I was tired from the drive, it was hot, and I was disappointed in the campground; it seemed not very pretty, full of flies, and I was cranky about the flat, gravel area we found ourselves in with camping spots marked out with white chalk lines on the gravel. There were electrical hook
ups but not water, or one could choose tent places with no hookups which were more traditional campsite-looking spots. It was confusing because most of the campsites were marked "one night only" even though no one was in them and hardly anybody was at the campground. We opted for one site which did not have the one-night-only designation with an electrical hookup, and figured we would only stay one night. Still, we planned on a hike for the next morning. Much later we would find out that the "one-night-only" signs didn't mean a thing.After a good night's sleep, we awoke to a chill, foggy morning. Energy restored, I think that the campground is about a 6 on my scale (it has a dump station and showers--more than Yosemite had) as the surrounding valley hills are pretty and nice trails surround the camp. Water was close at hand. We decided to stay for a few more nights, and use the campground as a base to explore the Monument, attend the Garlic Festival, and generally look around. We have free entrance to the Monument, and half off the campground rate of $36/night so for $18 we are comfortable and nearby commercial sites are charging $70-90 per night.
The hike on this day, now sunny, is up to the canyon to and through Bear Gulch Cave. It is uphill all of the way in--but beautiful and relatively cool under a canopy of of trees or shade of
canyon rocks which have unusual shapes and colors. The cave exploration is moderately difficult, with many stairs through narrow passages and one very short area where we crawled on all fours--easily done by a moderately healthy senior. The cave is beautiful, filled with light-draped grottos and total darkness in other areas (need a flashlight). We emerged from the cave at the top of the climb to find a 
small reservoir pool--a beautiful setting built decades earlier when the monument was first established. The way back included an alternative loop which bypassed the cave and it was very easy all the way back to the parking area. We saw a high school- church group gathering for the walk, and were glad we had been there early (by 8:30) as we had experienced total solitude on our own exploration.On the way back to camp we spotted a flock of turkeys--several hens and half-grown youngsters who seem to like scratching around in a recently burned area.
The next day was warmer--no fog at the start and already warm. We walked up to Balconies cave along an easy but long trail. We did not go into the cave because it had many boulders collapsed over the entry and would have been a difficult scramble. We decided that we would explore the cave by driving around the monument (one cannot drive through it) to the west side, and walking in from that direction on an upcoming day. It grew warmer and warmer on our hike out, and could be classified as hot--we sought shade and drank lots of fluids.On Saturday, we met Gary, Nancy, and Megan at the Garlic Festival in Gilroy. We tasted the garlic ice cream (not bad; not great, but not bad), and generally shopped the many vendors and had a good time amid large crowds of visitors. Megan found the wall sign she'd been wanting, and we all bought one of the sharp, serrated knives that really do a great job on bread (and, supposedly, abalone).
That night, the campground began to fill somewhat (20% filled, maybe), including the arrival of one of the more unusual trailers that we have seen on our trip. This small, single-person trailer arrived, and by the following morning a portable shower was erected and the picnic table supported a camp stove and all the accoutrements of a comfortable camp.
On Sunday, we rose early and drove around the park to the west side, where we hiked into Balconies Cave, this time exploring the whole length of the cave. At one juncture, Liz had to hold the roof up. The rocks are colorful, the birdlife is plentiful, and the terrain is harshly beautiful. At one narrow, low ceilinged area, the rock on one slanting wall was polished by the touch of countless hands--perhaps from touches over centuries as no doubt the Native Americans used the area as well.Many people were arriving to hike as we left, starting when the heat of the day was beginning to be way to warm for us. It is much better to begin your hikes before 9:00 in the summer in the Pinnacles.
It was again quite hot that evening, but still we enjoyed our quiet campsite--we ended up staying five nights at Pinnacles, despite my misgivings on the first night.
The last night we were camped at Pinnacles, a herd of wild pigs came through the campground, and were all around our trailer near dawn. They were actually underneath my cantilevered bed, and I awoke to their snorts only inches away. I actually thought at first it was Liz, who snores (and of course I don't...), but she was way across the trailer and these were definite snorts inches from my ear. Anyway, I woke Liz up, too, so she could see them as they ran off, probably frightened by our voices. When we got out of the trailer later, there were pig "chips" all around the trailer, including under my bed.
The Next Posting will continue our trip.
Copyright Susan Warner. All rights reserved.
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