Exploring Pacheco State Park

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Hi Blog!

After spending yesterday in the valley wetlands that make up the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, we decided to head up into the foothills of the Diablo Range of the California Coast Mountains. This area is noted for its rolling grasslands and oak woodlands. In spring, these hills are covered with green grass and wild flowers. This time of year, the area is swathed in gold.

Our destination was Pacheco State Park, located at the edge of the Diablo Range. It was originally part of El Rancho San Luis Gonzaga, a 50,000 acre Mexican land grant given in 1843 to Juan Pacheco, son of Francisco Pacheco, a Spanish soldier. The park came into existence after Paula Fatjo, the great-great granddaughter of Francisco Pacheo inherited the land. Fatjo wanted her ranch to be safeguarded for those who shared her love for the animals and the beautiful, unspoiled land found here. The old ranch roads have been turned into trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding. With over 28 miles of trails, we knew there was more here than we could do in a day, so we picked what we hoped would give us a good overview of the park.

We had originally planed to kayak today, but strong winds were predicted for this afternoon, so we decided to forego the paddle and go hiking instead. Rather than hike up to the top of Spike's Peak and risk getting blown off the summit, we chose to hike the Canyon Loop Trail. Even though much of our hike would be down in canyons, we still had to get up and over several ridge lines.

As we crossed the first of many ridges, we could see the Coast Range off in the distance.

This area has seen its fair share of volcanic activity. Here Kathy stops to admire a basalt outcropping.

The first part of our hike was along the Pig Pond Trail. We didn't see any pigs in the pond, but the area was patrolled by very busy ground squirrels preparing for winter.

We headed up and away from the pond to hook up with the Canyon Loop Trail. As we summited the next ridge line, we got another view of the Coastal Range.

We noticed these three-armed sentinels dotting the hills. The eastern portion of the park is leased to a commercial venture that operates wind power plants and maintains the turbines that generate enough electrical power for 3,500 homes.

This once mighty oak now stands as a ghostly guard to the entrance to the canyon below.

Dave stopped on the footbridge across a seasonal stream at the head of the canyon.

Kathy took the picture from below.

The slopes of the canyon are covered with leafless trees sporting festive ball-like decorations. Neither of us had seen these types of trees before. Time for a little Google research.

Say hello to the California buckeye, also known as the California Horse Chestnut. Unfortunately, they are poisonous to humans, but that didn't stop us from singing "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire" all the way down the canyon.

In order to maintain healthy grasslands for elk and deer, cattle are still grazed in the fields in winter and springs. Approximately 700 yearling cattle are rotated every 4 to 5 days through 10 different fenced pasture areas. This historic fence is one of only a few man-made structures found in the park.

We were worried we might run into large numbers of cows. However, after five miles of hiking, we only happened upon these two moms and their calves.

We stopped for a sip of water next to an old oak tree. We noticed the woodpeckers had done a fine job filling it with holes. However, something didn't seem right. Upon further investigation, we noticed acorns stuffed into all the holes! Neither of us had ever seen anything likes this. 

Google to the rescue! 

As it turns out, acorn woodpeckers had their way with this tree. It has become what is called a “granary tree.” Acorn woodpeckers turn trees—as well as telephone poles and wooden siding—into storage units. They are the ultimate hoarders of the bird world, storing thousands of acorns in a single granary. There are even records of granaries with tens of thousands of holes, which are utilized year and year again by the woodpeckers.

As we began our trek back to the trailhead, the clouds moved in and the wind picked up. While the weatherman said no rain today, the thick clouds rolling over the Coast Range didn't fill us with confidence. To see and hear what we experienced, click the link to this video from one of the high points of the trail.

The rest of our hike was uneventful as we made our way back down toward the Jeep. Tomorrow we hope to head over to the Coast Range and see Monterey Bay. Stay tuned.