Land of Medicine Buddha - Soquel, CA

Banana Slugs, tall redwood forests and peaceful verses along the walk to remind us of human kindness...I'll take it!! ....And...it's dog friendly (on leash of course) which is a great bonus for us.

You can find all of this at the Land of Medicine Buddha in Soquel, CA. A local gem for people in the Santa Cruz, Soquel, Capitola and Aptos area. It is not a state or county park, but it is free. There is a suggested $5 donation, but not required. Parking is somewhat limited, but has never really been an issue as it is usually not too crowded. It is a retreat resort so there are guests staying there on site, but the walking and hiking trails are not too busy or overcrowded. If you can not find parking in the lot, there are a few parking spots available along the entry road.  

Bloo & Marley

Welcome sign

I really like it here because of how peaceful it is. Also, even if it is really hot out, the trails are mostly shaded and cool because of the tree cover and redwoods. It is also a good spot for an easy walk or hike that is filled with interesting things to look at. There are prayer wheels to look at and touch or spin, statues spread out around the grounds to view at and read about, a temple, yurts, a koi pond, flora, banana slugs (although they tend to show up mostly when it is damp or cool out, after a rain, not so much when hot/dry), and the 8 verses trail which has stations with signs that show and explain the Eight Verses of Thought Transformation. There is a bench at most of the signs so you can sit, rest and reflect if desired.

Prayer wheel

Banana slug

Cartoony trail map - located by the door of the gift shop/welcome desk

We hiked the 2-mile loop trail through the Enchanted Forest. To get to the 2-mile loop, you actually begin at the 8 verses trail entrance and you stay on that trail for about 1/4 - 1/2 mile before the trail splits off to the 2-mile or 6-mile loop trail. Most of the 2-mile loop trail is gradual or rolling terrain, but the first switchback is a little bit of a steep incline. Once past that, it flattens out a bit or is gradual uphill and then the very last leg of the trail, back down to the 8 verses, is quick a steep downhill incline. Nothing an average hiking can't handle, but it is a little tough on the knees. Luckily that part of the trail does not go for very long. My only word of advice is to make sure you pay attention to the Y-split in the trail for the 2-mile/6-mile trail split off. It is not overly obvious, but the trail split is marked with overhead prayer flags. If you miss the left hand turn for the 2-mile loop trail, you could find yourself on a much longer hike through Nisene Marks State Park before you realize you missed the turn. 

Git & Marley

In the redwoods - on the 2 mile loop trail

Sun trickling through the redwoods

The trails and grounds are well maintained. There were a few roots and fallen trees along the 2-mile loop trail, but nothing you can't get around. Occasional spotting of poison oak along the trails edges, so be sure to wear long pants or keep an eye out for it.

Buddha statue with prayer wheels

Meditation gong bell

Have Fun and Happy Hiking!!!

Pulgas Ridge Open Space Preserve - Redwood City, CA

Selfie pic before the hike - featuring, from Left to Right, Bloo, Laura & Git

The Pulgas Ridge Open Space Preserve is part of the Midpennisula Regional Open Space District. It is dog friendly and mainly why I chose it for this particular walk/hike. Ryan and I adopted a 9 month old black lab 2 weeks ago and we have been slowly introducing her to car rides, adventures and socializing with other dogs and humans.

Laura and Bloo with the dogs - Louie (Bichon/Poodle mix) and Marley (black lab mix)

This open space has a partially paved access road which is closed off to cars which is nice. I presume its for emergency or fire access only and perhaps the water department as there appeared to be a small pump house just past the entrance. The road is fairly wide, allowing enough space between you and other people that may be walking by with their four legged dog friends as well. The Cordilleras Trail, which is front end of the fire access road, leads to the Hassler Trail and Hassler Loop Trail. The Hassler trails are also paved and create a nice, big loop from the parking lot up to the top of the hill/ridge and back down to the lot.

The incline to the top is moderate, but lengthy so it is a good work out as you are going uphill for awhile. Even the dogs were slowing down a bit. We went with my friend Laura, who also just adopted a dog about 6 weeks ago. The grass and shrubbery on the edges of the trail is thick and not maintained so use caution when walking along the edge as there was patches of poison oak and there could be ticks. It is spring and the ticks are out. Be sure to check your dogs coat thoroughly for ticks afterwards as well.

The Bay Area was experiencing a heat wave last weekend and it was hot the day we went, about 86 degrees. Some of the trail was sheltered from the sun with tree cover and shade, but the majority was not. The sun was right on us, so be sure to bring water for both you and the dog. The dogs stopped frequently for water breaks.

