Every time I go for a hike now, I assume that it may very well be the last time for a long time that I will be able to visit a particular park. Indeed, I came home to the news that the California State Park system has closed all of its parks to vehicular traffic. So I do my best to be very much in the present and to savor every detail. It helps me to focus on my hike, to calm my anxiety in this very nerve-wracking time of global pandemic, and to notice the flowers and the birds with even greater clarity.

This trip to Brushy Peak Regional Park was all the more enjoyable for that mentality. I saw so many flowers and heard so many birds. I even saw a coyote!

After getting the news on Wednesday that the East Bay Regional Park District is shutting down several of its more popular parks for several weeks to help to stop the spread of COVID-19, I decided to make a farewell visit on Thursday to one of my all-time favorite parks: Sunol Regional Wilderness. The weather has been very unpredictable in Livermore. Earlier in the day we even got hail! So when I was finally able to venture out, I got some pretty dramatic lighting as the clouds broke up to let the sunshine pour in. Although I am very saddened that the park is closing, I support the Park District's decision and I did feel a bit of hope watching the beautiful valley flood with light.

On Wednesday afternoon, my daughter and I made a wonderful little trip to a beloved park local to us in Livermore: Delle Valle Regional Park. It was a golden afternoon after a morning of rain, and we had the park almost entirely to ourselves. We had a marvelous time, but when we got home I saw an email from the EBRPD announcing that it was closing several of its parks (including Del Valle) because folks last weekend were not responsible about social distancing. Although it really saddens my heart to lose access to this amazing place, I understand why the Park District made this call. I hope that this sends the message loud and clear to everyone in the state: enjoy your parks safely or we will all lose this privilege at a time when we desperately need it!

My daughter and I ventured out today for an isolated picnic at the recently renamed Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park. We planned to go for a short hike, just to stretch our legs and to get some fresh air. But I could see that the rain was coming in, so we chose a nice spot and had our picnic and then just explored around the parking area. We needed to be able to dash back to the car in a hurry if the rain started suddenly (which it did).

There was almost no one at the park, which was really great because some of the Bay Area parks have been overcrowded with folks who are not following the rules of social distancing on the trails. But she and I only saw people who were doing their parts to flatten the curve.

Although some high-use parks are starting to close to prevent the spread of COVID-19, there are plenty of less-used parks that are still open. The state park system is especially affected in the Northern California counties of Marin, San Mateo, and Sonoma Counties, but that is a dynamic list. Point Reyes had to turn people away from Chimney Rock this weekend because there were too many people trying to go and it was not compatible with social distancing. But there are still LOTS of parks that are not too crowded.

I went--for the first time--to Castle Rock and Diablo Foothills Parks, which are part of the East Bay Regional Park District.  Although there were other folks on the trial, I still had plenty of solitude along some of the trails deeper into the interior of Diablo Foothills. There were some cattle guards (so bring your hand sanitizer), but the wide fire roads of the park were great for hiking while maintaining 6 feet of distance. And it was so gorgeous! I loved this hike, and I can't wait to come back to both of these two parks. 

The shelter-in-place ordinances in both the Bay Area counties and, now, in the whole state of California have been a major adjustment. I am *so* grateful that hiking and walking is compatible with social distancing as we all do our part to flatten the curve, so that we can keep our hospitals from being overwhelmed. Because we have been having intermittent rain showers in the Bay, it's been a little hard to get out, even though we all need to walk in the sunshine more than ever. So when the rain cleared up this weekend for a few hours, we headed over to the Arroyo Mocho Trail, to a segment of it that is in our neighborhood.

Although all of the Marin County Parks are currently closed due to the shelter-in-place ordinances issued by the county of Marin, I got a chance to visit this lovely park on Sunday before the closure. I am glad that I got to go. I loved it, and it did so much to lighten my spirits during this frightening pandemic. Cascade Canyon Open Space Park is a wonderful park, and I hope to bring my family back here after the COVID-19 pandemic is under control. I will be looking over these pictures and dreaming of getting out to hike if more parks start to close. Perhaps the photos on this blog will bring some comfort to you too.

This winter has been so dry, but we actually got a nice little front of showers this weekend. I actually really like hiking in the rain if it's not too heavy of a downpour and the trails aren't too muddy. The greens really pop in a rain, and my family subscribes to the mantra, "more muddy, more fun." So I decided to hit the trails this weekend even in the rain to explore Briones Regional Park from the Bear Creek Staging Area.

Yesterday was the first day of March, and it was a great day to visit a favorite place: Picchetti Ranch Open Space in Cupertino!