Cuyamaca State Park

Yesterday, Gail and I did an all day hike at Cuyamaca State Park. We took the Harvey Moore Trail about 4 miles to Granite Spring, looped around a little peak and then headed off to Dyer Spring to finish off a bigger loop. It was so untouched and beautiful back there, plus we saw no other humans on the whole hike.

Birch Leaf Mountain Mohagany, I think.

 Acorn Woodpeckers - always photogenic!

Phainopeplas make a distinctive "whup" whistle.

 Interesting Coyote scat that included a skull as well as fur.

 Mountain Lion track.

 In 2003, The Cedar Fire destroyed 95% of the park's 25,000 acres.  This area was lucky, as there are patches of  mature trees that survived.

 We detoured to a large rock that was topped with bird guano. At the bottom was part of a skeleton, which my best guess says Gray Fox.

 Top of skull.

Gail spotted this Blainville's Horned Lizard. Can you see it?  She makes the most incredible sightings of things I can't see when she is pointing right at them!

A better view.

We spotted 5 in about a half mile stretch.  There were millions of small grasshoppers in the area which they may have been feeding on.

A San Diego Tiger Whiptail, doing its Komodo Dragon impression.

 Granite Spring has a great shady rest spot where we had lunch.  The springs in the area are running, as well as Juaquapin Creek.

Burned tree and buckwheat.

 Kingbird

The End