Pinnacles National Monument
Last night the clocks ’sprang’ forward so we had an hour less in bed. We were up though soon after 5 and set off at 6. It was still dark and we were expecting less traffic on the road. After all it is Sunday and how many people are as daft as we are? Well, we were surprised at how many cars there were around. Maybe they put their clocks backward and not forward!
We took 101 south towards Gilroy, where we stopped for breakfast at the Black Bear Diner. No blog entry for it this time because we did one just six months ago. We were the only customers though.
It was getting light as we resumed our journey. Approaching Salinas we encountered fog. Now this was not expected. All the forecasts said it was going to be a nice sunny day but we have learnt that we should take nothing for granted and are always prepared for whatever weather is thrown at us.
South of Salinas there was no more fog. The sun was shining brightly on our left hand side as we drove through the fertile Salinas Valley. We passed neat rows of newly planted crops on both sides. Some plants were beginning to show above the soil and we had fun trying to work out what they were. Salinas Valley is called the Salad Bowl of California. They grow a lot of lettuce, celery, tomatoes, asparagus, etc., here. The valley is flat with the Sierra de Salinas range off to the right and the Gabilon Range to our left.
We are headed to the western sided of the Pinnacles National Monument. To get to the eastern side you have to drive through Hollister. No road connects the two sides though there are a couple of trails. Pinnacles is a very unusual place. It is the remains of a volcano. Well, it is only part of a volcano. The other part is 195 miles to the south due to the shifting of tectonic plates.
There are several interesting trails here. Today we will take take the Juniper Canyon trail from the Chaparral car park to where it joins the the High Peaks trail. There are 13 condors flying free over Pinnacles. They have been released here since 2003 and we hope to catch sight of them.
At Soledad we take Route 146 for 11 miles. We drive through the center of Soldad but there were very few people around. Ahead of us now are the mountains and the sun is just hight enough to make driving difficult. Salad crops have given way to grapes and we pass several wineries.
Well folks, it is a beautiful sunny day though the temperature outside is only 45 degrees. I just know it is going to get a whole lot warmer before long., after all it is only 8.30 in the morning.
The road narrows with many twists and turns for the next 9 miles. Route 146 ends and we cross a cattle grid and enter the park. Soon the distinctive, red jagged peaks of Pinnacles hove into view.
The Ranger Station was closed so we filled in the form, part our $5 in the envelope and posted it. There were only three other cars in the car park.
We set off on the Juniper Canyon trail and it was cold, there was frost on the fence posts. Tom did not have a sweat shirt but we will soon get warm when we start to climb. The trail rises gradually and we follow the course of a small stream, crossing and recrossing it several times. The higher we climb, the steeper the trail becomes and the views get better. At one point we look down onto the car park and it looks a long way away.
There are a few wildflowers about. The most prolific is a tall, violet colored plant with vertical
petals. Later on we found out from a fellow hiker that they are called Shooting Stars and are the first spring flowers to appear.
We keep looking out for condors but we don’t see any. Maybe it is too early for them. It’s still early so so we haven’t given up hope.
After 1.2 miles we reach the junction with the High Peaks trail. Now we have to choose whether to go right or lift. The the left is via a tunnel but we go right as it looks the quickest route to the top. We see a sign which warns us that the trail ahead is steep and narrow. This trail is classified as strenuous and is definitely not suitable for wheelchairs or strollers!
So far we have seen very few people, though looking down towards the car park we can see a few more cars parked and even spotted other hikers on the trail much lower down. At the top there is a bench with marvelous views not only down to the Salinas Valley but also towards Hollister to the east. There were several people already there. One group said that they came via the tunnel to this part and just half a mile further on we would see lots of condors. In fact we did catch sight of a couple but they were some way away.
We plodded on for another half mile and sure enough we were rewarded with the sight of several condors effortlessly riding the thermals. They are huge birds. Adults have a nine foot wing span. The condors here though are juveniles though the earliest residents are beginning to lose their gray feathers on their heads and acquire the pinkish orange color of adults.
The sun is really hot up here so it’s just as well we put sunblock on. Tom is now pleased he hasn’t got his sweatshirt with him. For an hour we stay in the same place, Tom taking photographs and me writing. Every so often a condor would fly overhead and we could appreciate the sheer size of them. We met and spoke to quite a few hikers as they passed by. One couple told us that the path further along is quite scary so we will head back the same way we came. It is amazing the number of interesting conversations one has while out walking. One guy who noticed my English accent and who was carrying what looked like an instrument case, told me he had been touring in England several years ago but didn’t manage to see much of the country. I asked him which band he toured with and he said Huey Lewis. I’m afraid to say I’d never heard of him and Tom was appalled when I told him.
We set off back down at 12.30. By that time it was really baking hot and we were running out of water. Ironically the journey down was worse than the climb up and we were both feeling the effects of aching muscles by the time we reached the car.
What a wonderful day we had, up there on top of the world, enjoying the sight of the condors flying free.
March 11 2008 05:27 pm | Special Places
