Guest post by Frank Dawkins:A tree that really inspired my father is in a beautiful field across from Alviso Adobe Community Park in Pleasanton. Click "read more" to read my father's narrative about the experience.
0 Comments
Ardenwood Historic Farm in Freemont continues to be an amazing place to bring kids of all ages. The last time we went (in winter) we feed the sheep, and this time (in spring) we feed the goats and even saw more animals. I am sure that we will be back again once the train starts running in April, so that we can have even more adventures!
I am featuring a guest photographer for this blog post: my brother, Will, who joined me on my hike at Almaden Quicksilver County Park in Santa Clara County south of downtown San Jose. Click "read more" to see his photos!
From January through March, you can often see elephant seals at the at the Kenneth C. Patrick Visitor Center located at Drake Beach in Point Reyes National Seashore. Before you go, you should definitely check out the tips on viewing these amazing sea mammals. We got to see a lot of pups and a few bull males on our visit.
In addition to the Earthquake Trail, the Kule Loklo Trail is a flat, short, easy hike that is right next to the Bear Valley Visitor Center in Point Reyes National Seashore. I don't know if it was because it was during the off season, or if people just overlook this hike, but we saw no other humans on the trail, which features a gorgeous meadow and a mixed forest of eucalyptus and coastal cypress. We did, however, see some interesting wildlife: hawks hunting overhead, deer lounging in the fields, and a bobcat skulking in the Miwok Village!
To celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary, my husband and I made a return trip to Point Reyes National Seashore, which we visited last summer for the first time. Our daughter is now a more wilful toddler, and is rejecting her carrier more and more--so we had to tailor our "hikes" to extremely gentle walks.
The Earthquake Walk was one of those hikes, right across from the Bear Valley Visitor's Center in Olema. Ardenwood Historic Farm is an amazing park run by the East Bay Regional Park District in Fremont. It is a great place to visit with your kids, especially if you time your visit to coincide with one of their educational activities. We were able to learn about wool and to feed some of their sheep in addition to walking around the farm to enjoy the cows, chickens, goats, and bunnies. I definitely think that we will be back here when the weather warm up a bit.
Over the long weekend, I did something that I have never done before: I drove to the Sierras in the winter to hike in the snow! I am from Louisiana originally, and I moved to California in 2005 where I lived first in the Davis-Sacramento area and then in the greater San Francisco Bay Area. I have never had to deal with driving in the snow, and the idea of taking a winding mountain road in icy conditions just terrified me. But I have been hankering to see the sequoias for a while now, and so I planned and I waited until just the right conditions to visit Calaveras Big Trees State Park. Boy, am I glad that I that I went for it; it was MAGICAL. Click "read more" to see more photos after the jump. It was insanely beautiful.
Mount Umunhum is part of the Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve, run by Midpen. This part of the park was opened to the public in September of 2017 after a long period of restoration; it had been closed to the public since the 1950s when it was used as an air force station and radar surveillance post. There are lots of trails of various levels of difficulty, but I had my baby with me in a stroller when I went, so I drove to the summit and just did the ADA accessible trail around the summit. It was really cool to be so high up (3,486 feet), because the ecosystems up there are just different from the lower elevations. This makes it "an island in the sky."
Chimney Rock is a popular destination in Point Reyes National Seashore. It's best to go see it in the spring, when it is covered in wildflowers; however, this easy in-and-out hike (2 miles roundtrip) is fun year round. I went on a summer day that was split between fog and sunlight. There was a dense fog rolling in, hitting closer to the historic lighthouse, while the sun was still breaking through and lighting up the white sandstone cliffs of Drakes Beach. The light made for really dramatic photos of an already dramatic landscape! To top it all off, I was treated to the sight of a few elephant seals even though it was not the season for them. I definitely want to come back to this wonderful spot!
|
Archives
December 2020
Categories
All
|