Dean's Mini Adventure ~ Aliso\Woods Canyon & The Dripping Cave

So yesterday, after my refreshing yet exhausting hike in Whiting Ranch and the Red Rocks the day before, I decided to let the adventuring continue!  And after a suggestion from a friend who hikes regularly, I picked Aliso & Woods Canyon and the Dripping Cave Trail!

STAY ON TRAIL!!  I gotta admit, this trail doesn't start out quite as lushly as yesterday's hike.  For over two and a half miles, you're walking along the side of a paved road.  Now it makes so much sense why there were so many bikers...  But truth be told, the sights and the hills and the plants that you experience along the road are truly fantastic!  Rolling hills everywhere, wide, open fields, all manners of critters and bugs, even some sort of veggie growing along the trail; the images keep you entertained for the long journey.

As soon as you get off the blacktop trail, things get interesting.  All these little side trails start popping up!  I would have taken some of them, though, my goal was still quite a ways a way, and the day was getting late.  The first one, I believe, is the meadows trail.  Definitely sounds like a lovely place to take photos, if you have people to take photos of.  A little bit after, were these signs for the Cave Rock trail.  I was really curious, and though time was tight, they had a neat little sample of the said cave rock right along the trail!  Didn't have to stray far at all, really.  How lovely~  My imagination kept putting bobcats, or a similar manner of ferocious beast in the cave.

Another quarter of a mile or so away, I finally reached my destination!  The Dripping Cave!  Sounds mysterious, no?  The sun was already hiding behind the towering canyon walls, but there was still plenty of light out, which is good, because I'm walking into a cave, for crying out loud!  True, it doesn't go in deep at all, but still.  The sign out front also sent a bit of a chill and a thrill down the spine of this lone hiker.  You can see the sign at the top of this post, the very first picture.  But yes, robbers, and thieves, and bandits, OH MY!!!  The cover that the cave provided, almost like an awning was simply beautiful!  The rocks were well shaped, and there even seemed to be natural shelving within.

But alas, it was getting late, so its time to head back.  Back the way I came, walking miles and miles that went on and on until the muscles in my legs tired and the sweat from my brow dripped like a waterfall.  Another fantastic adventure~  Now...  If only I could remember which way in this fork I came in from...  HAHAH!!  Lucky enough for me, I got it right.