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

Fremont Peak State Park, California

 Waxing Gibbous Moon

In a continuing effort to conserve gasoline, yesterday I curbed my yearning for more new Bay Area Ridge hikes and motored 11 miles up San Juan Canyon Road to Fremont Peak State Park. I am very familiar with the trails there, but the overcast skies and cold wind provided a somewhat different feel to the park. I opted for a very enjoyable counterclockwise loop starting from and returning to the upper parking lot via the Fremont Peak Trail, Carmen's Trail, Tony's Trail, the Cold Springs Trail, and the Valley View Trail.

 I like to park next to these big oak trees by the caretaker's house.

The views were somewhat obscured by the cloud cover, but the walk around the peak was still engaging.

The Fremont Peak Trail sign has been vandalized since the last time I visited.

The end of that segment spit me out at the beginning of Carmen's Trail. About halfway down the gentle switchbacks, I was lucky enough to see a deer resting in the grass plus a variety of wildflowers. 

Carmen's Trail winds down into a drainage and contours up to a road near the Fremont Peak Observatory. Tony's Trail takes off from there. On Tony's Trail I saw a few wily turkeys who defied my attempts at a photograph. If you optimize one of these pictures and squint real hard, you might see a big Tom fanning his tail feathers for you.

The Cold Springs Trail is my personal favorite walk in this park. It twists in and out of oak and madrone forests before connecting to the Valley View Trail that leads back to the parking lot. By the time I was halfway through this homestretch, the wind had picked up and a light sprinkle had begun to blow.  I was starting to get chilled so I didn't lollygag much in these sections. 

I met a smart, friendly Bay Area couple camped where the Valley View Trail passes by the west end of the Oak Flat Campground. They had a snazzy, remodeled 1980's VW Westphalia pop-up camper and a very positive attitude about the funky and getting funkier weather. After an interesting, wide-ranging conversation in between shakes and shivers, we said adios and I sped away along the last segment of the trail, eager to hop into Hondo and head for home.

Peace, Love, and Brrrring Back the Sunshine,

Jim

#2,022 in 2022

Moss Landing State Beach, California

 Waxing Gibbous Moon

What do I like about Moss Landing State Beach? 1) It's close to home (25 minutes), 2) it's free, 3) the dunes are protected, 4) there are lots of animals, 4) it's mostly clean, and 5) you can walk in the sand for a few miles from the jetty to the mouth of the Pajaro River and turn around to do it again for another few miles. The weather here is usually good, but even if it isn't, the beach is still great. Also, the tiny town of Moss Landing has more than a few good places to eat, so if you get hungry, they gotcha covered. All that said, I'd prefer that you only visit once a year and leave the place to the locals the rest of the time!

Yesterday was windy and cold, but that's what layers are for. I suited up and walked my walk as the tide receded, leaving all kinds of cool stuff behind. I saw several places where curlews had been hunting for sand crabs, poking their long, curved beaks into the wet sand and hopping around the hole in a hurry to snag their prey before the waves might come in to interrupt the hunt. Their footprints and the hole told the story. I think this one must have been a success because it had not been washed away yet. 

About halfway toward the Pajaro River I passed a group of folks with their kids and dogs having fun in the surf. I asked what appeared to be grandparents standing back in the dry sand watching the scene if it was okay to take the kids' picture and they said okay. This is pure California. It makes me happy to see it. I can imagine this scene happening a thousand years ago - with different kids and different grownups and different dogs and different clothes, but with the same grins and giggles.

I didn't see many pelicans, gulls, vultures, or sea mammals, which was unusual, but I did see a lot of curlews, snowy plovers, intact shells, and sand dollars plus a ton of polished pebbles. I had a small towel in my daypack so just for fun I made a little display of some of the jewels I found. I appreciate the work that many artists and craftspeople put into their creations, but what I really like is straight-up Mother Nature. Each one of these things represent changes over time - cycles and and processes that never end - impermanent beauty frozen in this moment - destined to morph into something else. I love it.

Peace and Love from the Beach,

Jim

#2,022 in 2022 *

* My friend Jessica (Happy Birthday, Jessica!) made me think about this 2,022 hiking goal of mine. To clarify, the miles I am recording are only miles I walk toward this specific goal of hiking 2,022 miles this calendar year. I don't keep track of my total daily steps, but Jessica started doing that and she discovered that she was walking about three times as many miles every day as her normal daily 3-mile fast morning walk. So that 10,000-step thing that many people subscribe to really adds up and that  has to be great for your health. However you choose to do it, I hope you walk or hike or bike or run, etc. for your mental and physical health every day. You don't have to keep a running total if you don't want to, but it can add to the fun and keep you committed to daily exercise and the act of paying attention, which for me is the whole point. 

Manzanita County Park, Monterey County, Prunedale, California

 Waxing Crescent Moon

Manzanita County Park is described on one internet site like this: "Baseball & soccer fields dominate this county park that's surrounded by scrubby hillsides." Hmmm. Someone was in a bit of a hurry, I guess.

The Manzanita County Park baseball and soccer fields are part of a massive sports complex operated with great care by the North County Youth Recreation Association. Youth baseball, softball, and soccer games plus BMX races are scheduled on weekends when the gates on Castroville Boulevard open to vehicles. Hiking/equestrian trails wind around and through the "scrubby hillsides" that feature stands of Monterey pine, eucalyptus, and oak trees interspersed with thick tangles of manzanita and ceanothus bushes. Much of the hiking is relatively flat, with moderate ups and downs along sandstone trails that horses have crushed into fine, soft, dusty tread. During the week, when the gates are closed, several walk-in/ride-in entrances allow the general public to make use of the trails. I like the "scrubby hillsides" personally.

Yesterday I drove through the open gates and parked in one of the spacious lots full of cars and vans and folks carrying lawn chairs. The colorfully uniformed kids on every field were really organized - colorfully uniformed coaches were putting them through very serious warm-up drills prior to the games. I didn't spend much time waiting around to see if any actual fun was going to break out, but I assume that the kids would be allowed to be kids at some point. What surprised and somewhat concerned me about the whole scene was how quiet it was. Weird! Anyway, I walked past the complex and onto the trail to get into my own quiet space. There were occasional small groups and couples out for their hikes, but mostly I had the place to myself for a couple of hours.

I was reminded that Fremont Peak is visible from its surrounding area in just about every direction.

Dense tangles of manzanita cover much of the interior of the park.

I think this is ceanothus?

These yellow flowers flank the sunny open hillsides.

These guys look like little exploded yellow trumpets.

In the steeper areas, off the flatter beaten path, the sandstone (pretty sure it is part of the rather famous Monterey Formation, but it might be a little younger than that) is still intact, forming convenient steps and ramps. In the dusty trails where horses have broken down the harder materials, animal tracks are all over the place.

Raccoon?

As I moved around the outer reaches of the park, I passed through tall stands of eucalyptus and pine trees and later, an oak forest, home of a sleepy old bull. There was a group of cows reclining under some trees about fifty yards away. Everybody looked exhausted.

It's good to be King.

Looping past the bovines and around the busy sports fields, the trail was hidden from the BMX course and team activities by big oaks and more "scrubby hillsides" until finally I circled back to the parking lot. The games were mostly over by then. It was still eerily quiet. Yo kids! Make some noise! Hey, batter, batter, swing!

Peace, Love, and Infield Chatter is Fun,

Jim

#2,022 in 2022