I took an early-morning hike in The Forest of Nisene Marks today. It was lovely, cool, mostly foggy, not many people.
Banks and banks of sweet peas on an early portion of the trail.
Not many hikers; lots of bikers and joggers.
A spiderweb catches the light and the dew.
A bee gathers nectar at the summit.
July 09 2010 | Walks and hikes | No Comments »
I am usually an early riser, and consider a day unfit for hiking –or much of anything, for that matter– if I’m up and about any later than 7am. The day’s already half gone! Too late!
But I think I’m still experiencing the mellowing effects of our day at the spa. This morning we slept in, I made coffee, we played with the cats and worked on our various web presences. I hauled a ‘free!’ table out to the side of the road, we played with the cats some more, and by the time I hit the hiking trail it was 11am. So like Noel Coward’s mad dogs and Englishmen, I was out in the mid-day sun.
Yes, it’s been ages since I’ve gone hiking, thanks to too much art (if there is any such thing). So I went to my favorite go-to park, Wilder Ranch State Park.
The sun was bright, but there was a good sea breeze to keep things from getting too hot. The hills are definitely in their ‘tawny’ phase, but there were still abundant wildflowers.
And bees.
I started out on the Wilder Ridge Loop, climbing steeply. Oak trees by the side of the trail offered welcome shade. I love their twisted branches.
After a couple of miles, I turned on to the Twin Oaks Trail. My plan, since it was hot and I had forgotten my sunscreen, was to head for the shadier trails. This worked as far as sunburn is concerned, but what I didn’t think about was the shade is in the canyons, meaning my hike had a whole lot of ups-and-downs to it. Oh well, it’s good exercise.
After about a mile on Twin Oaks, I joined the Eucalyptus Loop Trail. There really aren’t any eucalyptus on this trail, except for a sentinel line of about 10 old trees at the trail’s head. Instead, it is a mix of oak, chaparral, and redwoods, with a couple of streams thrown in for good measure. Here some spiderwebs catch the sun.
Every so often, the woods would open out into another meadow.
The Eucalyptus Trail led to the Old Cabin Trail, and thence to the Wild Boar Trail. No boars were in sight, but if there had been I bet they’d have liked these berries.
And soon, my first glance of the ocean. This is looking out over the Monterey Bay, with Big Sur and Monterey in the distance. Not too shabby a view, eh?
It was all downhill from there, down to the historic buildings, goats, sheep, chickens, and gardens at the ranch that gives the park its name.
I am a happy hiker!
Incidentally, there is an annual 4th of July celebration at the historical buildings of Wilder State Ranch every year, where they celebrate the 4th of 100 hundred years ago; this year, it will be 1910. Freshly-made ice cream, strawberry shortcake, hayrides, and good old-fashioned fun. Come out, support your state parks, and celebrate!
June 27 2010 | Walks and hikes | 1 Comment »
I found some excellent convertible pants on sale at REI a few weeks ago, and being by nature cheap, had them shipped to my local store (free!). The drawback was that my schedule got totally crazy for a while, so the pants languished in the Marina REI’s storeroom for a few weeks before I could pick them up. The bonus was that Marina is right on the coast, between Moss Landing and Monterey, so it was a good opportunity to explore some new shoreline.
I asked the friendly clerk at the checkout which beach access point was best, and she directed me to one of the newer state parks: Fort Ord Dunes State Park. Formerly part of the Fort Ord military base, it underwent extensive Superfund cleanup to remove unexploded ordnance and large quantities of lead before opening to the public.
I took the short trail between the towering dunes to the beach. To give you an idea of their scale, I’ve circled another hiker in red.
First view of the water.
It was an absolutely gorgeous day, with bright sun, refreshing breeze, light waves, and nobody else on the beach. Here is the view to the north, towards Moss Landing.
And south, towards Monterey.
I decided to head south. There wasn’t a map of the park, so I wasn’t sure if there was more than one point where the paved trail inland connected to the beach. If there was, I planned to cut inland on my return. And I wasn’t sure about the tide; it looked like it was going out, but there was enough beach so that even if it was coming in I’d have enough room between the water and the dunes to make my way back. So I set out, care free and footloose.
Hmmm. The sign said they had collected all of the ordnance. Did they miss some? Or is this just a metal float? I did not poke it to find out. There were three of these on the beach.
This was definitely a float.
There were many signs of human usage on the beach: drainpipes, old pilings, old fenceposts, rusted metal scraps.
