Even with the detritus of too many jerks, the falls and the creek are really pretty and worth visiting. A week day will have less traffic if you have one free. We spotted this Iris growing in the brambles along the trail.
Showing posts with label not goin' far. Show all posts
Showing posts with label not goin' far. Show all posts
Monday, February 7, 2011
don't lose yer underpants!
2/5 Salmon Creek Falls
Jeepers, I haven't bee keeping up with the posts. Looking for work has kept me away from the keyboard but not away from the hikes. This weekend we made a visit to Salmon Creek Falls at the southern end of Big Sur. It's a pretty place but a very popular stop for a short hike on the Highway One drive. The quantity of traffic has taken its toll since the last time any of us visited. The drawing above was spotted on a guard rail post at the turnout for the trail head. It made us laugh but it sums up how I felt about all litter and tree carving graffiti. I like graffiti with a sense of humor and creativity placed on man made objects like this cartoon, but the tree carving makes me all frowny.
Here I am with hat hair, blood shot eyes, and some sour feelings about all the trash. I hauled out pounds of plastic water bottles, cigarette packages, cans, broken glass, broken sun glasses, and juice bags. C'mon folks, we don't have to be this lame. Take your crap with you or don't bring it in the first place. The falls clearly have become a favorite place to get busy too. There were torn condom packages and, yes, a grubby weenie wrapper from some one's tryst... classy. Do use a condom, but don't leave the nasty thing behind when you drive away. The lost item that took the cake was a lacy blue dainty hung on a fence post along the trail. My nephew gleefully took the opportunity to holler, "Who's panties are those? Who lost their panties?!" happy to have the chance to yell a word that makes him giggle. I still call 'em underpants regardless of how little they cover.
Even with the detritus of too many jerks, the falls and the creek are really pretty and worth visiting. A week day will have less traffic if you have one free. We spotted this Iris growing in the brambles along the trail.
Beware of the many tracks that have been worn into the canyon leading up toward the head of the falls. They are not maintained trails and they lead every which way into heaps of Poison Oak and crumbling slopes of wet leaves and scree. The walk to the falls from the turn out is quite short but there are many muddy slippery parts, not the easiest for those who are not sure of foot. The turn out and trail head is 3.7 miles north of Ragged Point on the Pacific Coast Highway.
If you go, please don't leave anything behind, and if you have a little gumption, take a garbage bag with you and help me haul out some of the junk that all the knuckleheads have dropped.
Even with the detritus of too many jerks, the falls and the creek are really pretty and worth visiting. A week day will have less traffic if you have one free. We spotted this Iris growing in the brambles along the trail.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
up the hills and in the trees
1/15 Morro Bay State Park and checking in on the Monarchs
It was a blustery day and mrs. a-go-go was afearin' for her allergies with all dust and pollen kicked into the air. She did what she could to keep most of the particles at bay with a bandanna but it drew all sorts of peculiar looks from the bikers on the trail.
Having never poked around the trails East of South Bay Boulevard in Morro Bay State Park this cool winter day seemed like a good time to start. This state park covers a large area between the town of Morro Bay and Los Osos/Baywood Park. It extends East into the hills and includes most of the sandspit enclosing the bay. South Bay Boulevard heads almost due north from Los Osos Valley Road in Los Osos and drives right up the middle of the park area. There are at least two places to park off the East side of the road that have trail head access. We were looking to explore the hills so we took the first gravel paved turnout North of Turri Road. This put us right at the start of Park Ridge Road. There is a gate and enough space to park a few cars next to a trail head sign and information board. That rock lump, by the way, is curiously named Tiki Rock.
Our walk took us up to the peak of an unnamed hill. We followed Park Ridge Road most of the way with a few excursions left and right investigating where the unnamed tracks went. Most of the trails into the hills are reasonably well labeled and a small map on the information board gave us some idea where we were headed on Park Ridge Road. This is a popular area with the mountain bikers and that traffic has created some traces that wander off in unnamed directions, but most of the coast scrub here is low and you are unlikely to get disoriented. Bring some layers. It can get windy cold and damp any time of year. We didn't go though we were tempted to follow further on the trails heading every which way. I'd like to have a good topo trail map along if were going to wander more so I'd have some idea where we'd end up. The views over the bay and the small grass filled valleys between the hills are pretty and there are flower and mushroom surprises if you look for them.
It's a good place for a short hike uphill to get your feet warm even if you only take a hour or so.
After our walk in the hills we took the opportunity to check in on the monarch butterflies in the near by Monarch Grove.
