Curse of the Poison Oak: my hike at Hollenbeck

Down in beautiful Jamul is the Hollenbeck Ranch preserve; over 3200 acres of rolling hills & a stream not far north from the border. And where there's a riparian environment in SoCal, there's poison oak. I'll spare you the photos of me looking like a leper (okay, I'm a pansy, it was one spot on my leg the size of my fist) but here's the stream where the stuff loves to grow around. My hiking buddy was Maria who informed me the stream dries up in the summer.



The green hills of winter just roll and roll here.



And low clouds kept escaping through the border while fog snaked through the distant hills.



While our hike was probably only 4 miles, that's easier said than done when over half of it is off trail. Sturdy ankles kept us going up & down the hills while we made our own path around the outskirts of the preserve. (There are a few different trails there, we just didn't stay on them.) We could see an easy side road leading to the main one out there but the barbed wire & "closed" sign kept us corralled in. This shot was taken in case we were indeed shot by the neighbors while hunting for an alternative route. The little house is in the distant.



Aw, I love you, too! Remnants from Valentines Day the week before.



And here comes the fog...just in time for our hike to wear down.
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/lands/wa/region5/hollenbeck.html