Fields of Gold

    Well, actually, you have to work a bit before you get to the fields of gold. Before that, there’s a 7 mile washboard road that’s a field of dust and gravel. Especially if you find yourself 50 yards behind another car that’s heading to the same place....

Best Views, No Bull

Toro County Park, dammit. It took two, seven-mile hikes to get it right. The first time I set out on foot at Toro County Park I parked right there at the front gate. I really should have driven up to the 3rd parking lot, which would have put me on the trail past all...

Garland Ranch: I Can See for Miles

  For the past few years I’ve been driving past Garland Ranch Regional Park a couple of times a week and have always wanted to hike up to the top just to see what it was like.  Not a big bucket list item, just a minor fitness challenge, sort of like hiking...

Head for the Hills: Fort Ord National Monument

The thing is, from the road the hills don't look all that steep.  They look like hills of the 'gentle rolling' genre and seem relatively tame after a trip to Big Sur or Pinnacles. However, they suddenly get a lot steeper when I've lost whatever inertia I had...