The Boronda Trail begins next to this debris flow barrier about half a mile south of the Coast Gallery. Read the rest of this entry »
Above the Fog: Boronda Trail & Cisco Creek
May 16, 2010
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Big Sur, On Foot, Plants, Santa Lucias, Wildflowers | Tagged: Big Sur Trail, Coast Ridge, Cold Springs, Logwood Creek, Logwood Ridge, Timbertop | 
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Posted by xasauan
Mt. Carmel in May
May 9, 2010When we visited the summit of Mt. Carmel (AKA Boulder Mtn.) two years ago, it seemed that the place had been forgotten and that all traces of the trail were destined to disappear into the brush. It hasn’t happened. Today, the climb from Bottcher’s Gap to Mt. Carmel has emerged as one of the most popular day hikes in the Ventana Wilderness (something we can easily see in the ever-increasing number of unwary net surfers who stumble onto this site by searching for “Mt. Carmel” or “Bottcher’s Gap to Mt. Carmel”). A summit register has even appeared!
When we visited again yesterday (May 8, 2010) we found a virtual parade of hikers lining the trail between Bottcher’s Gap and the summit. The trip seems especially popular among couples – and couples ranging in age from early twenties to late sixties were sweating their way up the hill.
Here’s a little of what we saw along the way …
A Canyon Oak (Quercus chrysolepis) blooms near Bottcher’s Gap. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by xasauan
Pt. Lobos Wildflowers
May 2, 2010
Seaside Painted Cup (Castilleja latifolia) blooming on the South Shore. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by xasauan
Blue Rock Ridge Wildflowers
April 26, 2010
Blue Rock Ridge starts in Cachagua near the Los Padres Dam, quickly enters the Ventana Wilderness, and rises all the way to the Big Pines area at the headwaters of Danish Creek. But it’s not a smooth ascent. There’s a lot of up and down along the way. The “Big Box” fireline, created during the Marble Cone Fire and reopened twice since, runs along the top. It’s a great place for ticks, poison oak and, outside of the dozer scar, for wildflowers. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by xasauan
Garzas Creek Wildflowers
April 17, 2010
Garzas Creek flows through Garland Regional Park. We didn’t see any garzas today, but if you look carefully you’ll see a couple of patos.
Here’s some of what’s currently blooming in the Garzas Creek area … Read the rest of this entry »
4 Comments | On Foot, Plants, Santa Lucias, Wildflowers | Tagged: Carmel Valley wildflowers, Garland Park wildflowers | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
Southern Diablo Range Wildflower Excursion
April 3, 2010
Time to head inland and see what’s blooming in the arid hills of the southern Diablo Range (these sunflowers are Coreopsis bigelovii) Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by xasauan
A Look at the Uplands of the Proposed Molera Wilderness
March 28, 2010A bill introduced by Assembly Member Bill Monning would give State Wilderness protection to 912 acres in the northeastern portion of Andrew Molera State Park. This land is on the other side of the ridge – in the Little Sur River drainage – from the developed parts of the Park, as shown on the following map:
6 Comments | Big Sur, Fire, Flood & Apocalypse, On Foot, Plants, Santa Lucias, Wildflowers | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
Chanterelles in the Rain
December 26, 2009Boletus edulis and the hearty cooking it inspires are just the thing for crisp fall evenings, but by the time we’ve finished our Yule feast we’re ready for something lighter and more delicately flavored. We’re ready, in other words, to eat some chanterelles. How good that the chanterelles oblige us by fruiting so heavily at just this time. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by xasauan
July in Big Sur
July 20, 2009
Hot summer day … Read the rest of this entry »
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Half Moon Bay Ride
June 14, 2009Let’s face it. Traveling by bicycle is a lot more fun than traveling by car. It’s safer. It’s healthier. And how else can you cover so much territory and see it in such rich detail?
This weekend, we rode our bikes north from the Monterey Peninsula through the Santa Cruz Mountains to Half Moon Bay, then home again down the coast. A drenching rain turned the roads of the Salinas and Pájaro Valleys to mud holes and soaked us to the skin. But the sun came out in the hills and the warm ride home was memorable. Here’s a little of what we saw:
Alpine Rd. Near the crest of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Read the rest of this entry »
2 Comments | Cycling, Fungus, Plants, Wildflowers | Permalink
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Xasáuan Today 