This morning I hiked the Bowden Ranch Trail to the peak (elevation: 1,520 feet). I also walked along the ridge to take in the views of the valleys on either side. It was a cool morning, with light fog and overcast skies. The Pacific Ocean was not visible due to the fog.

Madonna Mountain (Cerro San Luis Obispo) viewed from the Bowden Ranch Trail.

The other side of the ridge, looking toward Atascadero.

The 101 headed toward the Cuesta Grade.

The valley beyond the SLO airport. It is evident which parts are irrigated.

On the ridge, overlooking the valley, stands a bell tower.

The bell tower (notice the silhouette of the distant Bishop’s Peak on the lower left).

I assume Batman can be summoned with this bell.

It was a bit chilly on the ridge. As I started the return descent the change in temperature was very noticeable.

Many prickly pear cacti (Opuntia sp.) are located along the lower part of the trail. I’m still amused by large, wild populations of cacti. One cactus bore a declaration from an unnamed carver who loves someone named Amy.

The views of the valleys from the ridge were impressive. I liked how the lush green looked earlier this year, but the contrast between dark greens and golden yellows is a new kind of beautiful.

Some seasons of life are very busy. As the tasks accumulate it is essential to remain focused and motivated. The stress and stimulus are like drugs. The danger to finishing one of these busy seasons is that suddenly life is laid bare–the distractions are gone. A lonely Friday night no longer offers the comfort of a pile of papers to grade or a lecture to prepare.

The question lingers: am I pursuing happiness or escaping sadness?

In theory I’d rather live a life of pursuit than a life of escape. But sometimes real life has a way of diverging from beautiful theories.

Many succulent plants grow well from leaf cuttings. Some examples are Hylotelephium spectabile  (showy stonecrop) [1] and Sedum rubrotinctum (jelly bean plant). Here are some pictures of these plants at Cal Poly. The stonecrop is in a garden in the learning Pine Arboretum, the jelly bean plant is in flats in the production area.

Hylotelephium spectaible in a garden.

Sedum rubrotinctum growing in production.

Leaves may be collected and stuck in a propagation medium. In these photos you’re seeing a 9:1 mix of perlite and sphagnum peat moss. The basal part of the leaf is stuck in the medium.

Stonecrop leaves in a propagation medium.

Jelly bean plant leaves in a propagation medium.

Formation of adventitious roots should occur quickly, followed by the emergence of adventitious shoots.

The new stonecrop clone emerges.

The new jelly bean plant clone emerges.

Leaf cuttings are slower than stem cuttings with these two plants. Stem cuttings do not require adventitious shoot growth. It’s pretty cool to grow an entire plant from a leaf.

[1] Thanks to crosses between Hylotelephium spectabile and H. telephium it is very difficult to identify stonecrop specimens in a landscape. The plant that I am showing may very well be a hybrid. The name of the most popular hybrid, H. × ‘Herbstfreude’  (‘Autumn Joy’ in translation), is often attributed to plants that are mere posers.