It was a sunny and breezy day today for a 4.7-mile hike with my Foothill College class on Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve. We met at the main parking lot on Skyline Boulevard and charged uphill on the Ipiwa Trail (Ridge Trail). Spectacular views of the Pescadero Creek watershed appeared as we reached the ridge summit. We then slowly descended to Alpine Pond, where we examined an ancient Ohlone Indian acorn pounding stone and watched a velvet ant cross the old Page Mill roadbed.
After crossing Alpine Road, we ventured up Russian Ridge for some good views. However, it was quite windy and the wildflower display on the ridge was less than would be expected for this time of year; probably the result of rain that was less than sufficient and too late. We then headed back to Alpine Pond where we found two vacant picnic tables just in time for lunch. Before resuming the hike we looked around in the Daniels Nature Center.
Our hike back took us along the Sunny Jim Trail around Horseshoe Lake, where we saw a pond turtle resting on a floating board.
TO GET THERE... the main entrance is on Skyline Boulevard about a mile south of the Page Mill Road/Alpine Road intersection.
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