I haven't had a chance to do the long loop at Rancho San Antonio for a while, so I decided to just go do it, and to not invite anyone who would slow me down or want to take a shortcut. I went early in the morning because parking was a zoo last time I was there, and today is Memorial Day.
The web said that the park is open from dawn to dusk. The sign at the park entrance said 8:00 am to dusk. I got there at 8:20 am, and the upper lots were over half full and the lower lots were completely full except where the occasional early person was already leaving. I got lucky and snagged a spot close to the trailhead.
I took a few photos of the scenery, but it was cloudy and grey, so they didn't come out well. Rather that post those, I'll show you some of the more interesting ones.
They have a new sign describing what do if you encounter a mountain lion. This is the first one I've seen with pictographs. It's mildly amusing.
There were lots of small flowers along the side of the trail.
I got back to the car at 11:40, which means that I did the 10-mile loop in exactly 3 and a third hours, which is 3 mph. Biking to work must have been good for my thighs because boy do my calves hurt.
