Sandstone Peak

Sandstone Peak, originally uploaded by IrishFireside.

corey says… Oh boy, we had a great day today. After meeting up with Michael Connolly from Ventura (Milo to those of you on the Irish travel message boards). We left Fiona in the parking lot by the beach, and Michael drove us up the winding mountain road to Sandstone Peak and Mishe Mokwa Trail.

He’s been following the blog for quite a while now and knows we were fond of great hikes, so he chose one that gave us a great mix of terrain and scenery.

It was bright and sunny as we climbed to Sandstone Peak, but from there, it was clear that the rain clouds were coming in. They arrived just as we were making our way back on to the main trail, but it was more like a “soft” day in Ireland where we were surrounded by mist. We continued on for a few more miles, and the clouds cleared a bit.

The views…even among the clouds…were fantastic.

There was a rainbow

We spotted some plants we decided were California Shamrocks

We identified some leprechaun droppings

Later, we met up in Ventura and Michael gave us what he called “the nickle tour.” We grabbed a drink, then dinner, then one last round at Dargan’s Irish Pub.

Gotta say, Michael was an amazing host. He chose the perfect hike, gave us a great tour and provided excellent company…thanks Michael!

Click the pic for more of today's photos