Cal Poly Land Class Swanton Ranch Field Trip May 19-20 2006

We meet at the Stobb House at Swanton Ranch Friday at 2:30 p.m. Three hours is plenty of time for the drive, but figure in some time for lunch and grocery shopping on the way. At 3:00 Friday we’ll leave for our first guided field trip to see the Cattle Stocking Operation on the pastures overlooking the ocean. At 4:15 p.m. we'll have another rendezvous at the Red House, on Swanton Road, just beyond the turnoff to Stobb House indicated below. This is the location of the Swanton Railroad Museum. From here we'll get a tour of the forestry operations on Little Creek. If you arrive too late for this, just wait around Stobb house. We'll meet there around 6:00 p.m. to make dinner and for evening activities planned by our social committee.   Saturday Morning around 8:00 am we'll take a walk on the beach and come back to the Bunkhouse at 9:00 in time for a tour of the Creek restoration project and the forestry project. In the late morning on Saturday we'll get a tour and ride on the Swanton Railroad. Planned activities will end around 1:30 p.m. on Saturday.

I will be driving the Forestry Department's Blazer to Swanton and back, leaving from the Campus Store at 11 am Friday morning. I'll have room for four passengers. I'll be carrying my cell phone. You can try to reach me any time during this trip at 805 783 0401, though I'm not sure of the reception up there in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

We will be preparing supper, breakfast and lunch at the Stobb house which has a full kitchen and barbeque facilities. Each carload should bring enough food and beverage for these three meals; there wont

be time to go into town.

Driving Instructions:

1. 101 North to Hwy 156, north

2. Through Castroville to Hwy 1 North

3. Follow Hwy 1 to Santa Cruz

4. Follow the signs to Hwy 1 Half Moon Bay

5. This will take you through the town of Santa Cruz on Mission Street.

6. Mission Street will turn back into Hwy 1

7. Continue Hwy 1 through the town of Davenport

8. Approximately 2 miles from Davenport turn right on Swanton Road

9. Drive past the "Casa Verde" and barn on left, and pass the CDForestry station and field on right.

10. 200 yards past CDF station, turn right onto the paved driveway with the mailbox

11. This turns into a dirt road. When it splits, take the right hand fork and continue to the end, where you will see a clearing with Yurts and an old Farm House. This is home.

The map shows the tricky section of the trip between

Prunedale and Castroville. Before Prunedale you pass through Salinas on

101 north; after Castroville you stay on Highway 1 north through Santa

Cruz to Swanton.