We headed out at 7 this morning with Jean & Larry to run a trail up in the Sierra Anchas. The air was crisp, clear and downright cold at that early hour, an invigorating change from the desert heat we've been having lately.
Reynold's Creek Trail is simply beautiful, there's no other way to describe it. The scenery changed as we rounded each curve in the trail. Tall, thick Pine forests gave way to rolling meadows, crowned by rocky cliffs and soaring spires. Deer wander the area at will, grazing the abundant greenery. We saw a few deer, plus evidence of elk and bears. The bear tracks looked fresh and very large, we must have just missed him as he stopped to drink from a puddle in the middle of the trail leaving just his huge paw prints behind.
Everything was blooming, Manzanitas, Locust trees and Pines decorated the landscape. Columbines were in full bloom alongside Reynold's Creek
The trail itself is a nice one, a bit rocky, rutted in places with a few large to mid size boulders thrown in for a challenge. The Jeeps did just fine, taking us where we wanted to go in a reasonably comfortable manner.
This area was once heavily mined, we saw remnants of what appeared to be an old mill built right alongside Reynold's Creek, although we'll have to do further research to determine what was being milled there. Asbestos and Uranium mines dot the hillsides. We'll definitely return to explore the old mill site further.
We came home, ate a great meal and took a 2 hour nap, Ahhh life is good.
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Columbine in bloom
Columbines along the creek
The remains of an old mill
Sweeping views
Big bear paw prints
Locust trees in bloom
Inside the old mine, looking out at Ralph, Jean and Larry
This short tunnel looks like they were digging sample holes. If I had to guess, I'd say they found asbestos.
This is the only old bat we saw in this mine.
Some more wildflowers
