Day 907: Thomas F. Riley Wilderness Park - Coto de Caza - Real Housewives of OC - Wagon Wheel Canyon - Skink Vista Point

Bambi

Day #907 * Hike #1141 * New Track #890
Thomas F. Riley Wilderness Park - Coto de Caza, CA
Wagon Wheel Canyon - Skink Vista Point
Oak Canyon Trail - Deer Mule Trail 
Saturday May 11, 2013
My Tripometer: 1 Hour * 2.5 Miles * +225 Feet

The intersection where Oso Parkway ends

Directions & Map

Follow the link for the address and park map: http://ocparks.com/parks/thomas

 Park Entrance off Oso Parkway

 I walked into the park, this is what I saw...

The parking lot is paid parking.  No way to beat it because there is no street parking near here.  However, there is 30 minute parking across the street as seen in the picture above with my wife and kids.  They wanted to ripstick so they went up and down on the pavement while I ran like a breeze of cake through this park...

 Old Wagon

 Oak Canyon Trailhead...

(I figured I would do a loop so I started from here)

 Passing the Vista Ridge Trail, and several others...

 ah, relief.  It was late morning and the temps were well above 90

 Passing the Horned Toad Trail

(this leads to a Vista Point, but I skipped it)

 Dry Pond

 Decided to take the Skink to the top...

 Skink Vista Point

 Back down, the loop completes with the Deer Mule Trail...

**After Alyssa's early morning soccer game in San Juan Capistrano and before the hike you just read, this is what we did...

Day #907 * Hike #1140 * New Track #889
Real Housewives of OC - Coto de Caza, CA
Saturday May 11, 2013
My Tripometer: 1 Hour * 1.5 Miles * +25 Feet

 Good place to take a leak :)

My wife often watches Bravo's Real Housewives of OC.  I have no idea why, but she does.  She said that they all used to live in the gated community adjacent from Thomas F. Riley Park.  So, keeping the wildeness park as an ace up my sleeve, we drove to the gate and worked our way in.  It was easy, just told them we were here to check out the open house and the guard gave us a map :).

Impressive inside?  Hmm, I guess but not really.  This is a HUGE place with a golf course and lakes between it all.  We drove by some of the homes that she had on the radar, but not so impressive if you ask me.  In any event, I guess all the ladies living up in here ended up divorcing or seprating from their husbands and the homes all went into foreclosure, except for one.  Who knows, who cares?  Is there anyway to make a hike out of this place???

 

 Trailhead

Sure you can.  Near the park entrance there is a driveway which leads to a water filtration system.  It stinks here!  Rather than walking down the streets with the nice houses, we walked between the trees and the golf course.  We found this guy...

 Cota de Caza Lizard

Golf Course and Pond

Okay, enough of this place.  Really no big deal.  Let's get back into some real hiking...