There are quite a few places on the California coast where the monarch butterflies can be seen hanging around from about October to February. One of the larger ones near us is in the Pismo Beach area but Morro Bay has its own grove at the end of the aptly named Monarch Lane. From Los Osos Valley Road going East through the town of Los Osos, just past where the road jogs left and the name changes to Pecho Valley Road, take a right turn on Monarch Lane. At the end of the lane there is a sign and a trail head leading into the eucalyptus trees. We saw a few butterflies darting here and there and there were a few clumps high in the trees but I have seem far more on other visits. Maybe most of the butterflies had moved on or its possible this is a bad year for the monarchs but I have heard that the numbers of these butterflies in the groves have been steadily decreasing. The coastal California eucalyptus groves are just one stop in the multi generation migrations of these critters. Housing developments and other losses of habitat here and all along the monarch's path have had quite an impact on the number of butterflies that make the journey.
The path through the trees will take you out to the sandspit and the sand dunes if you have itchy feet and want to continue your own migration. Hopefully the shortage of butterflies on our visit was due to most of them having itchy feet. Perhaps most of them had moved on early this year and there will be better years to come. We'll come check in again soon.
After our walk in the hills we took the opportunity to check in on the monarch butterflies in the near by Monarch Grove.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
and it was a bit longer this time
1/9/2011 Los Osos to the Morro Bay sandspit
The day was bright and clear, but the chill of the wind kept us wrapped up. In the previous post we visited the long sand spit that encloses Morro Bay. This time, with more time and no threat of rain we could explore further into the dunes and along the beach. The cold wind was our constant companion except when we hid behind a dune for a lunch break.
More plovers were out for the day dashing around at the edge of the surf joined by a few godwits and curlews stabbing at the wet sand. Large parts of the inland dunes are roped off to reduce human traffic in the snowy plovers' nesting areas. If you go I hope you'll heed the signs asking people to keep out of these areas. In addition, it's worth noting at the trail head the warning signs posted about the possibility of stumbling onto unexploded munitions from the 1940s. For a few years around the second world war the sand spit area was used for military training exercises. Left over mortar rounds and small rockets could be buried in the sand, so beware of digging around any rusted metal objects you stumble on.
Outside the stretches closed to make room for plovers' eggs the dunes offer huge open areas of lunar emptiness punctuated by tall hummocks topped by scraggly dune plants.
The slopes of sand were too much for the boy a-go-go to pass up and he made good use of his toboggan. The dunes drift in the wind and make the kind of ripples one expects in a desert scene, but many patches of sand were remarkably firm. I suppose this is due to the constant damp of ocean dew. Wet sticky sand was everywhere just an inch below the surface.
Scattered in the lumps of blowing sand we spotted lots of things slowly bleaching in the sun. We didn't see and munitions but there were plenty of bleached bones of small birds and other critters. We carried back to the parking area two bags full of plastic trash and there are plenty of scattered bits of broken bottles slowly being softened into sea glass. There were few other people out on the spit with us but the place a certainly has seen lots of human activity.
There are shanties built of driftwood and other debris here and there among the dunes, and the bits of charred firewood make it clear that people have camp outs now and then. Officially this is a no camping area but I can see why it's so irresistible. we didn't make the trek all the way to the mouth of the bay so there may be another update to this post sometime. It's five miles one way from the parking area to the end. Someday we'll make it a whole day and an even longer walk.
Friday, January 7, 2011
long walk will be longer next time
12/22 Los Osos to the Moro Bay sandspit
The rain has been giving us some cabin fever so every time there is a break we run out for a short bit of outside time. The rain letup on the afternoon of the 22nd and a walk on the sandspit outside Morro Bay sounded like a good idea. The sandspit offers a long beach walk with usually few people, and the farther you walk the fewer still.
Los Osos Valley Road becomes Pecho Valley Road in the town of Los Osos and will take you into Montaña de Oro State Park. Past the park entrance .8 miles turn right on Sandspit Road and there is a small parking area and a well marked trail down through the dunes. Once on the beach you can walk Northish toward Morro Rock all the way to the opening of the bay. It's about 5 miles one way so you can make this a long walk if you are up for it.
We didn't have the energy or the daylight to go the distance that day. The clouds made for an early twilight and we were on our way home by 4:30. It's a marvelous place. You may be lucky enough to see a phalanx of shy Plovers running in the surf and if you dig in the sand you'll turn up some of the biggest sand crabs ever.
Get ready for a long walk and we'll see you there when the weather gives us a long break.
Los Osos Valley Road becomes Pecho Valley Road in the town of Los Osos and will take you into Montaña de Oro State Park. Past the park entrance .8 miles turn right on Sandspit Road and there is a small parking area and a well marked trail down through the dunes. Once on the beach you can walk Northish toward Morro Rock all the way to the opening of the bay. It's about 5 miles one way so you can make this a long walk if you are up for it.
