The Reno Gazette-Journal had a nice article written by Maggie O’Neill on the Keystone Canyon Trail. It is a nice hiking, running and mountain bike trail. Maggie refers to several books/guides in her article, including Mike White’s Afoot & Afield Reno-Tahoe. More info here as well.
See my other blogs at https://mygrandmasue.wordpress.com/
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Nature Activities, Places to Explore | Tagged: biking, child, children, family, fun, grandchild, grandchildren, granddaughter, grandma, grandpa, grandparent, grandson, hiking, hiking trails, Keystone Canyon Trail, kids, Maggie O'Neill, Mike White, nature, Places to Go, Reno | 
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Posted by mygrandmasue
I was all set to write my blog tonight based on my reading of the new issue of National Wildlife by the National Wildlife Federation when I got drawn in to watch tonight’s PBS Television NOVA Episode Becoming Human Part 3. It was too fascinating. I had to watch. This link is good until 12/31/09 to watch it right on-line. So, tonight’s blog will be short to write but long for you to explore if you want to!
What is so fascinating is how it compares and contrasts with the National Wildlife article I was planning to tell you about – only it is about wildlife instead of humans. The article is called Desperate Measures: Struggling to adapt to global warming, wildlife species are changing their diets, behaviors and, in a few cases, even their genetic makeup by Jessica Snyder Sachs. The photos are great – especially the baby birds, baby squirrels, red and arctic foxes, and polar bears – actually they are all super! And… the article is very much worth reading!
This theme really is the same one that is in the NOVA program! Enjoy!
More info on https://mygrandmasue.wordpress.com
Leave a Comment » | Wonderments | Tagged: archeology, arctic fox, baby birds, baby squirrels, evolution, global warming, history, Homo sapiens, Jessica Snyder Sachs, National Wildlife, National Wildlife Federation, nature, Nature Photographs, nature photos, nature study, Neanderthal, NOVA, PBS, polar bear, red fox | Permalink
Posted by mygrandmasue
Santa Monica is getting the moniker of the West Terminus of Historic Route 66. From the LA Times article: “The highway’s original end point in 1926 was at 7th Street and Broadway in downtown Los Angeles, according to Glen Duncan, president of the California Route 66 Preservation Foundation. A decade later, the road was extended to Olympic and Lincoln boulevards in Santa Monica.”
Here’s some fun stuff on Route 66.
More info on https://mygrandmasue.wordpress.com
Leave a Comment » | Places to Explore | Tagged: car trip, child, children, family, fun, grandchild, grandchildren, granddaughter, grandpa, grandparent, grandson, kids, nature, Places to Go, road trip, Route 66, Santa Monica, Santa Monica Pier | Permalink
Posted by mygrandmasue
The San Diego Zoo polar bears are having fun. The polar bear trio, whose names are Kalluk (The Athlete), Tatqiq (The Princess), and Chinook (The Stalker), take turns in the Polar Bear Plunge. Here is the video cam. Learn some Polar Bear facts here. Here’s the Polar Bear Blogsite.
More info on the San Diego Zoo is here.
See more of my website at https://mygrandmasue.wordpress.com
1 Comment | Nature Activities, Places to Explore | Tagged: child, children, Chinook, family, fun, grandchild, grandchildren, granddaughter, grandma, grandpa, grandparent, grandson, Kalluk, kids, nature, Places to Go, polar bear, San Diego, San Diego Zoo, Tatqiq, zoo | Permalink
Posted by mygrandmasue
What a story! Minivan owners with children planning a trip to Yosemite be forewarned! The Black Bears of Yosemite National Park actually recognize and look for minivans according to a scientific study!!
The story is relatively the same one written by Mark Grossi (McClatchy Newspapers) – but you can tell the news folks are having fun with this one! Here are some sample headlines (along with their stories and photos)!
Yosemite Bears Prefer Minivans for Snack Attacks
The minivan: lunchbox on wheels for Yosemite bears
Yosemite bears love their minivan buffets
Yosemite bears love their minivans
Yosemite’s bears prefer to break into minivans
Mmmm, minivan! The favorite vehicle of Yosemite’s black bears
Minivans buffets for bears in Yosemite area
Yosemite bears break into minivans most, study shows
Yosemite Black Bears Preferred Vehicle? Minivans.
