The other day Mele and I took a trip down Hwy 25 to the Pinnacles National Monument on our way to Morro Bay. It was perfect weather for hiking and aside from a handful of lost French folks we had it all to ourselves. 
Lots of climbing in the park. Most of it was pretty "dirty", but there are unique features and big jug holds everywhere. I would be a great place to wander around and toprope in the spring/fall.
All of these views are from the East entrance to the park. There are trails that pass to the West cliffs that seem really impressive from the photos in the info center. Next time...
We also hiked through a series of caves that seemed to be formed by a combination of water and piled rocks above. We spotted this Red-Legged Frog in one of them. All the caverns made for some interesting natural frames.
It is turantula season around here as well. Below is a male out looking for a date. 
This area is also home to the recently reintroduced California Condors and there is a scheduled release at the East entrance for November 1st. We are hoping to make it back down to get a closer look at these incredible birds. They have wing spans to 10', Ben has some nice shots on his blog of Condors in this area.
As we continued on down the valley we must have seen 60+ wild pigs coming down after the first rain in months. Great trip, and I was once again surprised by a place that is right in my backyard. 
No comments:
Post a Comment