third tree
I thought I might go up Dos Pueblos Canyon, but there is a sign on the road saying it is private and there is "no thru travel" on it. I'm not sure what people could go "thru" to, since it goes up and ends, but I wasn't sure about going up it and no one felt the need to stop and offer a suggestion of the two that passed me. I wasn't sure I really wanted to go up the road in the shape I could observe it, either. Those two were driving nice big trucks.
I thought I might go up Arroyo Hondo, which is misspelled on the Forest Service map. But I didn't manage to figure out where to turn off. Signs would help. I found the Arroyo Hondo Preserve, but they aren't looking for anyone to come without previously mentioning they are coming. It is possible that I should turn up something just after I can see the old highway bridge, which I stopped at on the way back. I poked around the bridge, crossed the tracks and looked down on the sea wall, and then stopped to sketch the coastline.
Then I turned off at Refugio to head up a road there and return by Camino Cielo. It is not in good shape and in the canyon, it is very narrow with plenty of traffic coming the other way. A sign said there was a bridge out in 10 miles so no through traffic. It is also a nice drive. I skirted a lot of pot holes, first crossing over the creek over and over again, then twisting back and forth to climb up to the ridge. There was a road to the right claiming it was unmaintained and so the county had no responsibility for anything that happens to me if I should take it. Was it Camino Cielo? I wasn't expecting anything else and the road I was on seemed to start to drop and said that there was a bridge out in 2 miles. I turned up the unmaintained road and enjoyed the smoother pavement for a little bit. Then, at the first hill full of communication towers, it ended. After the last turnoff for communication towers, it got a bit worse. I really had to pay a bit too much attention to the details of the road to take in enough views. I stopped a few times along the way. I didn't notice a couple of trails I was hoping to spot. I met a motorcycle coming the other way. He gave me a good looking over and decided to be amused. A few spots required some first gear work, which probably means I shouldn't be driving it in a car. Nothing actually endangered the vehicle. I stopped by a locked gate of a road not indicated by the map that a few have hiked down, and I drew today's tree, which is a spreading oak.
A big truck like the ones that were headed up Dos Pueblos Canyon came down the road while I drew. She didn't seem to think my car was outlandish on this road. That seemed to bode well for the rest of the road. I packed everything up and continued along. I met a couple walking down the road, then hit pavement again. They didn't think my car should be on that road at all and were worried about me. Their SUV was parked at the end of the pavement, which was the start of a hoard of cars. The gun club was full of cars, and indeed was quite audible at various places while approaching. People were parked in bunches along the sides and I met quite a few coming up as I went down. A lot of wiggles on wide road free of pot holes and I was at the pass with an easy drive home.
I thought I might go up Arroyo Hondo, which is misspelled on the Forest Service map. But I didn't manage to figure out where to turn off. Signs would help. I found the Arroyo Hondo Preserve, but they aren't looking for anyone to come without previously mentioning they are coming. It is possible that I should turn up something just after I can see the old highway bridge, which I stopped at on the way back. I poked around the bridge, crossed the tracks and looked down on the sea wall, and then stopped to sketch the coastline.
Then I turned off at Refugio to head up a road there and return by Camino Cielo. It is not in good shape and in the canyon, it is very narrow with plenty of traffic coming the other way. A sign said there was a bridge out in 10 miles so no through traffic. It is also a nice drive. I skirted a lot of pot holes, first crossing over the creek over and over again, then twisting back and forth to climb up to the ridge. There was a road to the right claiming it was unmaintained and so the county had no responsibility for anything that happens to me if I should take it. Was it Camino Cielo? I wasn't expecting anything else and the road I was on seemed to start to drop and said that there was a bridge out in 2 miles. I turned up the unmaintained road and enjoyed the smoother pavement for a little bit. Then, at the first hill full of communication towers, it ended. After the last turnoff for communication towers, it got a bit worse. I really had to pay a bit too much attention to the details of the road to take in enough views. I stopped a few times along the way. I didn't notice a couple of trails I was hoping to spot. I met a motorcycle coming the other way. He gave me a good looking over and decided to be amused. A few spots required some first gear work, which probably means I shouldn't be driving it in a car. Nothing actually endangered the vehicle. I stopped by a locked gate of a road not indicated by the map that a few have hiked down, and I drew today's tree, which is a spreading oak.
A big truck like the ones that were headed up Dos Pueblos Canyon came down the road while I drew. She didn't seem to think my car was outlandish on this road. That seemed to bode well for the rest of the road. I packed everything up and continued along. I met a couple walking down the road, then hit pavement again. They didn't think my car should be on that road at all and were worried about me. Their SUV was parked at the end of the pavement, which was the start of a hoard of cars. The gun club was full of cars, and indeed was quite audible at various places while approaching. People were parked in bunches along the sides and I met quite a few coming up as I went down. A lot of wiggles on wide road free of pot holes and I was at the pass with an easy drive home.