We are off early one morning on a day trip to
Pinnacles National Park, which just received it's upgrade to National Park from National Monument the first of the year. The early morning fog burns off to reveal a beautiful spring day. With the late rains this drought year, it's refreshing to see a true spring again.
We take
Hwy 25 (aka the Airline Hwy), from Hollister south towards the Eastern Entrance to the Park. This park also has a Western Entrance, but other than hiking trails there are no roads connecting the two entrances. Several months ago when we returned from
Mercy Hot Springs, we learned this highway got it's name from early airplane pilots who followed this north/south road as a navigational guide before more modern tools were available.
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| Ahh spring vineyards |
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| Hwy 25 - Airline Hwy |
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Just south of Tres Pinos, we make a pit stop at
San Benito County Historical & Recreational Park. It has a very nice picnic area and outdoor exhibits of old farm equipment.
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| Horse drawn potato planter |
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| Horse drawn hay baler |
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A few miles down the road, we spot the sign for the Pinnacles turn off. Of course, our first stop is the Visitor Center, where we determine we'll hike Lower Bear Gulch Trail and then stock up on flashlight batteries for the caves. Afterwards, we cruise through the campground and mark down our favorite sites for future overnight stays.
Shortly after starting our hike, we spot a group of climbers starting up a steep rock face. With all the climbing opportunities this park provides, it's very popular with climbers of all ages. This particular group, we learn later, are middle school students on an outdoor adventure during their Easter Week. The Pinnacles rocks are the remains of an ancient volcanic field.
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| Climbers at the base of a cliff |
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| Rocks tower over the trail |
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| Trail narrows closer to Bear Gulch Caves |
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We soon reach the lower caves which are currently open to hikers. The Upper Bear Gulch caves are now closed to let the native bats breed and raise their young undisturbed by gawking tourists. The lower part of the caves is mostly a narrow slot canyon with a jumble of enormous boulders forming the roof. Much of the trail is through a narrow stream bed. The cool caves of Bear Gulch must have been so named because it was a popular area for their dens before the humans drove them out.
After emerging from the coolness of the caves, the trail climbs past interesting rock formations and a small reservoir, which is a popular lunch stop.
We elect to take a different route down from the top. On the way we again see many climbers.
By the time we get back to the parking area, we are hungry hikers. Fortunately there's a picnic area close by, so we pick a nice table and settle down to lunch.
Returning to the Airline Hwy, we continue to head south towards King City. Along the way, we realize we are following the rift valley of the infamous
San Andreas Fault, the cause of the disastrous
1906 San Francisco Earthquake. Sure glad the fault is quiet today. Besides - the geologists told us after our
1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake (epicenter 2.5 miles from home), we should be fine for many years because now it's SoCal's turn as they are overdue for the next
"Big One."
Just before King City we stop at an overlook to catch a last glimpse of the Pinnacles.
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| Pinnacle spires visible about 1/4 photo from left side |
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From King City, we take Jolon Road south then hang a right onto Mission Road, which not only brings us to
Mission San Antonia de Padua, but also onto the grounds of
Camp Roberts and
Fort Hunter Liggett. We are shocked to see the increased military presence in the area from our last visit 30+ years ago and are not even sure we'll be able to get to the Mission. Guess the troops have ramped up from our endless wars in the Middle East. We are relieved to find access to the Mission is still open to the public.
This mission (third of the
California missions) was established in 1771 by Padre Junipero Serra in the Valley of the Oaks and later moved to its current location in 1773 for better access to a year round water supply. From a sign on the property:
- "San Antonio Mission is constructed of adobes or sun-dried unburnt bricks. Mission adobes were generally 11" by 23" by 4" and weighed about 60 pounds. These dirt bricks were made of mud with straw which was pressed into wooden molds. When the frames were lifted, the bricks were first left to dry flat on the ground; then set on edge to cure in the sun."
We are immediately attracted to the very large Olive Tree in front of the main chapel and learned from the sign:
- "It has been proclaimed by experts that the Mission Olive as well as the Mission Grape has not been identified with any of the varieties now cultivated in Europe. Olive seeds and perhaps some cuttings, were brought by the padres to the missions as early as 1769. Thirty years later olive culture at the missions was an assured success."
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| Approaching Mission San Antonio |
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| Olive Tree planted by Padres ~1836 |
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| Entrance to main chapel |
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Mission San Antonio shows the classic form of a quadrangle of buildings surrounding an inner courtyard.
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| Inner walkway |
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| Main chapel alter |
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| Baptismal font |
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It's a quiet day at the Mission and we appear to be the only visitors. After wandering around the grounds, we saddle up and head west on
Nacimento-Fergusson Road which is the only road across the
Santa Lucia Range to the Big Sur Coast. We start by crossing a beautiful wide valley dotted with magnificent oak trees and NO power lines. At least the military has done a good job of protecting some of California's prime real estate from development.
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| View of the Santa Lucias from the summit |
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The descent down to Hwy 1 is steep, narrow and without any guard rails. Despite the fact we are driving a Subaru rather than the Free Spirit, the dizzying heights give us pause for extra caution. In contrast to our
drive up Hwy 1 a few days ago, the fog creates a more somber mood in Big Sur.
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| Big Sur and Hwy 1 from Nacimiento-Fergusson Road |
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| Big Sur Hwy 1 with late afternoon fog |
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A few nights later we are treated to a full lunar eclipse. Just as the Earth's shadow has eaten away about half the full moon, the fog moves in and blots out our show. No problem, Peter's able to log into a live-streamed remote viewing through
Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles. Modern technology is great (when it works).
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| Blood Moon screen shot of Griffith Observatory's live-streamed Lunar Eclipse |
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