Yosemite bears’ car of choice: the minivan
It’s Official: Picky Yosemite National Park Bears Prefer Their Meals in Minivans
Minivans are as good as honey pots to Yosemite bears, study says
Black Bears Looking for Fast Food Choose Minivans
Your minivan is one big pic-a-nic basket, say Yosemite’s black bears
Here is the actual study: SELECTIVE FORAGING FOR ANTHROPOGENIC RESOURCES BY BLACK BEARS: MINIVANS IN YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK
STEWART W. BRECK (stewart.w.breck@aphis.usda.gov), NATHAN LANCE, AND VICTORIA SEHER
United States Department of Agriculture–Wildlife Service–National Wildlife Research Center, 4101 LaPorte Avenue, Fort
Collins, CO 80521, USA (SWB, NL)
Yosemite National Park, P.O. Box 577, Yosemite, CA 95389, USA (VS)
in the Journal of Mammalogy, 90(5):1041–1044, 2009
Leave a Comment » | Places to Explore | Tagged: bears, black bears, child, children, conflict, family, grandchild, grandchildren, granddaughter, grandma, grandpa, grandparent, grandson, honey pots, humans, kids, minivan, Minivans, nature, resource selection, Ursus americanus, Yosemite, Yosemite National Park | Permalink
Posted by mygrandmasue
From an email I received today , here are some good words to get our kids playing ouside:
For many of us, childhood memories are synonymous with outdoor moments like climbing trees, skipping stones, or gardening. But today’s kids spend twice as much time indoors as their parents and grandparents did, missing out on the simple pleasures and lasting mental and physical health benefits of daily outdoor time.
Studies show that children who spend time in nature are healthier, happier, and become better stewards of the environment. National Wildlife Federation (NWF) is launching
Be Out There, a national movement to return to the nation’s children a connection to the natural world around us and the joy and sustenance it brings.
– Want to play “Wild Things Bingo”? Check out our Activity Guide for Kids — adults can play too!
– Get ideas for planning your own Wild Rumpus Day.
– Start your Be Out There adventure by heading outside to watch for animals near you with help from Wildlife Watch.
Leave a Comment » | Nature Activities, Places to Explore | Tagged: Be Out There, child, children, family, fun, grandchild, grandchildren, granddaughter, grandma, grandpa, grandparent, grandson, kids, National Wildlife Federation, nature, nature study, NWF, Places to Go, Wildlife Watch | Permalink
Posted by mygrandmasue
Giant Corn Mazes are getting more and more popular as an October or Halloween family activity. Grandson Austin and the rest of the family went to the pumpkin patch and giant corn maze this weekend. I did some more research and came up with some fun Giant Corn Maze websites. So here they are below!
Visiting Corn Mazes with Kids – Photos as well
Corn Mazes and Pumpkin Patches in the State of Oregon
Portland, OR Family Fun Mazes and Patches
The Corn Maze Pumpkin Junction 10 acre maze – Train Ride & a Maze!
Kackleberry Farm in Louisville, GA
Depner Farms in Caseville, Michigan – Haunted Dino Maze and Maze-O’-Saurus
Cows-n-Corn 9 acre maze, Washington, DC
Kelley Farms in Lexington, KY – giant corn maze & pumpkins
Past Mazes at Pendleton’s Country Market in Lawrence, KS – Pumpkin Patch this weekend
Corn Mazes in the US
Corn Mazes in Canada
Corn Mazes in the UK
1 Comment | Nature Activities, Places to Explore | Tagged: Canada, child, children, England, family, Family Fun, fun, Giant Corn Maze, grandchild, grandchildren, granddaughter, grandma, grandpa, grandparent, grandson, Green Hour, Halloween, Hay Rides, kids, nature, October Activities, Oregon, Places to Go, Pumpkin Patch, United Kingdom, Washington DC | Permalink
Posted by mygrandmasue
I love AUTUMN! I love the swirl of color of reds, golds, yellows and greens! I remember raking the leaves into a pile and then jumping into them! It’s a great time to do some family hiking in National Forests or National Parks or reserves or city parks or along the river or …..! The mixes of color are different at every curve in the path.