We didn't have the energy or the daylight to go the distance that day. The clouds made for an early twilight and we were on our way home by 4:30. It's a marvelous place. You may be lucky enough to see a phalanx of shy Plovers running in the surf and if you dig in the sand you'll turn up some of the biggest sand crabs ever.
Get ready for a long walk and we'll see you there when the weather gives us a long break.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
hey guess what? more mushrooms!
Fiscalini Ranch, Cambria, CA 12/30
The red capped Amanita muscaria rears its head.
You guessed it. We made a visit to the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve mentioned in the previous post and the mushrooms were still at it. We'll have to go for another visit on the heels of a rain in the spring because many of the crazy fungi that we saw were well passed their prime. None the less, I had to write a little about the red speckled devil pictured above.
It's Amanita muscaria also called the Fly Agaric or the Fly Amanita, and it can be a whopper! We saw it just emerging, as in the top photo, still covered with the white speckles of its veil; and we saw it flattened into its later state as a broad polished bronze platter. The last one below really was the size of a small platter and gleamed in the sun like metal.
I had seen pictures of this monster but never in person. Its red and white speckled cap has been the model for countless mushroom cartoons, but I had no idea about its history. This seductive devil is poisonous and hallucinogenic and a short bit of research turns up all sorts idiot adventures. You can pick the thing up and poke it but don't fool with eating, nibbling, or licking it unless you are willing to risk some gut wrenching pain. The effects are unpredictable from person to person, and can vary wildly by region, season, and even by individual mushroom. But wait there's more! The fly part of the name comes from the use of the mushroom to attract and stupefy flies. Didn't even know a fly could be stupefied. And, get this, the mushroom can concentrate vanadium from the soil! Vanadium, by the way, is a rare metallic element that is valued as an ingredient in steel alloys... stick THAT in your pipe and smoke it.
Maybe this is going to turn into a mushroom blog some day... The more looking and reading I do the more fascinating these devils are.
The red capped Amanita muscaria rears its head.
You guessed it. We made a visit to the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve mentioned in the previous post and the mushrooms were still at it. We'll have to go for another visit on the heels of a rain in the spring because many of the crazy fungi that we saw were well passed their prime. None the less, I had to write a little about the red speckled devil pictured above.
It's Amanita muscaria also called the Fly Agaric or the Fly Amanita, and it can be a whopper! We saw it just emerging, as in the top photo, still covered with the white speckles of its veil; and we saw it flattened into its later state as a broad polished bronze platter. The last one below really was the size of a small platter and gleamed in the sun like metal.
I had seen pictures of this monster but never in person. Its red and white speckled cap has been the model for countless mushroom cartoons, but I had no idea about its history. This seductive devil is poisonous and hallucinogenic and a short bit of research turns up all sorts idiot adventures. You can pick the thing up and poke it but don't fool with eating, nibbling, or licking it unless you are willing to risk some gut wrenching pain. The effects are unpredictable from person to person, and can vary wildly by region, season, and even by individual mushroom. But wait there's more! The fly part of the name comes from the use of the mushroom to attract and stupefy flies. Didn't even know a fly could be stupefied. And, get this, the mushroom can concentrate vanadium from the soil! Vanadium, by the way, is a rare metallic element that is valued as an ingredient in steel alloys... stick THAT in your pipe and smoke it.Maybe this is going to turn into a mushroom blog some day... The more looking and reading I do the more fascinating these devils are.
Friday, December 31, 2010
go wild in the country
Cambria and Los Osos 12/23 and 12/26
No snakes (at least not this time of year) in the grass but the mushroom show is absolutely free.
Are you a nut for fruiting bodies? Do you subscribe to the Cornell University Mushroom blog? (I highly recommend it by the way. Even if you are not a fungus kook the writing is really good.) Does Mycology ring your bell? Then the California central coast after a good rain will make you swoon. Fungi is a ubiquitous presence all over the world, and a true aficionado will know where and when to find the little caps poking up, but the show near Cambria, CA is like seeing the lights in Times Square... any fool can stumble on to it and stand and gawk.
A cool windy clear day arrived after a week of soaking rain so we took the opportunity to get out and visit Moonstone Beach. The beach part of our day was detailed in the previous post and I hinted at our mushroom surprise later that day. Though we have made excursions following previous a wet spells specifically to see fungi, we had not been thinking about mushrooms that morning so the show surprised us.
All around the public restrooms at one end of Moonstone Beach is a small area wooded with a variety of trees and a thick mat of fallen needles and leaves. The wild colors and assortment of sizes in the mushroom show in this small area kept us busy for at least an hour of gawking.
