The windows in our offices, our patios and public walkways, front porches, and backyards serve a vital purpose. If we are fortunate enough to live somewhere that offers a view, it is a never-ending benefit to the heart and mind. For these things remind us to slow down, to take a breath – to, as Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “adopt the pace of nature.”
Though I have not seen any hard medical evidence, I am willing to bet that just the sight of wind sweeping over the grassy plains of Kansas or the Dakotas can lower human blood pressure. It demands that we drop our voices to a whisper, breathe deeply, and open our senses to the sheer beauty of open space.
Locals are wont to boast that San Diego County offers surfing beaches and snowcapped peaks within a couple of hours’ drive. Indeed, all in an ambitious day, we can photograph California barrel cactus, toss some snowballs, wave to harbor seals, and, if we are lucky, catch the green flash of a coastal sunset. But I would like to offer one more stop along the way.
Ramona Grasslands County Preserve is 3,521 acres of something entirely different. Located in the Santa Maria Valley west of State Route 67 off Highland Valley Road, it is a natural treasure, freely open to the public and altogether wonderful. Depending on where you look, you can imagine a scene cut and pasted from the Great Plains of America. Picturesque oaks dot vast areas of waving seasonal grasses that are home to more than a hundred types of birds. Two trails, linked by a third, offer views of vernal pools and oak woodlands that are populated by 23 different species of butterfly and the occasional grazing cow.
The views are panoramic and breathtaking. Away from automobiles, music, and human chatter, the silence of nature is transporting. The whole effect is somehow recharging to the spirit and soul. More than once, I found myself thinking “Really! This is in San Diego County.”
Open to hikers, equestrians, and cyclists, it is not a difficult walk, but good shoes, a hat, insect repellent, sunscreen, and a companion are recommended. From late Spring through early Fall the temperature on the trail can be hot, so carrying water is a must.
San Diego County partnered with The Nature Conservancy to create the Preserve, which in the different angles of sunlight and welcome breeze can lead the visitor to briefly forget that this perfect spot to “adopt the pace of nature” is actually so near to our home.
Please consider this your invitation to join us as Ken Kramer’s About San Diego takes in the sights and sounds of The Ramona Grasslands County Preserve on KPBS-TV, Thursday evening, August 8 at 8:00 PM with a repeat Sunday, August 11 at 4:00.
