We packed up the car and headed south on 280. First cows of the day were at 10:56am. There’s a herd that grazes near the Stanford linear accelerator.

Q: What do you get if you put a cow in a linear accelerator?
A: Moo-ons

I know the jokes are bad, but now that Ken Dodd is dead someone has to pick up the SLAC.

First stop was Pinnacles National Park, formerly known as Pinnacles National Monument, and before that as That Pile of Weird Looking Rocks.

Hiking sticks in hand (so we looked like one of Dan’s pictures) we set off in search of adventure.

The trail became a narrow canyon and then a cave. The cave was actually a rockfall that had filled up the top of the canyon, but it was still possible to get through, with some scrambling, crouching, climbing, and sliding on our bums. I had brought flashlights along, so this was a definite improvement on the first time I explored the caves in Pinnacles with nic catrambone, thirty-six years ago, when all we has was nic’s cigarette lighter. I did not take any pictures in the caves because I was too busy trying to get through, but once we had made it through the darkest bit to daylight, I took a picture of the way we had just come.

Yep, down those slippery wet sort of steps carved in the rock, up into the darkness. The little white arrow on the rock indicates the way should you be silly enough to want to go back through. We decided to walk around the cave on the way back, and got some lovely views of stuff that wasn’t wet rock.

Or at least not very wet rock.

We were keeping an eye out for California Condors which are now nesting in Pinnacles. What do you think, condor or turkey vulture?

We did see an American Kestrel, or Death Pigeon as they are know to the local voles.

We did not see many wildflowers today, but these little white blooms are apparently called milk maids.

We did not bring camping gear this trip, so we are staying in a motel in Soledad. Today is Pi day so we had chocolate for dessert and pretended it had a really, really thin pastry crust.