Ramona lake: A late-afternoon hike beyond.

Overlooking Lake Poway from above Ramona lake.




In our last hike of the year, we matched the previous walk up and beyond Ramona lake in Blue Sky Preserve but this time, climbing higher. (See blog before). The previous hike took place during the morning in good light but not near sunrise. The latter hike occurred in the mid-to-late afternoon, giving us the opportunity to view the contrast. Besides wonderful views, the climb is quite intense and amounts to a great workout, with additional opportunities to view the wildlife, as well as snack on an orange picked from a tree in the wilds. Sure beats cold storage. It's quite remarkable that as soon as one hits the trail, a different feeling overcomes a person or at least these two people. We used to walk daily along the sidewalks in the 'old days'. It's such a different experience in the mountains that the only commonality seems to be movement of the legs. Once a person gets into the wilds, generally, it is as if one is entering a different realm.

The only problem at Blue Sky Preserve is there is no parking along the road. However, the trail parking is, in fact, at the trail. 'Could anything be more convenient than that, you might ask?' Of course not. However, the gates close at sunset. Thus any chance of attaining a sunrise or sunset view is impossible unless one takes a taxi to-and-from the parking lot. We pushed as long as we could to remain at the peak visited, bearing in mind the time limit in effect. In the end, we ran the last mile in fading light as we strived to arrive before the gatekeeper. It could have made a wonderful afternoon a little less delightful had our car spent the night under the stars.



Quite overpowering as the sun moves low into the late afternoon and coloring changes around Lake Poway.
The sun highlights plants in foreground.




The neighborhood below Mount Woodson peak.




Looks like downtown San Diego...we're not sure.




Late afternoon, facing the Pacific Ocean.




Could be the same bird flapping about from the previous hike and blog.




Heading for the gate and hoping it's not yet locked. Gates close at sunset.




Dream location for a house...looking for a sponsor or two. Set in the valley below Woodson.



The neighborhood from Woodson peak (a different hike). Ramona lake below.(Clouds cost extra.)
Some of current pictures taken from extreme right side and higher.



Soft light toward the end of the day.




Goodnight! See you in 2017.



Cheers,


Jenni and Jeffrey

Ramona Lake, Poway: a hike into virgin territory although we saw very few...

One of many perspectives of Ramona lake, Poway.



On Christmas day, we went walking in what could easily have been mistaken for the southern hemisphere. After a wet week, the sun shone brightly in San Diego although the temperature at commencement of the hike was in the mid-forties. Thereafter, it got warmer, aided in large part because of the sharp rise to reach lake level, followed by a rock scramble and thereafter, a further climb to new ground.

We were taken aback as we explored some of the lower mountains around Mount Woodson. We came across both orange and avocado groves, very large houses tucked away in the mountains above Poway as well as both stirring and tranquil sights. When one goes a little off the beaten track while keeping eyes open, it is interesting what confronts one. From height, the views of the dam wall and Ramona lake were wonderful; reflections further assisted by some cloud and ideal light, for that time of the day, rounded off a memorable walk.

Perhaps the highlight, which was a first for us, occurred when we heard a rustle in the tall grass. While scrambling up to a minor peak, we scared off, unfortunately, a couple of mule deer. To watch the animals spring and bounce up and down the slopes was nothing short of 'poetry-in-motion'. The grace of antelope and deer is fascinating. It looked like they were disconnected from the ground, almost as though they were flying with the occasional light tread on the earth.


"Preen". (This is a pond above Ramona Lake.)



"Shake". (This shot taken an hour later on our return.)




"Rock".




and "Roll".




A new vantage point of the dam wall and reflections.




Superfluous pointing to Lake Poway, somewhat below Ramona lake.




An exquisite position in the country, viewed through the telephoto.




Two positions examined in this and the next photograph.
'Living on the rocks.'




'Living in a palace.'




A couple of 'prickly pears' including an orange picker. Not often have we seen a cactus of this size
in the region, if at all.



Dense forest and deforestation. The former unusual in this region.




Standing above and on the other side of Ramona lake, a nice perspective.




The poor hiker's guide to rich living in secluded areas.




Cheers,

Jenni and Jeffrey

Some Pictorial Peak Highlights

Our vacation is getting a little 'long in the tooth'.


Click on arrow to listen to Brian C Murray singing "Knocking on Heaven's Door.": Mount Olympus, Greece.




Heading to Pinnacle peak and 'trouble' near Mount Rainier, Washington.




Mauna Kea peak overlooks the ocean and other volcanoes, Hawaii.




On the way up to Ben Lomond peak, South Island, New Zealand.




Heading toward Kristinartindar peak, along a glacier, Iceland.




Wheeler Peak, New Mexico's highest.




Tongarriro Crossing, New Zealand.




On the way to Comapedrosa, Andorra's highest.




Roy's Peak, Wanaka, New Zealand.




Olympic National Park, Washington, USA.




"Charity", South Sister, Oregon...a little less than 5,000 feet elevation gain.




Robert's Point overlooking Franz Josef glacier, New Zealand.




The Sentinel, Drakensberg, South Africa.




A view from Wheeler Peak, New Mexico.




'More than a leap of faith'. At least 'one of us' made it to Pic del Veleta, Spain's second highest.





On Salkantay Mountain, Peru, our highest at about 15,300 feet.




The Frenchman Mountain, Las Vegas from Red Mountain, Nevada at sunset.




South Africans have a wonderful phrase for this situation: "Nou ja? or maybe ja-nee?". White Mountains, New Hampshire.




Tongarriro Crossing, New Zealand - an active volcano.




La Serrata, Andorra.




Hamblin Peak, Nevada.




Turtlehead Peak, Red Rock Park, Nevada.




Guadalupe Peak, Texas.




Angels Landing peak, Utah.



Blacketts Ridge, Tuscon, Arizona.




Ice Lakes Basin, Colorado: returning from peak as storm moves in.



Storm brewing as seen from Perrin peak, Durango, Colorado.



On the cliffs of Dogs Canyon, New Mexico.




Mono Pass, Sierras, California.




Freezing on Mount Dana, Yosemite, California.




Mount Humphreys, Arizona's highest and a few inches.




Mount Tallac, overlooking Lake Tahoe, California.




Upside-down peak, 3,000 feet to go: Bright Angel Trail from Plateau Point, Grand Canyon, Arizona.




Mount Gingilos, Crete, Greece.




Koko Head rim, Oahu, Hawaii.




Seefeldjoch, Austria.




On the Swartberge, Cape, South Africa. Sick on the day, tells the story.




Lone Pine Lake, under the shadow of Mount Whitney, California.




Returning from canyon floor on the Gooseberry trail, Canyonlands, Utah.




Returning on Cathedral Peak trail, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.





Arbel Cliffs, Israel.



Cheers,

Jenni and Jeffrey