MAJESTIC MODJESKA CANYON : Work Up Appetite at Wildlife Sanctuary, Then Continue on Scenic Drive

Modjeska Canyon is not a place where life moves very fast, and the dogs know it. Two dogs on Modjeska Canyon Road stood defiantly in the way of an approaching car the day I was there--the mutt moved aside eventually, but the Dalmatian never budged.

The car went around him.

Maybe the dogs know that the people traveling to the end of that road are in search of the Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary. They’re animal lovers. So the dogs take liberties.

10:30 to noon: The Wildlife Sanctuary is 12 acres on the western rim of Cleveland National Forest. It’s a series of short, looped trails, and it’s a great place to learn the names of plants and trees, because many of them are labeled. One trail even has labels in Braille.

The sanctuary is run by the Cal State Fullerton Foundation, a nonprofit corporation. Naturalists offer guided tours, by appointment, for school and civic groups.

The sanctuary claims to be home to 170 species of birds and animals. There’s a goldfish pond and two “observation areas” for those patient enough to wait and watch. The Bird Observation Porch is a little musty inside but offers a front-row seat to bird-watching. The glassed-in porch has benches that face several bird feeders and pictures of birds on the walls for identification purposes.

Santiago Creek runs through the sanctuary but is dry this time of year. When the weather is wetter, it might be nice to peep through the holes in the red, high-walled bridge that traverses the creek and spot the turtles. Their pictures are pasted inside the wall, so you can identify any you see.

If you miss the wildlife in the wild, you can stop in at the sanctuary’s nature center, where lizards, snakes and mice live in glass cages. There are also stuffed coyotes, raccoons and a mountain lion.

The nature center is a good place to catch up on your trivia, as well. For example, the Southern alligator lizard is native to the California desert. But the African clawed frog was introduced to North America in the 1950s, when it was used in pregnancy tests.

As you leave the Wildlife Sanctuary and head west along Modjeska Canyon Road, you will pass the former home of the town’s namesake, Polish actress Helena Modjeska. It’s on the left, across from the fire station, on Hill Road. It’s the first, white gate on your left.

I would say you should stop there, but there are about 200 signs prohibiting trespassing or parking. A neighbor came out and gave me a wary look until I drove away. So enter at your own risk.

Noon to 12:30: Those who do not want to brave the stares should simply drive on to Modjeska Grade Road. This steep stretch offers some beautiful views of nearby hills and the mountains beyond.

The view is only occasionally interrupted by housing developments: Portola Hills and Hidden Ridge.

12:30 to 1:30: As you head back to the Interstate 5, along El Toro Road, you’ll pass a strip mall at the intersection of Trabuco Road. Hidden between the Vons and the pizza parlor is King and I Thai Cuisine.

The small, seven-table restaurant offers basic, fresh Thai food at good prices. Sa-te chicken is $5.25; pad Thai is $4.59, and the meat-and-vegetable dishes are all less than $5.

Some special seafood dishes run a little more, such as the crab and shrimp in curry for $8.50.

The King and I also offers sandwiches and fish and chips: shrimp and chips, scallops and chips, oysters and chips. Each is under $5 per person, and there’s a “family box” of fish and chips with salad for $18.29.