2017/11/18 Buena Vista Trail in Montecito with LPTR & MeetUp

Looking down at the Santa Barbara Harbor from the mountain ridge above Montecito.



Five riders took to the trails to achieve glorious views and give their animals a real workout.
We went 3 miles in a bit less than 2 hours, climbing 660' in altitude and conquering extremely rocky and technical trails. Slow going, but scenic and challenging.

Montecito is a land of great estates, fabulously wealthy and famous people living behind gates and walls.
Despite the danger of crowding their homes up into the forest, where fires periodically rage, these are the coveted acres.

To reach our trail head I traveled up this eucalyptus-lined street.

And one by one the trailers and riders and their trusty steeds arrived.

More than a dozen had RSVP'd, but then slowly schedules changed and animals injured themselves, so in the end there were but 5.






We began with the Buena Vista Trail.

Looking at the map above that is the straight shot up the canyon, and was extremely rocky. We're not talking gravel and pebbles, this is the bones of the earth causing the barefoot mule to go rock-hopping to get up the trail. And of course it is not just an ascent, it is up for a while, then descending into a crack and across a creek bed, then back up the other side.

I know, it looks like a smooth trail but it is not. These boulders are more like what it was made of, and it takes a smart mule or horse to carefully pick their way across the terrain.

But the horizon of the mountain above beckons.

In some places rocks have been blasted away to connect the trail through.

In other places the massive boulders loomed over us, with caves scooped out of them by eons of erosion.
For scale, look on the bottom right corner to see the riders, passing through a shady tunnel of tree branches.

These photos show an invasive plant that goes by the common name of Cape Ivy or German Ivy.
Delairea odorata.
It climbs up and smothers native chaparral plants, choking them and preventing them from getting the sunlight they need. It is relentless and increases the danger of wildfires moving swiftly through these canyons filled with dead brush beneath their canopy.

Once we got to the top of the canyon we turned West on the Edison Catway, a bulldozed road used by utility workers for power line maintenance.
I asked my riding companions to pose there.
From left: SP on a mule, KM on an Arabian, JM and CT on Rocky Mountain horses.
And of course, the Santa Barbara Harbor behind. The islands were just barely visible today.

The power lines make a convenient spot to rest and take a break, and contemplate the 200 miles of trails available in these mountains, so lightly used they seem a hidden treasure.

But then it was time to continue down the Catway,
me and my shadow
and my mule
flopping his ears and enjoying his outing.

Some of my favorite things about this landscape are the dramatic cliffs and boulders, breaking through the trees, showing the geography of the land.

After the Catway we turned left and started to descend on the San Ysidro Trail. 

 This is a popular hiking route and we met lots of people with their kids and dogs having a healthy afternoon.



This cactus was growing at the bottom edge of a steep rock face, having somehow found a way to take hold and cling to the sandstone and multiply.

At some seasons of the year this creek bed will have water, but now it is mostly defined by the riparian trees that send their roots deep down to thrive here.

We knew we were almost back to civilization when we saw this rustic fence.
Fashioned from gnarled chaparral branches it could almost be made of driftwood.







We turned left here to follow the Old Pueblo Trail back across to the trail head we had entered the trail system from.

At this point we are tracking along the back fences of the Great Estates. The smell of bar-b-que wafted up, and the sounds of parties on this lovely Fall day that felt like Indian Summer.

And just before we got back to our starting point we found this wind-sculpted rock with a dedication plaque to Peter Bakewell.

"For his energy and time to make our trails in the Montecito area the pleasant riding and hiking paths they are today."
Montecito Trails Foundation 1981.





So it was with appreciation and gratitude that we ended our ride. Thanks to the MTF, Montecito Trails Foundation, that keeps these trails maintained for the use of the community. To the LPTR, the Los Padres Trail Riders, who sponsored and organized this ride. To my MeetUp group, the Horse and Mule Trail Riders of the 805, that attracted riders who had not previously experienced this trail system to join us.

We will return, and hope to see more riders on the trails when we do.

HAPPY TRAILS

Some trails are happy ones,
Others are blue.

It's the way you ride the trail that counts,
Here's a happy one for you.

Happy trails to you,
Until we meet again.
Happy trails to you,
Keep smiling until then.

Who cares about the clouds when we're together?
Just sing a song, and bring the sunny weather.