Another favorite mushroom gawking zone near Cambria is the Fiscalini Ranch. It has much more than mushrooms to offer but in the right season apparently the place goes nuts with fruiting bodies. We have not visited yet so I can't give my personal review but Fiscalini Ranch is at the top of our list.
When the mushrooms show their heads lots of critters come out to dine including the local mycophagists. Now, I'm too much of a beginner to have any confidence about eating wild mushrooms and I don't recommend you eat 'em without some heavy research and maybe a knowledgeable friend, but there are those who come out after a good rain to find their dinner. So, for the sake of critter and people alike please be kind to the mushrooms you see. Check that itch to kick the white rubbery thing or to mash that orange trumpet. There are critters big and small who would prefer to have some of them on their plate without your footprints on the caps.
On our walks we have often seen the telltale trowel marks of the foraging mycophage that arrived before we could rouse ourselves for the morning.
A few days (and a bit more rain) after our surprise in Cambria we took a walk specifically for the fungus. This time we visited Los Osos Oaks Park. This ramble through oak trees big and small offered lots of mushroom variety too, and we had a good two hours of muddy shoes to prove it.
The trails in Los Osos Oaks can be confusing and unmarked tracks lead off into the bushes. If you go pay attention, wear a whistle in case you wander off, and maybe bring a compass to help point the direction to the parking area (take note that Los Osos Valley Road is the North edge of the park area).
Some of the best stuff comes out of rot, and by the way some of 'em smell good too. There are a few that smell like maple syrup, no foolin'. So go wild and stick yer nose in for a whiff.
oh yeah, and for some nifty time lapse viewing of mushrooms click here.
No snakes (at least not this time of year) in the grass but the mushroom show is absolutely free.
Are you a nut for fruiting bodies? Do you subscribe to the Cornell University Mushroom blog? (I highly recommend it by the way. Even if you are not a fungus kook the writing is really good.) Does Mycology ring your bell? Then the California central coast after a good rain will make you swoon. Fungi is a ubiquitous presence all over the world, and a true aficionado will know where and when to find the little caps poking up, but the show near Cambria, CA is like seeing the lights in Times Square... any fool can stumble on to it and stand and gawk.
A cool windy clear day arrived after a week of soaking rain so we took the opportunity to get out and visit Moonstone Beach. The beach part of our day was detailed in the previous post and I hinted at our mushroom surprise later that day. Though we have made excursions following previous a wet spells specifically to see fungi, we had not been thinking about mushrooms that morning so the show surprised us.
All around the public restrooms at one end of Moonstone Beach is a small area wooded with a variety of trees and a thick mat of fallen needles and leaves. The wild colors and assortment of sizes in the mushroom show in this small area kept us busy for at least an hour of gawking.
Another favorite mushroom gawking zone near Cambria is the Fiscalini Ranch. It has much more than mushrooms to offer but in the right season apparently the place goes nuts with fruiting bodies. We have not visited yet so I can't give my personal review but Fiscalini Ranch is at the top of our list.
When the mushrooms show their heads lots of critters come out to dine including the local mycophagists. Now, I'm too much of a beginner to have any confidence about eating wild mushrooms and I don't recommend you eat 'em without some heavy research and maybe a knowledgeable friend, but there are those who come out after a good rain to find their dinner. So, for the sake of critter and people alike please be kind to the mushrooms you see. Check that itch to kick the white rubbery thing or to mash that orange trumpet. There are critters big and small who would prefer to have some of them on their plate without your footprints on the caps.
On our walks we have often seen the telltale trowel marks of the foraging mycophage that arrived before we could rouse ourselves for the morning.
A few days (and a bit more rain) after our surprise in Cambria we took a walk specifically for the fungus. This time we visited Los Osos Oaks Park. This ramble through oak trees big and small offered lots of mushroom variety too, and we had a good two hours of muddy shoes to prove it.
The trails in Los Osos Oaks can be confusing and unmarked tracks lead off into the bushes. If you go pay attention, wear a whistle in case you wander off, and maybe bring a compass to help point the direction to the parking area (take note that Los Osos Valley Road is the North edge of the park area).
