DAY 84: CARPINTERIA BLUFFS AND HARBOR SEALS LOOP TO RINCOLN BEACH

DAY 84: CARPINTERIA BLUFFS AND HARBOR SEALS LOOP TO RINCOLN BEACH

Date: Sunday February 6, 2011

Miles: 5.0

Elevation Gain:  75 Feet

Time: 2.5 Hours

Difficulty: Easy, fun for kids but leave the dog at home.  Good for cross country running

Reward: Harbor Seals birthing their babies from December to May
Description: Visit the Harbor Seal Sanctuary.  When you are done, walk along the beach and loop back along the train tracks.

Where: Carpinteria, CA

Directions: From the 101 Freeway in Ventura, drive North toward Santa Barbara.  Exit on Bailard Road in Carpinteria and turn left toward the beach.  The road ends at the parking lot for the bluffs.

Take the trail toward the Ocean

Turn right at the fence

Cross the train tracks and go right, the lookout will be on the left.

Pelicans often hang out on the beach and will take the leftovers from the vultures eating dead seals.  The seals congregate at this sanctuary because it's protected.  I was informed that a small dog ran down the hill yesterday and all of the seals scattered into the ocean.  The seals did not return for over 18 hours because they are skittish by nature.  A baby seal was born that day and did not survive the excitement.  I'm told that the owners of the dog are being prosecuted.  

  Two-day old baby with his mom

After awhile, we turned around and then went down to the beach.

You are not allowed to walk the beach to the protected area.

 A Sand Castle of a Dog?

 Looking back on the beach walk

 Dinner!

 On the 1.5 mile stretch, at least one person did not abide to this posting!

 We hiked to Rincoln Beach and turned left in the parking lot.

There is an upper trail; hop the gate and head back.

 The trail will merge with the train track.

For the most part you won't have to trek on the track; unless you want to :)

 A local resident

The tracks and side trail lead back to the crossing that we made two hours earlier.  On day 40, I took Ayden to this spot and saw the same heroin in the above picture.  This was during the time that I was not uploading pictures to the blog http://calihike.blogspot.com/2010/12/day-40-carpinteria-bluffs.html.  I did post pictures on Facebook and this bird does appear in my December video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWcS2kgaC9k  

Rather than heading back to the car, we took the fine dirt trail to the right.  This path lasted about a half mile to the Lois Sidenberg Coastal Overlook.

 

We then completed the course by rounding the fine dirt trail around two baseball fields.  This leads out to the parking lot and we called it a day.  The path did continue forward but Ayden and I did walk the latter portion of the path on day 40.  Remember, it only makes since to explore this region from December to May because the beach isn't closed off during that time and the seals refuse to hang out with humans.  In my opinion, this beach should be permanently closed!  

**MY 84 DAY SUMMARY:  289.25 Miles  +44,550 Feet** 

3-MILE RUN at RIOM

Day 83 Bonus.  Before my hike to Tangerine, Jess and I went back to Rio Mesa from day 68 for a quick 3 mile warm up.  My times are increasing but I do have a long way to go:

Lap 1:   2.07.33
Lap 2:   2.14.15
Lap 3:   2.07.16
Lap 4:   2.00.94   Mile: 8.29.58
Lap 5:   2.23.38
Lap 6:   2.22.63
Lap 7:   2.23.49
Lap 8:   2.24.63   Mile: 9.34.13
Lap 9:   2.01.50
Lap 10: 2.04.20 
Lap 11: 2.11.17
Lap 12: 1.38.80   Mile: 7:55.67

3 Mile Run: 25.59.38

This was a very strange run for various reasons but by the end of it all, I built up a good sweat and kept that going into the Tangerine Hike.  You gotta love California; hiking and running under the sun in February!!!  Wow, and to think I could have spent all of my life in Cleveland!  I still love you Cleveland but no thank you.  It's Cali for life!    

