The rain started last night and was so nice to listen to. California is getting some much needed moisture and the wildflowers are showing up.
We took the twisty road back down.
Then we took another one up which was more narrow than the last with one more back down.
In Coulterville the coffee shop lady suggested that we take the scenic route. That was not a good plan due to more of the ugly roads. We had checked with the person at the RV park desk before we left and he thought this was fine. Not so much.... They said "It is only 20 miles to Mariposa".
Coulterville was named after George Coulter, one of the first whites to come to the gold camp already populated by Chinese and Mexicans.
Highway 120 winds through rolling hills dappled with heritage oaks, past picturesque small towns including Groveland where Gold Rush history was made, and on into the dramatic high country with views of the majestic Sierra Nevada.
Our morning visitor after another night of rain.
We stopped in Santa Clarita for a couple of days in a Thousand Trails resort and felt there had to be something interesting here. There was a brown sign along the road side that said Vasquez Rocks so we had to check it out.
The famous Vasquez Rocks has been used as a film site for Star Trek (Captain Kirk battling the Gorn), Blazing Saddles, The Flintstones and many others. The Pacific Crest Trail runs right through the park, and that there is a rich history that includes ancient Native American petroglyphs.
And westerns
In the canyon, you’ll see holes in the canyon walls with bird markings. There are owls that nest in there.
Vasquez Rocks is named after notorious bandit Tiburcio Vásquez, America's most infamous Hispanic bandit who used the rocky region to elude capture from California law enforcement in 1873 and 1874.
The PCT runs through the Rocks.
Poison Oak and its cousin the Poodle dog brush are a couple of elements to be dealt with on this section of the Pacific Crest Trail. This part of the trail is definitely a winter endeavor for those intrepid thru hikers. The sun became pretty uncomfortable just the short time we were out there.
Some interesting pictographs
