After Work Hike

Eddie and I went out Monday right after work. We parked low and took the meteor trail. So named because of a rock which appears to be blasting through a boulder. I've taken many a pic of it but can never capture the full essence. This pic is from winter:

Before getting to the north end we cut up through a gulley wash when the tarantula trail was just a few yards away and looped south. At the south end we climbed to the top, which allowed me to realize that is a shortcut off the yellow ridge trail while walking south. That's definitely good to know. I had looked before and always assumed it was not easily passable. Wish I had known this the 2nd time I ever went hiking there and almost got caught on the trail in the dark.

Near the top there I found another little patch of Indian paintbrush. From there we meandered west until we reached the upper. We then headed up the tadpole to check out the blackberry blooms. They are bountiful and I smiled.

There were lots of walkers (by clothing/shoes/lack of water source I couldn't really call them hikers) and lots of bikers. We came across only 2 dogs, Boston terrier-likes, leash-lunging at Eddie, but only for a sniff. By the time we got back to the lot there were very few cars. Total hike 2 hrs, 5 minutes, topped off with an Asian salad from McD. They were again out of dog treats but luckily I had stashed one in my door pocket. I fished it out and Eddie didn't know the difference.