Over Easter I took off and drove up to Pinnacles--America's newest National Park. In 1908 President Teddy Roosevelt set aside 2500 acres as Pinnacles National Monument. The monument grew in bits and pieces until 2013, when President Obama redesignated the now 26,000 acres as Pinnacles National Park! Go Obama!
The road up to the park was just as pretty as the park itself. Lots of open country, big ranches, mountains, grasslands and oak trees.
In 1933, the Civilian Conservation Corps established a camp in Pinnacles and for the next 9 years, improved the old homestead trails, constructed the dam that formed the Bear Gulch reservoir, and improved access to the caves. Thank you CCC!
The campground was almost full when I arrived at Pinnacles, but the good Lord up in heaven always finds it in His huge heart to save one site for me. The ranger at the desk said she had one site left so I grabbed it. Fortunately, it was a very private site, surrounded by trees, shrubs and wild roses that had not yet come into bloom.
My little campsite In Pinnacles National Park. For the most part, my stay at Pinnacles was warm, except during the night. Even though I slept in the back of my Subee, I was still cold. On Easter Sunday, I woke up and found that it was only 33 degrees. I packed up to head down to Morro Bay and my hands were so darn cold they hurt. I drove out of the campground at 7:30 am, and saw many families hunched over their picnic tables in the freezing cold, not looking all that happy.
Immediately after organizing my camp, I got out on the trails to explore and found such spectacular scenery. The pinnacles, like the ones above, are actually rocky spires that are left over from an ancient volcanic field. If you look carefully, you can see the guy at the top of the spire, looking like a tiny little tree! I waved at him, but he didn't see me.
Volcanic activity also formed the talus caves in Pinnacles, when boulders fell into deep, narrow gorges and lodged between rock walls. The caves move from dark to light, depending on how the rocks have lodged. In the Bear Gulch cave, a stream of water flows through the cave and sounds so beautiful as you walk in the cool darkness.
I did not see any California Condors at Pinnacles National Park which is one of the nesting areas for the giant birds, but I did see one little lizard camouflaged against this rock, a huge lizard with a very long skinny tail that walked like a giant iguana, some turkey vultures soaring in the sky, several deer browsing in the gorge behind my campsite, and many birds.
To walk through the Balconies Cave, I had to climb over huge boulders, squeeze through skinny little spaces, walk in the pitch dark all by myself, and climb steep staircases...in other words it was great fun! I encountered this guy after coming out of the cave, and tried to talk to him, but he didn't speak a word of English. At least he looks good in the picture!
As I stepped out of the Balconies Cave, I took a walk up through the hills, into the wild places. So pretty. No one else was up there, which made it even better.
I was taking a picture of these beautiful flowers and almost reached in and touched one, when I saw the three leaves on the stem. "Leaves of three, let them be. I was so enthralled with the flowers, that I didn't even notice they were poison oak flowers. Pretty to look at, but deadly to run amok in.
One of the most beautiful things about Pinnacles was the trees; huge stately Blue Oak, fat Scrub Oak, Coast Live Oak, Manzanita and tall Gray Pine trees.
One of my favorite things to do is walk along dry creek beds. and find treasures like these golden poppies springing up out of the rocks.
The trail up to the Balconies Cave wandered along the dry creek bed and through a forest filled with noisy birds. It was late afternoon, and I was tired. I sat down in the middle of the trees and listened to the quail call out to one another. At first I didn't know what kind of bird it was, but I kept looking and listening until I saw a quail with a dark little topknot on top of his head, squatting on a tree branch and hollering for all he was worth.
Pinnacles National Park has such a diverse landscape, from tall rocky cliffs with spruce and pine trees, to low, scrub oak and manzanita covered chaparral.
"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are gray"....
On the way out to the Bear Gulch Cave, I walked through a tunnel in the rock, turned around, and took this picture just as that guy and his family walked in.
On the other side of the tunnel, I found this gorgeous collision of boulders and quickly asked a sweet young gal to take my picture, scrambled up on the rock and smiled for the camera.
Inside the Bear Gulch Cave, the trail led through a creek bed, up and around boulders, and finally it went pitch black. Of course I forgot my flashlight, and rather than turn around, I devised a way to use the flash on my camera to illuminate the area directly in front of me with a red glow. After a few seconds it turned off, so I had to start all over again. I made it through the cave, without even tripping or falling. A miracle in my case.
After the Bear Gulch Cave, I walked up to the Bear Gulch Reservoir and ate lunch overlooking the still water. Loved the reflection of the cliffs in the water.
A view of the rocky pinnacles from the reservoir.
On my way back from the reservoir, I spotted this rock climber scaling the cliff. Such amazing strength! I asked if I could take his picture and he said yes. Hope he sees this!
A view from the other direction of the rock climber and his friend, in between two steep cliffs.
I thought this was such a pretty thistle and stopped to take a picture. I kept trying different angles and different lighting to get the best possible shot.
Suddenly, a beautiful Swallowtail Butterfly landed on the thistle and I took its picture. Couldn't have planned it better.
At one point on the Moses Spring trail, I passed an area where water seeped out of the rock, just like it does in Zion National Park. In the middle of the dry, rocky cliffs, an oasis of fern had sprouted up. I found the unfurled frond to be a perfect picture of the potential each one of us has to become the person God created us to be. May God bless you with His goodness and His love, and may He give you the courage to bloom and grow, just like the wild fern.