Happy trails to you,
Until we meet again.

      - Roy Rogers & Dale Evans 

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2017/10/28 Greenwell & Ennisbrook

On a beautiful cool Fall day 8 members of the Los Padres Trail Riders met at the Greenwell Preserve and took a stroll across the Summerland and Montecito landscape. The route skirted the edge of the Birnam Wood golf course, and then explored the beautiful Ennisbrook nature preserve.

In 3.5 hours we walked 8.5 miles, sometimes climbing trails and other times forming an unusual sight on the housing area streets.

 Heading up from the Greenwell Preserve, many of the hillsides are cultivated with avocados.

Estates grid up the acres, some are second or third homes for the very wealthy, some are ranches producing avocados or dedicated to training horses.

A steep and somewhat challenging rocky climb leads up to the Ortega Reservoir. From below it looks like an earthen dam, then from the top it is efficiently covered to prevent evaporation.

Walking down the roads between the beautifully landscaped estates, the many colors of profuse bouganvilla and fruit trees and succulents delight the eye.

Usually when I ride up here the residents have never been in view, only the gardeners and caretakers busy at their tasks keeping it all tidy.

Clearly Tobe can smell the horses behind this custom wrought iron gate, and is curious about them.

The trails are lined with dry brush, a reminder of
the fragility of the urban environment imposed on these foothills. All too clearly locals remember fires which have swept through these neighborhoods, with terrible results.

It is at this time of year, when the dry winds come out of the deserts and blow across the spent grasses and tangled chaparral, that fires are most likely to catch hold.

Our path takes us between these great estates, sharing their views and sentinel trees, a place of tranquil beauty.

Normally this would be a view of the Santa Barbara harbor, and the Channel Islands beyond. But today the maritime fog is thick, and we are just fine with it being a cooler day.

Looking down off the trail we are circling around the Birnam Wood Golf Club. It has 18 holes, was built in 1968 by Robert Trent Jones, and is surrounded by high value estates.

The land across which our trail passes was once part of a very large land holding that belonged to the Coffin Family. It is with their generous permission that the Coffin Family Trail provides a vital equestrian link in the area.

The trails in this system are maintained by the MTF, the Montecito Trails Foundation, and their efforts keep these trails in very excellent condition.

This hilltop has a convenient picnic table for admiring the view. On clear days the Mission and the city of Santa Barbara stretch out below.

Then our track took us through a large boarding stable as we made out way from the Summerland side of the hill to Sheffield Drive and Montecito.

Many of the trails are edged with fence rails, and make passage between the estates easy. Here we crossed a stream, just a trickle in this season.

Then our path took us through a long stand of eucalyptus trees, with their shedding bark forming a scented mulch we walked through.

A fine bright color fills the interior of these freshly cut logs.

And then it was time to enter Ennisbrook.  At one time this was part of a grand estate, the Rancho San Leandro, with polo grounds and a world class team.
But the Great Depression ended the glory days, and by the 1940's the property fell into disrepair.
In the late 1980's plans were approved to put 63 homes on the acres, and permission to build was contingent upon the developers setting aside 44 wooded acres on San Ysidro Creek to be Montecito's first nature preserve.

It is now a favorite with walkers, hikers, and equestrians.

I believe this old adobe stable is a part of the original Rancho San Leandro.

Two stone bridges built around 1900
still give pedestrian and equestrian access across the creek.

We emerged from the preserve and walked along the streets filled with the houses built in this tract in the 1980's. This yard was filled with liquid amber trees, at their peak moment of the year. In a part of California where we seldom have indications of seasons they were a treat to behold.

And quite unexpectedly we came across this magnificent horticultural folly. Walking past it has the effect of moving past row crops, and the play of light and shadow on the sculptured hedges was entrancing.

And last and best, we detoured a bit to pay our respects at the angel memorial. The carving on the base says
FLIGHTS OF ANGELS SING THEE TO THY REST.
Members of the group all had different stories about the origin of this beautiful sculpture, and I was unable to determine the true one.
The quote is from Shakespeare, Hamlet: Act 5, Scene 2, Page 17.

Whoever it commemorates must have once been greatly loved, and seeing the angel is always a time to pause, and reflect, and be grateful for days that include time spent traveling through natural beauty on the back of a willing mule.

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