On Tuesday, the group secured another landmark property in Santa Clara County, announcing it had purchased Mead Ranch, a 1,921-acre parcel between San Jose and Morgan Hill, for $24.3 million.

The ranch, located in the picturesque rolling foothills along Uvas Road, will be preserved as open space, according to the organization, commonly known as POST. It’s the latest property in recent years to be set aside for wildlife, farming or open space in and around Coyote Valley, an area west of Highway 101 on San Jose’s southern edges where tech giants Apple and Cisco once proposed to build huge campuses in the 1980s and 1990s.

“There are rolling hills, oak-studded grasslands, ponds and beautiful views,” said Gordon Clark, president of the Peninsula Open Space Trust, during a recent visit to Mead Ranch. “This property is a key linchpin that connects the Santa Cruz Mountains to Coyote Valley.”

Clark said the purchase, which was funded in large part by a grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, is the latest example of a wider strategy to provide places to roam for mountain lions, deer and other wildlife that are increasingly isolated by freeways and development across California.

“We’ve been filling in puzzle pieces on the valley floor at Coyote Valley and bigger pieces on the hillsides around it,” Clark said. “We’re trying to protect big blocks that wildlife can use as habitat, and which link to the  Diablo Range and the rest of the state.”

The ranch is roughly twice the size of Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. From its highest hills, visitors can see Mount Hamilton to the east, and Mount Umunhum and Loma Prieta to the west. With the purchase, about 49,000 acres of open space now exists between Mount Umunhum and Highway 101 — an area six times the size of Stanford University.

Since 1954, Mead Ranch had been owned by the family of Stephen D. Bechtel Jr., who from 1960 to 1990 served as president of Bechtel, a major American engineering and construction company. Bechtel was married to Elizabeth Mead Hogan, who died two years ago. Stephen D. Bechtel Jr., died in 2021 at age 95, with a net worth estimated at $3.5 billion.

Founded in San Francisco in 1898, the Bechtel company built Hoover Dam, BART and the Channel Tunnel between England and France, along with airports, nuclear plants and other huge projects around the world. Over time, some Bechtel heirs have moved out of the Bay Area, and the company shifted its headquarters to Virginia in 2018.

Along with his friends and family, Bechtel used Mead Ranch for getaways and hunting trips. In 2007, he hosted the National Retriever Championship on the property, an annual event in which hunting dogs from around the United States compete to retrieve birds, like ducks or pheasants, while navigating challenging terrain.

Evan Johnstone of Reno, Bechtel’s grandson, declined to comment on the sale.

In 2023, another branch of the family sold an adjacent property called Lakeside Ranch to POST for $22 million.

POST transferred that property to the Santa Clara Valley Habitat Agency, a government agency that preserves open space as part of a broad countywide plan in which developers pay fees to offset harm they do to endangered species on their properties so they can obtain permits. Clark said the same outcome is likely with Mead Ranch.

Santa Clara County’s landscape and politics have shifted considerably since the Bechtels, who also have lived in San Francisco and Piedmont, first bought the two ranches during the Eisenhower years.

From the 1950s until the 1980s, San Jose sprawled in all directions. With a booming post-war economy driven by military contractors, electronics companies and computer firms, city leaders eagerly approved bulldozing orchards and farms that had given the area the name “Valley of Heart’s Delight” for freeways, subdivisions and businesses.

By the 1980s and 1990s, political views began to shift. San Jose, neighboring cities and Santa Clara County began passing rules to limit development on hillsides and some farmland. Environmental groups and land trusts began pushing for new parks and open space preserves. Many old-time ranching families sold their properties, which have increasingly become parks and open space preserves.

“It used to be that Grandpa bought the land,” said Henry Coletto, a retired game warden with the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s office from 1988 to 2004, who also worked as a county parks ranger starting in 1967. “His family raised cattle, then the second generation raised their family there, and the third generation sold the property because they didn’t want to be in the cattle business. It’s a tough life. Today, there are only a handful of cowboys who own their own land in this area. The rest are renting it from open space and parks agencies.”

Coletto said that amid the working ranchers, several wealthy families from the Peninsula and San Francisco, including the Hewletts and Packards, bought large pieces of land in rural Santa Clara County in the 1950s and 1960s.

