wet, drippy fog

Huckleberry Hill
July 19, 2010

Sometimes my camera simply does its own thing. Yes, this is a color photograph and has not been altered in any way. I was trying to get a habitat shot of the Monterey pines on Huckleberry Hill here in town. The fog was so thick and heavy up there that it sounded like it was raining.

habitat ~ 06/02/10 ~ Huckleberry Hill

Huckleberry Hill
June 2, 2010

What the heck does a huckleberry look like? I still need to look this up, because we kept making guesses with each vine or shrub we encountered figuring the hill was named for a reason. I would have just as easily named the place Monterey Pine Hill. According to an interpretive sign, this is one of the largest remaining native Monterey Pine forests in the world. I think "native" is the operative word in this impressive description. I'm tempted to lump this place with Del Monte Forest, but I'll continue with my previous location rules and specify by route of access.

There's a little section behind the Presidio with a bunch of yellow flags labeled with endangered species. It wasn't until we walked a little farther when we found the Yadon's piperia (Piperia yadonii) signs, but no evidence of the actual orchid.

Btw, those stairs are much easier to take coming down than going up!