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/general-3 daily 0.75 2021-07-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1618497259178-6XJGK9GR6YAVBQL5L519/20140301_Trade-151_012-2.jpg General 3 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1607638148090-Y6OFDI575CM3NQV732RJ/Large+JPG-Aro+Ha_0387.jpg General 3 https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/photography daily 0.75 2021-07-08 https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/photography/wildflowers monthly 0.5 2021-08-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625679113750-I58TV6V9SK1GOND8CSZ0/PinxterFlower.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Wildflowers The very striking and big blossoms of Pinxter Flower, or pink azalea, edge of the Connecticut River, Lord Cove, Old Lyme, CT. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625676337551-VR6JWPI4B0V79RCXGARD/Wild-Ginger.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Wildflowers https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625676276727-E1R1SG30P80OWI2ZW7NO/PinkLadysSlipper.jpg PHOTOGRAPHY - Wildflowers https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/00957780-c431-44ee-94ca-f3f4f6622011/PaintedTrillium.jpg PHOTOGRAPHY - Wildflowers https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625581517822-2VKFWSEIPYKF8UGDDJY7/sacred-datura.JPG PHOTOGRAPHY - Wildflowers https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/675bec17-6cbe-481d-b738-7b72e1c94692/B0B523D8-73E6-4560-A3A1-72291EA24038_1_201_a.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Wildflowers Flowers of the catalpa tree, an uncommon species in the north. There are two species of catalpa, northern and southern, and they are very similar. Both grow wild especially along riverbanks. I photographed these catalpa flowers from my kayak while paddling along the Farmington River in Simsbury, CT. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/8896dfe0-8db8-4f0c-abc2-6e971da8d059/2386CC66-7FE8-449F-96BE-A05C00A2A187_1_201_a.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Wildflowers Joe Pye Weed is a big, showy wildflower that often grows in colonies. This plant was growing alongside the Farmington River Trail in Farmington, CT. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/a3ee6f07-773e-4510-825d-c23030c5864f/AAA8BEFE-B10C-4703-8275-428EDB3824D3.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Wildflowers Lupines growing beside Lake Tahoe, California side of the lake. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/8167cedd-d0f9-4a66-ad5d-ca11b02cf3ac/F972E495-B25A-49FB-A5F4-9B12E196AD9A_1_201_a.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Wildflowers Aptly named, starflower is a small wildflower that prefers moist woods. Not only the flower, but even the whorled leaves evoke a star. This one bloomed in mid-May close to a small stream in Northeastern Connecticut. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/f64d9a4d-800c-4c55-945d-9c13750e502d/1A94B1B3-D5BF-41C4-B427-C72F7BFB5F1E.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Wildflowers Swamp Rose-Mallow, Outer Banks, North Carolina. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/b07fdd1f-873f-4bd5-8890-e48a86dd41ad/IMG_2691.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Wildflowers Rose-Rush has a showy, interesting flower. It grows only in Florida and a few counties in Georgia on sandy soils. Flowers are solitary, with a wire, leafless stem. I came upon this plant in Jonathan Dickinson State Park, Kitching Creek Trail, near Jupiter, Florida. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/photography/hiking-trails monthly 0.5 2021-08-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/214e7aaf-9b71-4774-a358-487580fa9550/D4B05EA5-4E23-4851-9DF1-4AC0D0732E51.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Hiking Trails My son, Scott, grabs a photo opp with his phone on the Wilson Canyon Trail, Coconino National Forest, near Sedona, Arizona. Coconino is a great place to hike and explore the red rock mountains of the Sedona area. This trail is three miles roundtrip from a trailhead parking area, with great views of Wilson Mountain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/b854464d-3db3-49e3-bf6f-f36a08978367/CC4D9132-2924-4D27-A62F-25853F4BF5C0_1_201_a.