Some of the best stuff comes out of rot, and by the way some of 'em smell good too. There are a few that smell like maple syrup, no foolin'. So go wild and stick yer nose in for a whiff.oh yeah, and for some nifty time lapse viewing of mushrooms click here.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
the search for nephrite and jadeite
Moonstone Beach 12/23
A solid week of rain dashed our hopes of seeing the lunar eclipse on the 20th but a break in the heavy rain on the 23rd gave us a chance to get outside. We decided it was time for a visit to Cambria, California and Moonstone Beach. Here are some reviews of the beach and other folks' impressions. Now, if you live in a place that is having cold nasty weather this time of year and are feeling envy just hold on a second. Yes, there are fantastically beautiful days like the one pictured above that come along in winter but you have to take note that those are the only days everyone runs outside to take pictures. The recent wet is nothing compared to freezing rain and snow but don't get the idea that everyday looks so blue. And if you come to visit in the summer, HA! the central coast will likely be socked in with a thick cold fog. These fantastic clear (but chilly with wind) days are often in the middle of winter when the marine layer has been blown away by a storm, and indeed the next day was gray and drizzly again.
So, we took our shot at the pebbles while the getting was good. If you want to go pebble hunting or tide pool gazing be sure to check the tide forecast. Arriving at the beach and finding no beach can be disappointing and tides here can be high enough to completely obscure the pebbly sand and tide pool rocks. I took a look and found that high tide was to occur at 11:40ish in the am and would crest at +6 feet. Gads! good thing I checked. Arriving in the morning we'd be out of luck. Instead we waited until after lunch and had an ever expanding beach to play on, but we'd miss out on the very wide low tide beach that makes for the best pebbling and tide pool gazing.
So, what's all this business about pebbles? you say. Well, Moonstone beach is so called for the jumble of marvelous hard bits of stone tumbled on the shore. The majority are chert, a fine grained sedimentary silica rich stone that is hard enough to resist being pulverised right away in the surf. It comes in an array of colors and makes for dazzling pebble picking. Just a few minutes spent looking near your toes will turn up treasure.
According to the name of the beach there are moonstones to be found. I'm not enough of a geologist or gemologist to know if I have ever seen a moonstone but I hear tell that tossed in with all the chert there are many bits of quartz, nephrite, and rare bits of jadeite. These last two are the source of jade gemstones. Beware, you may be bitten by the jade bug and go ape for the green bits, however I think the melange of colors in the chert (much of which is green too) is more interesting. The pretty green stones are very abundant here but few have the translucent quality that most expect of gemstones. I know that true nephrite is harder than chert and jadeite is harder still so a simple beginners' test if you insist on finding jade is to try scratching the stone with steel. A dull pocket knife will do (it'll be dull soon enough grinding it on hard stones). Bring a loop or other magnifying glass and look at your scratches. If that green stone you've got is cold on your cheek, has some nice sparkly translucence, and when you look close the scratch is actually bits of steel ground off onto the stone then there's a good chance you have some jade. To be absolutely certain you have to get technical and measure the stones specific gravity. Not hard to do if you have a good graduated cylinder and a chemist's balance scale, but all that is beyond me.
I just like lookin' at 'em, and if I end up taking one home it's usually one with wild mottled colors. I'm just not ready to catch the jade bug.
What's the source of all these pretty rocks? Well, the polishing in the surf helps, but all the hard bits of stone come from the Franciscan Assemblage. A geological leftover, predating the San Andreas fault, that is mashed up all along the California central coast. Another favorite pebble spot is Jade Cove in Big Sur. I have not visited this one so I can't vouch for it but I suppose the name is promising. Geologists think that much of this coastal stuff is sedimentary material from the Pacific Ocean floor that was scraped up and packed onto a coast that was at that time riding over a subduction zone. For more on this and other Southern and Central California geology tidbits I highly recommend Geology Underfoot in Southern California.
The same day we had another surprise payoff from the week long drenching, a wild mushroom show, but that will have to wait for the next post.
A solid week of rain dashed our hopes of seeing the lunar eclipse on the 20th but a break in the heavy rain on the 23rd gave us a chance to get outside. We decided it was time for a visit to Cambria, California and Moonstone Beach. Here are some reviews of the beach and other folks' impressions. Now, if you live in a place that is having cold nasty weather this time of year and are feeling envy just hold on a second. Yes, there are fantastically beautiful days like the one pictured above that come along in winter but you have to take note that those are the only days everyone runs outside to take pictures. The recent wet is nothing compared to freezing rain and snow but don't get the idea that everyday looks so blue. And if you come to visit in the summer, HA! the central coast will likely be socked in with a thick cold fog. These fantastic clear (but chilly with wind) days are often in the middle of winter when the marine layer has been blown away by a storm, and indeed the next day was gray and drizzly again.
So, we took our shot at the pebbles while the getting was good. If you want to go pebble hunting or tide pool gazing be sure to check the tide forecast. Arriving at the beach and finding no beach can be disappointing and tides here can be high enough to completely obscure the pebbly sand and tide pool rocks. I took a look and found that high tide was to occur at 11:40ish in the am and would crest at +6 feet. Gads! good thing I checked. Arriving in the morning we'd be out of luck. Instead we waited until after lunch and had an ever expanding beach to play on, but we'd miss out on the very wide low tide beach that makes for the best pebbling and tide pool gazing.
