On Sunday Sonya and Nick and I hiked the 3.8 miles out to the Devil's Chair at Devil's Punchbowl County Park. This is a great hike, not very difficult but not easy, either. The first mile or so is a steady incline, then the next two miles are fairly level. Then you must descend several hundred feet and hike out a narrow trail to get to the chair, which is basically a white rock precipice extending out into the punchbowl. This is not a hike for those afraid of heights or for small children. There are some handrails but these are collapsing on some places and the trail is eroding away. But for the rest of us it is a great adventure to hike out there. We sat for a while on the chair and admired the view. The weather couldn't have been better - sunny and about 65 degrees :) After a snack we hiked back up the switchbacks to get to the high point of the trail then meandered back along the ridgeline.
Near the visitor center there are three owls that were injured and wouldn't survive in the wild, so they are used to educate visitors and hopefully cultivate appreciation and stewardship for their wild relatives. Aren't they beautiful?
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