2021/3/21 MeetUp Oso Canyon Exploration

 

Oso Canyon above the Santa Ynez River, off Paradise Road.

Six MeetUp riders, 6.51 miles in 3.21 hours on the trail.

As always a diverse group of equestrians with their mounts of many styles and colors. 

We began at Rancho Oso, where we know the gatekeepers will guarantee our rigs from vandalism. We started out with a plan that was quickly derailed when Jamie saw the sign for the Waterfall Trail.

She's one of those gals who just has to check out a place she's never been, so off we went to see what there was to see.

This astonishingly huge tank appeared at the end of the trail. The last time I rode out there all that existed was a flat cover over a cistern. 

Come to think of it that was quite a few years ago.

So now we know what's there!

Curiosity satisfied we got back on the main Bath Tub trail and passed by the mare pasture where one of the horses traveling with us lives. 

Her pasture mates called out to her.

But we passed by.

The spring grass was abundant, and it was a pleasure that some rocky places in this trail that had always been a challenge have been repaired nicely.

Of course even as we headed into wilderness there were the inevitable signs of civilization, antivirus face masks on the trail.

But we were breathing the pure fresh air of nature, and glad of it.

We passed through the camping area, and headed down to the Arroyo Burro river crossing.

The shady oaks on a hot sunny day were very pleasant.

Then we turned the corner to the river, which usually would be filled with an expanse of water at this time of year. But it is completely choked with reeds.

There was just enough water to get the animals' hooves hydrated before climbing up into the canyon.

For comparison

this is what this exact spot looked like 5 years ago.

Tobe Mule was in the middle of taking a drink when suddenly 3 bicycle riders careened around the trail corner and skidded to a stop at the water's edge.

They were pleasant enough, but when they were informed that good trail etiquette encourages them to announce their approach when riding up on equines they seemed to have never been informed of that.

Thankfully we met lots of other bike riders who slowed down and did announce themselves, nicely sharing the trail.

We let them speed on ahead and started the ascent to Paradise Road.

The road is filled with bicycles and cars, amazing how differently humans behave. Some slow down graciously as they pass us by, some, not so much. Tobe Mule is a steady fellow. He will track their passing with his ears but he keeps his feet on the path.

From Paradise Road we could look down, across the Santa Ynez River, and back to where the rigs were parked on the grounds of Rancho Oso.

We stopped in some shade to let the animals rest a bit before continuing on.

Finally, onto the trail and up into Oso Canyon, fording the stream that joins the river.

Lots of the path was very dry, and I tossed the last of my California state flower poppy seeds out onto the waste areas. It may be too late in the season for them to take root now, there may not be rain to sprout them.

In which case the ground squirrels will thank me for delivering a treat.

So many of the trees that should be budding forth Spring growth looked dead, just like we see on all the trails.

BUT once we got into the Upper Oso Campground it was astonishingly green. The pole paddocks for horse campers had been repaired, and were very overgrown, waiting to be used.

In contrast to the giant motor homes filling the campsites at Rancho Oso, here the place was deserted.

The roads were still in poor condition, as they have been for several years.

There is a lot of evidence of flash flooding washing away roads and campsites. 

But traveling on the four-legged as we do this was no deterrence. 

Water spilling over what used to be a road made a nice waterfall.

Having reached the end of the route we wished to take we turned back toward home.

It would have been nice to see families out here teaching their kids about nature.

Less than an hour above the cityscape of Santa Barbara, the restorative quiet of the mountains.

So down the canyon, across the road and back to Rancho Oso. Just enough for one day's adventuring.

“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"
"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to."
"I don't much care where –"
"Then it doesn't matter which way you go.”
― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

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2020/11/8 Oso Canyon in Wind Rain and Hail

 

An overnight rain and predictions of light showers did not deter our hardy band from heading out Paradise Road to tackle Oso Canyon. The Mule Mobile was ready to head UP to a MeetUp mountain adventure.

In order to ride the Oso canyon we staged out of Rancho Oso, a Thousand Trails Resort, that provides secure parking. We crossed its property, crossed the Santa Ynez River at the Arroyo Burro crossing, tracked down Paradise Road to the lower entrance to the canyon, then rode the trails up and back.

Four riders, 3 horses, 1 mule, and a fine time was had by all.

The landscape reveals itself in layers, the further you drive back in, full of trails and possibilities for exploration.

People access these areas by car, bicycle, motorcycle or equine.

The faint line at the bottom of the brown mountains in this photo shows Paradise Road, which parallels the river and is the main access to this recreational area that is part of the Los Padres National Forest.

 

But first we needed to get from our parking spot to the river, and that meant taking the trails through Rancho Oso. 

Tobe always thinks the signs ought to at least say 

Horse & Mule Trail.

This squirrel watched us track across the campground, mostly empty of campers and vehicles today.

Tobe Mule kept an eye on him in his stump home.

 

 

 

 

 

And if you were looking for a river, today was not the day. In a few weeks this will be a river, but for now it runs underground and the rushes and underbrush await the rainy season.

So we walked through the stones and sand, "fording the river", to access the road. The varied degrees of awareness and courtesy evidenced by truck drivers and motorcyclists is amazing. Real country folk know to slow down, people out joyriding in sports cars seem clueless. My thanks to the guy who rode up to us on a off-road motocross machine, cut his engine to glide past on a hill, then jump-started it up again and roared off.

Knowing that at any moment a bicycle or car might come around a curve keeps human and animal on high vigilance until we can get off the road.

Tobe always alerts to bicyclists or any other anomaly, and keeps his ears fixed on them until they pass by.

Thankfully, we soon turned up into the canyon trail. Light showers of rain passed over,

and the white specks on Tobe's mane were hail! That was a first for me, getting hailed on out on the trail.
Thankfully the animals didn't care about it, and we forged on.

Some parts of the canyon are open valleys, others are trails that follow a riverbed up.

The horses all passed by one particularly vicious snag of a dead tree hanging out into the trail, but Tobe and I did not do very well with it. He's a tall fellow, and with my spine fused I can't lay down on the saddle, so we couldn't maneuver around the snag. So the group backtracked and Tobe and I found a way to track up the riverbed.

Again, a "river" that is now a path, and will fill with run-off once the real rain begins.

This is my attempt to take a panoramic photo of the main part of the canyon from the back of a moving mule. Tobe got extra ears, but overall it gives a sense of the scene well.

The clouds would darken, then pass over, and watching the light play against the sides of the mountains added to the pleasure.

Last time I rode up here this ancient cabin was still standing.

Now pretty much the only part still intact is the river rock fireplace.

And the Upper Oso Campground was a mess.

The roads washed out, campsites wrecked,
 

since the last time I rode here 2 years ago some flash flooding must have occurred,

and there was a campground host presumably huddled in a motor home (with a generator running) but there were otherwise no sign of campers. 

 

I did take this photo of a favorite lichen-covered rock up near the equine water trough. It is so timeless and classic, it reminds me that we humans will come and go but this landscape will remain.

 

But, alas, we could not remain, it was time to head back for home. So that meant it was time for portraits.

Here are my traveling companions, the two on the left will be celebrating their 44th wedding anniversary on 11/11. Their two maiden horses are also quite a pair.

On the right is my stalwart pal who has been there and done that with marriage. We make up the bachelorette contingent.

So here is Jamie on Mosca, always on the move.

And Tom and Liz, always a pleasure to ride with.

And Tobe Mule and I, so pleased with good company out on the trail.

Turning around, those are the coastal mountains behind which lies Santa Barbara, my charming Shangri-La home town.

“Do one thing every day that scares you.”
― Eleanor Roosevelt 

 

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