Things to Do in Folsom: A Local’s Guide to the Town Beyond the Lake
A Folsom resident’s guide to Old Town, the restaurant scene, the lakes, the rescue zoo, the prison museum, and the trails. Real costs, hours, and what to skip.
Travel
Folsom Lake: A Local’s Guide to Beaches, Boating, and the Town Underneath
The most important choice at Folsom Lake happens before you see the water: which of the six gates you drive to. Get it right and the day sorts itself out, a swim beach or a boat ramp or a quiet cove, exactly as you pictured. Get it wrong and you are looping the long way …
The Theodore Payne Wildflower Hotline: A Caller’s Field Guide
Dial (818) 768-1802 ext. 7 every Friday March-May for the Theodore Payne Wildflower Hotline. Schedule, 2026 archive, history, and the broader CA wildflower information ecosystem.
The 2026 Death Valley Super Bloom: A Retrospective Field Guide
NPS classified 2026 as Death Valley’s fourth documented super bloom (1998, 2005, 2016, 2026). Here’s what happened, why it ended early, and what to watch for next time.
What Is a Super Bloom and What Causes One? The 2026 Definitive Guide
A super bloom is a rare, intense wildflower display triggered by above-average winter rain. Here’s the science, the three conditions, and the 2026 NASA-confirmed Carrizo Plain bloom.
Walker Canyon Poppy Fields: The 2026 Closure-Aware Guide
Walker Canyon at Lake Elsinore is closed for 2026, three years after CHP Sgt. Steve Licon was killed on bloom patrol. Here’s the closure, the chaos, and where to go instead.
The California Fire Poppy: Rare to See, Not Rare in the Bank
Fire poppy (Papaver californicum) is California’s only true smoke-cued poppy. CNPS calls it common; you’ll likely never see one. Here’s why.
California Native Plants for Hummingbirds
The first morning a male Anna’s hummingbird discovered the Salvia spathacea next to my back fence, he sat on a porch nail twelve feet above the patch and ran the perimeter for the next three hours. Every time another hummer crossed the air column over the sage, he launched. The dive ended in that explosive …
Anza-Borrego Wildflowers: 2026 Bloom Guide and Species Reference
Anza-Borrego sprawls across 650,000 acres of Colorado Desert in San Diego County. California’s largest state park. Larger than Rhode Island. Elevation runs from a foot above sea level near the Salton Sea up to Combs Peak at 6,193 feet. Six hundred native plant species across 92 plant families bloom on a staggered schedule from January …
ecobee Premium Smart Thermostat: Installation, Heat Pump Reality, and the Home Assistant Problem
I didn’t choose the ecobee Premium. SMUD chose it for me. When I installed a heat pump water heater last year, the rebate process required enrollment in SMUD’s My Energy Optimizer program. That program demands a compatible hardwired smart thermostat. My existing Mitsubishi wireless controller, the REDLink system with an MHK2 controller that cost roughly …