DAY 83: TANGERINE FALLS

DAY 83: TANGERINE FALLS

Date: Saturday February 5, 2011

Miles: 3.5

Elevation Gain:  900 Feet

Time: 2.5 Hours

Difficulty: Intense!  Not good for dogs or kids!

Reward: 100+ Foot Waterfall!
Description: The lower portion of the trail is very simple.  Bring your dogs and kids here and take a bath in the pools of water underneath dozens of small waterfalls.  Venture on and there are small caves and more rewarding water pools a mile up.  The final half mile should only be attempted by an in-shape adult human.

Where: Montecito, CA

Directions: From the 101 Freeway in Ventura, drive North toward Santa Barbara.  Exit on Olive Mill Rd (the third Montecito exit) and turn right.  Stay straight past the stop sign as the road turns into Hot Springs Road.  Keep going up the hill and then turn left on Mountain Drive.  The street is narrow and will wind and swerve for about two miles.  Just before the creek crossing, there are usually a lot of cars parked and the

Winner of the Silver Honors Award!

Click Here to Buy or View

 

Cold Springs Trailhead

Don't be alarmed when trail signs don't mention Tangerine Falls.  Trust me, it's there and well worth the hike!  Follow the trail and stream uphill for a quarter mile until you reach the West Fork Trail to the left.  There is an old rusty sign identifying the trail and you will have to cross the creek.  The trail begins just before Kevin's Bench.

Many places to refresh in the first quarter mile

 Look for the cave rock on your left

 Your dogs and kids can slide thru the tunnels

The trail is shaded and scenic the entire way!

IMPORTANT!  You will see a white sign on the left and about 20 feet later, the main Left Fork Trail will continue up and to the left.  The Middle Fork Trail will go down and to the right.  There is no sign but you want to head down to the creek.  Continue to follow the creek up.  Look for the most worn footpath because the trail is not always obvious.  You'll have to cross the creek several times and negotiate rock boulders, which may be tricky in some places.  The higher up you go, the steeper it becomes.

 

Moderate Rock Climbing

 There are two large pools of water near the top.  This is a great place to take a dip and cool off!

 

 Tangerine Falls!

You Made it to the top!  On a clear day, the view out over the ocean is spectacular.  Relax, unwrap your sandwich and embrace the moment.  Mission accomplished!

 **MY 83 DAY SUMMARY:  281.25 Miles  +44,475 Feet**

DAY 82: MOUNT REX

DAY 82: MOUNT REX

Date: Friday February 4, 2011

Miles: 3.5

Elevation Gain:  1100 Feet

Time: 1.50 Hours

Difficulty (1-10): 6.0

Reward (1-10): 3.5
Description: Climb to the peak on the North side of the Grade.

Where: Newbury Park, CA

Directions: From the 101 Freeway in Thousand Oaks, exit on Rancho Conejo and take it almost to the very end.  With about 500 feet from the end of the road, turn left on Conejo Center Drive.  The trailhead that I began from is about 500 feet down on the right.

Rex, on top of the mountain that he discovered!

Before i set out today, I scanned through the Google satellite maps and thought that I was going to find another trail from the same spot I hiked yesterday.  After ten minutes of searching, I deemed it impossible.  However, I saw a dirt road spurring down from Conejo Center Drive so I hiked back to my motorcycle and began at the started over: 

 The Arroyo Conejo Gatway

I name this road the Arroyo Conejo Gateway because it's the quickest route from car access to reach the beginning of the Arroyo Conejo.  I jogged down the road and quickly intersected that insane trail from yesterday.  The Fence to the Arroyo Conejo was on the right and then another road lifted up to the left.  Ok, I decided to do it!  About halfway up, I decided to name this trail Achilles Heel Trail.  This was nearly as steep as the rocky road that I slid down yesterday.  In fact, I'm going to label the Achilles Heel Trail from the top of Rancho Conejo to where ever this goes.  It is just so steep!  

Inclines can be fun.  They are a good workout and I love to feel the power in my legs work.  But this incline is just stupid and dangerous.  It felt like my achilles was going to explode!