“Back then, it was a trend for people who had money to have a big ranch and be a cowboy or raise horses,” Coletto said. “The Bechtels didn’t spend a lot of time on the property. But they did invite friends to do pheasant hunting and work with dogs. They did a beautiful job of maintaining the fences and the corrals and the houses.”

The Bechtel family allowed cattle grazing on the ranch, which POST will continue. The family also built six homes on the property. POST says it’s not sure yet what it will do with them or if there ever will be public access to the property, although it could provide a 1.5-mile addition to the Bay Area Ridge Trail. Coletto said he hopes it’s not too heavily grazed in the future, particularly around two sensitive streams that run through the property, Uvas and Llagas creeks.

“The big thing is that the land is not going to be developed,” he said. “It’s like its own little mountain range back there. There are some good water areas there on the west side. The whole area is pretty important for wildlife.”

Mendocino County is throwing four different whale fests, on the four weekends of March, each in a separate coastal community. After that comes Monterey, in April, with its big annual celebration full of science and wharf fun. Here is an abbreviated schedule for each festival, in chronological order; for detailed information, check the events websites for Mendocino (mendoparks.org/whale-festival) and Monterey (whalefest.org).

Whalefest Monterey: April 11-12

The 16th annual Whalefest will center on Monterey’s historic Old Fisherman’s Wharf and the Custom House Plaza. For serious whale enthusiasts, it’s a must-attend, with marine scientists sharing their fascinating research and conservation tales. (Previous talks have included “Whale Entanglement: Risks, Responses and Prevention” and “The Unseen and Unsung Heroes of Monterey Bay: the Beautiful, Amazing Microscopic Plankton!”)

There will also be live music, interactive marine exhibits, sea-themed crafts like scrimshaw and gyotaku — the traditional Japanese method of “printing fish” — and the chance to tour research and rescue vessels. And don’t forget (or accidentally step on) the crowd-favorite Abalone Races, featuring the iridescent-shelled sea snails crawling their way to a photo finish.

Mendocino: March 7-8

The charming enclave of Mendocino, perched on the roaring ocean like a history-soaked village in a (non-scary) Stephen King novel, will fire up the start of the whale festivities. Note that most of the events are scheduled for Saturday, March 7.

The festival will feature a chowder-tasting event from local restaurants, with samples, until the “chowder runs out.” There’s a wine walk through town, a storytime-and-crafts family event and a screening of a movie called “The Boy Who Talks to Whales” ($10). Plus, a whale-watching station at Mendocino Headlands State Park.

Little River: March 14-15

Just south of Mendocino, the community of Little River will hold free guided hikes at Spring Ranch in Van Damme State Park, with the chance to spot migrating gray whales. Email director@mendoparks.org to reserve your spot, as space is limited. Also on Saturday is a margarita-making contest and parks fundraiser at the historic Little River Inn, in which audience members can taste and vote for their favorite drinks ($50). That same day will have a self-guided jaunt of a “Mocktail Trail” at local watering holes ($25).

Fort Bragg: March 21-22

The biggie of Mendocino County’s festivals, Fort Bragg’s celebration will feature a downtown wine walk, a chowder-tasting competition, a 10K/5K “whale run and walk,” a whale swim, live music and food trucks and more. It’s also the Fort Bragg Beer Festival on Saturday, March 21 ($40 at the door), with beer-and-cider tastings and free “safe rides” within the city limit.

A Soroptimist Craft Fair will take over downtown Fort Bragg on both days with handmade gifts, jewelry, pottery and ironworks. On Friday, the county parks district will stage a campfire storytelling evening with hot cocoa and trivia at MacKerricher State Park. Saturday will see free guided walks at MacKerricher to scout for the migrating leviathans, and on Sunday kids can help paint a giant gray-whale skeleton there.

Point Arena: March 28-29

A new addition this year is Point Arena’s fest, with guided hikes of the shoreline and crafts at the Point Arena Library. Note that most of the events are on Saturday, March 28. The Point Arena Lighthouse will have marine-science talks with binoculars for lending ($5). In town, a Talking Heads tribute band will rock the Arena Theater (an old vaudeville joint) for $25-$30, and local bars and restaurants will offer special whale- and seafood-themed delicacies.