And more recent usage: grafitti carved into the soft rock, alongside some swallow nests.
There were also a lot of birds. A pair of plovers was convinced I was up to no good, and squeeked and squeeked at me endlessly. Unfortunately I had no English-to-bird dictionary, so while I tried to tell them I had no interest in hurting them or their young, it was to no avail. Immediately after my run-in with the plovers, I came across a turkey vulture eating something nice and dead and stinky on the beach.
Some friends came to join him.
I watched the vulture eat for a while, and tried to take photos of the other vultures circling over my head. Circling. Circling.
Circling lower, and lower, and lower…. hey! Get away from me! I’m not dead yet! I jumped up from my log and left the birds to their meal. It was time to turn around and head back to the car, anyway.
More dunes.
The sadness of the abandoned chair.
After climbing back up from the beach, I took a short walk on a boardwalked trail to a viewpoint. Lovely!
I would definitely recommend this beach to anyone who wants solitude, views, fishing, or birdwatching. Swimming or surfing is not recommended, as there are riptides all along the beach. There are also biking trails all along the inland side of the dunes. And for the hardy and adventurous, one can walk all the way along the beach to Monterey.
May 28 2010 | Walks and hikes | 2 Comments »
A couple of weeks have passed since our big series of storms, but the local beach is still littered with driftwood and other flotsam. Now, however, it’s taking on a new dimension, as people have begun building a variety of structures out of the washed-up branches.
The Cabana. Where are the umbrella drinks?
The Tipi, one of three in a row:
These sculptors have gone all Lord of the Flies:
I am fascinated by our compulsion to build. A pile of wood, or rocks, is irresistible. We try to make order out of chaos, and along the way build a shelter or sculpture. These remind me of a day a few years ago, when Sarah-Hope and I drove up to her favorite beach at Waddell Creek. There, close to the highway, was a cone-shaped structure, made of pieces of driftwood. It was extraordinarily well-constructed: the branches fit together just so, and the shape was even and symmetrical. It was stunning! I loved the way it made us think about driftwood in a whole new way, transforming it from detritus to art.
(Picture a cone just like this, except made of random bleached wood, with the ocean behind it.)
My fantasy was that it was made by Andy Goldsworthy, who has several pieces in the area, at the DeYoung Museum, and in the Presidio, and at Stanford. I like to imagine him taking a break from his comissioned work, and driving down to the beaches in Santa Cruz. Once here, just like the builders above, how could he resist that pile of driftwood?
February 14 2010 | Art in General and Walks and hikes | No Comments »
Last Saturday was a bright and sunny day after a week of storms, so I took the opportunity to take a walk on the coastal bluffs to see what damage the weather had wrought.
I was perhaps a bit disappointed to see that there weren’t many changes, just a bit of erosion. I had been hoping that the sea cave near the beginning of the Old Cove Trail in Wilder Ranch State Park had turned into an arch, but I guess geological change doesn’t come quite that quickly. It seemed to me, though, that the opening at the back of the cave was a bit wider — but that could just be wishful thinking.
Anyway, of course I took photos. Here is the sea cave, with some nice big waves crashing in to it.
I love pelicans! They look like pterodactyls as they fly along the edge of the bluffs.
More birds, mostly cormorants, perched on a sea stack.
And the little dots on this rock are small shore birds. They would run to the edge of the rock between waves to pick at the seaweed, then run to the back of the rock when a wave crashed over it. The rope in the foreground is used by surfers to climb down to the beach below.
A beach-level view of the crashing waves.
I wasn’t the only one out looking at the waves. These people seem to share my fascination with the ocean.
More storms to come; I’m looking forward to some more shoreline drama.
January 31 2010 | Walks and hikes | No Comments »
What is so rare as a day in January? Then if ever come perfect days… at least if you live in California.
Some errands brought me to the north end of town, and it was such a warm sunny day I thought I’d take a break and visit Natural Bridges State Beach. At this time of year, the beach is best known for migrating monarch butterflies, so first I took a walk along the monarch trail, a set of boardwalks through the eucalyptus grove that is favored by the butterflies.
While historically the butterflies have remained as late in the year as March, the rangers told me that for the past few years they have been leaving earlier and earlier. I only saw one or two fluttering in the high canopy. A bit disappointed –I was hoping for trees festooned in orange masses– I headed for the beach.
It was a really, really beautiful day today. The bridge stood out against the sparkling waves.
