Butano State ParkOctober 24, 2010
I woke up this morning with a hunkering for biscuits and gravy, the kind only 3-Zero Cafe in Half Moon Bay could satisfy. For a town filled with trendy coffee shops and bakeries, the old cafe at the airport is my favorite. This recent post from My Back 40 (Feet) reminded me that we hadn't visited Arata's Pumpkin Farm yet this year. In years' past, we've taken Andy's Little Brother, our nephew, and friends with lots of kids to visit the amazing hay maze at Arata's. So, even though we didn't have any children in tow with us this time, we hopped in the car as soon as we could for a much anticipated breakfast and plans to enjoy this year's maze.
Uh, perhaps, I should have looked up the weather forecast before we drove the almost 2 hours northward along Hwy 1, aka Cabrillo Hwy, aka Pumpkin Hwy (my terminology for all the pumpkin stands).
Rain. Heavy rain. Fog. More heavy rain.
Making the best of a very wet day, we decided to skip the maze and its muddy muck and hit the back roads on the way home... you know, the ones you never seem to have the time to pursue... and discovered Butano State Park.
It's incredible!
As you can tell by the rain drops in my pics, we stayed just long enough to want to go back later.
ps - I hoped I'd spot a newt but didn't have much luck. According to the interpretive sign, Butano is supposed to have California newts (Taricha torosa) and rough-skinned newts (Taricha granulosa). Maybe, next time!
Uh, perhaps, I should have looked up the weather forecast before we drove the almost 2 hours northward along Hwy 1, aka Cabrillo Hwy, aka Pumpkin Hwy (my terminology for all the pumpkin stands).
Rain. Heavy rain. Fog. More heavy rain.
Making the best of a very wet day, we decided to skip the maze and its muddy muck and hit the back roads on the way home... you know, the ones you never seem to have the time to pursue... and discovered Butano State Park.
It's incredible!
As you can tell by the rain drops in my pics, we stayed just long enough to want to go back later.
ps - I hoped I'd spot a newt but didn't have much luck. According to the interpretive sign, Butano is supposed to have California newts (Taricha torosa) and rough-skinned newts (Taricha granulosa). Maybe, next time!
12 comments:
Even with the rain drops, it looks very inviting! Even if you have to take extra care to avoid newts on the move!
Oh that's a great site...used to hit it along w/ Pescadero Marsh on my south-of-SF prowling.
Lovely blog . I really enjoyed reading through.
A newt crossing! I love it. Used to collect a few and feed them hamburger in their terrarium as a young boy.
I added myself to follow your blog. You are more than welcome to visit mine and become a follower if you want to.
God Bless You :-)
~Ron
twg, I think the rain made it extra enticing.
Janet, we saw that marsh, but it was raining so hard we didn't stop. We'll go back again some day.
Thanks, Nick. I'm following your blog now.
troutbirder, I've yet to see a newt out in the wild and would have loved to have raised them as a kid. Who knew they'd eat hamburger!?!
Old Geezer, thanks for visiting my blog. Holy moley, you sure have a lot of followers! I officially only "follow" nature-related blogs, but I've bookmarked yours for occasional visits. Cheers.
Newts=cool. I've never actually found one in the wild here in SW Wisconsin, but I'm bound to with the amount of time spent looking for various amphibians and reptiles.
Happy Hiking-
Zach
Thanks, Zach. I've seen plenty of salamanders, but nothing officially called a newt. Good luck in your search.
Butano is a fave. As for great newt sightings, I was in the nearby Portola Redwoods last March or April, while it was still wet, and they were ALL OVER THE PLACE. I'd never seen so many of the smiley amphibians in one time or place before!
Thanks, Katie, for the time and place recommendation. I may be on a newt hunt all winter.
Hehe I can't help but to look at your rain pictures and think of the "ghost orb" photos of ridiculous ghost hunters. That's one haunted forest!
Ha! I had to look up "ghost orb" 'cause I hadn't heard of it before. There was nothing supernatural, just drops of rain.
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