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Hiking Trails While hiking the Baskins Creek Falls Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, near Gatlinburg, Tennessee, I came upon this small but charming waterfall, part of Falls Branch Brook. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/534065bf-6432-4888-98a2-b0c6bdb7d1fe/0BF4A123-236E-4047-8AB9-307274CA84FF_1_201_a.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Hiking Trails Phelps Lake, viewed from the Lake Creek Trail, Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve, within Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/c25438c5-d425-4c5b-abc9-9d7128bc1162/93093798-12F8-4EE2-BDC6-0C432E5674E7_1_201_a.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Hiking Trails Mount Jefferson, as seen in morning fog from a section of the Pacific Crest Trail on Mount Hood, Oregon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/d0f63a86-ca2b-47a9-8958-f533c88dbf66/17E982FB-2E07-4AD9-B1E0-F85A407EAB83_1_201_a.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Hiking Trails Steve on Cat Rock, Appalachian Trail, New York, 1995. Photo by Michael Kodas. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/d9bff64c-8124-4de2-8f0b-d7018202e1b2/BA625E76-B4EC-42A3-A8CB-5EAADEDBD401_1_201_a.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Hiking Trails Mount Major is a very popular hike in New Hampshire's Lakes Region, with terrific views of Lake Winnepesaukee from its open summit, elevation 1,785 feet. Steep in places, it is a 1.5 mile trek to the summit, 3 miles roundtrip. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/photography/outdoor-yoga monthly 0.5 2021-08-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/49774e4e-e040-4d8a-80e7-5bf16e59efd8/DF52AE6C-6B8D-4DEC-A12E-C1CD1B5926B5.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Outdoor Yoga Steve leading early morning yoga at a campsite beside the Rogue River in southern Oregon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625620069073-SDBAPN1PX5E3GVOU893U/snowshoe-Yoga.jpg PHOTOGRAPHY - Outdoor Yoga Yoga teacher Robin Kirsche does triangle pose in the snow in Farmington, CT https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625584758118-I8FSD7AM7V747WOWZ8YU/Steve_Yoga-Tree.jpg PHOTOGRAPHY - Outdoor Yoga Steve mimicking two palm trees in tree pose, Jensen Beach, Florida https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/a0714c55-8f58-43ea-b44e-fdeb52309674/IMG_0257.jpg PHOTOGRAPHY - Outdoor Yoga Yoga on a dock https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/c445e760-89e4-4851-81d0-985e077ad462/IMG_05071.jpg PHOTOGRAPHY - Outdoor Yoga Steve and Robin Kirsche practicing yoga along the Appalachian Trail, Salisbury, CT. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1627681000654-BN6HBNON6RZAO5OHYMEP/Snow-Steve-Yoga.jpg PHOTOGRAPHY - Outdoor Yoga Steve coming into Dancer pose on the Catamount Trail in northern Vermont. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/61ace898-c6a0-47de-8e85-35e050742bcd/A8D9EB9C-5134-4955-BB95-3CB7E4C60327_1_201_a.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Outdoor Yoga Tree pose atop Mount Ascutney, elevation 3,144-feet. Ascutney is a monadnock, a solitary mountain, in Windsor, Vermont. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/photography/landscapes monthly 0.5 2021-08-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1628092345414-8AWL8IUOW5CHHNENGDAC/3A161685-BA1A-43C0-8AFE-EA4BF81F39EF.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Landscapes Mount Rainier in Washington state is a massive, 14,411-foot-high, snow-covered presence easily seen from 60 or more miles away. This image of the summit was taken from the road to the Visitor Center in Mount Rainier National Park. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1628096203575-FRSN44VM097X6WC5I7I1/387D5D4C-E6E0-415F-A94A-B242207C0549_1_201_a.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Landscapes Sedona, Arizona, as a thunderstorm approached late one afternoon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/507e6d82-4668-4b1a-9d70-1564a0dd778f/D3493A72-528A-4E5C-BCE5-0A22FEDF40FE.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Landscapes An idyllic picnic spot in Topsmead State Forest in Litchfield, CT. Topsmead is a 510-acre preserve of manicured grounds, an old and elegant estate cottage, forest, and meadows, all of it laced with trails. