Let me steal you away from my usual desert photography and take you on a favorite non-desert hike. I've posted a few times about Coyote Hills (Pave Paradise). I hiked the area last week on a day with puffy white clouds and blue skies. It had been a couple months since my last hike here. In case you're interested, here are the GPS coordinates.
Something I noticed right away: Someone has been clearing the roads! This could be the beginning of the end for Coyote Hills as it exists today. I fear it may soon be developed and blend in with the sea of homes surrounding it on all sides. In my view, really too bad we can't save the natural beauty of this area.
Last time I hiked this old oil field road (above), it was difficult to pass because of the weedy overgrowth.
The big draw for me when I hike Coyote Hills is the feeling of solitude and seeing what much of Orange County used to look like before all the homes were built.
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| Fresh tracks on the road and weeds removed. |
The day offered great visibility. To the NW I could see some of the skyscrapers of downtown LA, and to the SW I could see Long Beach and even Catalina Island.
Unidentified piece of rusty metal. Old car or truck part, perhaps??
My favorite shot of the day. All photos taken on my iPhone 6.
Very thankful for being able to spend time hiking and exploring this beautiful spot.
Great clouds captured.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful area to walk in, lets hope it does not get developed
ReplyDeleteLot of clouds in the sky. Perhaps some rain coming. The growing cities are becoming a real problem and the prospects are not good.
ReplyDeleteFantastic natural scenery & perfect skies! Super shots on your iPhone!
ReplyDeleteI found OC unlivable 30 years ago when we lived in Laguna Niguel for a few months. I worked at an ad agency for a bit. I've always loved the country there, but the traffic and crowds were ridiculous---30 years ago! I love the places you find--- including the Coyote Hills. Thanks for sharing. ....just remembering the 3-4 days a year when the air was totally clear and you could see all the way out to the mountains and beyond. :)
ReplyDeleteYes, and it's gotten a lot worse in the last 30 years, Bill. Heading out to the desert every once in a while is the only thing that keeps me sane (well, that's debatable)!!
DeleteGreat day to explore this area. I hope it stays undeveloped. I like that last photo too. The flowers really balance it well.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous skies! I love the hiking trails that the western part of the US has to offer. Thanks for linking up today!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your beauty
ReplyDeleteAmazing shots and views. Those iPhones take such good pictures.
ReplyDeleteIt is a pretty place. We face the same issue here, with open space being developed. Luckily we've got over 2 million acres of national forest next to our city!
ReplyDeleteI feel like I could reach out and pluck those puffy 'cotton ball' clouds from the sky!
ReplyDeleteIt is hard to stop the march of development. Landowners have to make a conscious decision to forego the profits and preserve the land - doesn't happen nearly often enough!
...wowser! Those are some might neat skies. I'm at 20.9106N 156.3764 W and about 10'
ReplyDeletePaia, Maui?? Wow, what a beautiful place! I've driven through there once on my "Road to Hana" drive. Now I'm jealous!!
DeleteYes, that last shot is my fave, too. Those clouds almost seem to be touching the ground.
ReplyDeleteI like the last picture a lot.
ReplyDeleteWow, am envious at your iphone! Such clear pics! Love this kind of cloud pattern.
ReplyDeleteSmiled at your comment about the St Germain castle - am not after nobility (without money - that should be stressful:)), but getting to know my mother's side of the family. They probably were Hugenots, who fled to the Netherlands during one of the persecutions of the Protestants, and from there escaped to Indonesia (at that time Indonesia was a colony of Holland), where my mother was born.
Thanks for your interest, and have a great weekend. A few hours ago, snow fell!
What a place you found. I fear that it will be developed also. It has to be worth a fortune. Looks like somebody is planning on surveying the site.
ReplyDeleteSuch a gorgeous sky...love that blue and the soft cotton-like clouds. Your sky pictures remind me of the little hill town in the NE where I grew up 4 decades ago! Everywhere it is the same story...all places of natural beauty are being taken away in the name of development.
ReplyDeleteAwesome shots. The sky and vegetation colours are superb.
ReplyDeleteLove those fluffy clouds.
ReplyDeleteI aggree ... but all in all, great hike and captures!
ReplyDeleteHappy Friday!
Superb cloudscapes. Lets hope that this area can survive and not be built over.
ReplyDeleteWhat stunning views and a gorgeous sky. Let's hope it's not going to be developed...what a shame to lose your hiking spot.
ReplyDeleteAw, enjoyed going with you. Loved those skies. Solitude is golden. Have a great weekend.
ReplyDeleteI'm not familiar with Coyote Hills. I'll have to look it up! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete~Cheryl Ann~
I like the puffy white clouds in the nice blue sky.
ReplyDeleteIt would be a shame if the unspoiltness and emptiness of that desert disappears.
Thanks for taking us on your hike. Beautiful skies and clouds you captured. Maybe the road less traveled is now being traveled.
ReplyDeleteI hope that they keep this as open land for everyone to enjoy.
ReplyDeleteWorth a Thousand Words
beautiful cloud
ReplyDeleteAmazing clouds. Great pics.
ReplyDeleteThat would suck if they develop that land, it's beautiful.
ReplyDeleteOh dear ~ land development ~ greed ~ Rather like your beautiful Coyote hills path and the gorgeous blue sky with awesome clouds ~
ReplyDeleteHappy Weekend to you,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)
I sure hope they don't develop that beautiful natural area! That would be a shame. My favorite is also the last one on your post. Your bright blue skies and clouds are almost surreal.
ReplyDeleteIt's good that someone has cleared the road makes it easier for people like yourself to get to but hope they don't clear it too much.
ReplyDeleteI love them big ol' fluffy clouds. I hope so-called progress doesn't make any headway into Coyote Hills. Beautiful area. Maybe just maybe someone cleared a trail just for hikers etc. Maybe?
ReplyDeleteMB
Spare Parts, unbelievable skies. Thank for sharing.
ReplyDeleteLots of puffy and fluffy clouds, very impressive to see. Let's hope the urban expansion doesn't reach in to this beautiful landscape, it would be a tragedy.
ReplyDeleteOh no...I really hope they don't build homes over these hills. I lived in Laguna in the late '60's, early '70's, and I can't believe how much Orange County has changed from that time. Same story for these mountains where I live now...just too many people, too many houses. Beautiful photos of a special place.
ReplyDeleteiPhone6, wowza, don't tell all those suckers shelling out big bucks for the iPhone X that and I also think it's the most outstanding photo. It's a shame to think houses may be there, the same thing happened at the end of the summer on a wonderful piece of land by me, but they halted building for now so I'm expecting a hectic spring and summer. It is amazing how much you can see in that shot with the skyscrapers in the background.
ReplyDeleteNice work!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful nature scenes and lovely sky shots! I hope this place will not make way for development.
ReplyDeleteI remember so many years ago, going to a summer camp in New Jersey that was (then) located in a rural area. I used to love to walk through the woods, sometimes alone, sometimes with groups. One day we were walking through the woods and suddenly came across a recently made clearing, with roads, and the beginning of construction. My heart sank. That was my last year at the camp, but I am pretty certain what I saw was a housing development by the following year. Not a good feeling, for sure.
ReplyDeleteIt is too bad Nature Conservancy or something like that can't buy this beautiful area -- (has to be a privately funded org nowadays sadly, our government isn't going to do anything good at all).
ReplyDeleteGood thing you have the 'before' pictures of the area documented so beautifully!
ReplyDeleteGreat place for a hike, seems like a dry but quite easy walk.
ReplyDeleteWonderful day for exploring. Great photos.
ReplyDelete