Monday, May 10, 2010

Mother's Day Hike

It wasn't so much the weather (cloudy, windy, blustery) or the incredible yellow wildflowers that caught our attention. It was the difference in color. Within the past six weeks, the hillsides have transformed from vibrant green to golden brown. Case-in-point:

March 2010
May 2010
Proof that there are seasons in California.

We thought about hiking up the "telephone trail" like we did last time, but the rattlesnake threat had me deterred. (We've already seen and heard a few on Villager Peak and one out in Sedona, AZ). Nathaniel just laughed, but as I'm the one who thinks catastrophically I told him that I was sticking to the well-defined trail. And so we went...

Waking up to this guy was great...and you can't help but be enthusiastic to spend the day together...The Breakfast of Champions: Raisin Bran.

The open trail awaits...
Fields of wildflowers (and we're heading towards those power lines!)
There is no place that I'd rather be...here hiking with my special someone...
The view, half way up the cliffs.
We reached the power lines!
AND the trail's end, with a great view of the ocean.
Snack break!
Truly an essential service (because when you gotta go, you gotta go. Especially after eating GORP - Good Old-fashioned Raisins and Peanuts)
Holy Cow! There's a snail attached to that flower! They (snails) were everywhere...
Almost back at the car...looking up.
Palm-tree lined road home.
It's hard to be apart from your loved ones...especially on holidays...and Mother's Day is no exception. I hope that EVERYONE had a wonderful weekend and was fortunate enough to spend it with their loved ones. And...that everyone was smart and avoided rattlesnake threats. Yeah...that one is important as well.

9 comments:

Jennifer Harrison said...

Oh Marit! Love the M&Ms....and the hike. Jerome has been in Europe (home today) for so long - it was weird not to have him home for Mother's Day...I would have liked that hike with you!!! Graham and Morgan too! :)

Maria said...

Wow, the seasons in California just look stunning...sign me up. not. Why the hell is it brown now?!

Lisa Eirene said...

What a cool looking valley!

jennabul said...

Ha...I never knew what GORP actually meant, thanks! Looks like a fabulous hike, and yes we do have seasons in California =). Arizona? Not so much...Good job staying away from rattlesnakes!

Kim said...

mmmm gorp! looks like you and the hubby had a fantastic hike! yay for no snakes!

Beth said...

LOVE the pictures!! I can't believe the difference between the top 2 pics - March vs May. WOW!! I'll need a Sept picture as well... ;)

Aimee said...

Beautiful pictures, once again! I'm glad you had a good hike! GORP is the best! :)

Kim said...

awwwee..I'm sorry you had to spend Mothers day away, but you made the most of it with your hike! I love all this hiking you've been doing! We totally get to come along with you through your AMAZING pictures! I love that one of Nate too.. so funny. Keep getting better, getting strong and being you! I love you just the way you are!!

ADC said...

Hey, great pics. I actually quite like that snack mix you've got - send me the "recipe".