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/a14b4244-e6fa-4ad9-bd28-ee47afe30db7/853622C0-FCD2-4321-9128-3EB23FA72A7E_1_201_a.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Landscapes Mooselookmeguntic Lake in the western Maine mountains. Most of the shoreline is deep forest. The lake has a surface area of 25 square miles with 57 miles of shoreline. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/2f224564-a923-4e1d-b6f5-e7918d1b4c2d/1420517D-17C0-488D-B164-4A4647A322AA_1_201_a.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Landscapes An intense rainbow over the Intracoastal Waterway off Jensen Beach, Florida, with Hutchinson Island in the distance. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/0f0df725-111f-4b55-916d-64afc383ff3a/42E3E5AB-BA8E-45E8-9D8A-CC2A18A83074_1_201_a.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Landscapes Ruby Beach in afternoon fog, Olympic National Park, Washington https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/626199bf-6ea7-425f-b349-82080dae9612/2EDBECF8-A6FF-4054-9C7B-A0E8F7C55F0D.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Landscapes Early morning, Mount Rushmore, South Dakota https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/013ac5e4-a83d-414b-9256-6e2d34d6ca64/C9389CA0-39DC-4D13-B149-2CE9A0263CE4.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Landscapes Jenny Lake, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/615e4cce-d16a-4456-8fea-7e382e6eb6f0/3F6E3ACD-3B7F-465F-8859-A1D1FC29F782_1_201_a.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Landscapes Sunflowers, Tillotson Road, Avon, CT https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/2c3d89ae-ac41-43c8-9cfc-7cc51a393444/7205659F-82DA-48EF-8BC0-F5E9949050C3_1_201_a.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Landscapes Squantz Pond, New Fairfield, CT, on a calm morning in June. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/d8c7bf04-8622-48e4-965e-cce3c7cf0e9f/222A7979-74B3-47EF-8237-64D0996C2DFD_1_201_a.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Landscapes A view from the Navajo Trail, Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/d515e9da-53b0-48fd-bd29-9d75a2727b50/D616313F-C037-44F1-8394-074C71E44C93_1_201_a.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Landscapes An old, massive black walnut tree beside a centuries-old home on a quiet country road in eastern Connecticut. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/photography/exploring-rivers monthly 0.5 2021-08-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1ec73092-c9aa-4249-b23d-612643497c9b/CTriver.jpg PHOTOGRAPHY - Exploring Rivers The Connecticut River near its headwaters on the Canadian border is spectacularly beautiful, coursing through a forest thick with spruce and balsam fir. This is a section in Pittsburg, N. H., known as Falls in the River. From the parking area at the foot of Second Connecticut Lake you can follow a trail along the river to the falls. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/43589372-6969-4da7-b8b8-1e40536f597c/Shepaug-River-in-Winter.jpg PHOTOGRAPHY - Exploring Rivers The Shepaug River is one of the most beautiful streams in Connecticut. A tributary of the Housatonic River in the western part of the state, much of it flows through a forested preserve that keeps the river clean and scenic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/0a30ce34-d7d7-4939-bfda-889e72577fc6/bigelowBrook.jpg PHOTOGRAPHY - Exploring Rivers Bigelow Brook in Union, Connecticut, flows through one of the largest forested preserves in the state, in its northeastern corner. Wild brook trout, which flourish in clean, cool waters like Bigelow Brook, are as colorful as the leaves in fall. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/68267f41-0279-4e68-bea0-f75c50eee503/Dead-River-Maine.jpg PHOTOGRAPHY - Exploring Rivers Maine is rich with great rivers. I've spent years canoeing and kayaking on them. This scene is Grand Falls on the Dead River, a comparatively remote area in the western Maine mountains. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/37fc8d36-e165-4994-8cef-7c24172335c4/steve-on-rapids-1.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Exploring Rivers To avoid the precipitous drop that is part of Rainie Falls on the Rogue River in Oregon, paddlers can instead take this side channel known as Fishway Rapids. Here I am making my way through, fortunately without flipping over. