Craig's Favorite Pinnacles Picture

Craig took all of the pictures on our hikes at Pinnacles.


This is his favorite:

  

Continued ...

On Saturday we started at the Bear Gulch day use area, went up Condor Gulch Trail, and took a right turn onto High Peaks Trail which took us back down to Bench Trail and a shuttle bus.


Sunday morning I was a bit stiff, but amazingly not totally incapacitated!


Looking at the trail map, I thought it would be nice to take it easy and just do the Moses Spring - Bear Gulch Cave - Rim Trail loop.  It was described as "easy" and "suitable for small children."  Just about the level I felt up to.

It started with a very peaceful forest trail along a creek. 


A nice place for a picnic.

It went thru caves that were created by large rocks that had fallen together eons ago


This rock is at the exit area of the cave.  Notice the stairs going up under it. 


It was a BIG rock!

At the top of the trail there was a very peaceful reservoir.  There were several families with small children resting there. 

The weather was just about perfect.


We continued onto the Rim Trail which was interesting and not too challenging. When we came to the cut off that went back to the Day Use Area, our legs had been stretched and we were not quite ready to call it a day.

What the heck.  Why not  go up High Peaks Trail as far as Scout Peak, and then decide?

If the part of the trail described as "Steep and Narrow" looked too hard, we could try Juniper Canyon Trail or we could always come back down the way we'd come.  


Right?

So up we went. I whimpered a few times on this part, but Craig kept encouraging me and suggested I eat an energy bar. It helped a little.  Peanut butter to the rescue!

There was a bench at the junction of High Peaks and Juniper Canyon trails.  It was the only bench we saw in two days on the trails.  We rested, and had some water and grapes.  


There were three condors soaring high above. 
The air was crisp and clear. 


I wished for a helicopter.


There was another couple there that had some experience with the trails.  They told us that Juniper was very hard, and that although the next section of High Peaks was narrow, there were handrails.  It was also their opinion that going back down the way we had come was the hardest option.  


Besides, the next leg of the trail was less than a mile.

Yeah ...  Sure ...  Longest "less than a mile" I have ever hiked!


There were handrails as promised.
Both going up...

... And down.


I found it easier to go down backwards, clutching the railing as I placed each foot into the steps carved into the side of the rock.  Although the railing felt very solid, it was also very hot from the sun and felt like a frying pan fresh out of a campfire. 

But, the view was worth it!

It felt like we could see what the birds see as they soar high above.








We were both glad to see the turn off for Condor Canyon Trail.  What started as an easy day turned into a six hour hike.  


Will I ever do it again?  NO!  


Will I try another equally strenuous  hike in some other place?  YOU BETCHA! 


I haven't felt this great, or this sore, since I skied a double black diamond called "The Wall." 


I can do it!

A Weekend at Pinnacles National Monument

This weekend was our third time hiking at Pinnacles National Monument, and we finally made it to the top!


Last fall we started our hike at the RV camping area which is a good three miles from the trails that link with the High Peak Trail.  Knowing we would have to walk back three miles, I was not enthusiastic about trying for the peak.

This time we were able to take a shuttle bus from the campground to the Condor Gulch trailhead.  (See I'm still smiling!)


1.7 miles doesn't seem like far, but miles seem longer when they are rocky and are about 6 to 10 percent grade.


As I looked thru the pictures Craig took, I don't seem to see any that show how steep the trail was!

This was taken part way up the first leg of the climb.

I'm in better shape now than I was last fall. And I have lost ten pounds since January. It really made a difference. 


But I still had to rest frequently.


Every seat size rock or 
patch of shade was appreciated.

And then it was time to push on.


I carried the water and snacks, Craig carried his big camera!

What can I say,
the views were breathtaking.

These pictures can only hint at what we saw. If you ever get to this area, there is more than beautiful coast and San Francisco to explore. 


Pinnacles feels like another planet.

A pile of old rocks, is a pile of old rocks, until you start to see them as something else.  We may have been getting punchy, but we were both sure we saw a large lion.


We did make it to the top, and hiked about three or so miles along the High Peaks Trail before working our way back down.

Most of the trail surface was very uneven and covered with rocks of many sizes.  We had to be very careful   to keep from turning an ankle. A walking stick and high top shoes are on my shopping list for the future.


