 Sadly, my husband and I have moved away from La Honda after two glorious years there. After getting all settled and unpacked in our new place down in Silicon Valley, I decided to take a weekend jaunt back to La Honda and Pescadero because I was already missing it.
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 Old Woman's Creek Road is a service road and trail in an under-used part of Año Nuevo State Park. The road follows along the creek but climbs uphill at a fairly steep rate for about 2 miles. You will go through several types of forest: alders when you are down closer to the waters edge, and redwoods as you ascend. There is one truly magnificent redwood about a mile in that looks like it might be an old growth redwood. The trail is nicely variegated between sunny and shaded, and you are unlikely to see anyone else on the trail with you.
 Bean Hollow State Beach is a lovely state beach in San Mateo County, just south of Pescadero. This beach is a great favorite in my family. We love the lace-like erosion patterns of the tafoni. The wildflowers are gorgeous in the late spring and early summer (around May), when the California Buckwheat is blooming. In the late summer and early fall, the ice plants send out pink and yellow flowers even as they begin to turn red with their version of fall color. You're also likely to see succulents and harbor seals.
 September, with summer haze from distant wildfires in Big Sur Monte Bello Open Space Preserve is a wonderful park off of Skyline Drive. This was a repeat visit to the park, which gave me a chance to compare it to two past visits, one in winter and one in spring.
These are views from the bench at the Stevens Creek Nature Trail trailhead near the parking lot off of Page Mill Road. This is one of my favorite places in all of California. I dream of bringing my mom back here so that she can paint (like she did during our art expedition to the Redwood National and State Parks). Hope that this happens one day!
 This 6-mile hike was a new trail for me at Long Ridge Open Space Preserve. The last time I came to Long Ridge, I made a loop into Upper Stevens Creek County Park. This trip, I explored a part of the park that borders Portola Redwoods State Park. I hope to one day make the trek from Portola through Long Ridge so that I can explore the site of the historic Page Mill! The hike that I did most recently was a really nice one that offered some shade through a mixed forest of oak, madrone, and bay laurel. The eponymous ridge offers some amazing views of the Santa Cruz Mountains, but with that comes intense exposure to sun. The shaded woods were a welcome respite from the sun.
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