Thursday, March 12, 2009

Driving Up Lone Tree Road


When I was a kid, I thought the mountains that surrounded Hollister were just a bunch of hills. What does a kid know! Today, in my wise old age, I am continually taken aback at how awesome they are.

The Diablo Range runs down the eastern side of San Benito County. The tallest peak in this whole range is in the southern part of the county—San Benito Mountain, which stands 5,241 feet high. Sorry. These photos aren't of that peak. One day.


This part of the range is just outside of Hollister. I don’t know how high they are. They do get a now-and-then dusting of snow, and when they do, some folks like to drive up Lone Tree Road to check it out.

The mountains have been wearing Spring quite well. The other day some friends came by, so it was a great excuse to head up Lone Tree Road. As you can see from the photos, it was a perfect day! We even saw wild boars who looked as tame as the cattle.


5 comments:

  1. Your pictures are beautiful. That is Santa Ana Mountain (3054 ft.) and The Three Sisters. Glider pilots out of the Hollister Airport love to use these geographical features to help them gain altitude. Check it out the next time there are nice puffy clouds in the sky.

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  2. We had a favorite swimming hole about 1/4 of the way up. You had to negotiate a couple of barbed-wire fences and walk through a private field down to the creek where there was a small damn-like structure that created a nifty swimming hole.

    One winter we drove up to see the snow and found a couple hoods from wrecked cars and used them as sleds, wahoo!

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  3. HDA: Thank you! I never knew the names of the peaks, and I was born and raised in this town. :-)

    Charlie: A few winters ago, as we drove down from the snow, we passed a bunch of kids heading up with a rubber raft strapped to their car roof. Ah, sweet youth!

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  4. During the 4th of July weekend of the year 1990 when I was 24 years old (now 44)...I had a friend drive me to the base of Santa Ana Mountain...the one with the large rock outcropping on top...and I walked/climbed up to the top of it and set up my tent under a large oak tree beside the rock outcropping.

    I watched that night all the fireworks from the cities round about.

    I ran out of water on the way up, so the next day...the 5th, I went down to fill my canteen, intending to stay another 2 nights on the mountain...but as I went down one side of the mountain to a stream to the south...it was all dried up.

    I then walked all the way around the foot of the mountain to the north side and the stream on that side was nice and running....

    But by the time I had my canteen filled it was getting late...so I did not climb back up the Mountain.

    I left all my stuff and tent up there..and never went back up there.

    I later moved away from the area and have always wondered what ever became of my tent and stuff I left up there on the mountain.

    It was very beautiful up there.



    -Chuck

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  5. Chuck, I wonder, too, if someone ever took your stuff down. I wonder if there's a ghost story going on about your belongings up there. :-) I've always wanted to hike up that mountain. I should figure out how to do that sooner than later. Thanks for stopping by.

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