The butterfly rose (Rosa chinensis var. ‘Mutabilis’). This old garden rose, a native of China, grows to 3 feet tall and features clusters of 3-inch-wide flowers in May and into the fall. The blooms open yellow and as they mature, mutate to orange, pink and deep pinkish-red, thereby earning the variety name. The common name suggests the flowers’ resemblance to butterflies. (Credit — Geolima1673 via Wikimedia Commons)

Graham Thomas rose (Rosa ‘Graham Thomas’). This popular English rose, bred by David Austin and named for a highly regarded botanist, has won many prestigious awards. This climber reaches 10 feet tall and features clusters of red and yellow buds that open into rich, pure yellow flowers with gold overtones. (Courtesy Tom Karwin)

Upright rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Tuscan Blue’). Also known as salvia rosmarinus, this rounded, evergreen shrub has needle-like leaves and tiny, pale blue to white flowers. The plant’s fragrant foliage has culinary value and its structure has ornamental value. The plant is native to dry, rocky places in the Mediterranean area. (Courtesy Tom Karwin)

Pork and beans (Sedum rubrotinctum). This succulent plant, native to Mexico, has banana- shaped glossy green leaves with red tips. In midspring, it produces small, star-shaped yellow flowers in clusters at the tips of the stems. This plant grows easily and is popular for its attractive appearance in rock gardens or containers. (Courtesy Tom Karwin)

Red velvet sage (Salvia confertiflora). This broadleaf deciduous, evergreen perennial has bright green new foliage that matures to dark green and reddish-purple stems. In the late summer and fall, the plant displays 6-to-10-inch spikes of fuzzy, rusty red flowers that rise above foliage. It grows 4 feet tall and 3 feet wide. The plant is native to Brazil. (Courtesy Tom Karwin)

While rainy days benefit gardens and keep gardeners indoors, they also offer an opportunity to plan plant propagation, an ideal way to expand your plant collection. You can reproduce favored plants to develop landscape swaths, share with gardening friends or even sell them locally or online.

Propagation is a broad gardening topic that covers all categories of garden plants and several both sexual and asexual methods. Growing plants from seed is sexual reproduction, a natural process that works well. The seeds from a hybridized plant, however, can revert to a mix of their genetic lineage, producing unpredictable results.

Asexual propagation methods produce plants that are genetically identical to the parent plant. These methods include dividing mature plants, separating offsets, layering stems, rooting stem cuttings and multiplying plants with tissue culture.

Our column focuses on propagating herbaceous and woody perennials through stem cuttings. The process uses simple actions, requires few tools, takes little time or space and can generate many new plants. The propagation process typically results in the gardener’s enjoyment and satisfaction and qualifies as real gardening.

The bottom line: plant propagation involves very low expenses and produces substantial returns on the gardener’s investment.

Annual calendar

I prompted ChatGPT to generate an annual propagation calendar and edited the output for brevity and readability. The result clarifies the necessity to coordinate the stem cutting with the plant’s growth stage. It also supports the gardener’s future scheduling of propagation priorities.

Note that each window includes only a few examples of herbaceous perennials, and the January-February window also includes examples of woody perennial cuttings. Many additional plants could be propagated in each window. To determine when to make cuttings of specific plants of your interest, see “Advance your gardening knowledge” (below).

• January-February: Dormant and early-push window for hardwood cuttings of rose, lavender, rosemary and hydrangea, and herbaceous cuttings of pelargonium and salvia (woody types).

• March: Early spring softwood window: salvia (woody types), nepeta, heuchera and penstemon.

• April: Post-bloom and vigorous growth window: salvia, penstemon, golden shrub daisy (Euryops) and verbena.

• May-June: Peak softwood window: santolina, artemisia, salvia (shrubby hybrids) and pelargonium.

• July-August: Stress-management window: rosemary (semi-firm tips), lavender (nonflowering firm tips) and salvia.

• September-October: Prime semi-hardwood window: lavender, rosemary, germander (Teucrium) and santolina.

• November-December: Transition to dormancy: rose, hydrangea and fuchsia (semi-hardwood).

Propagation projects

I have taken advantage of this season’s opportunities to take cuttings from perennials in my garden. The January-February window is the time to propagate woody perennials, but cuttings take more time to establish roots than they would during the growing season.

Here are my current projects. I will write later about the results.

