Went hiking today and took the above photo. It shows a line of huge standing stones along the crest of a hill several miles west of where I was standing. The black arrows indicate the largest of the standing stones. There is a freeway along the lower part of the picture, which helps to judge the size of the stones. The large one on the left is called Mesa Rock, and it can be seen for miles in any direction. In the background, that blue streak is the Pacific Ocean, about 30 miles away. I ask how it is possible to regard these stones as a natural feature? How is it possible that no one seems to have ever noticed that this is an ancient ceremonial landscape of some kind?
I also took this picture...it may be a sun flare...but it seems more like one of the spirit pictures I've taken in this place, which I've posted elsewhere at the Portal.
I'm out of shape after the winter! And I have old-man legs, pasty white and stringy, with knobby knees! I hiked about six miles up and down some long, rugged hills. When I got home I was so tired I was almost shaking. Then I discovered I'd left my camera...had to drive back and look for it. I'd set it on the roof of the car while leaving, and it had fallen in the mud. Miraculously it is intact and still works!
I walked in the northern end of Daley Ranch today. It's the most remote part of the property, and the least-traveled. The canyons and gullies are shaded with oak forest. It hasn't rained for a week, but runoff continues to feed the streams and creeks, and everywhere was the sound of freshets and tiny waterfalls. The wildflowers are beginning to bloom, and everything is green.
I wish I could take you all with me.
8-D
there is little in this world I enjoy more than being out in a natural setting, alone or with others who can appreciate the stillness in nature and wandering along and off the trail...I especially love expansive views. Thank you for sharing this with me. Have you ever walked the ridge between the stones?
J
Have you ever walked the ridge between the stones?
The ridge in the picture, no. They're building all over that hill, and it's all fenced off. I would like very much to get hold of the contractor and get permission to do exactly that...but I haven't yet even figured out which roads go up there (I've tried from the east; the access must be from the west).
However, this ridge is the western boundary of the ceremonial landscape, and within the confines of Daley Ranch, the large nature preserve where I hike, are many standing stones (not as huge) and other signs of ancient occupation. These I have spent the last year investigating, mapping and photographing.
And like you, I love going with someone. I have a few friends who enjoy hiking with me. One is a young woman who fortunately is good friends with my wife, so I can hike with her without arousing jealousy ;-)
8-D