Live Oak Trail

If you live in Orange County and haven't taken a drive through Live Oak Trail, you're missing out. It starts on one end at Cook's Corner which is on El Toro Road on one side, Santiago Canyon Road on the other. (Santiago Canyon starts right by Irvine Park) On the other end of Live Oak Trail is Trabuco Canyon Road which turns into Plano Trabuco Drive and takes you right into Rancho Santa Margarita and the 241.


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With cross streets with names like "Hunca Munca" and "Honkey Dory", horse stables, grazing cows, beautiful wildflowers and over-arching oaks along the way, it's a fun Spring drive for the whole family.

O'Neill Regional Park is right along the way so you can stop by and take the kids up and around Edna Spaulding Trail. Parking is $3 on weekdays, $5 on weekends and you'll want to avoid hot days. The hike can get pretty miserable, but on a cool day in the Spring, it's wildflower heaven.

Coulter's Matilija Poppy (AKA The Fried Egg Flower)

California Everlasting - smells wonderful






















Golden Yarrow along the trail.





















And don't forget to stop by the Trabuco General Store on your way home. There's a lot to look around at...

and they have old fashioned sodas and cucumber chili popsicles! I didn't have the nerve to try it this time, but now I'm kind of wishing I had just to say I did.

So grab your kids and hurry on out before the wildflowers and chili pops are all gone!

Riley Wilderness Park

After reading about a friend's visit to Riley Wilderness Park, we decided to head out there this past weekend.

It's one of the lesser known parks in Orange County, tucked up in the hills by Coto de Caza.



If you're looking for fields of wildflowers, this is not the place. I did find some new ones that I still haven't identified though...




My friend Sophia identified this one for us, it's chamomile.




The good news is the "dry pond" on the map is not dry yet.




In fact, it's teeming with more life than you'd ever imagine!




Here's a short video I put together with all the clips I took. So interesting!



Can you figure out what those little beetles are? They're not whirlygigs, those are greyish silver. There had to be a billion of them there.

Heading home as the sun begins to set, the landscape takes on a glow that my camera just never can capture just right... it's enough to make you want to stop time and children and everything else and take out a fresh canvas, a comfy chair, some paint.... a nice hot latte, to see if you could do any better.





Wish I could...



capture that sky... I'd love to hang it in my room!

Off The Beaten Track

I know the sign says "Stay on trail"

...but my husband says "let's go"

and... well... what can one do?


So we peek into places like this...




that turn into this...




and this...




and this...




and catch a glimpse of this...





This box didn't have a sign, but I knew we're not to touch it

...but my daughter's curiosity got the best of her

So she opened it...




and was thrilled to find a nest with three of these...





The Road Not Taken
by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Rain, Rain, Rain, Rain and more Rain!

When they predict rain in California, it's relative. But when they say it's going to rain for 5 days in a row - you know you're going to get some spurts of real rain in there. It is a rather momentous thing around here since we've been in a heavy duty drought for some time now.

Figuring they meant some sprinkling here and there, we headed out for a Sunday afternoon hike. I've seen this trail called Ladera Ridge, but I'm not sure what it's official name is. I took these pictures on the way home so it's much wetter than it was when we started.

Here's the start of the paved road that leads up to the trail...



You can see it from the parking lot of The Ranch Sports and Grill in Ladera Ranch.



Heading up the paved road, there's a water tower up on the left.



Here's the start of the trail off on the right, about 3/4 of the way up to the water tower.



This is a short, but steep uphill climb up to the ridgeline



Here are the views looking back over Ladera





Here's the communications tower at the top of the hill



And here's why it's so worth the climb...



Even with it being overcast, it is still a fantastic view. Pictures don't do justice. The hills just keep rolling and rolling into the mountains beyond. Invigorating... completely. And look, it's turned green from the last time we had rain

At the top, you can go right or left. We headed to the right this time, I believe it's Southeast.



I was amazed at how much life has already sprung up in response to the last rainfall we had.

Dodder...



Lemonadeberry...



Deerweed...



I thought this might be wild grape, but I came home and looked it up...



It's wild cucumber or "manroot" which produces spiky fruit in the spring.



See how it travels? I've seen this stuff take over an entire oak tree.



I'm not sure what this is, but it's cute :)



Bindweed...



More views... those mountains all the way over there are the same ones I blogged pictures of on the Vista trail post a couple weeks ago. They're also in this blog's header. They are the twin peaks of the Santa Ana Mountains. Santiago Peak (5,687ft) and Modjeska Peak (5496ft) named after a world famous Polish stage actress whose historic home, by the way, is available for tours.


Mountain Lion bait.



The Hills Are Alive...



A little friend found along the way. I wonder where he'll go in the rain.



It was worth the trip - even on a rainy day!