Going downhill was almost harder than going uphill.  It seemed to put a lot of stress on already tired legs and knees!


But we did it.  Craig says that if I lose another ten pounds hiking will be even easier!  He's right and it is something to aim for. 


When we got to the bottom of the High Peaks Trail, we still had another half mile or so to the nearest shuttle stop, but it was a soft sandy trail along a creek bed.   So nice.  So level!

We were very happy to get onto the shuttle. 


Ah to be so young!


We had hiked less than five miles, but  it seemed much farther.


It was so nice to get back to the Alfa and take showers. We sat outside and had cheese, salami and crackers.


I had a pot of Cuban Black Bean soup simmering in the slow cooker and I baked cornbread muffins to go with.   This was the first time I used the convection feature, it worked fine.


We were in bed by eight, and watched the movie "Hugo" on the new TV in the bedroom.  Blue Ray sure is sharp! 


My legs hurt, but it was a good hurt.  Much like after the first day of the ski season.   I knew I had used them! A couple of Alieve were quite helpful.


To be continued ...

Little Getaway Next weekend

Trying to schedule a short Alfa getaway has been a challenge.  Between each of us having a colonoscopy, my getting dental bridge work, various other routine medical appointments, and a few days (not consecutive) of having hired workmen in the house, a getaway keeps getting put off.


The weather has also been a consideration.  It s February after all!


But today I booked a spot at  the Pinnacles National Monument for next weekend.  When we were there in October we learned that in spring there are plentiful wildflowers at the park.   We said we would have to come back in spring.  And we are.  


At this time of the year there  are shuttle buses from the RV campground to the upper trailheads. This works for us because we don't have a tow car.  In fall we hiked to one of the upper trailheads, but were  wore out by the time we got there and so didn't go very far up the high trail before turning back.


This will also give us a chance to use our Senior Pass for the first time.  With 50% off, the RV spot is only $18 per night.  


So the Alfa will finally get a little exercise., and so will we! This is good.


I'm also making progress on planning a longer trip in June and July!

Pnnacles National Monument: The Movie

I'm learning to use our video camera.


I am also learning to use iMovie at weekly "personal projects" sessions at the Apple store.

On our hike at the Pinnacles I shot a lot of video, and I am learning to edit and keep them short.

I am making a DVD with shorts for each of our adventures.  This is the second one. I did most of the editing on the Sunday of the trip when it was raining.  It was a very pleasant place to work on it.

 I know some of you can't watch videos, because you are on the road, but by posting here I can share them with my family.

The video is just under three minutes.

The Hike

Nine years ago, on September 11, we went to the Pinnacles National Monument with our son and his girlfriend to get away from all media for the day.


It was close to 100* that day and I suffered minor hallucinations as part of heat-stroke.  We were trying to hike the highest and hardest part of the park.  Overheated, I sat down in the center of the trail and told the others to go on ahead and send a helicopter for me "tomorrow".  I can  clearly remember saying that and thinking it was a perfectly reasonable idea!


Our son went on to a Ranger Station, and Craig helped me back down to a lower parking area.  I did recovered on my own, but the ranger sent a rescue squad to check me out.  Fortunately, I didn't need to be taken to the hospital.


On this trip to the park, the weather was much cooler and once again Craig wanted to try for the High Peaks Trail.  I told him I didn't think I could do it, but he had it in his head that that is what he wanted to do.


Keep in mind, Craig does not exercise.  Craig does not believe in carrying or drinking water. Craig rarely stops to rest.  Craig is generally pushes me to do things all at once, that sane people work up to gradually.


Sometimes I try.  But I have learned to say "no" when I reach my limit.

To get to the High Peaks trailhead from our campground we first had to hike the 3.5 mile Bench trail. 


 Much of this was easy since it was thru oak meadowland

 and along a dry creek. 

Only about a mile of it was harder, as we started to climb up the side of the mountain.












There was a Nature Center at the trailhead area. 


 Craig waited outside, while I went in to talk to a Ranger about our options.  Looking at the maps I learned the High Peaks trail was a loop of seven miles of very hard climbs.  


The Ranger suggested "Keep the car keys and let him go up by himself if he was so inclined!"

This is a view of a very level section of the trail.
It was a steady, rocky incline.

She suggested an alternative 1.7 mile "strenuous" climb that continued on to the High Peaks trail.  She said that we would still have some great vistas, and could come back the same way to the Center.


