Andrew and I had a nice get-away this weekend. On Saturday, we visited
Pinnacles National Monument and went for a long walk. This is the only park (I know of) in CA with California condors. So we hope to have the opportunity to see them.
Some snow-covered peaks in the Coast Range:
a tree with tell-tale Acorn Woodpecker holes:
see the acorns?
There was a pretty reservoir towards the end of the trail. Apparently in the summer, the temperatures are typically in the 100s, so I can imagine this reservoir teeming with hikers and climbers trying to cool down.
We did see five CA Condors in a tree from afar. While we watched, two took flight for a few minutes. Apparently these condors can live into their 50's and can only have offspring every 2 years. There is currently an anti-lead shot campaign in CA to protect them, which you can imagine, the NRA is fighting. They appear as much larger Turkey Vultures, but with splayed 'fingers' at their wingtips:
A park ranger informed us that in the nearby town of Hollister, we could observe a fault-line. Sure enough, surrounding the town square, we saw evidence in the sidewalks and cracks in the streets.
Andrew and I had a nice get-away this weekend. On Saturday, we visited Pinnacles National Monument and went for a long walk. This is the only park (I know of) in CA with California condors. So we hope to have the opportunity to see them.
Some snow-covered peaks in the Coast Range:
a tree with tell-tale Acorn Woodpecker holes:
see the acorns?
There was a pretty reservoir towards the end of the trail. Apparently in the summer, the temperatures are typically in the 100s, so I can imagine this reservoir teeming with hikers and climbers trying to cool down.
We did see five CA Condors in a tree from afar. While we watched, two took flight for a few minutes. Apparently these condors can live into their 50's and can only have offspring every 2 years. There is currently an anti-lead shot campaign in CA to protect them, which you can imagine, the NRA is fighting. They appear as much larger Turkey Vultures, but with splayed 'fingers' at their wingtips:
A park ranger informed us that in the nearby town of Hollister, we could observe a fault-line. Sure enough, surrounding the town square, we saw evidence in the sidewalks and cracks in the streets.
1 comment:
Beautiful place!
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