So, what's all this business about pebbles? you say. Well, Moonstone beach is so called for the jumble of marvelous hard bits of stone tumbled on the shore. The majority are chert, a fine grained sedimentary silica rich stone that is hard enough to resist being pulverised right away in the surf. It comes in an array of colors and makes for dazzling pebble picking. Just a few minutes spent looking near your toes will turn up treasure.
According to the name of the beach there are moonstones to be found. I'm not enough of a geologist or gemologist to know if I have ever seen a moonstone but I hear tell that tossed in with all the chert there are many bits of quartz, nephrite, and rare bits of jadeite. These last two are the source of jade gemstones. Beware, you may be bitten by the jade bug and go ape for the green bits, however I think the melange of colors in the chert (much of which is green too) is more interesting. The pretty green stones are very abundant here but few have the translucent quality that most expect of gemstones. I know that true nephrite is harder than chert and jadeite is harder still so a simple beginners' test if you insist on finding jade is to try scratching the stone with steel. A dull pocket knife will do (it'll be dull soon enough grinding it on hard stones). Bring a loop or other magnifying glass and look at your scratches. If that green stone you've got is cold on your cheek, has some nice sparkly translucence, and when you look close the scratch is actually bits of steel ground off onto the stone then there's a good chance you have some jade. To be absolutely certain you have to get technical and measure the stones specific gravity. Not hard to do if you have a good graduated cylinder and a chemist's balance scale, but all that is beyond me.
I just like lookin' at 'em, and if I end up taking one home it's usually one with wild mottled colors. I'm just not ready to catch the jade bug.What's the source of all these pretty rocks? Well, the polishing in the surf helps, but all the hard bits of stone come from the Franciscan Assemblage. A geological leftover, predating the San Andreas fault, that is mashed up all along the California central coast. Another favorite pebble spot is Jade Cove in Big Sur. I have not visited this one so I can't vouch for it but I suppose the name is promising. Geologists think that much of this coastal stuff is sedimentary material from the Pacific Ocean floor that was scraped up and packed onto a coast that was at that time riding over a subduction zone. For more on this and other Southern and Central California geology tidbits I highly recommend Geology Underfoot in Southern California.
The same day we had another surprise payoff from the week long drenching, a wild mushroom show, but that will have to wait for the next post.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
copper moon
For all you moon gazers out there, be alert, the full moon will turn a deep copper color Monday night as it passes into the Earth's shadow for a total lunar eclipse visible in North America. We're not much as astronomy photographers so forgive the little Pic Shaws cartoon above. There are gobs of pictures of the freaky red moon all over the internet. Just do an image search for "lunar eclipse".
This total eclipse will occur the night of the 20th and the early morning of the 21st. The particular time will depend on your location and I am uncertain of all the places where the show will be visible so do some research. For the west coast of North America the moon will be in shadow from about 10:30pm to about 1:30am with total eclipse beginning about 11:40pm. You'll have to do some research and find your local time for the event. Unfortunately it looks like we in Central California will be out of luck. We are in the middle of a long steady rain and the cloud cover is likely to be total Monday night. Piffle. I'll still go out to take a look. Maybe we'll get lucky and there will be a break in the clouds. The forecasts have been wrong before.
Do go out and take a look if you have never seen a lunar eclipse. The red brown color of the moon in Earth's shadow is weird enough to make me understand how people used to take it as an omen of terrible things afoot. The peculiar color of Earth's shadow on the moon is caused by a small bit of sunlight refracted through Earth's atmosphere and scattered into the Umbra, as astronomers call the shadow area. The Griffith Observatory web page has a good short explanation of the phenomenon.
If you live in North America and you have the luck of a clear sky on the evening of the 20th don't miss the show. It'll take just a few minutes of your time to peek outside before you go to bed and you'll remember the sight for the rest of your life.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
gifts under paper garlands
Olvera Street and El Pueblo de los Angeles
Still looking for gifts in Los Angeles? Just a few walkable blocks from Chinatown is Olvera Street, the crowded market of El Pueblo de los Angeles.
This pedestrian street crowded with shops, restaurants, and merchant stalls loaded with wild bursts of color and hung with paper (and plastic) garlands is all that Los Angeles has of its old town center. It may be touristy and pricier that finding this stuff in Mexico but we still love it.
The festivals for Dia de los Muertos get crazy crowded and all the kids get their faces painted with a skull's grimace.