 Mt. Rex in the far distance!

It looks tempting but I doubt that I will climb that big rock today!  

 

Looking back, the steep hill falling down is the Achilles Heel portion that I did yesterday and the windy ridge road is the gateway that I took today.  After the initial 350 foot climb, oops I did it again.  The road flattened for a few moments as it walked across the fields.  There were a number of alternative side roads and some may have lead slightly lower into a vegetation habitat.  But you know what, that big rock started getting closer and now I was interested.  Yikes, another incline!!!

I saw a few people up there so i knew what I had to do.  I strained all the way up the Achilles Heel Trail were it ended in a T-junction with a trail that is now known as the Rex Ridge Trail.  I turned right up this easy trail with my mind set on reaching the summit.  The last portion was quite steep and I do not recommend that you bring your young child or dog up here.

 From the summit of Mt. Rex

From this vantage point, I could see a thousand trails in a thousand days.  Simi Valley, Moorepark, Santa Rosa, Camarillo, Oxnard, Ventura, Thousand Oaks, Agoura Hills and so on out to Ojai...  You see it all up here.  The ocean was visible but the visibility was a frustrating hazy! 

 

 So, I wasn't alone up here!  I intended to name this mountain, Jacobus Peak.  However, since these guys were here first and Rex had been here before, it was a unanimous decision to call it Mt. Rex.  Eventually, I will have this entire area mapped out and I will draw a triangle to give him credit for this peak.  If Rex happens to find this post, please comment...

From the top, a trail could be paved across toward the weigh stations over the Conejo Grade.  I plan to come back up here but I will find an easier way.  For now I left the guys to return back to my bike.  Rather than go down the Achilles, I remained on the calm Rex Ridge Trail.  There were a couple off routes that I saw and after viewing the maps, it looks like there is a trailhead from North Wendy Rd and another from Grande Vista.  

Correction, the Rex Ridge Trail did put up a fight.  It was a challenging steep down but I easily preferred it versus the Achilles Heel.   

   
I saw this bird straight ahead on the Rex Ridge Trail but that is not the reason I turned left off of it.  My bike was back that way and I had to get back.  The open space and roads were easy to follow so I did choose a good way back.  I'm really excited about the map that I am drawing but I will not be able to get back here too much over the next couple of weeks.  Don't worry, I will still be hiking everyday but it just wont be here.  This weekend ought to be great because I plan to see a 150 foot waterfall and wind caves.  I will update when I can so until then, click on an ad :)

DAY 81: RANCHO CONEJO OPEN SPACE; ABANDONED CAR TRAIL

DAY 80: RANCHO CONEJO OPEN SPACE; ABANDONED CAR TRAIL

Date: Thursday February 3, 2011

Miles: 2.00

Elevation Gain:  550 Feet

Time: 1 Hour

Difficulty (1-10): 6.5

Reward (1-10): 2.5
Description: A dangerous down hill leads me to an unknown trail where I found a car tangled up in the wild.  It must have been there at least 20 years.

Where: Thousand Oaks, CA

Directions: From the 101 Freeway in Thousand Oaks, exit on Rancho Conejo and take it all the way to the end about 2 miles.

I'm curious; does anyone have any knowledge or information about this car?  I felt like I was in the TV Series LOST discovering the airplane in the trees.


I originally hiked in this area on Day 26: http://calihike.blogspot.com/2010/12/day-26-rancho-conejo-open-space.html.

  Welcome back to the Rancho Conejo Open Space

Today I parked in the same spot but began hiking forward in a West Northwestern direction.  I followed the road across the field for about a quarter mile and then it took a sudden drop.  I wasn't sure if I should attempt it, but of course I did!  I slid on my butt and took it real slow:

 From the bottom of a quick 200 foot+ drop!

