Sunday, April 12, 2009

High Peaks Trail

That's My World

By now some of my readers, I'm sure are getting tired of Pinnacles. I promise, this will be the last post on the subject for the for quite a while.

This is the trail where you have the best chance of seeing condors. For spectacular views, some different wildflowers and condors you must go up there.
I love manzanita, its bark is so beautiful and where nature has pealed away the bark the contrast with the grey wood underneath is striking. Some people think they can improve on nature by carving their initials in the bark. I consider it obscene graffiti.

The drier climate up on the higher slopes gives a home to some different flowers.



At the condor gulch overlook there was a little stream with lots of shooting star and yellow monkey flower. The yellow monkey flower is found in wet areas while its cousin, the sticky monkey flower likes a drier environment.

Bush poppy was new to me

as was the Indian warrior. Clumps of these were growing in shady spots on dry north west facing slopes. They are quite striking.

The views high up on the trail are quite striking.


We had noticed many people coming down who had passed us on the way up. Farther up the trail we found out why. A sign said "steep narrow trail ahead" They weren't kidding.

Hubby is not fond of steep, narrow trails. The older he gets, the less he likes them. It was a good thing we didn't try it a day later. We did this on March 25, on March 26 he turned 74. Much too old, he said, for such a hike.


At the top were the condors and views to the west of the Salinas valley and the coastal mountains beyond which was the Pacific Ocean. There was a blanket of haze lying in the Salinas valley.

He who goes up, must come down.

We love to visit Pinnacles National Monument, but we had other places to see and so we left the next day. We will be back.
To see more worlds click here.

25 comments:

Carver said...

What a beautiful and interesting post. I'm glad you shared this with us.

Susie of Arabia said...

You have some gorgeous photos here! A very nice post - thoroughly enjoyed it. And a belated Happy Birthday to the hubby!!!

Latane Barton said...

beautiful flowers, beautiful scenery. Thanks for sharing it all with the rest of us.

Sylvia K said...

Really gorgeous photos and very interesting post! Thanks for sharing! And a belated Happy Birthday to your husband!! What a truly beautiful place!

Anonymous said...

The photos are beautiful. I'm glad you are sharing your Pinnacles trip with us.

Anonymous said...

That was a greta trip, beautiful photos, flowers, land everything.
Thanks for sharing
Have a wonderful week
Mary ElizabethBlog.

antigoni said...

Excellent photos. Your posts never are boring. The flowers are great.

 gmirage said...

Amazing photos of Pinnacle and the Trail...thank you for sharing!

www.viennadaily.gmirage.com

Mojo said...

Good thing you didn't wait! It would have been a shame to miss out on those views -- old or young.

Diane AZ said...

So glad you and your Hubby hiked that trail so the rest of us could enjoy the scenery through your photos. I love the rocks in the ninth image, remind me of gathered ribbon. And all the the pretty Indian Warriors and Paintbrushes and Monkey flowers, wow!

kayleen said...

Scrolled down and read all your posts on the Pinnacles. How neat to see the Condors. Lovely photos throughout. Thanks for taking us along on your trip.

Nebraska Birding

Jane Hards Photography said...

Never, ever tired of these images. That landscape is so spectacular, the wild plants, the wildlife No always a new treat.

Janie said...

Beautiful views and flowers. Who could ever get tired of that?

Anonymous said...

A beautiful place and beautiful post. I hope I am as strong, brave, adventurous, and funny as your husband when I reach his age.

Anonymous said...

i must say i love the posts and photos of the pinnacles...beautiful place. keep them coming. nothing better than california scenery...hands down!

Arija said...

You did very well to climb all the way up there.
I have thoroughly enjoyed your post, the wildflowers and wonderful rock formations. Although I am sad you are leaving the Pinnacles, I am sure the next adventure you let us tag along on will be just as interesting.

Ebie said...

These are all wonderful scenes. Ooh, I am afraid of heights, I don't know if I can handle that.

Reader Wil said...

Stunning photos and beautiful post. I agree with you that carving one's name in trees is sheer vandalism! It's bad to for a tree if its bark is damaged. Thanks for your visit!

EcoRover said...

The stone steps (hubby descending) looked very cool--are they carved from the native rock? It's springtime in the Rockies here (snow storm today) so I really appreciated your spring flower pics.

Tammie Lee said...

This is a wonderful series of images. And you have flowers! I drove two hours to see my first wildflower of the year this weekend ;-)

Martha Z said...

The steps are indeed carved in the native stone, here and in several other places and some are an almost verticle climb.

EG CameraGirl said...

Thanks for this wonderful tour. I'm mostly amazed at the wildflower that are SO different from the ones that grow here in central Canada!

Jenn Jilks said...

Phenomenal shots. Our Canadian topography is so different, as EG says.

George said...

I thoroughly enjoyed the visit to the Pinnacles. Thanks for taking us along.

Mary said...

Thank you for visiting my blog. I really enjoyed your spectacular wildlife photos, it reminds me of when I used to go backpacking in central California, in Kings Canyon. And I loved the beach shots. :O)Mary @ Boogieboard Cottage