Musafir's Musings: Wunderlich Park, Woodside, CA.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Wunderlich Park, Woodside, CA.

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The woods, they are lovely * The Meadow * Pileated Woodpecker * Wild Mushrooms

Took advantage of a break in the weather to hike at Wunderlich County Park on Wednesday (Feb.10th). Easy to access, the park has a number of trails ranging from 5 to 9.5 mile loops. Some change in elevation as you head west toward Skyline but not too demanding.

The trails showed the effects of rains and stormy weather which we experienced in recent weeks. The muddy patches didn't pose much of a problem.

We took Bear Gulch trail to The Meadow (a distance of 2.5 miles) sat down and had a picnic lunch of a ragout made with butternut squash, white beans, some diced pancetta, and sprinkling of Herbs de Provence; steamed asparagus spears rolled in hot olive oil and garlic; fresh Ciabatta, with a half bottle of Sangiovase. Coffee and leftover pieces from a birhday cake with chocolate and cream topping. A lot of calories, yes, but we had a 2.5 mile hike ahead of us to return to the parking lot.

It was after the picnic that JHL, an avid birder, heard the call of a bird and, looking through binoculars , spotted a Pileated Woodpecker. I tried a few quick shots with my camera but didn't have much time to properly focus before the bird flew away. On the way back we came across some Sulphur Shelf mushrooms; edible and good. There was an area full of White Coral mushrooms; they are not harmful but not worth picking.

Altogether, a good day.

The Meadow, Wunderlich Park