Category Archives: California

Hiking Mori Point in Pacifica

Mori Point is a 110 acre park in Pacifica, just south of the Pacifica municipal pier. It’s a 15 minute drive from San Francisco and it’s an easy 3.2 mile hike that’s not crowded, especially during the week. Start the hike at the parking lot; note that it’s a small lot, so you may have to park along the street. Take the Northwest trail and follow it up 298 feet then curve around and head out to a  the bluff overlooking the Pacific.

The view from Mori Point

Bicolored lupine (Lupinus bicolor) in the foreground and California goldfields (Lasthenia californica) at Mori Point last week.

There’s great views on the bluff. It’s amazing at sunset, in the winter you can see whales. In April and May the bluff is covered with wildflowers. I met a friend there last week and the bluff was covered with California Goldfields (Lasthenia californica)

Check it out before they’re gone.

A molting Redtail hawk takes off at Mori Point.

Coast Live Oak Update

It doesn’t take an oak seedling forever to turn into a tree. The 2 photos above are the same tree, the photo on the left was taken in  March of 2016.  The one on the right was taken March 24th 2020. The stake is 34 inches tall so the little tree grew from about 3 feet to over 7 feet in just 4 years.

I planted this little guy at the bottom of a weedy slope near my house and watered it monthly  during the dry summers and fall for only the first 2 years. It’s grown anywhere from 4 to 12 inches every spring since. An oak tree’s size will depend on where you plant it. The bottom of a hill where the rain drains should turn this tree into a giant.  This oak has got a very strong, deep root system, it’s easy to see by looking how at it’s trunk.
Coast Live Oaks generally grow the most in March after the winter rains. This photo shows 6-8 inches of growth this year, and it we’ve had a pretty dry winter. I’ve noticed sometimes this tree has more than one growth spurt a year.

Oaks are keystone trees, they’re so important for habitat restoration. A bushtit is already using its dense foliage to hide its nest. Coast Live Oaks support a diversity of insects, birds and mammals. They sequester much more carbon than non-natives. They stabilize soil on slopes, and can withstand fires and droughts.

And watching them grow is pretty amazing. Just don’t get in the way!