San Ysabel

During one of my ‘longing for warm weather days’ this past winter, I traveled further south to San Diego taking a back route instead of the dreaded ’15’. I love the GPS option of ‘no highways’ and would much rather take the lesser used byways.

Route 79 south is a favorite of mine (although it’s a very busy road with a lot of California ‘gotta be there yesterday speeders’) – you know, the ones who sit on your bumper and unfortunately, there are not many shoulders to pull onto to let them pass. I guess I’m getting old!

One of the first signs that tell you you’re in cattle country is the big Warner Ranch. I understand it’s recently been sold after being in existence since the mid 1800’s. It had been a hot springs resort most recently. I hope all the open spaces are maintained as they are beautiful.

This huge herd of Holsteins was just below Warner Springs.

These cattle were ranging on the San Ysabel Park land. This is a recently established county park. Many Black Angus and Red Angus range here along with the hiking humans.

This water trough is truly high-tech, as it relies on the solar power pad to pump water into the tanks for the cattle.

This sign made me laugh. It was in the same field as the cattle. I wonder, do they trod more lightly here after reading the sign?

I still do not know the difference between the Englemen Oaks and the California Live Oaks, but my friend Carol has promised to take me hiking and show me! They are beautiful trees.

My self-portrait!

These trails took me back to my childhood. I was raised on a farm, and it was often my ‘job’ to go down to the back meadow and bring in the dairy herd if they weren’t already at the barn waiting at milking time. The trails I followed looked just like this and I would often go barefoot so I wouldn’t have to work on cleaning off the manure from my sneakers! Water hose on foot was easier. 🙂 That also brought to mind my older brother who thought he was a car when he was a child. He would travel these trails (and up and down the steps in the house, through the walkways in the barn, around the yard – you get the picture) revving his ‘engine’ and changing gears. He would start out in first – while mimicking putting the car into gear, low voice rising: errrrRRRRRT, change-up into second – with hand motions: slightly higher voice- errRRRRRRNT: then third gear ENNNNNNNRRRRRNT- blasting away along the paths. Did any of you have a brother that was a car?