After leaving Yosemite National Park, we headed toward Pinnacles National Park, just south of Hollister, California. It was supposed to take us a little over 3 ½ hours, but Pacheco Pass was showing a long red line on the map that kept growing, so we headed south and went around. It added another hour of driving, but that is all a part of exploring!
And for those of you who read the prior Yosemite blog, I was a bit uneasy about going back on that very curvy, hairpin turn portion on CA 120 just west of Groveland. This time we were on the inside of those steep drop offs, and we were headed down. I was not quite so nervous. Phew!
After arriving at Pinnacles, I was surprised I had never been there, living in the south San Francisco Bay Area for over 30 years. Pinnacles was originally designated a National Monument in 1908 to preserve the beautiful rock formations. It became California’s newest national park in 2013, now protecting over 26,000 acres. It boasts over 30 miles of trails which includes two caves. Unfortunately, the nearby Bear Gulch caves were closed. Townsend’s big-eared bats live in the caves, for both hibernating in the winter and breeding in the summer. The lower cave is usually closed between mid-May and mid-July to not disturb the momma bats in the maternity roost while they give birth and nurse their pups. The park has a nice trail that bypasses the caves, which Dave and I enjoyed as a loop hike to a reservoir and around on the high peaks trail to get some great views of the valley.
In Pinnacles, the afternoon temps were in the 90’s, so Dave and I left very early for our hikes. As with most national parks, dogs were not allowed on the trails, so Murphy had to stay in Mini-T. Later in the day, we put his booties on to go for an afternoon walk. And, the camp store had some yummy ice cream treats we enjoyed each afternoon.
The second day, Dave and I hiked up to an overlook on top of Condor Gulch. As its name implies, condors are often seen soaring high above the gulch. And, to make it a bit difficult, turkey vultures also fly in the area. The park has signs posted to tell the difference between the two, with condors having a much longer wing span (9 ½ feet) and a white spot under their wing. While at the overlook, we spied 3 birds soaring high above us. After discussion with a few other hikers, we decided they were condors.
Leaving the Pinnacles, we were less than 2 hours from my mom’s house in San Jose. We were staying 4 nights at her house and had a great time visiting. The only problem was when you are with family and friends, you often don’t think about taking pictures. So, I do not have too many photos for this stop. My mom invited several of her friends over for a lovely afternoon – luckily Dave took a picture of us! I also was able to connect with my good friends Lisa & Patty for coffee and Lisa took a picture of Patty and I to send to her sister, so Lisa isn’t in it. Dratz!
Breakfast is one of my mom’s favorite meals and we tried several restaurants. Here is a picture of my mom with Murphy by her side at one of our breakfast stops. He’s hoping for a bit of crust from her.
During our stay in San Jose, Dave and I met Alex and Carol for dinner, who we met on our transatlantic (TA) cruise In April, as they live in Los Gatos. And, did I remember to take a picture? Nope. If you read the blog on the TA cruise, we have already booked a cruise with Alex & Carol in 2026. We had a fun evening. Dave and I also had lunch with Ron & Kathy, who have a yellow lab named Daisy. Ron is a long-time family friend who has known me since I was at about 12 (that’s a long time ago!). We had fun at the Lazy Dog Café with our pups.
Murphy enjoyed having a back yard to hang out…
Since early this year, my mom has June, a friend from church, living with her. It makes me feel better knowing someone is there. June is great and takes my mom to run errands and takes her to doctor’s appointments. Luckily, June thought about taking a picture of the four of us as we were getting ready to leave. Thanks June!
Our next stop is Napa. I bet a bit of wine tasting might be one of our activities. Thanks for following along our 2025 adventures.
So great to spend time with my mom Brenda, Nice to spend time with family Dave, and why can’t I get on the couches Murphy?