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/0b916feb-f95b-44b1-ab29-2e59821a1d09/B47E33FC-7CAB-40A0-B257-9B2BA2C856AC_1_201_a.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Exploring Rivers The Rio Grande as it emerges from Santa Elena Canyon in Big Bend National Park, Texas. The Rio Grande is the fifth longest river in North America. I canoed through the canyon with a small group, camping on the riverbank at night. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/55b8a786-c11b-445c-af13-3cfd26bcc63f/7F1622EC-0861-4471-9E74-70CB3D53CFCD_1_201_a.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Exploring Rivers The Farmington River is my home river, only slightly over a mile from my house. It begins in the Berkshire mountains of western Massachusetts, flows south to Farmington, then north, then east, emptying into the Connecticut River. It is an enormously popular river for recreation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/aba7c4fe-6d6c-442e-960d-05240809a24b/59483DD4-D843-4300-966C-35E04185B350.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Exploring Rivers My son, Scott, left front, and myself, right front, paddling a whitewater section of the Deschutes River near Bend, Oregon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/cc7bc472-9c8f-4dc5-ba42-f627fcaad9ca/594E7B10-2298-4C55-AEB8-232DC6D9B37D_1_201_a.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Exploring Rivers Paddling the Connecticut River headwaters, Pittsburg, N. H., near the Canadian border, 1991. I paddled the Connecticut from its origins to the sea - 410 miles - camping along the river at night, over 33 days. Photo by Michael McAndrews. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/0c529757-cdb4-4fa5-a7a2-87f1e3b30887/DSC02942.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Exploring Rivers Riley Creek is a small, free-flowing, picturesque stream in Denali National Park, Alaska. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/f2535926-d421-4d6b-b8be-07c5144e9030/DSC02219.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Exploring Rivers Fed in part by glaciers in North Cascades National Park in Washington, the Methow River flows clean and cold for 80 miles, one of only two free-flowing rivers that are tributaries to the mid- or lower-Columbia River. On this day in 2022, I paddled a kayak on 7 miles of the Methow south of Winthrop, Washington. https://www.thestevegrantwebsite.com/photography/birding-america monthly 0.5 2021-08-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/2d0097ca-d53c-49ed-b8d0-3f8b78ad9f64/4E659307-63E1-4479-AB50-39CD763A0082_1_201_a.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Birding America An acorn woodpecker along the Rogue River, Tou Velle State Park, White City, Oregon. Aptly named, this species stashes acorns in holes it pecks in trees and telephone poles. Its range is comparatively small, including Arizona, California and Oregon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625432832857-PEL1FVOHSUSQYJ5EZN1S/blue-windged-teal-ducks.jpg PHOTOGRAPHY - Birding America Blue-winged teal are abundant in winter at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in Titusville, Florida. The species breeds in much of North America. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625679047683-KOE41ZBP16BLK2W9BXNB/SnowyEgret.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Birding America Snowy egret, Lord Cove, Connecticut River, Old Lyme, Connecticut. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/01d36165-3f92-4774-899b-d9df54fc54aa/veery.jpg PHOTOGRAPHY - Birding America A member of the thrush family, the veery is a woodland species, seen here along a section of the Appalachian Trail in Kent, Connecticut. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/0b9c8d21-aa7b-42e8-b9aa-04786f5418c3/blackOysterCatchers.jpg PHOTOGRAPHY - Birding America Black oystercatchers in early morning fog, Ruby Beach, Olympic National Park, Washington. This coastal species prefers rocks near the sea, as seen in this image. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/b1f90b6d-bff2-4d59-ac68-003bf3b37b9c/baby-owls.jpg PHOTOGRAPHY - Birding America Great horned owl chicks in a nest atop a storm-ravaged palm tree in Port Salerno, Florida. