Royal Oaks County Park, Monterey County, California

 Waning Gibbous Moon

It's raining this morning, a rare blessing this year, and it's a good time to sing a pre-Earth Day song in praise of water and life on our little blue planet. One of my favorites is Nature's Way by Spirit, which reminds us that we are not in charge of the big picture, but how we behave does make a difference over time. Spirit, by the way, was one of the best live bands I have ever seen and Randy California was a fantastic guitarist. This brief video only begins to showcase the band's talents. I'll leave it up to you to investigate further if that is something new to you.

Yesterday was sunny and pleasant, so I decided to visit Royal Oaks County Park in Monterey County about 25 minutes away toward the coast. On a Wednesday at mid-day, it was all but deserted, so I had free rein to explore most of the little trails that intersect with each other in a looping network around the park. I had no map, so I just winged it. All the trails I found were in really good condition, some of them appeared to be recently cleared, and there was nearly no trash that I could see. Like most areas around here, there is a good bit of poison oak, so beware of that if you go. 

This park is designed for public group activities. I imagine that sunny weekends draw lots of family events and kid stuff. There are tennis courts and a basketball court, plus playgrounds and horseshoe pits and huge picnic areas. It has a fun, active feel and I was glad to find good walking to boot. I started out at the first trailhead I found, the Coffeeberry Trail, which is close to the horseshoe pits on the edge of the woods. It is not very long, but it has some good up and down to it, so I hiked it twice to get my blood going. 

The Coffeeberry Trail lead me up to the Woodlands Loop to the Oak Ridge Trail. It's a fun hike with very soft tread and not a lot of footprints. If I was still able to run, all these trails would be great fun to motor through the shady woods. On the other hand, walking at old man speed lets me spy some of the little things.

Up on the ridge, the trail opens up to a wider, harder surface that allows service vehicles access in case of an emergency. I saw a few different benches up there which would be great spots for eating lunch or reading for a while or just sitting there to breathe and listen. 

I think a healthy, able person could probably hike all of the trails in Royal Oak Park in two hours or less. That is not to diminish the value of the experience in any way. If you wanted a more rigorous workout, you could do the circuit more than once or run it instead of walking. And aside from the trails there are plenty of open spaces and meadows to explore, too. Next time I go, I'm bringing my basketball to work on my jumper. Well, okay, there probably won't be a lot of jumping going on, but it will be fun nonetheless. A swish is a swish! What do people call it when they toss a perfect horseshoe toss? A ringer? A clang? A thunk?

Peace, Love, and Go Outside,

Jim

#2,022 in 2022