Morning fog breaking up on the Ventura River Preserve

During the summer months of extended “June gloom,” the ground fog hugging the coast floats inland overnight only to burn off by mid-morning.  A 7 a.m. hike on the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy’s Ventura River Preserve offers a chance to watch this changing of the guard before the skies give way to pure blue. The first look is to the north on the way west across the river bottom.

Once across the river and into the mouth of Wills Canyon, a bench is conveniently located for fog-viewing across the orange orchard.

The first sunlight, freed from the grasp of the fog, streams through the Live Oak canopy.

A pre-breakfast snack of grapefruit and orange on the next bench and then it’s back down the trail.

Heading back along lower Wills Creek, the Poison Oak provides some early fall color among the Western Sycamores.

My wife Rondia accompanied me on this hike as she does on almost every Herb Walk.