Butterfly rose (Rosa chinensis var. ‘Mutabilis’). My plant’s main stem was growing awkwardly, nearly horizontal, before rising normally, so I made a severe renovation pruning, hoping for a new upright stem from the roots. As a backup plan, I first made several stem cuttings. Online advice recommended planting rose cuttings in the ground near the mother plant, where the soil biota and micro-environment are familiar to the cutting, reducing stress and boosting survival rates. That makes sense. Still, rose stem cuttings should include some leaves, but my rose had few leaves at this season, so I have limited optimism for my cuttings.

Graham Thomas rose (Rosa ‘Graham Thomas’). This rose has been quite healthy, so I took cuttings from it as a trial for propagating roses. I have not planned what to do with well-rooted cuttings.

Upright rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Tuscan Blue’). I recently removed an old rosemary shrub that had become woody and misshapen, creating space to install well-rooted cuttings.

Pork and beans (Sedum rubrotinctum). Succulent plants are easy to propagate, possibly during several different windows, so I anticipate that stem cuttings from this plant will root successfully.

Red velvet sage (Salvia confertiflora). Most of my salvias are herbaceous types, but this woody species is suitable for propagation during the January-February window. If these cuttings do not succeed, I can try taking cuttings from young, flexible shoots during the May-June window.

Advance your gardening knowledge

To determine how and when to make cuttings of one of your plants, enter your question into your computer. You can use an artificial intelligence chatbot (ChatGPT) or a web browser with a built-in chatbot (e.g., Google Chrome, search for Copilot or Bing; different names for Microsoft’s chatbot, which is based on ChatGPT).

Presenting a simple prompt returns limited information, while a well-developed prompt provides more useful, detailed support for your propagation project.

To demonstrate the difference, try a simple example (“How to propagate perennials?”) and compare the result from a better example (“How and when to take cuttings of a Salvia convertiflora for a garden on California’s Central Coast?”).

A prompt in Google Chrome generates a brief report, along with links to the websites on which it was based. Click on those links for more information, if needed.

AI continues to develop rapidly, offering greater capabilities and raising many questions among concerned skeptics. Sending garden-related prompts to a chatbot may still yield incorrect information, so users should carefully review the report on a trusted website. Still, even when using a chatbot for a garden issue, don’t enter important personal facts.

This week in the garden

Unless you are already propagating selected plants, consider adding stem cutting propagation to your gardening activities. Many gardeners find creating rather than buying plants to be rewarding for horticultural satisfaction and substantial cost reduction.

Enjoy your garden!

Tom Karwin can be reached at gardening@karwin.com. 

Under the agreement, the Palo Alto-based non-profit Peninsula Open Space Trust will pay $23.04 million to Sargent Ranch Partners LLC, a San Diego development group, to purchase 2,284 acres of the bucolic ranch, one of the largest remaining pieces of undeveloped private property in Santa Clara County and home to mountain lions, bald eagles and steelhead trout.

“It’s classic California,” said Gordon Clark, president of the Peninsula Open Space Trust. “Beautiful rolling hills, iconic oaks, creeks, wetlands and dramatic vistas. A stunning landscape that feels like you are stepping back in time. It’s very gratifying. This has been a goal that so many people have shared for so long.”

The deal, which closed Wednesday, kills plans for the quarry, a proposed 403-acre open-pit mine.

That project, which the investors first proposed in 2015, has been opposed by environmental groups, multiple city councils, including in Santa Clara, Mountain View and Sunnyvale, and the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, which previously inhabited the area for thousands of years.

“I’m so elated,” said Ed Ketchum, chairman of the Amah Mutsun, a group of roughly 600 people who trace their ancestry back to Ohlone villages in the area they call “Juristac.” “From when I was a child, the elders would always say this is a special place that needs to be protected. It was meant not to be developed.”

Howard Justus, a San Diego businessman who leads the investor group that previously owned the property, said he would have no comment on the sale. In the past, he has said the quarry would have been located on just a small portion of the ranch and that its sand and gravel would have been important to Bay Area building projects.

This week’s sale is the third major piece of Sargent Ranch that the land trust has bought from Justus and his partners, culminating in one of the most significant land preservation deals in the Bay Area in recent years.

Last year and in 2024, the trust, known as “POST,” spent an additional $40.7 million to buy two other portions of the property totaling 3,830 acres. The latest purchase gives the trust ownership of 93% of the 6,594-acre ranch — an area six times the size of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.

