Climbing Mount Rubidoux

     These are the things I prize
       And hold of dearest worth:
       Light of the sapphire skies,
       Peace of the silent hills,
 Shelter of forests, comfort of the grass,
 Music of birds, murmur of little rills,
 Shadow of clouds that swiftly pass,
       And, after showers,
       The smell of flowers
   And of the good brown earth,—
And best of all, along the way, friendship and mirth.

~Henry Van Dyke, from God of the Open Air

On top of Mount Rubidoux

"Let's climb Mt. Rubidoux," suggested YC as we discussed activities for the days surrounding the graduation (the purpose of the trip). I couldn't imagine any kind of climb in the heat of early summer and the breathlessness of this most recent virus. So we did other things.

But I read about the hike up the mountain as I rested. This hike is represented as an easy walk on paved paths. There is a warning about rattlesnakes and crowds. The cool weather promised on Sunday morning might just bode well for a summit attempt, if I could shake some of my "tired." 

Sunday dawned and we gathered our gear. Mount Rubidoux Park is a busy spot with runners, walkers, climbers (there are many spots to "boulder" on Mt. Rubidoux*), bikers, dog walkers, and probably others all moving smartly. I was a slow walker, glad to finally be out in some semblance of nature where we might observe wild things growing, flying, running, and crawling (slithering?). We had seen a very few creatures - house sparrows, crows (we always see crows here), and a bunny (desert cottontail lost in a development) - but they mostly seemed intruders in the well manicured lawns and gardens of the artificial Californian landscape.** This park isn't quite wild, but it isn't tame either.

Mt. Rubidoux is reported to be glorious in the spring when the wildflowers are blooming. We were treated to a few blooms, but I could see from what remained that we would want to return again to see the place in April or early May. It is still a lovely place with massive boulders and determined vegetation growing in cracks and along the sandy paths.

On this day we set our sights on the flag and cross at the top of the mountain and headed out. We later discovered we had hiked up the steeper - more challenging path and down the longer and gentler incline. Nevertheless we made it to the top, slowly and surely with photos and memories to show for our efforts.  Here are a few of the things we saw.*** 

Avocado stand on the side of the road (this is how you know we are in California).

Okay. I know that Mockingbirds are a dime a dozen. But I felt as if this guy was welcoming us. It was also waiting for us when we finished the hike.

California Ground Squirrel - I saw it running out of the corner of my eye. Then he stopped for a quick photo.

Yeah. That's where we were going. It didn't look very far - it wasn't really. The whole hike is only just over 2.5 miles.

California Bee Plant

At the overlook

It is a lovely place with many places to explore.

The cross has been here a good long time. DH and YC climbed the pedestal (they are on the other side in this photo). JF and I declined.

Orange Bush Monkey Flower

My group on the Peace Bridge

We had been calling this "the castle" but it is really a bridge and tower.

Looking down towards downtown Riverside.

I heard a bird singing madly (and beautifully) at the bridge and kept looking for him.

And there he was.

The way down would offer me more "breath" and more time to catch some creatures.

California Buckwheat

Another hill, just beyond where we walked.

It appeared the pressure of the rock and ground above fractured this boulder in a sort of "starburst" pattern.

The sun came out and we would find ourselves treated to sunning reptiles (although they warn of rattlesnakes, we saw no snakes).

Common Side-blotched Lizard (I always love the word "common" in a creature's name. There is usually nothing "common" about the thing to me.)

I caught this bird "in flight" - rare for me.

If you look hard you can see a crow (one of two riding thermals that morning) flying just to the right of the agave bloom.

Detail of photo above.

We even missed most of the cactus blooms.

DH has become quite adept at spotting lizards. We had almost reached the bottom of the hill when we saw this guy.

Granite Spiny Lizard

  

NOTES:

"Rubidoux" rhymes with "Scooby Doo" - and the somewhat sordid history of the place can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Rubidoux

**I hate to be negative, but I find that all the exotic plantings I see and research turn out to be some imported thing from Australia or Peru or Spain. It was wonderful to see many California native plants and animals on the hike.

***I am leaving out the detritus from the irresponsible dog owners. This place is nasty. Most owners do not pick up after their animals. Many who do then wedge the used "doggy bag" into a crack in the rocks of the hillside. For all the reputation of California "healthy living," the dog owners who frequent Mt. Rubidoux need education and training. Scooby Doo would be appalled.