 The Main Entrance into the Arroyo Conejo

Of course at the time I passed this fence, I had no clue.  At the bottom of the big hill I intersected a road.  I turned right because it kept going lower.  This fence was nearly immediately on the right, but I kept going.  There was another insane incline trail off to the left, but I left it alone.  I kept walking forward but then took the next left,  This trail also went up hill but so did the trail that I was walking on so I guess I had to go up.  This spur was a bit of a strain and after a quick 75 foot incline, it intersected with another road.  To the left it continued to go higher but to the right it went lower, so I turned right.  The trail began to make a large turn and then I realized that this was the same road that I was just on. Rather than retrace my footsteps, I ventured off to the left.  It kinda looked like a trail until it became thick of sticks.  Nevertheless, I cracked each branch and negotiated my way lower.  I saw the crevice below and knew it had to be the creek.  My goal today was to hike the creek to meet up with where I ended on Day 26.  So, I finally reached the creek and to my surprise, there was a trail??  I knew that I had to go left but I wanted to see where this trail came from so I turned right.  Ah, the fence, it all makes sense now :)

 

The trail was slightly overgrown and not heavily traveled.  I did not see any evidence of human.  No footprints, no litter!  The Creek began from nowhere and was very shallow.  It trickled slowly down in the direction that I was headed.

 

The creek became wider at spots and the area was absolutely beautiful!  I really was hiking with confidence and a smile.  I passed an abandoned car, as seen in the first picture attached to this post.  How in the world did it find its way down here?  I suppose 20+ years ago the landscape was different and somebody went yee-hawing!  It was in a precarious spot  so I didn't drop down into the creek to check for life...

About 20 minutes later, I lost the trail?  Maybe it just didn't exist so I had to zigzag across the marshy grass.  The forest area was no longer and neither was the creek?  --I learned from Ian that the creek flows underground in many areas.  This explains the vegetation and moist ecosystem without the actual visible water.  I hiked the heart of the Arroyo Conejo with Ian on Day 8 http://calihike.blogspot.com/2010/11/day-8-la-barranca.html

I eventually stepped thru the scratchy unknown and found a narrow dirt trail to the right.  My advice, if you are going to come thru here, stay to the right of the creek if you can.  Even though the creek is not visible in places, there are still crevices formed that would attract water if it rained.  I hiked up the dirt trail because hiking thru any more of this nonsense is just nonsense.  I was lucky to find this trail because it then intersected a wider trail that climbed up the hill and then back down into the marsh.  Hmm, maybe this was the side trail that I was determined to one day make as an alternative to the road that I hiked on Day 26.  So, I turned right and began climbing up.  Off to my left was the road so I knew this trail would work its way up this side of the canyon before joining up with the road.  --Another decision, I saw a mild fork that went off to the left.  This surely would be the trail to meet the road but I decided to keep straight and up.  The trail I was on was more defining versus the animal trail alternative. 


A few minutes later, I reached the top.  Confirmed, the trail to the left did meet the road.  I saw it with my own eyes.  The trail I was on met the dirt road at the top.  On Day 26, I was looking all over for a way to get down this steep drop but never found it!  **All this writing is going to turn into a visual map.  All this guessing is unnecessary.  If there was only a map now, my planning would be so much easier.  But you know what, I'm glad it wasn't mapped.  This is my turn to be John Smith!  My focus is to hike this entire area.  I'm sketching the map now and I'm trying to obtain as much elevation info as possible to complete it with accuracy.  Once it's completed, I'll take a photo of it and link it to the blog. --I know that there has got to be a better way to do this but I am uneducated and working with no budget.  At least I'm posting something that makes sense, right? 

DAY 80: THILLE PARK

DAY 80: THILLE PARK

Date: Wednesday February 2, 2011

Miles: 2.00

Elevation Gain:  50 Feet

Time: 1 Hour

Difficulty (1-10): 1.0

Reward (1-10): 2.0
Description: An evening at the park with the family

Where: Ventura, CA

Directions: From the 101 Freeway in Ventura, exit on Telephone and head east toward Victoria.  Turn left on Portola and right on Thille.  Park on the street after the Mobil Park.  Thille Park is on the right. 

