Santiago Oaks: Flavors with Fog and Clear Air

Santiago Oaks has a series of hills that add nuance and depth early in the morning, as the sun rises. The hills are still green this time of the year. While brown-colored hills have their own charm, I am certainly enjoying the shades of green while they last.

There is a trail close to home, Weir Canyon Loop, a little under four miles long. It’s easy access for us, close to home, and a go-to trail for a quick hike. I went there twice last weekend – on Saturday and Sunday. The contrast between the early-morning fog on Saturday and the total clarity on Sunday brought an intriguing shift and a sense of newness for me.

There is a spot where we always stop to soak in the view of a water reservoir with the feel of a small lake. There are houses all around, and on a clear day, we can see the cities of Anaheim, Irvine, Newport Beach, and, to the north and west, Los Angeles. Fog covered it all, and from our higher vantage point, I felt, for a moment, I was looking at a cloud.

Hill sides are slowly turning brown. It is an amazing mix of colors. We took a slight detour to get to the top of a hill. There is a spot with valleys all around. It was quite a treat to get another flavor from the same area of the trail.