sbrobert
By Robert Bernstein
Arroyo Hondo Preserve is a very special place along our coast managed by the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County. Our ever-creative Sierra Club hike leader Gerry Ching got permission to lead a hike there recently.
Here are all of my photos from this enjoyable outing!
We started out along a meadow
Then we soon were in a woodsy area. We soon spotted this California Wild Rose with a bee pollinating it
Gerry led us across the first of several stream crossings. Nothing too difficult, at least in this season. Some crossings had boards conveniently laid for safe passage.
We climbed up for several hundred feet of elevation gain with fog all around.
Our outings chair Tony indicates this common flower is called Honeysuckle Penstemon Keckiella cordifolia
Unfortunately, as we neared the high point of this trail we were walled in by brush with few clear views
As we descended we were treated to some clear views of the Arroyo Hondo bridge and vista point
We came back to the starting point reception area to have a picnic lunch
That area near the entrance was where we saw these deer
We also saw a bunch of “Fried Egg” Matilija Poppies there
Some of the group opted to leave at that point, but about half of us continued for a second hike mostly at lower elevation.
These unusual flowers were along the trail at one point
We were treated to several Humbolt Lilies in full bloom. These appeared not long ago on several Montecito trails as well. Including San Ysidro Trail.
A highlight of the hike for me was this cute little ring-necked snake picked up by Dale
This seems to be specifically the Monterey Ring-necked Snake Diadophis punctatus vandenburgii.
As always you can see the schedule for upcoming Sierra Club hikes here: https://www.santabarbarahikes.
PERSONAL NOTE:
I am home now from the hospital after successful surgery for a severe hiatal hernia. This has been a problem since I was hit by a car years ago. I put off the surgery for a long time.
But recently I was having trouble breathing. I had lost about 25% of my lung capacity. Huge thanks to modern technology and a highly skilled surgeon everything is back where it should be now.
In the past such surgery was almost never attempted because the risks were so high and the benefits were marginal. It will be two weeks before I see the surgeon for a follow up. He will let me know then if I can start eating food again. For now it is just liquids.
I hope I will be able to lead easy to moderate hikes again in a month or so! We shall see!
These photos are beautiful, Robert, thanks for sharing them. I was at Arroyo Hondo for a big barbeque when J.J. Hollister still owned it. Also went there for J.J.’s memorial. So glad it’s a preserve now.
Thank you FLICKA for the kind words. You were at all the cool places at all the cool times!
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And thanks to a hiking friend for identifying those fascinating wispy flower things. He found them here https://sbwildflowers.wordpress.com/wildflowers/Ranunculaceae/Clematis/Clematis-lasiantha/ and they are the seed pods of wild Clematis probably of the species Clematis lasiantha
The snake photo is terrific. Pretty little reptile. Hope I get to see one on the trail someday. Love the nature pics.
RB: You should share your Clematis lasiantha pic w/ Santa Barbara Wildflowers’ site. Your photo of the flowers going to seed is much, much more informative than the one now shown on Santa Barbara Wildflowers site.