The idea is to go outside each day and conquer a new place.  No better way to do that then by taking your son to the park.  As you can see from the picture above, Thille Park not only paves a quarter mile cement path, but it has several stations along its way for a full body workout.  Ayden and I each did one pull up and several dips :)

After going around the circle several times, it was time to push Ayden on the swing.  Sure, I would have loved playing basketball with the guys out there, but playing with my son is priceless; Really!  Two of his friends showed up with Jessi, my wife and two other random girls were there as well.  We all ended up playing the game, "your it!"  --I haven't played Tag in years!  I couldn't stop laughing while I was running.  These little girls were relentless!  They were in pursuit of me and would not let up.  I felt like I was going to have a heart attack because I am not used to sprinting and rounding turns that fast!  Our game stretched between the two playgrounds there!  In one instance, I ran so hard that my legs went one way and my body hit the wood chips.  The only injury I suffered was the nasty splinter that became stuck under my wrist.  It's out now, no big deal. 

 

Although many of my hikes are solo, Ayden has found his way on about 1/3rd of all my hikes.  He's excited and told me last night that he will be going with me this coming Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Friday.  I'm planning my schedule accordingly!  I would not miss this voluntary effort that my son is giving me to spend time with.  To be continued...

DAY 79: SULPHUR MOUNTAIN ROAD TRAIL

DAY 79: SULPHUR MOUNTAIN ROAD TRAIL

Date: Tuesday February 1, 2011

Miles: 3.50

Elevation Gain:  450 Feet

Time: 1.75 Hours

Difficulty (1-10): 1.5

Reward (1-10): 2.5
Description: Walk up an old mountain road and enjoy the beautiful open grassland.  You'll share the day with local cows and mountain bikers.

Where: Casitas Springs, CA

Directions: From the 101 Freeway in Ventura, exit at the 33 freeway and drive north.  Continue north on the 33 thru Casitas Springs, where the freeway ends.  On the right you will pass Nye Rd, the small town of Casitas Springs and then Nye Rd again.  Shortly thereafter, Sulphur Mountain Road will appear on the right.  Turn right and drive about a quarter mile to the gate. 

Sulphur Mountain Trailhead (from Casitas Springs)

When I moved to Ventura County in 2002, I had no idea where I was.  I had lived in Cleveland for 27 years and knew the city streets from east side to west side better than anyone.  When I was young, one of my hobbies was asking my mom for a new map from AAA and then asking her to take me on a drive.  I learned how to navigate at an early age and was eager to discover new streets.  When she couldn't take me for a drive, I'd play with my Hotwheels and design my own city streets.  Before I cleaned up the town, I would draw a map of what I had created.


I utilized my knowledge of the streets of Cleveland by becoming a Circulation District Manager for the New York Times.  This required route delivery and training all over Northeastern Ohio.  Of course, running around the same streets every day does tend to become boring.  You can say that my last year in Cleveland was quite dull; stale.
 

When I moved to Cali, I found myself delivering Newspapers again as a Circulation District Manager for the Ventura County Star.  Then, I began picking up police donations in Ventura County.  I did this for three years and I learned just about every single street in the county.  A permanent map of VTA has been etched in my mind forever, but I really own stepped foot on a very small percentage of the county.  It will take years to cover the vast mountainous and open space areas.

 

On the map, there is a big blank spot between Ventura and Ojai.  Other than the 33, the only other way to reach this town is down the 150 from Santa Paula.  Basically, behind my house, Arroyo Verde, Two Trees and The Cross, there is nothing??  That is, until I discovered Sulphur Mountain Road:

 

  

The hills roll from Ventura to Ojai until the Los Padres command the Mountain.  I hope these property owners never sell out.  Whoever owns it is sitting on a fortune.  How easy would it be to develop this land and turn it into a metropolitan?  That would be horrible!  I do wish that they would build a few more trails for people like us to enjoy the natural beauty, but at least we have Sulphur Mountain Road.  I can't believe I never knew of this place.