The land trust has signed an option with the investor group to buy the remaining 480 acres. That area contains 15 active oil wells — the only ones in Santa Clara County. They must be capped and the equipment  removed before the sale is complete, Clark said. That is expected to happen by the end of this year, he added. Part of the ranch has natural tar seeps, and oil drilling there dates back to the 1870s.

What will ultimately happen to the entire property, including whether there will be public access, remains unclear.

Clark said that in the next few years, his organization, which is funded largely by private donations from foundations and Silicon Valley contributors, will conduct studies of the wildlife and the landscape. Sargent Ranch is home to badgers, deer, hawks and other animals, serving as a key wildlife corridor between the Santa Cruz Mountains and the Diablo and Gabilan mountain ranges. On a visit earlier this month, a bald eagle was visible on the property.

The land trust will meet with the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, the Amah Mutsun Land Trust, and the Santa Clara County Department of Parks and Recreation, along with other groups, to map out an ownership and stewardship plan, Clark said.

The county parks department owns 55,000 acres across 28 parks in Santa Clara County. Several are as big, or larger, than Sargent Ranch, including Joseph D. Grant County Park in the hills east of San Jose, which is 10,882 acres, and Coyote Lake-Harvey Bear Ranch County Park, on the east side of Highway 101 near Morgan Hill, which is 6,695 acres.

“We want to be supportive,” said Todd Lofgren, director of the Santa Clara County parks department. “We are going to work with the partners and community to help create a plan everyone is excited about.”

Any decision to make part or all of Sargent Ranch a new county park would require approval by the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. The parks department has roughly $40 million in a fund reserved for parkland acquisition, and under a voter-approved measure, about $9 million of county general fund money is added every year.

Sargent Ranch has a rich history.

In the late 1700s, when the Spanish built missions nearby at San Juan Bautista, Santa Clara, Carmel and Santa Cruz, natives often fled to avoid cruel conditions, tribal leaders have noted, hiding on Sargent Ranch, in the hills of Pacheco Pass, and other remote locations.

The property became a Mexican land grant in the 1800s and was later purchased by James P. Sargent, a New Hampshire native who came to California with his brothers during the Gold Rush. He became wealthy and eventually represented Santa Clara County in the state Legislature from 1871 to 1873.

During the late 1800s, there was a railroad depot, cottages, a hotel, a post office, a saloon and an open-air dance floor near the ranch.

After a series of other owners came and went, Justus’ group purchased the ranch in 2013 from Wayne Pierce, a La Jolla developer who tried to build golf courses, hotels, a casino and other projects there, only to run into public opposition, pile up debt and eventually file for bankruptcy.

The new owners announced plans for the quarry in 2015, sparking opposition from environmental groups, the Amah Mutsun tribe and others.

David Wallace, a Danville investor who helped broker this week’s sale between the land trust and Justus’ group, noted that the investors had waited a decade for county approval for the quarry.

“I think they would have gotten the permit ultimately for the quarry,” he said. “But at the end of the day, it was probably as much fatigue as anything. And POST put an offer on the table that was worthy of consideration.”

Acquiring the property is the largest land deal that POST has completed since its founding in 1977. The ranch has ranked near the top of Bay Area land conservation groups’ lists for decades.

“We haven’t been on this property since the 1800s,” Ketchum said of his tribal members. “We are all looking forward to exploring it. What a blessing.”

These days, at least half a dozen California ranches are offering such immersive getaways with an added bonus: a taste of the American West. With a surprising range of settings — from heritage cattle ranches in the Sierra foothills to luxury guest ranches in Wine Country — urban and suburban women can challenge themselves to ride horses, shoot air-guns, rope cattle or try square-dancing and learn new skills from female master artisans. In the process, they get to reconnect with nature, and themselves, in meaningful ways.

“A women’s retreat in a ranch setting is the perfect place to experience a women’s retreat because it blends the grounding rhythm of ranch life, nature and animals with deeply thoughtful, women-led experiences,” said Nicole Cline, who attended the WILDWONDER Retreat at Alisal Ranch. “Each time I’ve gone I’ve left feeling completely supported, inspired and re-energized with the confidence to try something new or push myself outside of my typical comfort zone.”

Here are a few places across the Golden State that are hosting Western-themed women’s retreats that offer a restorative ranch escape for the perfect “cowgirl-cation,” whether you’re traveling solo, with your mom or daughter, or with a group of besties.