There's never a shortage of Luchador masks in every design imaginable.
The shops overflow with colorful stuff from inexpensive trinkets to elaborately embroidered dresses. From December 16th to the 24th Olvera Street hosts Las Posadas, with processions beginning in the evening at the Avila Adobe and piñata bashings for the kids. Details and directions can be found at the links above. Don't miss Olvera Street. Even if you aren't looking to shop, the colors and swirls of people will give you a holiday kick in the pants.
Still looking for gifts in Los Angeles? Just a few walkable blocks from Chinatown is Olvera Street, the crowded market of El Pueblo de los Angeles.
This pedestrian street crowded with shops, restaurants, and merchant stalls loaded with wild bursts of color and hung with paper (and plastic) garlands is all that Los Angeles has of its old town center. It may be touristy and pricier that finding this stuff in Mexico but we still love it.
The festivals for Dia de los Muertos get crazy crowded and all the kids get their faces painted with a skull's grimace.
There's never a shortage of Luchador masks in every design imaginable.
The shops overflow with colorful stuff from inexpensive trinkets to elaborately embroidered dresses. From December 16th to the 24th Olvera Street hosts Las Posadas, with processions beginning in the evening at the Avila Adobe and piñata bashings for the kids. Details and directions can be found at the links above. Don't miss Olvera Street. Even if you aren't looking to shop, the colors and swirls of people will give you a holiday kick in the pants.
Friday, December 10, 2010
gifts under red lanterns
11/21 Chinatown, Los Angeles
If you live in the Los Angeles area and are still on the hunt for gifts, don't forget about Chinatown. During a short visit to LA just before Thanksgiving and in need of a few more little-somethings we took a turn under the red lanterns.
The range of possible gifts in the tightly packed shops include the cheesy/fun and the special/expensive. Take the time to visit the markets that at first glance appears to offer only food items. Often these markets have the best unusual gifts hiding in the back.
If you see this Lady Fish Paste sign turn around and go up the escalator past the mirrored wall. This will take you to a swell market filled with some marvelous ceramics and a wall of glass apothecary jars full of the most pricey loose teas I have ever witnessed.
It was a bright cold morning but the clouds put up a good backdrop for the lanterns and the wild ornate buildings.
If you are unfamiliar with Chinatown in Los Angeles the main drag is along N. Broadway and N. Hill Street just a bit Northeast of downtown. If you are driving South on the 110 freeway take the Hill Street exit. It will drop you right into the thick of it. Finding free parking can be a bear on any day of the week but there are many lots that typically charge $5 or less for the day. Even better, skip the parking and take the Gold Line train to the Chinatown stop. It's a short walk to the shops. And by the way, Phillipe's is in the same neighborhood in case you haven't tried their horseradish mustard.
If you don't make it for holiday shopping, don't fret, you can still make the 112th Annual Golden Dragon Parade for Chinese New Year on February 5th, 2011.
**If you are up for some bipedal adventuring, historic Olvera Street can be traveled to on foot in a little less than ten minutes. Stay tuned for an a-go-go take on the pueblo. If you can, make plans to visit next week in time for Las Posadas
If you live in the Los Angeles area and are still on the hunt for gifts, don't forget about Chinatown. During a short visit to LA just before Thanksgiving and in need of a few more little-somethings we took a turn under the red lanterns.
The range of possible gifts in the tightly packed shops include the cheesy/fun and the special/expensive. Take the time to visit the markets that at first glance appears to offer only food items. Often these markets have the best unusual gifts hiding in the back.
If you see this Lady Fish Paste sign turn around and go up the escalator past the mirrored wall. This will take you to a swell market filled with some marvelous ceramics and a wall of glass apothecary jars full of the most pricey loose teas I have ever witnessed.
It was a bright cold morning but the clouds put up a good backdrop for the lanterns and the wild ornate buildings.If you are unfamiliar with Chinatown in Los Angeles the main drag is along N. Broadway and N. Hill Street just a bit Northeast of downtown. If you are driving South on the 110 freeway take the Hill Street exit. It will drop you right into the thick of it. Finding free parking can be a bear on any day of the week but there are many lots that typically charge $5 or less for the day. Even better, skip the parking and take the Gold Line train to the Chinatown stop. It's a short walk to the shops. And by the way, Phillipe's is in the same neighborhood in case you haven't tried their horseradish mustard.