Craig agreed to this.  


"Strenuous" was a good description of the trail.  At about a half mile my knee began to twinge and I felt like I was getting a blister on one toe. 

Seeing I was slowing down, Craig asked if I wanted to turn back, and of course I did. 


 I kept thinking about the four miles we would have to go to get back to camp.


Sometimes going downhill is harder than going up.


The first mile and a half back were a bit hard because the trail was very rocky and we had to be careful not to trip. 


Once on the flat, the trail was mostly sand, which is not  easy to walk in either.

A very welcome sight!

By the time we were close to the campground again I was feeling much better, and it was Craig who asked: "Aren't we there yet?"  


The total hike was eight miles.


Truth be told, I haven't been working out on the treadmill for a while.  This has motivated me to try to loose some of the excess  pounds I carry!


We talked about going back in Spring. The wildflower bloom is said to be beautiful.  They also have a bus then, that goes from the campground to the Nature Center.   If we start there, maybe I can do it.  


If not, I can always turn back.  

Pinnacles National Monument (a three day post)

Pinnacles Trip

Friday:

Getting The Big White Thing out of the driveway and turned around went very well.  Perhaps we are beginning to communicate.  Having the stump removed helped a lot too!

We were mystified by a loud noise that we thought was coming from the refrigerator, but were relieved to discover it was coming from the radio via the speaker just above the refrigerator!

I drove about 50 miles, including some curvy, hilly, two-lane highway.  I got the hang of frequently checking the bottom of the convex mirrors to see the white lines on the road.  It felt like I was driving half in the oncoming lane, but I really wasn’t!

We got all set up and were just getting ready to eat when the power failed.  It was dark by then.  We went over and asked another camper if they had power.  Three guys came to consult on our problem and it was decided the power post had gone bad. One of the guys told us the same had happened last year.

They helped us move to the next spot over.  In the dark.

After they left, Craig had to re-level and put the slides back out.  Just as we were finishing, we notice another class A pulling in and we wondered if we were in their space.  We weren’t.  We helped them find their spot and guided them into it with our flashlight, passing the helpfulness on.

Our Brie, fruit and wine was a bit late, but ever so wonderful! If you’re in Trader Joe country, try their French Brie.

***************************************************************** 

Saturday:

When I opened the front screen, I was greeted by the sight of a flock of turkeys!  Driving in we saw a coyote and later a bunny hopped past the side window. Of course there were seveal deer that wandered thru the campground as well.

After breakfast we went on a five-hour, eight-mile hike.  Craig has reminded me of my goal to hike in National Parks.  A National Monument is good too.

The weather has held.  Cool, but not really cold.  No rain.

We were ready for bed before eight o’clock. Craig made tea early, and we were tucked in by nine.

 *****************************************************************

Sunday:

It rained very hard during the night. We learned the propane furnace does a very good job of warming the coach.  The alternative electric heat pump is very loud and not as effective.  There are lots of words about closing some of the vents to make the heating more effective.

 The morning was dry.  We decided to wait until later in the day to take a walk, so I went to a Ranger talk about condors and Craig found the 49er game on the radio.

By 11:00 it started raining again, and we watched the other campers packing up and pulling out. We sat at the table, I writing this, and Craig listening to the game.

I saw a condor flying high above the peak, circling as it caught a thermal draft.  Thanks to the ranger, I knew it was a condor and not a vulture because of the way it glided in flight.

Being in the almost empty campground, in the rain, playing with iMovie felt odd.  We planned on going home Monday morning, and didn’t want to drive and park in the rain.

******************************************************************

Monday:

Pack up and departure went very smoothly.  The only fuss was by the Toms of the turkey flock.  When we started the engine, all four of them fanned their big tails and rounded up the hens!

The 92 mile return trip was a good drive.  Getting The Big White Thing back into her place was much easier than the last time.  The gloves and headphones helped, although Craig said he couldn’t hear me half of the time.  But at least we didn’t get angry with each other this time.

Unfortunately there are a couple of large scratches from a tree branch on the back of the Alfa.  The only damage we have done to her has been on home ground!

Craig went to work in the afternoon while packed all of our stuff back down to the house.  I also vacuumed and washed the Alfa's floor, and gave everything else a quick dust and polish.  My goal is to keep her as nice as when we bought her.