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625437063261-CBBL0875E98XEDGKSA28/red-shouldered-hawk+.JPEG PHOTOGRAPHY - Birding America Often seen near water, the red-shouldered hawk is a comparatively common hawk found throughout the eastern U. S. and California. Florida birds, like this one, are slightly paler in color. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/4e905dc0-d199-41a0-885c-4ca502b868a3/DFCBB638-A284-4AA1-8ED4-A111BF5E4283.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Birding America With the old coastal village of Stonington, CT, as a backdrop, common terns were abundant one summer day as I paddled along the coast, camera around my neck. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1625430231588-F9BFRL85LC7UI8B5YQ2U/little_blue_heron.jpg PHOTOGRAPHY - Birding America The little blue heron is most common in the southeastern U. S. They tend to move about slowly at the edges of fresh or salt water. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/1628437972204-IU960Q5FGQGU8KSA1HYK/male-Boat-tailed-grackle.jpg PHOTOGRAPHY - Birding America The boat-tailed grackle, found along the eastern seaboard, has iridescent blue-green plumage. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/92fb4a75-d574-4423-8777-74d65c8e6d5f/4AB390E2-B45F-4874-8DA5-609EB62E66D2_1_201_a.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Birding America The green heron typically tucks itself in the wooded edges of ponds and streams, feeding on small fish. It is found in much of the eastern U. S. during the warm weather months. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/2ed1bca6-a18d-4df2-8dc5-003afb8b51f8/D9D7C72A-9C56-48CF-B31B-6A91209E4158.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Birding America Paddling the St. Lucie River in Port St. Lucie, Florida, one morning I came upon this anhinga in breeding plumage - note the turquoise around the eye - as it perched on a palm tree that had fallen into the river. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/baeb7f2f-e46a-40aa-9bd7-755275cea884/73D1E049-1C2D-462F-AF0F-995C7687A0C3_1_201_a.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Birding America An eastern bluebird perched on the limb of a red maple in early spring in Farmington, CT. As Henry David Thoreau wrote, "The bluebird carries the sky on his back." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/a4a75416-0ded-4163-8b61-45bb8609e9d6/F18D8CE9-DDE8-48EA-8062-70B0BF3F4A72_1_201_a.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Birding America Almost certainly carried in by the winds associated with superstorm Sandy, this cattle egret showed up on a farm field on the Farmington/Avon town line in Connecticut in November, 2012. Connecticut is well out of its normal range. It is common in the southeastern U. S. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/7a4191b8-b677-4299-a537-fbbbd2b8a42f/34FD74C3-59FF-4D65-8155-E5440B560618_1_201_a.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Birding America A Chipping Sparrow singing away at Topsmead State Forest in Litchfield, CT. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/add3f389-0567-4ceb-b531-c49b66486066/A8E286FB-817D-49F0-A21A-65E250FBAA4E_1_201_a.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Birding America The pied-billed grebe, which dives for crayfish, small fish and aquatic insects, is found in much of the U.S. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/7a143027-02f9-4604-94c8-890de55f0be2/01771ABB-893A-404D-A05D-39B91621CE4A_1_201_a.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Birding America A tricolored heron. The white belly makes it easy to tell this species from the similar great blue heron. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/af41fd85-0a0d-4bec-ae38-48155b02308a/50225F0F-7751-4E9D-A60E-E2944B6FB6D8_1_201_a.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Birding America The wood stork, a bird of the southeastern U. S., is a large bird, easily three feet long, that is uncommon but often roosts in colonies. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/01c3cffe-9bdd-4e35-921c-b2fd7fcde762/FBE9F34F-4694-4119-9681-BAA6F1364A6F_1_201_a.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Birding America Double-crested cormorants, Stonington, CT https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/62e41500-b42b-4756-bbb2-0d75a9debbed/C6BBFD84-5516-4DDE-A067-D47C49BFFDD1_1_201_a.