If you don't make it for holiday shopping, don't fret, you can still make the 112th Annual Golden Dragon Parade for Chinese New Year on February 5th, 2011.**If you are up for some bipedal adventuring, historic Olvera Street can be traveled to on foot in a little less than ten minutes. Stay tuned for an a-go-go take on the pueblo. If you can, make plans to visit next week in time for Las Posadas
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
li'l trees and estuary views
10/24 The Elfin Forest
A little before Halloween we took time to explore a short boardwalk hike through the Elfin Forest near Los Osos, California. This part of Moro Bay State Park is named for the stands of Pygmy Oaks that make it such an unusual place. Moro Bay and Los Osos are often bathed in fog and the damp encourages shaggy drapes of moss on the branches of the small trees adding to the fairy tale appearance.
To find the Elfin Forest take Los Osos Valley Road West from Highway 101 just south of San Luis Obispo. Just as the road enters the town of Los Osos make a right on South Bay Boulevard. At the intersection you'll start seeing signs directing the way to the trail head. Follow S. Bay Blvd. about 1.4 miles and turn left on Santa Ysabel Avenue. The first right is 17th street and at the end of the block is the trail head. A short path through the dunes will take you to the board walk, a less than 1 mile loop with short side paths to overlooks on the bay and estuary.
The board walk winds down through coast scrub brush where you'll see and hear lots of bird action if you make the hike in morning or late afternoon. We heard more birds than we could see and the sun was already high enough to end the morning bird party. The lower part of the board walk on the bay side of the dune (everything is growing on sand here) gets into the thick of the mini oaks. Somewhere in the middle of the loop there is a side path into Rose's Grove, a good place to sit under the little trees with benches provided.
If you are after a longer walk, the area around Los Osos, Moro Bay, and Montaña do Oro State Park offer a whole mess of hiking trails. If you bring a canine pal, don't forget the leash, they are required in the state parks. From the overlooks on the board walk there are good views of the bay and the estuary, a popular stopover for all sorts of migrating shore birds, so bring your binoculars if it's that avian-travel-time of year. As I mentioned the area is often socked in with fog particularly in the mornings and much of the summer, so the view of the bay may not be this clear.
The board walk is considered to be wheelchair friendly (though the first bit through the sand could be a challenge) so this is a good choice for anyone with less mobility or stamina, but if you're a 20 mile a day walker don't pass this up just because it's short. The Elfin Forest and the bay offers anyone a pleasant walk.
**hi there, mrs. a-go-go here, i just wanted to point out that mr. a-go-go forgot the part about the harmonica playing serenade. if yer lucky, when you pull up you may catch an awesome visual of a man in an orange hat accompanying a singing seagull with his harmonica. for reals yo!
A little before Halloween we took time to explore a short boardwalk hike through the Elfin Forest near Los Osos, California. This part of Moro Bay State Park is named for the stands of Pygmy Oaks that make it such an unusual place. Moro Bay and Los Osos are often bathed in fog and the damp encourages shaggy drapes of moss on the branches of the small trees adding to the fairy tale appearance.
To find the Elfin Forest take Los Osos Valley Road West from Highway 101 just south of San Luis Obispo. Just as the road enters the town of Los Osos make a right on South Bay Boulevard. At the intersection you'll start seeing signs directing the way to the trail head. Follow S. Bay Blvd. about 1.4 miles and turn left on Santa Ysabel Avenue. The first right is 17th street and at the end of the block is the trail head. A short path through the dunes will take you to the board walk, a less than 1 mile loop with short side paths to overlooks on the bay and estuary.
The board walk winds down through coast scrub brush where you'll see and hear lots of bird action if you make the hike in morning or late afternoon. We heard more birds than we could see and the sun was already high enough to end the morning bird party. The lower part of the board walk on the bay side of the dune (everything is growing on sand here) gets into the thick of the mini oaks. Somewhere in the middle of the loop there is a side path into Rose's Grove, a good place to sit under the little trees with benches provided.
If you are after a longer walk, the area around Los Osos, Moro Bay, and Montaña do Oro State Park offer a whole mess of hiking trails. If you bring a canine pal, don't forget the leash, they are required in the state parks. From the overlooks on the board walk there are good views of the bay and the estuary, a popular stopover for all sorts of migrating shore birds, so bring your binoculars if it's that avian-travel-time of year. As I mentioned the area is often socked in with fog particularly in the mornings and much of the summer, so the view of the bay may not be this clear.
The board walk is considered to be wheelchair friendly (though the first bit through the sand could be a challenge) so this is a good choice for anyone with less mobility or stamina, but if you're a 20 mile a day walker don't pass this up just because it's short. The Elfin Forest and the bay offers anyone a pleasant walk.**hi there, mrs. a-go-go here, i just wanted to point out that mr. a-go-go forgot the part about the harmonica playing serenade. if yer lucky, when you pull up you may catch an awesome visual of a man in an orange hat accompanying a singing seagull with his harmonica. for reals yo!
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