Las Encinas Ranch (Spanish for Oak Forest Ranch) is located by Dos Picos Park, 40 miles northeast of San Diego, California. It's 50 acres stretch from one side of a long canyon, down into its depths, then climbs 200' up the opposite side. Huge, ancient oaks live along the bottom of the canyon. The trees are home for many birds ranging from tiny Anna's hummingbirds to Great Horned owls. Innumerable clownish Acorn woodpeckers enjoy life among the oaks.

As you climb up the hillside, the trees diminish in size untill they're mere shrubs and the manzanita, buckwheat and sage become dominant. Massive boulders are scattered throughout the area. In Spring, the "lilacs" (ceanothus) burst into bloom creating patches of blue. The poison oak puts out new, intensely green leaves in mid-winter, then turns a beautiful red in mid-summer. (Remember, this is southern California. Plants grow in winter and spring when it rains. By mid-summer, the ground is dry as a bone.)

Now if you're wondering what the purpose is for our "ranch", owning this land is simply our way of preventing the ancient oaks from being bulldozed and the huge boulders from being blasted into bits to make room for yet more houses.