Rancho San Antonio Hike (9-8-2011)

Rancho San Antonio Hike
Los Altos Hill, California

Hike: Permanente Creek Trail
& Lower Meadow Trail

Thursday, September 8, 2011

By Peter Y. Chou
WisdomPortal.com

Preface: On Thursday, September 8, 2011, a friend took me hiking at Rancho San Antonio. I was here with Al Guzman, Rudy and Felix recently on August 27. But my friend wanted me to photograph some pancake-sized Shelf Mushrooms she saw here yesterday. She also pointed out some beautiful California Live Oaks that were afflicted with Sudden Oak Death, and may soon be chopped down. There is a giant Bay Tree with 20 trunks on the Farm Bypass Trail. I climbed to its center and took a dozen photos of its many trunks and upper branches. The windy creek near the footbridge was filled with children playing on Saturday 8/27, so I didn't take any pictures. However today the creek was bare so I managed many photos. Toward the end of the hike, a hawk flew overhead. I chanted my windsong from Mount Shasta and the hawk circled back letting me take more photos. Today's hike began at 1:30 pm and ended at 4 pm. The last three photos of a giant bird cloud and dragon cloud were taken in Palo Alto (6:20 pm) and near the Los Altos Library (7:11 pm).

Cluster of Bay Trees (View 2)

Circle of Bay Trees (Leaves)

Permanente Creek

Bottom of Giant 200-years Old Bay Tree

Missing Virgin in Grotto Shrine

Fallen Trunk over Creek

Tiny Soccer Ball in Creek

Permanente Creek

Hawk Flying Between Treetops

Hawk Soaring in the Sky

Rancho San Antonio Sign & Fence

Alder Tree by the Creek

Missing Virgin in Grotto Shrine

Live Oak by the Fence

Y-Shape Live Oak

Y-Shape Live Oak Closeup

"Trident" California Live Oak

Oak with Parallel Branches

Long-armed Live Oak Tree

Lower Meadow Trail Fence

Amaryllis (Naked Lady or Pink Lady)

Amaryllis (Belladonna Lily)

Y-Shape California Live Oak

Upper Branches of Live Oak

Horizontal Branches of Live Oak

Long-armed California Live Oak

"Stick Man" Image in Circle

Pancake Size Shelf Mushrooms

Giant Shelf Mushrooms (Laetiporus)

More Shelf Mushrooms

"Angry Face" Image in Tree

"Monkey Face" Image in Tree

Giant Hollow Tree Stump

White Flower Bush

Giant Eucalyptus Tree

Eucalyptus to the Sun

Bridge Between Two Redwoods

Bridge to Farm Bypass Trail

Bay Tree with 20 Trunks

Shelf Mushrooms in Bay Tree

Center of Bay Tree Circle

Bay Tree Center

Leaves in Bay Tree Center (View 2)

Leaves in Bay Tree Center

Bay Tree View from Other Side

Bay Tree's Limb on the Ground (View 2)

Bay Tree with 20 Trunks

Top of 20-Trunks Bay Tree

Bay Tree View from Other Side

"Trident" Bay Tree

Uppermost Branches of Bay Tree

Unedible Snowberries (Symphoricarpos)

Shelf Mushrooms (Lower Meadow Trail)

Young Trees by the Creek

Tree Reflections in the Creek

Sun Reflection in the Creek

"Trident" Tree on the Trail

Branches Over the Creek

"Duck" Image in Bay Trees (View 2)

Bent Trees by the Bridge

Diagonal Log by the Bridge

Fallen Logs over the Creek

"Nautilus Shell" Image in Trunk

Twisted Trunk Over the Creek

Ring Stump & Log in Creek

Leaves & Trunks Up the Creek

"Shark Jaws" Image in Trunk

Scattered Bay Leaves in the Creek

Tree Reflections in Creek

Creek View from Footbridge

Y-shape Bay Tree

Bay Tree Above the Creek

Y-shape Bay Tree

Y-shape California Live Oak

Row of Bay Trees

Y-shape Bay Tree

V-Shaped Cloud

S-Shaped Bay Tree

Leaning Bay Tree in Field

Three Fingers Cloud

Hawk Soars East

Hawk Soars Over Trees (View 2)

Hawk Soars Below Clouds

Hawk Soars West

Hawk Soars North (Soars South)

Hawk in the Blue Sky

Long-Feather Cloud

Old Fallen Trunk by Fence

V-Shape Cloud Over Hill

V-Shape Tree by Creek

Permanente Creek Bridge

View of Hill from Bay Tree

Rocks in the Creek

Log & Rocks in Creek

200-years Old Bay Tree (Height)

Y-Branches in Bay Tree

Permanente Creek

Horizontal Trunked Trees

Maple Tree Over Creek

Butterfly in Wild Weeds?

Sun & Feather Clouds

Five-Fingers Clouds

Giant Bird Cloud (Palo Alto)

Dragon Cloud (Los Altos Library)

Clouds Before Sunset (Los Altos Library)

— Photographs by Peter Y. Chou, September 8, 2011