Thornewood Open Space Preserve

Sep 23, 2010 16:48

Thornewood Open Space Preserve

On Sunday D. and I went to Thornewood Open Space Preserve. Thornewood used to be the private summer home of a rich guy named Thorne in the 1920s. Eventually Thorne sold most of the land to spice baron August Schilling (for whom the preserve's Schilling Lake is named). Currently the Thorne house and immediate grounds are privately owned and are being restored. No news if or when they will be open to the public.

So we rambled through the rest of the preserve and I took some pics.

The entrance is through this brick gateway, easy to miss from the road -- especially since the preserve sign is inside the gate.
brick gateway pic

OK, we get the hint, the mansion is off-limits to us commoners. Yeesh.

sign pic

We set out on the Schilling Lake Trail.
trail pic

We find a geocache without even trying.
They might want to rethink putting it right by the poison oak.

uncovered geocache pic

The madrone and live oak canopy overhead.
canopy pic

As the trail meanders along the hillside, we catch a glimpse through the trees of San Francisco Bay and the Diablo Range beneath gray clouds (30% chance of rain).
looking east pic

Lichen on a fallen log. Little sprigs of moss are just starting to grow up around it.
lichen pic
mossy lichen pic

Someone's shorts and some trash just off the trail.

shorts pic
People, people -- please keep your clothes on in the preserve! And don't litter!

The calendar says it's still barely summer, but the reddening poison oak leaves and bright California honeysuckle berries say fall is here now.
autumn color pic

The oak canopy above.
canopy pic

Brilliant poison oak climbs an oak tree.
brilliant poison oak pic

An ancient fire took its toll on this tree trunk.
fire-scarred trunk pic

Even fire-scarred trees can foster new life: tendrils of moss are colonizing this charred limb.
moss tendrils pic

This lichen-encrusted branch gets a gentle embrace from some poison oak.
lichen and poison oak pic

We see some more colorful poison oak along the trail.
poison oak pic

The trail leads us closer to the lake.
trail pic
another trail pic

The canopy above us.
canopy pic

California everlastings.
everlastings pic

A view to the east as a cloud shadow passes over us.
looking east pic

FLOOF!!
gumplant floof pic

Trailside color.
poison oak pic
centaury (zeltnera davyi) pic
sedge pic

Another beautiful view to the east.
looking east pic

The trail enters a mossy oak forest.
trail pic

One of the many dead logs along the trail.
dead log pic

Crossing a dry creek.
wooden bridge pic

Some of the lichen growing abundantly on the bridge.
lichen pic
another lichen pic

The zeppelin Eureka of Airship Ventures sails grandly over Silicon Valley.
zeppelin pic

Turkey tail fungi.
turkey tail fungi pic
another turkey tail fungi pic

We see the first redwoods as we approach the lake.
redwoods pic

Creeping St. John's Wort (Hypericum calycinum) grows abundantly underneath the redwoods.
creeping st. john's wort pic

Trouble in paradise.
slender false brome weed alert sign pic

Paradise has a few Dos and Don'ts.
lake rules sign pic

Schilling Lake.
lake pic
another lake pic

Someone's awfully lucky to have their own private bench at the lake. *envious sigh*
private bench pic

The lake is covered with duckweed.
lake pic
another lake pic
and another lake pic
duckweed with stuff floating on it pic

Another green world.
lake vegetation pic

Schilling Lake is not a natural body of water but is contained by a small earthen dam. Next to the dam is a concrete spillway, leading to Dennis Martin Creek.
top of spillway pic
inside spillway pic
culvert pic

I can personally say there is definitely light at the end of the tunnel.
culvert pic

At the edge of the spillway, a banana slug (Ariolimax sp.) finds a damp place to hide.
banana slug pic

Another banana slug near the shore of the lake. This one was about 8" (20 cm) long.
another banana slug pic
and another banana slug pic

A bracket fungus sprouts from a Douglas fir log by the lake.
bracket fungus pic

The canopy of bigleaf maple, Douglas fir and redwoods at the lake.
canopy pic

A Ganoderma bracket fungus.
ganoderma pic

The complex textures of a redwood trunk.
redwood trunk pic

More redwoods on an unmarked spur trail, undoubtedly an old logging road, going up the side of a gulch.
redwoods pic

The startling blue of a Steller's jay tail feather stands out against the grays, tans and browns of the forest detritus.
steller's jay feather pic

Black fungi grow out of the trunk of this tanoak killed by sudden oak death.
tanoak fungi pic

Poison oak climbs up a young Douglas fir.
poison oak pic

This charred redwood stump shows traces of an ancient forest fire.
charred stump pic

Being among these giant trees makes me feel like I'm in a cathedral.
canopy pic

Near the end of the spur trail we reach the preserve boundary.
sign pic

What an odd thing to find in the middle of the woods.

odd thing pic

Black-tailed deer near the rear of the private estate.
deer pic
(Look at that junk on the ground! Those rusty cans were strewn over a wide area. You'd think rich people would at least have their staff pick that up.
)
another deer pic

On our way back we catch another gorgeous view looking east.
looking east pic

Yes, there is a lot of poison oak in this preserve!
poison oak pic

A deer at the gates as we head home.
deer pic

.
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lake, litter, zeppelin, field trip, maple, rust, spillway, moss, geocache, canopy, poison oak, airship, woodside, redwood, sign, fence, feather, dam, turkey tail fungus, floof, banana slug, thornewood, trash, vine, bench, flower, tunnel, deer, fungus, lichen

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