Arastradero Preserve Hike (11-15-2013)

Enid Pearson-Arastradero Preserve
Palo Alto, Santa Clara County, California

7th Hike: Foothill College Day Hike
Instructor: Thomas McCarthy

Friday, November 15, 2013

By Peter Y. Chou
WisdomPortal.com

Preface: This is the seventh hike in Thomas McCarthy's Day Hike Class (PHED 23B) at Foothill College. A friend gave me a ride to today's hike at Arastradero Preserve (official site, map, photos) 1530 Arastradero Road, Palo Alto. Hiked here before around 2005. Took a dozen photos at Nature Center before instructor's arrival. Tom's hike instructions: Left— Wild Rye Trail; Right— 0.3 mile on De Anza Trail to Lake; Left— Meadowlark Trail (follow to left); Then Right on Meadowlark Trail/Ohlone Trail (Up Hill); Go Straight; Turn Left at Woodrat Trail/Juan Baustista De Anza Trail; Turn Right on Bowl Loop up hill and follow around to the Left; Turn Right back on Meadowlark Trail; Follow straight to Juan Bautista De Anza and Back to Parking Lot. My friend went with Tom and Lee down the De Anza Trail to Arastradero Lake, while I followed Robin and the class uphill on the Wild Rye Trail to the Lake (1:37 pm). After rejoining my friend at the Lake, we went on the De Anza Trail and Meadowlark Trail. We met many of the hikers in the class heading back who didn't climb uphill to Vista Point. Ivan decided not to follow the class back to the parking lot so early, and continued uphill but in the wrong direction. Emma came late and joined us. Later we met Matt near a giant Eucalyptus Tree (2:38 pm). Matt complained he got lost because Tom's instructions were not concise enough. Around 2:50 pm, met Tom, Lee, and Robin coming downhill, so Emma joined them to go back (photo). My friend and I continued uphill on Meadowlark Trail where we came to a grove with mistletoes and "Ylva Hagner 10-14-1996 Disappearance Memorial Oak" (3:07 pm) and Vista Point (3:22 pm). It was getting cold, and my friend rushed ahead downhill while I stopped to admire six birds flying ontop of the Cross Lorraine (closeup). While the sun shined behind me, took several photos of my shadow on the trail— "Daddy Long Legs" (3:33 pm, 3:48 pm, 4 pm, 4:13 pm). After the hike, my friend dropped me off at Foothill College at 5 pm, went to the Krause Center and worked till 8 pm. Below are 135 photos from today's hike.

Arastradero Preserve Signpost

Arastradero Road Entrance

Tree Stump at Astradero Entrance

Rolling Hills at Parking Lot

Astradero Preserve Nature Center

Great Horned Owl Photo

"Bobcat Eating Bird" Photo

"Coyote in the Bushes" Photo

Gopher Snake & Rattlesnake

Exhibit 1: Hear Various Bird Calls

Exhibit 2: Major Plant Communities

Exhibit 3: People Using This Land

Live Oak Bark & Bay Tree Bark

Leaves: Valley, Black, Live Oak

Prints: Raccoon, Deer, Bobcat, Coyote

Scats: Deer, Coyote, Rabbit

Foothill Class Day Hike

Instructor Tom Giving Instructions

Young Bay Tree at Entrance

De Anza Trail Signpost

Sunflare & Robin on Trail

"V" View through Valley Oak

Students Far Ahead on Hike

Tree View via "Y" Valley Oak

Sculpturesque Dead Oak

House on Rolling Hilltop

Gnarly Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia)

Wild Rye Trail Signpost

Vista of Hills on Wild Rye Trail

First View of Arastradero Lake

Lake View through Black Oak

Arastradero Lake Closeup

Lake Trail Signpost

Wooden Bridge Near the Lake

"Mama & Baby" Costal Live Oaks

Paseo del Roble Trail Signpost

"Two Arms Raised" Tree Stump

Coast Live Oak in Sunshine

"Dead Pterodactyl" Tree Trunk

Grandiose Valley Oak (Quercus lobata)

Coast Live Oak

White Oak & Hikers on Trail

Sun Rays Bathing Live Oak

Acorn Trail Signpost

Crooked Coast Live Oak

Meadowlark Trail & Hiker

Desolate Meadowlark Trail

Sunburst on Hilltop Tree

Coyote Bushes (Baccharis pilularis)

Path to Acorn Trail

Mt Diablo, Mission Peak, Mt. Hamilton

Vista View Center

Vista View Right

Sculpturesque Trunk & Vista

Downhill on Meadowlark Trail

Meadowlark Trail Signpost

Vista of Houses, Hills, Trees

Bird House in Valley Oak

Bird House on Eucalyptus Tree

Valley Oak (White Oak)

Distant Tree & Sun Rays on Trail

Sun Behind Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus Tree in Sun Halo

Sculpturesque Sprawling Trunk

Trees on Sloping Hill

Woodrat Trail Signpost

Tom, Lee, Robin, Emma Hiking Downhill

Mistletoe Sighting

Mistletoe on Leaveless Tree

Eucalyptus Tree

Bird House on Leaveless Tree

Vista Point Trail Signpost

Peter's Shadow on Trail

Ylva Hagner Disappeared 10-14-1996

Bowl Loop Trail Signpost

View of Hills near Vista Point

Y-Branch near Vista Point

Picnic Bench near Vista Point

View of Houses on Hills

Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia)

Hills, Fields, Trees, Grass

Nan & Jayne Brassington Bench

Vista View Left

Vista View Center

Vista View Right

Bird House on Valley Oak

Vista of Mountains & Hills

Olive Trees by Picnic Bench

Male Coyote Bush Flowers

Olive Trees by Picnic Bench

Peter's Shadow at Woodrat Sign

Serpentine Meadowlark Trail

Coyote Bush at Woodrat Signpost

View of Sloping Hill

Flat Sculpturesque Trunk

Six Birds on Cross Lorraine

Six Birds on Croix Lorraine

"Daddy Long Legs" on Trail

Meadowlark Trail Signpost

Friend Hiking Downhill

"Kabbalah" Tree on Hill

"Wild Old Hag Orgy"

Bird House in Valley Oak

Live Oak Valley View

Sculpturesque Dead Trunk

Thistles amidst Dead Branches

"Daddy Long Legs" Shadow

"Long Legs" & Live Oak

"Long Legs" & Old Oak

Tree with "Projectile" on Hill

California Live Oak

Old Gnarly Oak

Dead Old Crumbling Oak

Trunk with "Outstretched Arm"

"Raised Arm" Trunk amidst Debris

De Anza Trail Sign & Shadow

"Long Legs" & Dead Old Oak

"Long Legs" & "Raised Arm"

"Alligator" Bark of White Oak

Trunk Acting like a Pump

Back of "Pump-like" Trunk

Stanford Dish from Trail

Madeira Daisies on De Anza Trail

View of Rolling Hills

"Horned Monster" Trunk

Wooden Bridge near Entrance

Wild Rye & De Anza Trail Signpost

Eucalyptus on Arastradero Road

Eucalyptus near Entrance

Gateway Trail Signpost

Arastradero Road at 4:40 pm

Full Moon at Foothill College

Arastradero Preserve 500 Feet Ahead

Near Full Moon at Foothill College

Foothill College Krause Center 5:24 pm

— Photographs by Peter Y. Chou, November 15, 2013