Filoli - The Other Part of the 'Hike'

The Filoli ticket price includes not only a long tiring nature hike but another docent-led two-hour tour of the House and Garden. So being the Chinese-y people that we are, we took advantage of everything we got even though I was thoroughly exhausted walking that strenuous 3 mile 2-hour hike in the heat. [It was a scorcher of a day!]

The House was famously used in the 1980's show, "Dynasty".

LOVED this show!

The Gardens are utterly gorgeous! Flowers galore!

Huge tulips

Fragrant Wisteria

Gorgeous Foxglove

Field of pink tulips

White Irises

Red Peony

Along with flowers, they also have some albino ringneck doves. Emily was thrilled to see some  birdies on the property.

My First 'Real' Hike

I had to go on a 3 mile hike. Yep.. you read correctly. This was probably my first
'official' hike. And I was ready.  Sunscreen, knee brace, tennis shoes, water, visor and of course camera.

I had to 'preview' an upcoming school field trip to the famous Filoli House and Garden. But it wasn't a tour through the house and garden. Instead it was a three-mile nature hike through their lush nature reserve. [Well.. I didn't have to preview it but since I was taking my students on a field trip that no one, especially the teachers, had gone on before, it was best for a teacher to check it out in order to properly inform the students and their parents. Yes.. I am a planner and not a 'wing-it' type person. I like to be prepared especially if I'm bringing 25 students and their parents.]

So glad I did. This hike "lasts 2 hours, is on varied terrain, and at times it can be strenuous with a maximum elevation gain of 250 feet" the website said. Now what does that really mean?

It took us two hours to walk on unpaved grounds (dirt, grass, rocky, narrow) through lots of poison oak and flying insects.

The Filoli land literally straddles the San Andreas Fault line lying between the North American and Pacific Plates.

Their landscape features volcanic and sedimentary deposits along the fault which are well preserved and relatively undisturbed by people.

This is the actual picture of the sign above.

Throughout the hike, we learned a lot about the fauna and flora of our Bay Area lands.
Below is a picture of an edible plant called 'miner's lettuce'.

Yep...tastes like lettuce

Huge redwood trees are part of the reserve.

Natural rejuvenation: after the tree was cut down, a new tree grew in it.

A wolf spider hole which we sighted many on the hike. Wolf spiders are poisonous and very ugly! And no, we did not stop to see one come out.

There is a lush creek that ends at a man-made reservoir formed by an earthen dam that the original owner, the Bourns, built.

We had to walk uphill on narrow wood slates to the reservoir. I thought I wasn't going to make it. It was definitely a steep climb to the top! We all had to catch our breath!

Newts in the reservoir

On the hike, we were able to check out their nature education museum, Sally MacBride Nature Center, which is housed in a former barn and is only accessible during the docent-led hike. There are many taxidermied specimens of birds and mammals from the Filoli Nature Preserve. There is also a collection of mammal skulls, local rocks and items made and used by Native Americans.

Part of an owl wing

A skunk shawl.. the latest rage in fashion

Or... a coyote shawl.. am I stylin' or what?!?