Joani & David's Travels

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

On Monday, even with overcast skies, we tried to hike up Bear Gulch in Pinnacles National Park. We didn't make it much more than a half mile before the rain turned us back. We chose not to include those soggy pictures and instead tried again today. It was still cloudy, but today we stayed dry.

Hoping to get a close look at Whitebark Sycamore trees was one of the reasons we hiked this trail. We got close, but there was no good vantage point to capture these beautiful specimens.

The California Sycamores look amazing from the road above the gorge, but from this perspective, they looked far less impressive.

With all of the rain, we had plenty of running water in the gulch. I suspect the park will be covered with wildflowers this spring.

Only one pine species was growing in the park. It was really pretty small (compared to the giant Redwoods we recently visited). These trees, maybe 30 to 40 feet tall, had the largest pine cones I have ever seen.

We crossed 7 or 8 bridges on the trail up to the Nature Center (which unfortunately was again closed).

Below, a collection of California Buckeyes gathered in the stream. We never identified the source of the Buckeyes. One of the Rangers said they dropped long ago and could not point out the trees without seeing the leaves.

The Buckeyes were the size of a tangerine.

Nature had painted this tree with a pallet that includes moss and fire.

I think there was one other RV in the campground with us after the holiday week ended. It was almost eerily quiet walking Sam - nothing but wind and birds. Not complaining, it was really nice!

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

The early morning turkey stroll through Pinnacles National Park was augmented by a number of deer checking out the area. I believe, by this time, there was only one other RV in the park, so the deer were not quite as shy as they had been.

The California Ground Squirrels would pop up all around. They were noisy! Their chirping and screeching drove Sam crazy on our walks. I was tempted to let him off-leash just one time to see if he could bring me back a trophy.

It was a little cool and damp this morning so when the sun peaked through the clouds the Turkey Vultures all spread their wings to soak up a little warmth.

Originally adjacent to the park and now included as part of the park is the Bacon Farm. Ben built the house for Orea when they were married in 1894. I love how photogenic old barns are. I don't believe this barn was as old as the house, maybe only 50 or 60 years old. Unfortunately, there was no indication of its exact age but I thought it was nicely weathered.

The tree below was just behind the barn. I don't believe I have ever seen a more impressive burl in a tree!

I thought maybe I was seeing a large flock of Condors but no - they were just Turkey Vultures, nine altogether.

Friday, January 6, 2017

I heard the sound of wild turkeys and saw they were making their way through the Pinnacles National Park campground again. I decided to follow them for a while. They were a little skittish with me watching them, so I never got closer than about 50 feet.

I believe there were three or four toms herding the flock of close to 50 hens. I'm afraid I did not catch them fanning their tail feathers very well - maybe they felt it was too much of an invitation to show off in front of a stranger. The Rangers told me the turkeys were not native to the area and we were welcome to take a few with us when we leave.

Everywhere in the park, we found the ubiquitous California Quail. What a strange bird - it will try its best to run away as you approach and will only fly as a last resort for escape. As they run, the top knot will bob with every step and their head seems to stay level. Since they scurry along quite quickly it makes an unusual sight. Their flight is a frantic all-out flapping fury and one will usually trigger several others making quite a racket whenever they are flushed.

We decided to re-visit the Bear Gulch Cave trail since today it was sunny and we, by ourselves, could take our time. It had rained again since our first visit so there were a lot of puddles along the trail.

More of the Manzanita bark that we found so fascinating.

How many species of lichen were on these rocks? - I have no idea, but they were certainly colorful!

On a drive to King City, about 30 miles south and west of the park, we saw a lot of farmland and very little else. I bet I could have counted the houses along the way on one hand.

This combination of rolling hills, cloud drama, derelict farm implements and windmill just hit me as a really nice composition. It also happened to be near one of the few places along the highway where I could safely pull over. Very serendipitous!

I don't think beautiful sunsets ever get old. Someday I might capture the perfect sunset, but until then I will just keep adding to my collection.

Sunday, January 1, 2017, Pinnacles Hike

We always like to attend Ranger programs in the National Parks. At 7:00 on Saturday evening we met for a program at the Pinnacles National Park's amphitheater. I thought it seemed a bit late, but the dark made the outdoor slideshow presentation possible. There was a nice bonfire and only a couple of other folks as we learned about the Condor and the efforts to bring the species back from the brink of extinction. I'm sure I don't remember the exact numbers, but they were down to about 22 in captivity and now there are more 600 in the wild. Mature Condors have a wingspan of 9 1/2 feet!

There was a program on Sunday morning that I attended where I was introduced to some fine bird watching. We were a small group - two volunteers, one very knowledgeable camper and myself. Everyone had their own binoculars which made things a bit easier. First, we saw the elusive Condor soaring high on a ridge around their favorite roosting tree. Joyce showed us some sparrow nests tucked into the eaves on the Visitor's Center. Next up were the Acorn Woodpeckers. I learned they have community nests and I spotted one high in a large Valley Oak. Along our leisurely walk to the Bacon Ranch, we saw California Quail, Spotted Twohy, Gold crowned Sparrows, Turkey Vultures and Red Shouldered Hawks.

Later we met with Joyce and her friend Cheryl at the Nature Center for a hike up the Bear Gulch Cave Trail to the reservoir. It was still somewhat damp from the previous day's rain and a little brisk, but perfect hiking weather with a light coat. I did not count the number of hikers, but it must have been around a dozen or so. I like there to be enough interest to make the volunteer feel their effort is worthwhile.

We love the color in the rock. The hundreds of different species of lichen and moss added to the palette.

Below is the entrance to Bear Gulch Cave. It is a "talus cave" created when boulders formed a roof over a narrow canyon. The way was a bit cramped in places and you definitely want a flashlight because it was dark!

After a lot of steps, you exit the cave at a reservoir created by the CCC in the 30's when they built a small dam in the upper part of the canyon. A fellow hiker noted our elevation was over 1,700 feet which meant we had a good reason to feel a little stiffness in our legs climbing 500 feet in just over a mile.