Happy Thanksgiving and Safe Travels (with a last look at our newest national park)

Here's hoping that you all have a fine Thanksgiving holiday and that your travels are safe and fun. I offer up one of the things that I am truly thankful for: politicians that put aside their differences and agreed to establish Pinnacles National Park in 2013. I've been posting lately about the fascinating geology of the park, and I'm taking a moment to point out one of the other values of this particular park: a sanctuary for wildlife.

Pinnacles has been one of the most dependable localities for seeing Wild Turkeys (which are not exactly a native species, but they have become naturalized in this region). 

On our last trip we saw the antics of the Acorn Woodpeckers around the Bear Gulch area...

And were watched carefully by a Raven at Bear Gulch Reservoir...

Pinnacles is a treasure. If you ever have a chance to explore central California, be sure to add it to your itinerary! In the meantime, have a safe and happy time wherever you may be. I'll be on the road, so posts may be scarce.

We Interrupt This Geology Blog to Bring You a Turkey's Version of the "Circle of Life"

Okay, there's just not a lot I can say about this. I've not spent enough time around wild turkeys to say whether this is normally seen behavior, but it was cute. I was trying to think of puns involving the meaning of love triangles, but I settled for the title above. We were exploring Morro Bay State Park on the Central California coast, and we've had a delightful time.

 Oh, the delightful players in our little comedy...