Sunday, October 16, 2011

Wilder Ranch

Today, Stacey and I realized we hadn't gone hiking since our Yosemite excursion a few weeks ago, so we decided to get outside and go to a park we'd never been to before. We went to Wilder Ranch, just north of Santa Cruz. We hiked along the Old Cove Landing Trail to the Ohlone Bluff trail, following a cliff edge about 40 feet above the ocean waves. The shoreline was a mix of shear cliffs interspersed with sandy beaches, most of them inaccessible. We saw cormorants, sea lions, butterflies, pumpkin patches, a skunk skeleton, a couple snakes, and a cute little green and gold frog. The unpaved trail was multi-use for hiking and biking. We might go back sometime with bikes (and unicycle) so we can explore further down the coast than we could on foot.