Flat paths and farmers fields

Coppertone and I revisited the Santa Rosa Creek Trail where we last left off at Fulton Road.  Being near the edge of town the path goes through more suburbs and then vineyards and fields filled with horses and cows.

A couple of trees with some light gnarly bark caught our attention.  A passerby indicated that it was a cork oak.  We weren't aware that any grew in the area.

The path on the north side of the creek is all paved and makes for very easy navigation for folks of any ability level.  Unlike the trail closer into the city, the path here is often a very straight shot.

At Willowside Road the paved northern trail comes to an end and an unpaved gravel road continues westward.  A sign designating this segment the "Ewok Trail" sits near the road.  The Ewok Trail continues for about a half mile before petering out into what appeared to be more of a maverick trail that contiued on.  But it appeared quite a bit muddy giving recent rains so we decided to turn back.

The return route was on the unpaved trail on the south side of the creek from Willowside Road.  The course gravel surface is easy enough to walk and discourages many cyclists, so if you'd rather not deal with as many bikes this is the option for you.

One shout out to the cyclists.  Though almost all were quite polite, we have found that recumbent bicyclists seem to be universally friendly with a hearty hello as they pass.  We'll leave it as an exercise to others to determine why this might be.

A cow was determined to get as some of the lush green grass just on the other side of the fence along the trail.  She seemed to appreciate the handful of pull grass leaved provided over the fence.  Another couple got into the act as well as we were leaving.