 

From the 33, it looks like this trail is going to take you straight up 1000+ feet.  From the outside, it looks like this is going to be a very hard feat, but that all changes!  The road is very easy going and simple.  I hiked this with my son and a guy named Kit.  I'll bring him back up in a few days but for now just know he is a nature lover who enjoys hiking and is interested in climate change.  We had a good talk along our walk.

 

  

There is no shorter of cows!  The road goes on for 9 miles and will eventually lead to a gate on Sulphur Mountain Road, which intersects the 150.  If you wanted to walk straight through, its recommended that you get dropped off from the 150 and then picked up in Casitas Springs.  The overall elevation drops if you start from the back side but from what I have read, there are some gnarly hills that you'll need to deal with still.  The total elevation gain coming from Casitas springs is over 2000 feet.  An 18 mile in and out hiking trip would be a dawn to dusk event, if your body didn't collapse first.  For that reason, most people attempt this trip on mountain bike.  Ayden, Kit and I barely hiked a mile and a half before we turned around.  I wasn't tired but the sun was going down and Ayden started to get bored.  That being said, he is excited to attempt the back side someday on bike.  Stay tuned...

UPDATED WEEKLY!

THIS BLOG WILL BE UPDATED WEEKLY!

My pursuit for 1000 consecutive days of hiking on 1000 different trails continues!  As you can imagine, this attempt has consumed my life!  Not only am I hiking everyday, I am also working full time and I have family responsibilities and obligations.  Nevertheless, I will keep this up as long as possible.  However, rather than updating this blog daily, I'm going to simplify my posts and update them every weekend.  Please continue to check in, write comments, click on sponsors and follow my blog!  Eventually, I plan to hike Whitney and many other amazing mountains and parks in California.  Your show of support will help me tackle the tough days when I really don't want be active.  It would be very easy for me to just go home after work. eat and then watch TV.  That being said, there is nothing easy about me so I hope this blog is informative; my maps are helpful; and videos are fun for all!

-Jeremy

DAY 78: WHERE'S OPIE!

2 miles +200 feet.

From the 101 in Ventura, exit on Victoria and drive north uphill toward the shopping area.  After Moon Drive, turn right into the Ralphs Shopping Center.  Drive to the far back right and there is a park off the city street. 

Brief story; I walked the quarter mile paved path with Domi, Sammi and Ayden.  Back in 2002, none of this was here.  I was homeless and often worked out and showered at the LA Fitness.  My black cat Opie was probably patiently waiting for me to return to the car but when I did, he was gone.  Likely, some cat lover saw Opie without a collar and snatched him.  I shouldn't say that, Opie probably approached the person and allowed them to pick him up.  He was a great cat, and hopefully still is if still alive.  He would be 12 today, just a couple months older than Domino.  If you found a black cat in the shopping center back in 2002, please contact me.  It would be to reassure and reunite with me.  I wouldn't ask you for him back.  Thank you for taking care of him when I was at my lowest.

--After the half mile hike yesterday, I walked down Tanager Street.  There is an opening between the houses that leads right down to where I last saw Opie.  The view also offers a nice sunset shot over the ocean and Islands; hence the name of the neighborhood 'Island View'.

Before the turn in the road, a windy path works its way down to Moon Drive.  It reminded me of Lombard Street in San Francisco.  Ok, it was not that amazing, but you gotta go with it! 

There is much more on my mind, including why I didn't publish pictures of it, but you have to trust me that I did walk the two miles to extend my streak to 78 days.  Maybe when this is all said and done, I'll write a book about my favorite hikes and the behind the scenes emotions.  I'll just say, I weigh 209 pounds now, my lowest since beginning this mission.  I lost the extra two pounds because of stress, not the activity. 

**MY 78 DAY SUMMARY:  268.25 Miles  +41,425 Feet**