11/30/10 – Pinnacles NP

Next place we stayed was at 1000 Trails San Benito.  It was cold there—the water hoses froze one night—but from there we were just down the road from Pinnacles NP.

George hated the country around there, but I thought it was interesting.  I didn’t realize that he was so resistant to places that don’t look like home.  Could be a long trip…

We stopped at the Visitor Center and the ranger suggested a trail for us to take.  The pinnacles the park is named for are interesting, but the Talus Caves are super cool.  Do you know what Talus Caves are?  I didn’t!  Talus caves are formed when an earthquake causes great big rocks to fall down on top of other rocks, leaving a “cave” under the rocks you can walk through.  In some places you can actually see these giant boulders balanced on top of two other rocks.  We had to take flashlights because one section was fairly long.  There are rock stairs that were built by the CCC in the 1930s that really make the hike easier.

We hiked up through Bear Gulch and to the Reservoir.  We saw black tail deer, LOTS of quail, and later, a coyote with the prettiest coat I’ve ever seen on a wild canid.

They do a lot of rock climbing at Pinnacles, so there are signs all over that let you know which rocks are climbable, with pictures of a carabiner.  My favorite was labeled “Tourist Trap”. 

If you want to see more Pinnacles NP pictures, check out some more on this link:  Pinnacles NP