Disneyland It Ain't

DAY TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY FOUR

The wife had a seminar in Anaheim to go so I needed to find a hike somewhere in Orange County to do and Disneyland was not going to let me climb the Matterhorn and I don't think Tom Sawyer's Island would count. I thought it might be fun to hike down near Crystal Cove so I headed down that way. The El Moro Canyon area is supposed to have several hikes in a wilderness area so I was very excited. The excitement lasted until I got there.

I should have known something was up when I saw this sign on the telephone pole announcing that this is the State Park boundary.

There are plenty of signs offering directions. There should be one telling you to leave now before you get disappointed.

Obviously this plant rehabilitation has a way to go.

I walk down this road to get to the trail only to discover that the road is the trail. There are a couple of sections of "single track" but for the most part the trails here are roads.

There are signs at all the intersections so you can't really get lost.

There is potential here and it might be pretty in the spring when the hills are green but here in late summer the landscape is quite depressing.

This is the only hiking area I've ever been to that abounds in power poles. There are several areas where signs tell you not to hike down a certain road because it's for power pole access. Seriously.

Is it still August? The fog keeps rolling in thicker and thicker and the weather is cold. I was warmer in Lake Tahoe than I am here in Orange County.

I don't have time to get to it but there are some campgrounds and restrooms further up the trail. I'm sorry I missed them because they have the potential of being the highlight of my trip.

Toward the end of my adventure I get some nice glimpses of the coast. These views are the only redeeming part of my adventure. There may be something I'm missing here but I don't really see the need to come back. I think on my next visit to OC I'll try to find some hiking area on the coast itself and if I can't I'll just hike the sand in Huntington. At least there I know I'll get some interesting scenery.