I finally checked the Trails Challenge website again, and found the online booklet listing the hikes. I wanted to try one of them today. Since it was predicted to be hot, I wanted someplace close to the bay. I settled on Coyote Hills because I hadn't been there in a long time and I could combine the trip with one to a camera store in Palo Alto. I lost my camera a couple of weeks ago and want to start looking for a replacement. Actually to say I lost it is not quite accurate, because I think I know what happened to it. We were in the Big Sur area, and we stopped at Pfeiffer Beach. We didn't stay long because it was extremely windy. Darby took a dip in the lagoon, so when we got back to the car, I think I set my camera on the car roof to free my hands to dry him off. I must have forgotten it when we drove off.
As I was getting ready to leave for Coyote Hills, Maureen said she thought dogs were not allowed there. I looked it up again on the Trails Challenge information, and it showed that dogs were OK. We parked at the visitor center and walked back on the trail beside the road to the entrance kiosk. At the start of the Chochenyo Trail, there was a sign showing no dogs. There happened to be a park employee stopped there, so I asked him about it. He said if the Trails Challenge booklet says dogs are OK, then maybe it is OK, and he would talk to his manager. So we set out on the trail, keeping Darby on the leash. After a short ways, I could see a bunch of white birds on a marsh island. We got a closer look and they were white pelicans, a big flock huddled close together. We looped around the marsh area without getting into trouble for having a dog, and got on the paved bike trail that circles the hills, the Bayview Trail. It is a nearly level trail, so covering the mileage is quite easy. It was warm but not too uncomfortable, with a little breeze off the bay. It was a very clear day and it was nice to be out in the dry grass hills with expansive views all around. Darby kept looking at the water in salt ponds a short distance below, and I finally put him on the leash again to keep him from running down there. There's no way he would know that the water is no good. Around the south end of the trail, we found a water fountain, and he filled up.
It turned out to be a nice way to spend a morning, and I got to go look at a few cameras too. I didn't intend to buy anything today, I just wanted to get a salesman's opinion on what to look for. I'm going to do more research online before I decide.
4.9 miles, 300 ft. climb
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