frogpond.us

On Thursday, rain was in the forecast and our group was small, so we headed for the Stanford University Campus where shelter would be available if needed. As it turned out, the rain waited until lunch time when we joined the students in Tressider Union, the campus hub.

We parked off campus and entered at the cactus garden, where many specimens were about to bloom. A raptor watched us from a tall eucalyptus, as we enjoyed the sculptural forms of the well cared-for succulents.

Cactus blossoms unfurling.

Colorful hens and chicks.

Cactus bed.

Cactus flowers.

A glimpse of Stanford Arboretum carpeted with new spring grass.

We stop to view the Stanford Mausoleum. The three statues in the background depict the Stanford family members who are interred here. In the center is Leland, Jr., who died of typhus at the age of 15, and in whose memory the university was founded, by his parents.

Heavily laden date palms line Palm Drive.

Looking down Palm Drive, toward Embarcadero, in Palo Alto.

Some of us inspect the Rodin sculptures of the Burghers of Calais.

Members of our group approach Stanford Memorial Church.

After lunch we watched the Stanford Clock strike the three-quarters hour, before departing for the Cantor Center for Visual Arts and a self-guided tour of the current display called “Durer to Picasso”.

Last week we drove to Carmel Highlands for a short stay at the Highlands Inn, where I had stayed almost 50 years ago, in a different life-time. The Inn has changed from a collection of cottages to a modern, luxury accommodation, beyond our usual expectations. The best part was the room with a view of the spouting gray whales, migrating to Baja, close to shore.

View from our room - the whale spouts were everywhere, but not visible in the photo.

The wood-burning fireplace, in-room jacuzzi, and bistro-style restaurant added to the perks, and it was a nice surprise to find the NY Times AND the SF Chronicle on the doorstep in the mornings.

We discovered a tiny but memorable restaurant in Carmel, called La Bicyclette. They have a wonderful prix fixe evening menu with interesting wines, some made by the owners’ own local winery.

The sea air had a relaxing effect which interfered with our best intentions to hike all the trails at Point Lobos, and Carmel River. But we did manage to visit Point Lobos for a walk, see the galleries in Carmel, and stop in Pacific Grove for the sea views and the monarch butterflies.

Looking toward Big Sur from Point Lobos.

Harbor seals basking on the rocks off Point Lobos.

Point Pinos Lighthouse, the oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the West Coast, has been a beacon to sailors, since 1855. The lighthouse fuel and technology has changed several times over the years. It started with whale oil, and currently uses electricity with a 1000 watt bulb, amplified by prisms and lenses. The light was maintained by a woman, Emily Fish, from 1893 to 1914. She kept the light without benefit of an assistant, and managed to maintain a busy social life.

The lighthouse parlor as it might have been furnished during the tenure of Miss Fish.

At the butterfly sanctuary in Pacific Grove: a pine tree bough full of overwintering monarch butterflies whose undersides appear as black veined, yellow leaves, in large clusters.

A single monarch gathering nectar at the monarch sanctuary.

A tame blue jay lurks in the butterfly preserve.

Another resident of the butterfly sanctuary, preparing to join her herd of eight others.

The first hike of the year: Arastradero Preserve, a nearby park with gentle trails and views of grassy hills lined with large estates and a timbered valley.

We took a trail that skirted this small lake.

We encountered a large plantation of blooming narcissi, escaped from cultivation. In the distance looms a mansion, typical of this area.

Our group finds a convenient picnic bench near the trail. As a bonus, we accidentally discovered a geocache here, and returned it to its hiding place.

Our companion for lunch was this venerable eucalyptus, known as The Wounded Sentinel, which presided over this knoll in peace until someone came along with a chain saw. The damage done is more evident in the closeup below.

This park sign welcomes hikers with trail rules and warnings of cougars and ticks.

The new interpretive center was constructed with straw bales and recycled barn wood.

Today we drove to Portola Valley for a hike up Hamm’s Gulch near Windy Hill. Most of the hike was shady and still damp from recent rains.

Jim, Joannie and Bob survey the ravine below the trail.