Rankin Ranch, Caliente, March 8-19

Head to the Tehachapi Mountains this spring for a Crafty Getaway at Rankin Ranch, a 31,000-acre cattle ranch dating back to 1863. Guests will experience true Western hospitality at this family-run establishment. The retreat includes horseback rides twice a day, hardy ranch meals in fresh mountain air and free time to explore the grounds through hiking, swimming, fishing or bike riding. After the sun goes down, enjoy the company of the small group of women while square dancing, playing horseshoes or relaxing by a fire under a starlit sky. Choose from a private or shared mountain cabin. The ranch also offers ladies a chance to bond over common hobbies during their scrapbooking and quilting retreats.

Women Rising Wild, Julian, June 16-19

For a unique outdoor experience with other women, the CowGirl Wild retreat in the mountains of San Diego County, is a mix of hiking, horses, wolves, music and meditation. The retreat starts with a meet-and-greet in the charming mountain town of Julian. The animal-centric experience features therapeutic horseback riding, a tour of the California Wolf Center, wildlife viewing and a volunteering opportunity at Villa Chardonnay ranch animal rescue.

Guests will immerse themselves in nature through activities such as forest bathing, drumming, participating in a sound bath and practicing archery. They will also engage in earthdance, which Women Rising Wild visionary Melissa Lynn Reed describes as, “moving mindfully and rhythmically, barefoot on the earth, while interacting with and expressing nature’s elements of fire, water, air, forest, flowers, animals.” Organic meals are included, and guests can choose to spend the night in a guest room at the lodge or opt for tent camping.

Hunewill Ranch, Bridgeport Valley, Sept. 17-21

Join the ladies-only High Sierra Cowgirl Vacation at Hunewell Ranch for an all-inclusive horseback retreat at the base of the High Sierra, for all riding abilities. Experience what life is like on a real working cattle ranch. Spend days bonding with your horse — and other women — as you explore the stunning terrain and learn ranching skills, like roping and moving cattle. Evenings include delicious cowgirl cookouts and lively campfires featuring a talent show,  sing-alongs and s’mores. After an exhilarating day on the ranch, lay your head to rest in a cozy country cabin.

Alisal Ranch, Solvang, Sept. 27-30

The WILDWONDER women’s retreat at Alisal Ranch in Santa Ynez Valley merges the Wild West with immersive activities, seasonal California cuisine and relaxing time in nature. Here, attendees can ride horses through picturesque fields, try challenging activities like axe throwing and air-gun shooting, connect with other women from around the world and learn from women “makers” who are at the top of their fields — chefs, wellness experts, artisans.

The luxury ranch, situated on 10,500 acres, also features a relaxing spa, pool, tennis courts, lake, barnyard animals, hiking trails and delicious ranch-style cookouts. Sleep soundly in luxury Western-themed guest rooms, cottages and houses with private patios and wood-burning fireplaces.

Casari Ranch, Santa Rosa, Oct. 23-25

Casari Ranch in Sonoma County is the perfect backdrop for the transformational Freedom Cowgirl Retreat. Start your day with intention and gratitude, utilize the natural environment and healing time with horses to slow down and be present, and dare to dream in a supportive gender-neutral community. Whether you’re looking to let go, regain focus, increase creativity or set new goals, this time and place is a safe space to share and grow. Nourishing, organic meals keep guests fueled throughout their time on the ranch. A variety of offsite accommodations are available.

Sweetbeau Horses, Creston, October

The name says it all in the For the Love of Horses retreat taking place this fall in Central California Wine Country. This is for women who are enamored with horses and are seeking a restorative interaction with these majestic creatures. The Sweetbeau Horses ranch employs rescued wild Mustangs to help women embrace their empowerment, revive their creativity and make space for stillness. Sleep over in the Bunk House for an authentic Western experience that includes “The Duke” saloon. The goal is that attendees leave the journey with a newfound sense of confidence, self-love and independence, as well as long-lasting friendships created through transformative conversations and experiences.

Apparently, about five people in 300 are like this, and there’s a name for it: “advanced sleep phase.” It turns out, being such early risers is genetic. I used to think it was his work that caused my father keep the hours he did, and that contributed to it, but it may have also been his nature to enjoy going out for donuts with friends at 4 a.m. Oh, dear, maybe I’m more like my dad than I realized.

