Goodbye California

In the final week of June, amidst last-minute (and high-stress) packing and planning, I said goodbye to northern California and some of the amazing environments I've been lucky enough to explore over the past year.

Two young Common Ravens watched our small group of explorers as we wandered the Arcata Marsh one last time:

What little water was left in the low-tide bay evaporated into mist in the hot sun:
 

And I couldn't resist some final pictures of this place's gregarious Marsh Wrens:

Look, a Marsh Wren tongue!

A trip to the beach at sunset also seemed remarkably appropriate for our final days in California. I love the combination of waves and low sunlight:
 

What a cool thing, to see the sun disappearing behind the Pacific Ocean:
 

Big waves and a Brown Pelican make the scene even more dramatic:

Northwestern California really is an incredible place, and I can't think of many other parts of the country I'd be as excited to live in for a year. It was an amazing experience, indeed.

Even more exciting, though, is what's up next: a familiar environment that I dearly love, yet with new and fantastic areas to explore, and the possibility of settling down for a good long while and finally making a place my home. All of this is coming soon. But first, I have sights to share from that little endeavor, moving across the country. Stay tuned!