Wilder Ranch~

On By cindy knokeIn Uncategorized

I wish I could travel back in time to the mid-1800’s and live at Wilder Ranch. You are looking at the original ranch buildings which are now a museum.

The Wilder’s bought the property as a dairy farm in the late 1800’s.

The ranch covers 7000 acres of pristine coastal and marine habitat in Northern California’s Santa Cruz County.

The good news is, the Wilder family sold the property to the state in the 1960’s and it is now a protected marine and wildlife sanctuary and state park.

As you can see, it is a rich habitat, home to 1000’s of birds. I was amazed by the number of bird species I saw and photographed here.

The ranch has some 34 miles of hiking trails, all with stunning views of the coast and coastal valleys.

It is also a diverse marine environment with otters, seals and whales. Even Blue Whales are here, attracted by the mile deep Monterey Trench, the deepest marine canyon off the west coast of North America.

Camping is prohibited to protect the wildlife, but you can spend as many days as you like exploring the ranch on foot. I recommend visiting in winter when the whales are swimming by!

Cheers to you from stunning Wilder Ranch~

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253 thoughts on “Wilder Ranch~”

  3. Stunning indeed!! Thank you Cindy for sharing this great place. Happy New Year to you and yours!! May you explore, discover and embrace all that life brings your way 💕

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  8. If you traveled in your time machine to the Wilder Ranch of the mid-1800s, good chance they would put you to work … probably milking the cows. Or, if you were to come to North Ranch, good chance I would put you to work stringing wire, moving hay, cleaning the barn, etc. 🙂

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    1. Laughing….Okay. Deal. If you come to The Holler, I’ll put YOU to work, tending our orchards, picking the fruit, monitoring the black widows and scorpions, relocating rattlers, watching out for the ankole watusi bull as you repair our fences. If I went back to Wilder Ranch in 1860, I would sell The Holler first, and use today’s assets to buy the ranch before the Wilder’s got there, and still have oodles of assets left over, because I am sure the ranch land went for a song back then. I would miss my cameras though, and my computers, and my blog friends, including you! 😉

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  9. Wilder Ranch reminds me of buildings I saw in museums in Colorado and in cowboy movies. In reality, they were most likely drafty, dusty and cold most of the time. We can, however, dream!

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    1. Not so terribly cold on the coast of California in winter, not like Colorado. All those balmy ocean breezes and fresh caught seafood. Even when I was a kid we could pick lobster and abalone out of tidal pools. I can’t even imagine what the natural California coastal world was like in 1870, utterly unspoiled and full of life.

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      1. I imagine natural CA coastal waters in 1870 were unspoiled as you mention. I have a sister in CO but these days I am in Upstate NY where lake effect snows can be brutal. This AM school delays due to ice and winds. I do relish my four seasons though. Nothing like fresh seafood that’s for certain! Lucky you.

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        1. Upstate is beautiful, lucky you! I heard on NPR that the current split in the polar vortex is likely to bring colder nor’ easters to the east coast and warmer drier weather to the west. Bummer for both of us. Stay warm! <3

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            1. “Now that I am retired, I don’t have to be out in the elements on a daily basis. ^__^”
              I do know what you mean, when it rains in California now, I am so grateful I don’t have to drive to work, dealing with all the California drivers who can’t drive with moisture on the road. 😉

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  10. Gorgeous, Cindy. I need to spend some time here- your images are beautiful. By the way, I saw a video of a water spout over the ocean in Santa Cruz yesterday.
    Wishing you a fabulous 2019!

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  11. Awesome scenery! I’d love to visit the ranch when it was still a ranch. Don’t think I’d want to live there, though. I’m too used to our modern conveniences – like indoor toilets!

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    1. Well, yeah. We are both Californians. Now matter how badly our president(s) behave, there is always California, showing them up, in every way. You and I continue to hike her. We know her.

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    1. Thank you very much. In California, habitat is often valued, particularly by native Californians, and we know there are precious bits of it, that have not yet been ruined.

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  24. Oh, be still, my heart! I really love these photos, and especially the one of the museum part. I wonder how this specific area was affected by the Gold Rush, or if it was. Until you see the ocean photos, it is hard to tell that it is California. Looks like someplace back east. Thank you kindly for sharing. That was an absolute treat!

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  28. Bonsoir ou bonjour mon amie CINDY
    Ce soir
    Une nouvelle nuit vas tomber
    Le sommeil va arriver
    Tes yeux vont se fermer
    Et comme d’habitude tu vas rêver
    D’amour et d’amitié ,
    Et demain tu vas t’éveiller
    Sans rien te rappeler
    De qui tu as rêvé
    Mais tu te rappelleras
    Que la veille tes amies
    Sont venues te souhaiter
    Une merveilleuse soirée ou bonne soirée
    Sur ces lignes je te souhaite pour ce soir
    https://i.postimg.cc/cHC6k4qZ/dormir.gif

    Une très belle soirée et douce nuit gros bisous Bernard

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  35. Now that I am self isolating, I went into emails that I had saved from over a year ago. This is awesome. Hope you are well and holed up happily in your Holler. I’m so glad that when things were chaotic here I at least had the sense to save this. A real lift at this time. Thanks so much for all the beauty you have shared. Eileen

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