Hiking at Calero. Warm weather with a nice cool breeze and a smattering of fluffy cumulus clouds.
Notice that on Mt Unumun (sp?) the concrete tower is gone! ( it's the mountain in the distance with the communication towers) OOOOPPPPSSSS. On arriving home I checked through my photo files and I think I may have had my geography a bit confused. Though in my defense I remember reading somewhere that they are in the process of decommissioning whatever all that stuff on top of Mt. Umunhum and turning it into a hiking location and tearing that structure down was part of the project. (I think it was an Open Space Preserve newsletter here's a link to a mention of the project) http://www.openspace.org/plans_projects/mt_umunhum.asp Anyway I had a nice hike on the Serpentine, Catamount and Bald Peaks trails that take you through both Rancho Canada del Oro OSP and Calero County Park. I was surprised to see even more varieties of flowers still in bloom on this hike then previous ones this month in Almaden Quicksilver and Santa Teresa. Granted they are small plants with small flowers but I still wonder where they are getting water from. Even saw some mini California Poppies! Here's a couple shots I took. The weather was warm but still a nice cool brezze was blowing most of the time so it's a great time of year to get out and hike!
bc Currently hiking at Santa Teresa Co.Park. Taking a short break to take in the view. Nice cool breeze is blowing to help keep the heat down. More later.
bc Back home and cleaned up and ready to report. I had a great hike. It sure feels great to get back out after my several month lay-off, though I have to admit it is also can be tough at times. I had to push myself a bit on this one. Of course I didn't have much choice as it is a loop and if you want to get back to your car you just have to keep plugging on! Though things are pretty brown I'm amazed that there are several plants that are still blooming (or just now blooming to avoid the competition?). They really stand out against the brown grasses. The browns are still quite striking with a multitude of different shades and textures. This section of Santa Teresa is also quite rocky in places and you get some really nice contrasts between the brown grass and the black, and in some cases a serpentine green, of the rocks. So get out and hike it's a great time of year as the weather starts to cool a bit. Started today with high fog cover and when it cleared there was a nice cool breeze in most places. bc PS: the photo is from Coyote Peak looking back to downtown San Jose (obscured a bit by the haze and fog (or smog)). Taking a short break under an Oak while a brief rain shower passes by (on Labor Day no less). Great time of year to get out and hike!
Later in the day home, showered and relaxing... Had a great 4+ mile hike on one of my favorite trails. Some strange weather included a short shower in addition to the clouds and humidity. Even though this time of year is not as colorful as spring and any fall color from changing leaves has yet to make much of an appearance, there is still a lot to experience on the trails. I particularly like the wonderful woody, leaf mulch smell you can find in some of the Oak forest areas. And, though there are not a lot of them, there are still some hardy flowering plants hanging in there that, in a way, are almost more striking than the rampant spring blooms in both there marked determination to bloom this late and the contrast of color against the brown backdrop of the grasslands. You'll also see many plants and trees producing seed pods and fruit in various colors and shapes. Bottom line, lace 'em up and get hiking! bc |
AuthorAn avid hiker, photographer and general observer of the universe. Archives
July 2015
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