Pumpkins as far as the eye can see

Last Saturday we opted to get some fresh air instead of watching more Dexter. Ok, ok...we already finished both seasons 1 & 2 and are waiting for 3 to arrive. So instead of waiting for the mail to come, we hopped in the car and drove to Half Moon Bay for a hike.

Half Moon Bay is a gorgeous little coastal town that's really only accessible via Hwy 92 or Hwy 1. Half way there I remembered someone had told me not to drive over there in October, but I didn't have to say anything because by then it was obvious...traffic was moving about 13 miles an hour all the way to Half Moon Bay.

The area is well known for it's agriculture, particularly pumpkins and flowers. Almost everybody living on the outskirts of town runs a pumpkin patch with pony rides and corn mazes...and it seems everyone in northern California believes HMB is the place to be in October. What would normally take us about 40 mins took closer to 2 hours.
We finally made it to the Burleigh H. Murray Ranch state park for hiking. It was cool and windy because we were so close to the ocean, but the sun was out and it was a gorgeous day! The Burleigh Murray trail is on a historic ranch property that was once a huge dairy and farmland with orchards and a cheese factory. The barn we hiked to is a unique style similar to what was used in England back in the day. It was built so the back butted up to a hill so it was easier to get hay into the loft - the horses would pull the wagon up the hill to reach the 2nd story of the barn. Genius ;)

front of the barn

side of the barn, looking up the "road" in the side of the hill

Up on the "second level" of the barn where they would load hay into the loft

Go Hounds!

I can't say it was the most exciting hike we've been on, but I did find an awesome walking stick.