I found some really fun sites of additional information for you – For my niece Michele here is The Chemistry of Autumn Colors. Google images of fall colors are totally beautiful! The Wikipedia cornucopia of knowledge is bountiful. Here are color cams of colorful foliage. This New England Travel site has several webcams to cyber-watch the New England fall colors. Here is the Mono County, CA fall foliage guide. The Eastern US fall color guide is full of info, too! Any arboretum or park will be gorgeous, but here is a beautiful site from Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. Iowa fall colors are described in USA Today. Mount Rushmore is also awesome! The Smokie Mountains are also changing color. In Alaska, Denali National Park is awesome in autumn, according to Margaret Bauman. The Western Michigan Tourist Association offers 26 different scenic driving tours for enjoying the autumn colors. Also a very decent website on autumn color is Total Escape on California off the beaten path.
Here is a science project for kids on Autumn Leaves.
Leave a Comment » | Nature Activities, Places to Explore | Tagged: Alaska, Autumn, Autumn Colors, Autumn Foliage, Autumn Leaves, Autumn Photographs, Autumn Photos, California, chemistry, child, children, Denali National Park, Eastern US, Fall, Fall Colors, family, fun, grandchild, grandchildren, granddaughter, grandma, grandpa, grandparent, grandson, Green Hour, hiking, kids, Longwood Gardens, Michigan, Mono County, Mount Rushmore, nature, New England, Pennsylvania, Places to Go, Science Project | Permalink
Posted by mygrandmasue
The San Diego Zoo’s now 8-week-old panda cub is starting to open his eyes. From the zoo website: “Meg Sutherland-Smith, D.V.M. said the cub’s left eye is beginning to open, and he squinted when she used a small flashlight to test his vision. The 4th veterinary exam also revealed that the cub’s right ear is opening, although Dr. Sutherland-Smith says the 5.7-pound (2.73-kilogram) cub is likely not hearing sounds yet, only feeling vibrations.”
baby panda video of his fourth exam at San Diego Zoo. His other visits are available on the same site below the video. Here is the live video cam from the panda enclosure. Fun posts and pictures are on the Panda Blog!
October 1-31 is Free Kids Days at the zoo! During the month of October, children (ages 3–11) enjoy FREE admission to the San Diego Zoo and the Wild Animal Park!
San Diego Zoo
Current Hours (through October 4):
9 a.m.–6 p.m.
Fall Hours (October 5–December 10):
9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Book Fair – October 9–12; Huge selection of books and new titles during the Fall Book Fair at the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park.
All About Enrichment Weekend – October 10 and 11; Keeper talks and fun activities for our animal residents will be held throughout each day.
Wild Animal Park
Current Hours (through November 20):
9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Book Fair – October 9–12 Huge selection of books and new titles during the Fall Book Fair at the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park.
Pumpkins at the Park – October 17, 18, 24, 25, and 31; November 1 The Park is transformed into a safe, family friendly Halloween adventure!
Leave a Comment » | Nature Activities, Places to Explore | Tagged: Baby Panda, child, children, family, fun, grandchild, grandchildren, grandma, grandpa, grandparent, kids, nature, panda baby, Places to Go, San Diego, San Diego Zoo, Wild Animal Park, zoo | Permalink
Posted by mygrandmasue
A beautiful leaf of a Chinese parasol tree adorned the front page of yesterday’s Orange County Register. More photos were on-line at <a href="http://www.ocregister.com/. I found another beautiful storyblog accompanied by totally awesome photos at Swizzlestix. Information about the Fullerton Arboretum is here. It is celebrating its 30th anniversary this October as described in the Cal State Fullerton Daily Titan. There’s a Children’s Garden and child education activities. Museum info is here. Enjoy!
Leave a Comment » | Places to Explore | Tagged: Arboretum, child, child education activities, children, Children's Garden, flowers, Fullerton Arboretum, fun, grandchild, grandchildren, grandma, grandpa, grandparent, kids, museum, nature, nature education, nature study, Photography, picnic, Places to Go, plants, trees | Permalink
Posted by mygrandmasue
MyGrandmaSue 