Post-rain Trek through Aliso Canyon

We're fortunate to have several nature walks, not too far from our home. One of them is located at Aliso Canyon Park, which you may recall reading about in a previous post.

Kelsey loves this walk, but we have to watch her to make sure she doesn't jump in the stream. Today she tried, nearly taking her daddy with her!

The rain has wreaked havoc on the trails. They quite clearly turned into streams during the recent heavy rains. But we braved them anyway!

It looks like we weren't the ONLY ones... check below for a photo of the wild-animal tracks we saw. Not sure if they're from coyotes or mountian lions. Seemed too small for a mountain lion, but the claws look sharp enough... :-\

Placerita Canyon

Today we decided to head up to Placerita Canyon. It's been a long time since we were there! They've been working on some improvements, and the place is really looking great.

Sadly, the recent rains have rendered the main trail from the Nature Center to Walker Ranch impassable, so we were not able to hike that route. Out of necessity, we discovered a new, beautiful trail and hiked it instead. As an added bonus, the local firemen were also hiking this trail. HA!

It was a great morning! I can't wait to return in spring and see all the wildflowers which will undoubtedly have sprouted.

This red-tailed hawk is just one of the creatures that lives at the Placerita Canyon nature center. There's also an owl, some tortoises, and more! This fella is a real beauty, as you can see.