When I wake in the very early hours, there’s a sense of mystery and magic in the air. It’s a private time — nobody’s going to ask me to do anything, except the cats begging for breakfast, and before the outside world can make its mark on me is the best time to write. My thoughts are freer, more daring and expansive, so I can say anything, no matter how outrageous or silly, and that’s what makes the best writing possible. The predawn darkness, unlike midnight’s black, is a cocoon; it holds me safe with the promise of coming light.

Ever since I traded my clip-in bike shoes for hiking boots and began taking long walks, the one thing I’d not done, but really wanted to, was to walk in the dark. As much as I love walking alone, I’m uncomfortable doing so without the light. My feeling of being vulnerable, and not just at night, grew exponentially after the current president took office because he and some in his cabinet have legitimized violence against women. As a result, taking a night walk became even less possible. And now, the murder of Renee Good has made every woman in this country more vulnerable. Not only did the ICE agent murder Good for absolutely no reason, but by denying the truth of the agent’s action, our government has sanctioned it, making all of us unsafe

Less possible, that is, until I thought of my friend, fellow walker, Angelica Glass. You may have heard of her — she documented her experience of walking every Santa Cruz County street, and her book about that experience is coming out in the summer. My favorite kind of people, and I’m not always one of them, are those who say yes quickly, without reservation, even before knowing all the details. That’s how Angelica responded to my invitation.

Since Angelica lives in Santa Cruz and I’m in Del Rey Oaks, Moss Landing is a roughly midway location. We met in the same place that I’d walked with another friend in January of 2025, shortly after the then-new government had begun to form, and much of that walk was spent wiping tears from our cheeks. I was curious to chat with Angelica about having lived through this difficult year. But first, we had to find each other in the dark! Like me, she was early. It was the familiarity of her voice that calmed my racing heart at hearing the crunch of someone else’s boots at the Salinas River State Beach Sandholt parking area. (https://mosslandingharbor.dst.ca.us/salinas-river-state-beach)

Pretty much blindly, we took to the trail, heading south, with the waterway leading to the ocean on our left. Nobody else was out, and that was just how we liked it, especially since we’d not walked together in a long time. The chill night breeze on our faces was refreshing. We talked about where we were walking, about what we couldn’t see and about our personal lives. Angelica’s retirement helped make writing her book possible, while my non-retirement helps make my life possible. And, yes, we talked about what it’s like to be living now. How could we not attend to the difficult reality? Angelica and I are among the fortunate ones — so far, anyway — two older, white, non-immigrant women who have partners, homes, and health insurance, whose lives have not personally been impacted by our government’s devastations that are ruining the lives of many others. But the weight of the pain of those we know and don’t know is upon us both; it’s not something either of us ignore, and nor is our fury.

There’s something I learned over the past year that, as we begin this new year, is worth sharing. For the first many months of 2025, joy fled my life; it had been trampled on. Fear and despair set up house in my mind, heart, and body. My ability to be a viable member of my community got thwarted. Over those many difficult, sunken-feeling months, I discovered that by losing my joy, by caving in to anxiety and sorrow, I was simultaneously forfeiting my personal power and light-heartedness, and unintentionally supporting the regime that wants just that — it is easier to control those who are passive. Through speaking the truth in many ways — writing this column, talking before my city council, teaching poetry in Monterey County high schools and through Cal State Monterey Bay’s Osher Lifelong Learning Program, volunteering for a mental health podcast, putting on a benefit for a health center, making art and working on other writing, loving and welcoming love, and being in nature, joy began to return to me. We function better when happiness gets in!

It’s been said that God is the name we give to mystery to give it shape. Darkness is mysterious, not only because we can’t see well in it but because it connotes the unknown. I don’t know that it was God moving between Angelica and me that predawn morning, but a celebration of friendship, mystery, gratitude, and an appreciation for the physical ability to walk, certainly was. Yes, as poet William Stafford wrote, “the darkness around us is deep.” Turning away from it will not take the darkness away, only facing it will. But remember, too, there is also the promise of light, and that’s a promise to walk into this new year with.

Del Rey Oaks writer and poet Patrice Vecchione is the author of several books including, most recently, “My Shouting, Shattered, Whispering Voice: A Guide to Writing Poetry & Speaking Your Truth” and “Step into Nature: Nurturing Imagination and Spirit in Everyday Life.” Her titles are available wherever books are sold. More at patricevecchione.com