[whitecrow]

Originally Posted by Teresa

Hey Guys ~ How was the hike ?!

Please tell all about it !

The hike was great. There were four of us, including Ground Crew Jeff from Fallbrook and two of my young coworkers. It takes more than one hike to get the scale and extent of the stone works, so this was just kind of an overview. Can't believe I forgot to take any pictures!

From the main gate, the road is paved for the first 1 1/4 mile or so, just down to the old ranch house where there is a picnic area, porta-potties and fresh water. We turned off the road just up the hill, and took a dirt path that climbs almost 250' in just over 1/10 of a mile. Once at the top, you're treated to magnificent views over Escondido Valley to the south and endless ranges of hills to the north and east.

We took a hidden path up the backside of a broad, granite-topped ridge, where there are boulders the size of small houses, sculpted into bizarre shaped by centuries of wind and rain. From the western edge of this ridge, you can see across to Mesa Rock, 2 or 3 miles to the west. On a clear day you can easily see the Pacific Ocean. From this vantage you can easily see that Mesa Rock is just the largest of an entire complex of standing stones that ranges nearly a mile in length. What isn't obvious, and comes only from further exploration, is that Daley Ranch is a continuation of this huge complex that is miles and miles across. In fact, the central meadow at Daley Ranch may just be the center of the whole thing.

From the ridge, we descended back to the paved road and headed on down past the old house. From there, a trail heads straight down the meadow for a couple miles before doubling back. We went as far as the first earth fault, where a line of trees crosses the path. Standing on this spot you can look up at a huge stone that from this vantage point has the profile of a man, facing south. There's no way this is a natural placement.



That's as far as we went on Monday. One of our group, a young guy I work with and often go hiking with, had gotten mugged the previous day and was pretty sore. It was still a hilly mile and a half back to the cars.

There are monoliths tucked back in hidden canyons. There is a stone with what appear to be runes carved in its face, so ancient and worn as to be barely visible except in a raking light. There are places where you can feel energy pour from deep within the earth. There are ancient terraces and dams. It took me two years of hiking on and off the trails at Daley Ranch to find this much; you can't see it all in a day. And I have barely scratched the surface. There are standing stones in Valley Center and Rancho Bernardo, and perhaps as far north as Fallbrook. It's all part of a gigantic complex that plainly means something. Mesa Rock has to be the main landmark. I simply cannot believe that no one has ever seen this before. It was plain to me the first time I looked up at those ridges, years ago. I just had no idea of the vast scale.



This is a feature that is comparable to Carnac in northern France. I am not aware of any other ancient stoneworks in North America that approach the scale of the San Diego Complex. I am neither a geologist nor an archaeologist, though I've casually studies both those fields for years. However, having seen what I've seen, I say it is simply impossible for these to all be natural features. This is an immense ancient complex, built by the hand of man.



I am always willing to lead people to see and appreciate this wonderful, sacred place. I would love to have a group meditation there. I can think of several powerful locations. I prefer going out there on a weekday when there are fewer people. On weekends, the mountain bikers and horseback riders can be a constant distraction. I do realize most people are going to prefer weekends. Because of my work schedule, I need a week or two planning to be off on a Saturday or Sunday. If we go on a weekend, I recommend going very early, before the crowds. Also, sunup is a magical time there.

I have discovered many sites at Daley Ranch that to me are indisputably sacred and resonate with strange energies. I'm sure this relates to the many faults that lace through the valley. They can be plainly seen from the air. There are sites that I have shared with only one or two people, and there are a few places I have shared with no one. These are places I rarely go myself, if I feel at all unworthy. There are places where I remove my shoes. Also, all of these spots are off the trails and hence it is illegal to even be there. The rangers don't come around much, but they can be real jerks when they see people off the trails. I make a point of being invisible when I hike alone.

With the weather cooling off, I'm looking forward to hikes in the blue-rose-gold of early morning, with the mist lying in the folds of the land and the crags rising above, with deer silently flitting through the mist and coyotes pausing to stare. Baby jackrabbits that are so unafraid you can almost walk over and pick them up (which the coyotes take full advantage of). Other mornings are completely foggy and the landscape is full of looming shadows, shaped in gray and silver, and all the foliage is sibilant with drips of mist. Then the place is silent and eerie and magic. In the spring, the wildflowers will almost jade the eyes with their incredible colors. The seasonal creeks and ponds will be deafening with frogs. In places it will be impossible to walk without stepping on frogs. Seagulls and hawks and crows will get so full they can hardly fly. Litters of coyote pups will yap and laugh up in the rocks. And in the evening the adults will assemble in the meadow and along the ridges and sing their joyful, timeless chorus to the sky.

This is magic, right in our own backyard. This is a direct link back to a time no one knows anything about, unless the Indian tribes know more than they are telling. Talking to some of them is the next logical step in my investigation of this site. For those of you who resonate with the ancient energies and appreciate this connection, let this be an open invitation. As I've said before, this isn't a casual stroll but some fairly rugged hiking. I have covered almost 15 miles in a day, depending on who I'm with. Usually it's more like 6 or 7. There is a shuttle bus that ferries folks as far as the ranch house on weekends; from there the walk down the meadow and back is very level. The entire loop is about five miles. This is a very spiritual walk, crossing fault lines several times and passing near the huge sentinel stone, and also an ancient grove of oaks that is a magical spot as well. From there, one can loop around the meadow or climb the strenuous trail to the top of the western ridge where standing stones are once again to be found, and where many of the hilltops actually appear to be ringed with circles of boulders....naw, couldn't be!

It would be a huge project to map the entire complex that covers much of North County, but I think that what would be revealed would change the history books.