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Birding America The common loon breeds in the far northern states and Canada, often on big, deep, cold lakes. I photographed this bird from my kayak one morning while paddling a quiet, secluded cove on Squam Lake in New Hampshire. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/9a83ffdc-7c7b-4436-9762-3bf36dd25304/ACA96A3D-EB4C-4FEA-9547-53BDA062C8B3_1_201_a.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Birding America A golden-crowned kinglet along the Pequabuck River in Farmington during winter. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/d5eb4a81-b4e5-474b-bccd-068498e367c5/59BC237A-A96D-41E8-BFE1-88A63FFECEEE.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Birding America Royal terns are abundant on the beaches of Hutchinson Island, Florida, near Stuart. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/4149ccf6-68f6-4df1-a876-25eed6da2b2f/689C880F-5F7C-4BA2-8DA4-65BCC00DB997_1_201_a.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Birding America American Oystercatchers are unmistakable with their black head, yellow and orange eyes, orange bill and white belly. These birds were photographed on a rocky sandbar about a half mile off the mainland in Groton, CT. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/36cd55c8-42ac-4ac5-8ec7-5e8ae1c444a7/6701E86B-61C0-41CD-816F-C56BF2E4ABC6_1_201_a.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Birding America A ruddy turnstone in winter plumage on a small beach, Merritt Island, Florida. Turnstones are common in Florida in winter, migrating to the Arctic to breed in summer. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/c590c3e5-4c16-497a-8287-77e923d41dcf/35D63DB2-AF36-46AE-A248-BB9BA55A6B71_1_201_a.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Birding America The aptly named yellow-throated warbler in Jensen Beach, Florida. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/09c6ad9b-8616-4a85-a72a-526e5623cbeb/9B1D6BDE-534B-4958-AA2D-C1543E0CF99F_1_201_a.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Birding America A sooty grouse seen from the Hurricane Hill Trail, Olympic National Park, Washington. The sooty grouse and the dusky grouse of the Rockies were once considered one species, then known as the blue grouse. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/da2d41a8-a6ca-472f-b92d-31a08f77ab95/0EF63CEE-BA0F-43FD-A611-ED0D54D0B9C0_1_201_a.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Birding America Gray Jay, Northwest race, North Cascades National Park, Washington. The Northwest race has a paler belly and darker, more extensive cap. Nicknamed "the camp robber," it will snatch food from a picnic table while people are sitting there. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/24cb824c-f1d0-4c93-ab06-add7928f5574/IMG_6244.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Birding America A pair of great egrets in full breeding plumage at Wakodahatchee Wetlands, Delray Beach, Florida. The graceful plumes and lime green facial skin before the eye emerge when breeding. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/f6830df0-a867-4a6c-a468-44bf71b4ff70/DSC03144.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Birding America Populations of the Florida scrub-jay crashed over the past century as the sandy, scrub habitat it has to have became homes, businesses and roads. Also, fire suppression efforts allowed the scrub habitat to become overgrown. The species is federally listed as threatened, with less than 10,000 birds remaining, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. I photographed this bird atop a snag in Savanna Preserve State Park, beside the Hawks Nest Trail in Jensen Beach. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/4ec64c38-ba68-4e40-ab8d-b3951dea3ef6/DSC03396.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Birding America A spotted towhee atop Rocky Mountain Juniper, Randall Davey Audubon Sanctuary, Santa Fe, New Mexico. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60e1ff766295290b6f801366/ba86ae4f-c5c5-4f5a-a7fa-d6286772feac/DSC03286.jpeg PHOTOGRAPHY - Birding America The black-throated sparrow is a southwestern species often seen in desert habitat, including Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California. This bird was perched along the Barker Dam Trail in the park.