Peaceful Serenity

The hikes I take in Bothe State Park put me in a good frame of mind. Two miles up to Coyote Peak for a lookout onto this beautiful Valley, then two miles back down to the car (Which I usually park over on Larkmead lane to avoid the $8.00 charge at the ranger station). The smells of late summer are ever present. The decaying leaves and forest smells harken me back to an easy time, where people would make the time to camp and sing songs, etc. I didn't see much wild life except for some hawks and a little muskrat that scurried across my path.Usually, one can encounter families of deer, skunks, quail, turkeys,coyotes and even an occasional rattle snake. Luckily, no mountain lions or bears have been seen around here in some time.These hills used to be full of them around the beginning of the 1900's or so I've read.People have reported an occasional mountain lion, but that is rare. The picture here is of a Redwood Grove which is my idea of a place where only peace prevails.