We drove up early Thursday morning, and were at the Nira trailhead by 9:00AM. Nira is about an hour from Santa Barbara and the receding storm meant there were some great clouds/fog on the way in.
San Rafael is a very nice area, and the late fall to early spring temperatures are perfect when snow makes casual trips to the Sierra impossible.
The hike itself was one I had done in May of 2006, but the 2007 Zaca Fire means the area is in a regrowing state.
We hiked NE up the Manzana Creek and were at our campsite, Manzana Narrows, by 1:30.
We spent the few hours before dark exploring the canyon, and had a pleasant 45 degree night.
We hiked out in the morning having had a great quick overnight to an interesting area very different from the high sierra.
Check out the rest of the pictures here: http://www.slide.com/r/wGwBG88Q3j9XZiOyoKtc1cevEEO4fxzW
