Santa Rosa Plateau

On Mother's Day my oldest son took me out to Santa Rosa Plateau for a hike. We started off early and the coastal eddy was colliding with the inland air warmed by the rising sun. As we came over the top of the hills on the trail the valley had a pocket of fog tickling the landscape.

The fog cleared and it warmed up quickly into a beautiful Southern California day.

I was treated to many of my favorite things on this hike. It was really the most perfect way to celebrate Mother's Day for me. I love nature and walking trails.

This tarantula was very much in a hurry. It scurried out right in front of us and ran across the trail. I was lucky to get a couple shots of it before it scampered off into the grass along the other side of the trail.

The first time I visited Santa Rosa Plateau was with a couple of friends who are bird photographers. It is a great place to view a lot of different types of birds. I was treated to grabbing photos of a White-tailed Kite, Turkey Vulture, Red-winged Blackbird, Acorn Woodpeckers, a Western Meadowlark and a raptor I was able to get a photo of but not able to identify. The Acorn Woodpeckers were very busy packing a palm tree with acorns the way they are so fond of doing.

I put a small gallery together of things that caught my eye on the hike. We hiked about six and a half miles, so it was a short hike. It was quite rewarding and one of the very best Mother's Day treats! I'd love to make it a tradition and next time I'd like ALL my boys to go along! Here are the links to more photos and the slide show . I hope you enjoy!