Can you identify which images are from Montana, and which are from California? The trees of fall.

• Along some ocean shores, homes will be swallowed by the water, and communities will vanish as a result of sea level rising. 
• ​Higher temperatures will be amplified in urban settings where paved surfaces tend to store heat.
• The health of many crops and most livestock will decline or disappear.
• Forests will change to grasslands, and grasslands to desert.
• Less water will be available.
• Human health will decline.

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These are a few outcomes described in 2016 by the Environmental Protection Agency, "What Climate Change Means for California."  An outline of 2021 initiatives are presented by President Biden's, Leaders Summit on Climate, addressing the need to urgently take action. This means world wide action to "protect critical ecosystems, build resilience against the impacts of climate change, and promote the flow of capital toward climate-aligned investments and away from high-carbon investments." 

Things anyone can do to take climate action now (from EarthDay.org): 

1. travel less (reduce both air and car travel)
2. reduce your "foodprint"—research has revealed the tremendous impact that the mass production of meat, dairy, and eggs has on the planet
3. reduce "over shopping"—minimize waste, and consider reused and pre-loved items
4. vote for candidates "with clear, ambitious, and convincing plans to protect our planet"

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A quick camping trip to Seacliff Beach State Park turned out to be rather exciting. Our campsite neighbors spotted a buoy slowly moving in the water just yards offshore. It turned out to be a great white shark (most likely a juvenile) tangled in a piece of crab net and buoy rope. They used 4 fishing lures to snag the buoy and tease it into shore. Two "Dads" cut the rope and netting off. It took time to get the shark turned around. It was obviously distressed and its large muscular body was hard to maneuver. Avoiding the teeth was probably a concern. The shark swam away. Warning, one image shows some nasty rope burns on its underside. Hopefully it will live to bite another day.

Like the rest of nature, humans answered the distinctive songs of spring—longer days, warmer nights, and increased activity. Emerging from more than a year of uncertainty, people are overwhelmingly getting outdoors and enjoying interacting with each other. Activities range from small picnics in a park, to the great western migration of RVs and minivans filling National Parks and state campsites.

We were no exception. Our last trip out of state was in January to visit family. Mountain tops reflected the light in coral and blue, and the roads were snowy.

These past few weeks, nature decided to give us bonus points on our travel stops, and the mass of humans in National Parks gave us an opportunity to explore lesser known spots, which was rewarding.