Although we did not venture off of the access road, there were a couple of other trails that veered off the main road. These trails were on-leash only trails for the dogs and from first glance appeared to be more traditional looking narrow, dirt trail paths, but I cannot be sure as we did not go on them. The main access road does lead to an area that is off-leash for the dogs (see trail map clip below), but it is more or less a big open space area that is not enclosed.

The overall perimeter boundaries of the park are fenced and are signed, but the off-leash area is not fenced in. When we were there, the off-leash area was very overgrown and given the time of year with the potential ticks I did not want to risk it. Also, some areas were so grown in that I would not have been able to see the dog and keep track of her if she took off on one of her squirrel chasing or ground sniffing adventures. Perhaps it does not always look like this, however, I did not see any other dog owners letting their dogs off-leash either so I thought it wise to do the same.

The Cordilleras Trail to Hassler Loop Trail that we did was approx. 2 miles round trip, but as mentioned before, the incline up to the top of the hill on Hassler Loop is continual and moderately steep - like walking a neighborhood hill in San Francisco :)

As always, have fun and enjoy your hiking adventures!!

Castle Rock State Park - Los Gatos, CA

Bloo & Git selfie

On a ridge, overlooking the valley....how nice!

Nestled in the Santa Cruz Mountains, this beautiful State Park offers several trails that give you grand views of the San Lorenzo Valley, San Lorenzo River watershed and on a clear day, the Pacific ocean and Monterey Bay.

San Lorenzo River watershed

If you follow the Saratoga Gap Trail from the main parking lot for 3/4 of a mile, you will reach Castle Rock Falls. It is not an overly impressive waterfall, but the view to the south from the observation platform is quite spectacular. The waterfall is up-canyon and is fed by Kings Creek. Part of the Saratoga Gap Trail leading up to the platform walks along the creek so you'll see the water flowing through the shaded, quiet woods before cascading over a 100-ft rock face to the canyon below. Down-canyon, to the south, you'll get a panoramic view of the San Lorenzo Valley and the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Castle Rock Falls

A rock climber below the falls, setting-up for a climb up the rock face below the observation platform

The loop we did kept us going on the Saratoga Gap Trail, continuing past the observation platform and falls, and headed toward the Castle Rock Campground. At the Castle Rock Trail Camp we stopped and ate our sandwiches and snacks at one of the picnic tables. The site has potable water spigots available and bathrooms. Ryan and I had a civil engineering moment by talking at length about the two concrete potable water reservoirs we saw on site and other interesting components such as fire protection, well supply and water quality haha.

Skink

After eating, we left the campground and connected to the Loughry Woods Trail which lead us back to the parking lot we had parked in which was about a 0.5 mile away from the main State Park parking lot. This was the end of our hike, however this trail does continue on further across the road after the parking lot and makes a loop back to the main entrance of the park. The Loughry Woods Trail was much more shaded than the Saratoga Gap Trail as you walk under the cover of the Oak and Pine trees as you traverse up the mountain ridge.

The Saratoga Gap Trail consists more of Chaparral covered mountainside. I did not know what Chaparral was until last Saturday, but it is a shrub-land or heath-land plant community found primarily in California. Mainly thicket, shrubbery and small trees. However, in the first part of the trail and scattered throughout Castle Rock SP you'll see Redwood, Douglas-fir, Oak and Madrone trees.

Chaparral covered mountainside

Our hike was about 6 miles and varied from easy to moderate. Some parts of the trail are very exposed to the sun/elements so sunblock or sun protection is recommended. No dogs are allowed at this State Park. Great views, local and easy to get to, highly recommend.

Año Nuevo State Park - Pescadero, CA (Elephant Seals)

Did someone say Elephant Seal???

Helloooooooo

Año Nuevo State Park - Punta del Año Nuevo (New Year's Point) - Home to the northern elephant seals from December through late March each year. The males and females come to mate and the females give birth to their pups (babies).

A beach full of barking, fighting and sun bathing elephant seals....this is something you gotta see....it really is quite fascinating.

Two males challenging each other

Our tour group overlooking a colony of Elephant Seals, Año Nuevo Island in the background

During these winter months, the only way you can access the beach and see the seals is by going on a guided tour with a ranger and the local volunteer guides. Plan ahead for scheduling a tour because it gets booked up fast and well in advance. A lot of schools take educational field trips here so if you do want a tour geared more toward an adult crowd you may want to consider booking an early morning time slot or weekend tour.

Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable about the seals. She provided us with lots of information and answered questions regarding the characteristics and habits of both the males and females during the mating season and the "off-season" when they are migrating and traveling far away oceans before returning here to Año Nuevo. She explained the history of the Lighthouse Station on Año Nuevo Island, which is an island just off the coast that you can see from the beach. The morning of our tour it was a bit foggy so we couldn't see much of the island at first, but as the weather cleared up later in the morning, we could see some of the historical structures still on the island and lots and lots of birds. The tour guide lent us some binoculars which was great for getting a much better view of the island. I would recommend bringing a pair of your own binoculars if you have a pair, otherwise I would make it a point to borrow some from the guide if they offer them. Our guide also explained the discovery of Año Nuevo Point by the early explorers, a brief history of the native peoples and American settlers and a history of when the first seals started arriving to the beach.

Plaque showing the migration pattern of the seals - blue path is for the males/pink path is for the females

An alpha male trying to convince this female he is worth her time and attention

Año Nuevo Island with lighthouse station

The male elephant seals can weigh as much as 2 1/2 tons and get into some pretty violent physical matches with other males to prove their dominance and show the females they are the best mate to breed with. The males have a very distinguishing feature which is their elephant trunk like nose and it is something that continues to grow throughout their life. It is a easy way to distinguish the older males from the younger ones. The much older males have noses that go in a "reverse J" shape because it has grown so long that it starts to curl around in a circle.

Young male Elephant Seal

The female seals range in size from about 800-1,600 pounds. Soon after the females arrive at the beach, approximately 3-6 days later, they give birth to their young which were conceived the previous year. The females will mate again before they leave the island and return to the ocean for the next 8-9 months. The pups that are born stay with their moms for about a month to grow and nurse. After that, the adult seals leave the island and leave their pups behind. The pups stay on their own for about another month, molting (shedding their baby fur to have a shiny new skin coat) and learning to swim in the shallow waters. By the end of April most of the pups leave the island to go back to the ocean and they head north to hunt for food.

A couple of female elephant seals lounging with their pups

Even though the males are focused on fighting to prove they are the "alpha" male and the ladies are focused on their young and finding the best mate, there is a lot of in between, down time that consists of hanging around and sun bathing. We saw a lot of the seals doing this and existing in their natural habitat. They did not seem to mind our presence, with a little bit of a space buffer of course, and just went about their business as if we did not exist. There were a few that kept their eye on us, just to be sure, but eventually after knowing we meant no harm, they fell back into a peaceful sleep.

They are some very large creatures and not quite the most graceful to watch move on the beach. They kind of look like worms when they are moving on the sand. Whatever you do though, you don't want to be in the travel path of one when it is moving.

This was a real life nature show and felt like a cool clip you would see in Planet Earth. It is quite lucky that this area is so close to where we live and that this was something we got to experience.

The Haley Clan

Ryan at the Año Nuevo Point trailhead

A few cool skulls the Marine Education Center, located at the entrance of the State Park, had on display (more below)

Me along the trail, Año Nuevo Bay and coastline in view behind me

Coyote Hills Regional Park - Fremont, CA

A lovely Friday morning hike with a friend/old co-worker.

Coyote Hills Regional Park, located in Fremont, comprises of approximately 978 acres of hilly grasslands and marshes. The marshlands are protected so it is a sanctuary for many shorebirds. The park offers bike paths and walking paths and plenty of opportunities for 360 degree views of the Peninsula, San Francisco Bay and East Bay shoreline. Atop the grassy knolls are picnic tables and benches where you can stop to take in the views and have a snack or chat for awhile. There are also several other vista points along the paved paths, some with educational placards about the area.

At the Visitor Center there are educational displays and exhibits, restrooms, a bird and butterfly nectar garden and a few picnic tables. We even got to see some turkeys when we were there. They were very interested in finding out what all of us humans were up to. The butterfly garden was very cute, but unfortunately that day there was not a whole lot of butterfly activity.

The park itself has a lot of history to it pertaining to native american life, the Ohlone Indians and early settlers. A trip to the Visitor's Center gives a glimpse into this past.

This is a quiet and easy going place to walk & hike. The park is dog friendly which is a bonus, the dogs just need to be on leash. Leisurely, easy hiking with rewarding views. There is lots of bird activity as well for those who enjoy wildlife.

Me and Shirley atop a grassy knoll, overlooking the SF Bay

Panoramic - Bay & Marshland (Peninsula to the left, East Bay cities to the right)

Marshland - view of Fremont, Union City and surrounding East Bay area

Monarch Butterfly seen at the Visitor Center butterfly garden

Turkeys....Hiiii :)