There were two arches in the bridge until fairly recently. Here is a very old photo, from around 1927. I found it on Tahquechi Photography blog. It’s a slightly different angle, but you can see the toll the pounding surf has taken on the rock.
It was so beautiful, even the gulls stopped to admire the view.
At low tide, you can explore the tidal pools along these ledges on the northern end of the beach. Not a good idea today.
But, since it was high tide and a fair surf, I was treated to a close-up view of a trio of young surfers. The rock formations at this beach make for interesting wave patterns. Not only do the waves come straight in from the ocean, but there is a secondary set of waves that come in sideways after rebounding from the ledges. It was these sideways waves that attracted the surfers.
I have an old Canon A510 camera, much abused and overworked. It has accompanied me on many hiking trails, usually stuck in a pants-leg pocket. The lens grinds on its way out, I have to prod the shutter to get it to open all the way, and the batteries run out a lot faster than they used to. Nevertheless, I had a great time trying to take photos of the surfers, and am rather pleased with how they came out. Enjoy the show!
And one last look at the bridge.
The weather prediction is that it will be just as beautiful out tomorrow. How is a person supposed to work in this place?
January 04 2010 | Walks and hikes | 1 Comment »
I finally got my hiking shoes on again this morning, and headed to my old favorite, Wilder Ranch. Wilder Ranch has it all: hills, chaparral, oak stands, cliffs, crashing waves, and chickens. Who can resist its charms?
Most trails start just past the visitor’s center and farm. I always get a kick of out what I call the American horreo. A horreo is a raised storage bin for maize, found in Galicia. Here is the American horreo, and a Galician horreo for comparison:
Today I climbed the Wilder Ridge Trail to the Twin Oak Trail, which led me back again to the Wilder Ridge Trail, kind of like a lollipop but more like the Big Dipper if you look at the map. I started out about 9am, and the fog and clouds were just clearing.
This hawk was doing some serious hunting, flying low over the fields and hovering over promising spots. I didn’t see him catch anything, but enjoyed watching him dip and soar. I also enjoyed the brilliant green of the winter fields and the ocean cliffs beyond.
Winter rains bring out the mushrooms:
More large and brilliant sky, and the ridges that my hike will bring me over.
Once I turned onto the Twin Oaks trail, I entered a world of almost utter quiet. It’s not nearly as popular as the Wilder Ridge Trail, which is a favorite of local mountain bikers, and the only sound was my own footsteps and the wind in the grass. Once in a while I could hear a bit of traffic on Route 1 along the coast, or the roar of a jet far overhead; even when you’re alone, you’re reminded of our human footprint on the planet.
Oak trees and chapparal:
A pair of deer were nuzzling on the edge of the woods:
The pair of oaks from which this trail gets its name are located at the junction of the Twin Oaks and Wilder Ridge trails. One of them has long ago fallen over. It reminds me of the skeleton of a large sea creature, washed up on a grassy shore. It must have been huge when it was alive, and even now it’s impressive.
I loved the textures of its bark and the wood beneath. The whorls are like a horse’s hair.
The two trees stands sentinel against the sky.
More deer silhouetted on a ridge parallel to the one I’m on. Those are the mountains of the Monterey Range in the distance.
Mountain bikers admire the view from an overlook.
Too soon, I had looped around and was back at the ranch.
Here’s the chicken!
December 20 2009 | Walks and hikes | No Comments »
Look: Feet! On a path! In hiking boots! This can only mean one thing: I’ve hit the trail again. Hooray!
Since it’s been close to an eternity since my last hike, I decided to go for something relatively easy; not too long, not too hilly. A beach trail seemed just right, and since it’s early November and therefore the beginning of the elephant seal cycle, I headed north to Año Nuevo State Park.
Año Nuevo is a fascinating place in many respects. Its name comes from the Spanish explorers who spotted its rocky shores on New Years Day in 1603. It was the site of many shipwrecks before a lighthouse was built on Año Nuevo Island. There are six separate active fault lines running through the park. And every winter, the elephant seals arrive to mate and bear their young.
The park lies west of Highway 1, and the trail from the parking lot first crosses chapparal-covered shelfland. A pond nurtures all sorts of wildlife, and lies on the edge of one of the fault lines.
If you look to the other side of the trail, you see the ocean and the trail down to Cove Beach.
After this point, you need a permit (free at the entrance kiosk) to proceed to the dunes, where the young male elephant seals have gathered. During the actual breeding season, December through March, you are only allowed out to the dunes in guided groups. Elephant seals are large –the males can reach 2.5 tons– and are not to be trifled with. Many signs warn those who might be foolish enough to try to approach them.
