Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve

C and Java fans take note!
C and Java fans take note!
Gorgeous paddle session surrounded by nature with our NIXY Inflatable SUPs
This is an exquisite plant whose name I was able to find on Google this morning, but promptly lost the link.  Those in the know (@throwingsofas) might nudge me in the right direction.

The blossoms are silvery-white, with very thin petals, as you can see from an example in the upper left.  The rest of the plant is literally covered in little iridescent beads [Google iridescent bead flowers and prepare yourself for the biggest crafts' fair on the internet].

There are pods which contain both ruby beads and colorless beads,  But the rest of the plant is encrusted with the colorless variety.  I have to believe this is some form of water collection system for the plant, though I can only guess at this point.

They are unimaginably beautiful to see strewn along the path like a trail of polished gems.  As we are likely to say anytime we take a picture -- the photo doesn't do them justice.
Leave it to the OC to build a combination automobile/bicycle/pedestrian path, each with its own lane, along a three mile stretch of the upper portion of the Newport Bay.

But that is exactly what they did.

The trail is all asphalt, with a few very small offshoots into dirt "nature" trails.  The place is beautiful, really, but I have to put a fly in the ointment here and divulge one of the OC's dirty little secrets.  Somehow or another, a heavy portion of refuse has washed back into the bay and now litters various spots along the trail.  It does not overwhelm the area (as you see here), but it definitely gives one pause to reflect.

That aside, the refuge is home to all manner of wildlife -- Ospreys, Snowy Egrets, Herons, Terns, Seagulls, Ravens, crabs, lizards, frogs, wildflowers of an incredible variety, and all the insects they attract.

There really is no elevation gain to speak of, nothing but the 6-mile round trip to give it even a hint of hiking bona fides.  But it is a very pleasant way to drop down from a 16-mile noggin' poacher like the long route at Crystal Cove.

We added a second "hike" at another relatively flat nature preserve to round out the day. 

But more on that later.


Omvisninger og dagsturer

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Vannaktiviteter

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Spenning og friluftsliv

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Dyreliv og natur

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