We had an introduction to the area by Ryan Cooper, another ranger and a local resident who assists with tours. He  pointed out the San Andreas Fault  area and other interesting facts.  
We then  drove and ate lunch at the picnic area at the beginning of the path to Painted Rock, a "horseshoe-shaped monolith rock formation which stands about 55 feet above the high plain adjacent to the Caliente Mountain Range.  This was formed "during the Miocene Epoch 25 million years ago.  An ancient river flowing northwestward carved the central portion (saddle) of Painted Rock during the Pleistocene (Ice Age.)"   This place is spiritual in meaning to the Chumash, Yokuts and other native people who lived in the area.  It was an easy walk and not uphill.


We tried to avoid the many caterpillars on the trail.  We did not see any snakes and many were happy about that!  In the distance we saw a herd of Tule Elk.  

Although the Indian paintings were not as bright as we thought they would be, there were some that had lasted over the years and were significant.  The main colors are red, black and white.

There were also birds nesting in the high cliff areas.  In January of this year, there were 58 species of birds recorded and 9,217 different birds spotted.

Submitted by Janet Grummitt