Author: Jim Beyer

Katy Peretti,Toby Katzman,Marian Wyatt, Susan Brown,Chuck Wyatt,Jim Beyer, Mike Cohen,Judy Israel,Eve Gebhardt, Bonnie Preston,Dottie Armbruster,Ruben  Israel,Peter Nicholls,Faye Swanson, Cookie Hunley,Arlyn Unruh Photographer:John Trudeau

Bonnie Preston led a Rambler trip today to Ano Nuevo(the largest birthing area in the world)  to see the elephant seals in their birthing environment. This is the place where these giant creatures arrive every winter and come ashore to fight, mate, give birth, and rest from long sea voyages. The beaches, sand dunes, and nearby offshore island provide the ideal place for safety and security. Males can weigh up to 5,000 pounds, females weigh up to 1600 pounds and the babies weigh 75 pounds at birth and grow to 230-300 pounds in less that a month. Seventeen club members enjoyed a remarkable day with sunshine and a cool light breeze. Our guide was informative and knowledgeable.

John Trudeau,Bonnie Preston, Mike Cohen,Peter Nicholls

Two on right end are elephant seal skulls compared to other animals such as bears,etc.

Our guide

Chuck Wyatt,Eve Gebhardt,Judy Israel, Jim Beyer,Ruben Israel, Dottie Armbruster,Marian Wyatt

Male Elephant Seal

Young Males Sparring

Amy Meier,Suzanne Phem,Toby Katzman,Faye Swanson,Cookie Hunley, Wate Bakker,Jackie Jones,Jim Beyer, Johanna Bakker,Gisela Pearson, Nancy Rumple,Phil Grote,John Trudeau, Laura Gelman Photographer: Sy Gelman

Wate and Johanna Bakker led a rambler and a long hike in Harvey Bear Ranch County Park around Coyote Lake on Saturday, March 9th.We were originally scheduled to hike in Henry Coe State Park but changed plans. When we arrived there was a youth event happening that caused us to change locations. Johanna lead a rambler hike of about 4 miles with n elevation gain of about 500 ft and Wate lead a long hike of 8 miles with an elevation gain of about 1000 ft. It was a great day to be outside with friends from the club.

Toby Katzman,Sy Gelman,Laura Gelman,Faye Swanson,Suzanne Pham, Johanna Bakker

Suzanne Pham,Johanna Bakker,Faye Swanson, Toby Katzman,Laura Gelman,Cookie Hunley

Rock  covered with Crustose Lichen

Laura Gelman

F:Laura Gelman,Amy Meier.Gisela Pearson, Wate Bakker B:Sy Gelman,Jim Beyer,Eve Gebhardt, Jackie Jones,Debbie Siedband, Nancy Rumple,Gigi Clarke,Karan Foss

Gigi Clarke & Jackie Jones led a group of twelve long hikers on an  8-9 mile hike in Grant Ranch to Deer Camp/Line Shack. They discovered that the line shack had burned down two weeks earlier according to the park ranger that met them. Johanna Bakker lead the ramblers  on a 2-21/2 mile loop via the Hotel trail and Lower Hotel trail in Grant County park. This was a practically flat trail, and Johanna was joined by Rajni and Gita Bakhda and Suzanne Pham. The ramblers starting point was at the main entrance to the park. It was a beautiful, sunny.warm day for both groups with no fog or haze in sight. The crisp air made for a delightful experience.

Mt. Hamilton observatory

Line Shack

Chuck Wyatt,Marian Wyatt,Cookie Hunley, Eric Pierson,Johanna Bakker,Pam Pierson, Wate Bakker

Johanna Bakker  led a hike in Santa Teresa Park on the Fortini/Mine/ St​yle Ranch trails on Wednesday, February 19th. It was a 2.5-mile loop with moderate elevation gain of 300 ft. After a brief shower in the early morning, the sky was beautiful, and the trail was not muddy. There were a few poppies out, and the meadowlarks were in song. A good time was enjoyed by all. We went to McDonald’s afterwards.

John Walker,Nancy Rumple,Jackie Jones,Anka Hoek,Debbie Siedband, John Trudeau,Eve Gebhardt,Sandra Walker,Gisela Pearson

 On Saturday, February 15th thirteen members hiked in Calero County Park. The ten long hikers hiked 7-8 miles with a 1400 ft. elevation gain led by Nancy Rumple. They passed the bat house and had views of the reservoir and the valley. The Ramblers did 4-5 miles led by Bonnie Preston. They consisted of Bonnie Preston, Sy Gelman,and Laura Gelman. It was a pleasant day with cloudy skies and moderate temperatures.

John Walker,Jim Beyer,Jackie Jones,Debbie Siedband.Anka Hoek, John Trudeau,Eve Gebhardt,Sandra Walker,Gisela Pearson

Bonnie Preston  led a Village hike today. The group met at Vineyard Center at 9 a.m and walked up through Valle Vista and on to the upper garden and to the first picnic area on the lower part of Skyway. It was a pleasant day and the fog made way for a sunny morning. The hike ended back at the Vineyard.

F:Susan Brown,Amy Meier,Gisela Pearson,Gigi Clarke B:Eve Gebhardt,Debbie Siedband, Sandra Walker,Nancy Rumple,Jim Beyer,John Walker,Jackie Jones

On Saturday, January 25th,the long hikers  were led by Nancy Rumple and hiked in Alum Rock Park up the Todd Quick Trail onto the  Boccardo Open Space Trail. The hike was an 8-9 mile hike with a 1200ft. elevation gain. It was a popular trail with many other hikers and bikers present. There were four ramblers that did the South rim trail loop, Toby Katzman, Wate and Johanna Bakker and Suzanne Pham. They were able to admire the 11 long hikers across the canyon on the Bocardi trail, up,up and away.
                                                   

Wate Bakker,Jackie Jones,Gigi Clarke, Susan Brown,Phil Grote

Five brave long hikers and 2 ramblers joined Wate and Johanna to the unique Castle Rock State Park hike Saturday.You can’t see it from the road but as soon as you leave the parking lot and start walking on the trail, you will see the stunning rock formation and the beautiful view of the forested hills. Wate took us on a 4-5 mile, partial loop trail with 6-700 elevation. Most of the trails were straight forward but at times we had to scramble on big slippery boulders. This is a popular park for rock climbers and we saw a few groups on the big rocks. The view from the top is fantastic! We had cloudy and cool weather all day and the fog rolled in just as we were leaving in the afternoon.

Wate Bakker,Phil Grote,Jackie Jones, Gigi Clarke