The dunes are high and sweeping, and offer grand views of Monterey Bay. There were many families out for a Saturday adventure.
It’s about a 2-1/2 mile hike out to North Cove, where the young male seals have gathered. These are adolescents, too young to join in the mating rituals, and they are just here to hang out. Some are performing mock battles, but most are napping on the beach.
This guy wasn’t sure he liked being watched, and watched back equally intently.
You can see the snout beginning to grow on this seal. When they are young, elephant seals look much like any other seal or sea lion, but as the males mature, they develop huge curling noses that resemble an elephant’s trunk; hence their name. Mature males bellow to define and defend their territory, and can be heard up to a mile away.
There are volunteer docents on hand to answer questions.
A few more pictures from my walk. The abandoned buildings on Año Nuevo Island; the light is now an automated buoy, and the island has been taken over by the seals and sea lions. There is now a solar-powered Elephand Seal Cam on the island, which is very cool, but be warned that it is sometimes out of commission; seals are large and clumpy, and it’s often knocked over or disconnected.
And the crashing surf at Cove Beach.
I am so glad to live in such a beautiful part of the world. Now where to go hiking next???
November 08 2009 | Walks and hikes | 2 Comments »
These past couple of months I’ve been completely tied up getting ready for Open Studios, so my latest strategy is incorporating my walks into my chores. Today’s walk was a pleasure, hardly a chore, so I’ll include it as blogworthy.
This is the second weekend of Santa Cruz County’s Open Studios, and covers all the artists whose studios are south of the Santa Cruz yacht harbor. I live just north of the harbor, so took the opportunity to walk to the studios closest to my house: those at the 17th Avenue studio complex.
I walked down to the harbor, and skirted the end of the berths. I first noticed the boat in the foreground because it’s an old Chris Craft, and reminds me of the one we had when I was growing up. The name is the best part: “Crisis Every Hour II” — which implies an ultimate crisis for boat #1.
It seems to be my task to explore the train tracks around Santa Cruz; they do provide the most direct route to a lot of places!
Some interesting graffitti along the tracks.
Here is the 17th Avenue studio complex, a mix of old warehouses, quonset huts, shacks, and still-working garages. It’s a popular destination, since 17 artists there were participating. Another incentive to walk; parking can be problematic.
Among the artists whose work I particularly enjoyed at 17th Ave. are Donna Bourne’s landscapes, Michael Mote’s paintings of waves, Marvin Plummer’s fabulous animal drawings, Jean Sheckler Beebe’s mixed-media images, and Michele Indiana Anderson’s abstract paintings. Most are doing the encore weekend on October 17 & 18, as am I, so do come out to look at some good art!
Even apart from the art, it’s an interesting place. An old rusty truck:
An arty auto juxtaposition:
October 10 2009 | Art shows, art galleries, etc and Walks and hikes | No Comments »
Sarah-Hope and I just got back from a lovely vacation.
First, we traveled north to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon, where we went wild and saw four plays in three days: Macbeth, Equivocation, Much Ado About Nothing, and Henry VIII. They were all very well done, but my favorite was Macbeth, perhaps due in part to the childhood influence of my mother reading us the witches’ scenes as bedtime stories, complete with scary witch cackles. We stayed with my friend Millie, whom I met on the very first day of the Camino de Santiago, where we encouraged each other as we climbed the incredibly long and steep trail over the Pyrenees.
We then traveled south to Fort Bragg, California. We are so lucky to live in such a beautiful part of the world! A twisting road through old-growth redwood forests led to the rocky windswept California coastline.
While we spent a bit of time wandering around Fort Bragg’s downtown (if you go, you must visit Cowlick’s Ice Cream; it is the best!) we mostly spent the day at the beach. The water was the most incredible mix of blues and greens.
I got a bit wet taking this shot!
The waves left interesting souvenirs on the beach. An interesting twist of kelp:
And the high-water mark outlined by seaweed:
I took a nice walk along the coastal cliffs, while Sarah-Hope enjoyed the sun and sand while knitting on the beach.
The trail goes on for miles, and is actually an established walk, like the Pacific Crest Trail. We discovered a great book that describes the coast walk from Monterey all the way to California’s northern border. We’re talking about possibly walking a week-long section of it next year.
Waves, fresh air, flowers, cliffs; pretty much a perfect day.
August 17 2009 | Walks and hikes | 1 Comment »
