 This 4-mile hike was a repeat of a hike that I did last year in late May at nearby Pleasanton Ridge. It was so cool to come back to this park in autumn when the colors were so different--like two different worlds.
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 Yesterday, my family and I made a little jaunt over to Sycamore Valley Park in Danville. I'd been to this park before to hike through the open space part of the park. On our trip this weekend, we just enjoyed a picnic at this very nice city park. I like that this park has the one-two combo of city park and open space park: there is something for everyone!
 My daughter and I had an amazing time at Cable Car Beach today at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. This is a fantastic hike for people with young children. Click "read more" to see more photos, a map, and a write-up of this easy 2-mile loop.
 This 8-mile hike through Sunol Regional Wilderness was a welcome return to a beloved park after its temporary closure earlier this spring. This loop, which was new to me, hits many of the highlights of the park: Little Yosemite, the cave rocks, and the old barn in the High Valley. It offers gorgeous views of the distinctive Maguire Peaks, and I saw so many of a favorite flower of mine: mariposa lilies! I love these gorgeous flowers that look like delicately painted china teacups.
 It's another scorcher of a 100+°F day in Livermore today. So my daughter and I went for a walk today early this morning along the Arroyo Mocho before the heat set in. We have been to a couple of different segments of this trail before, and today we headed to a new segment--near Robertson Park, which is the home of the Livermore rodeo.
 As a treat to myself this weekend (ahead of Mother's Day), I decided to take a nice hike on a loop that winds in between Morgan Territory and Mount Diablo State Park. I loved this 8-mile route, and plan to do a variation of it again next spring! Click "read more" to see my loop and more photos.
 As the shelter-in-place orders continue, I have continued to restrict my hiking as much as I can on the weekend. I am going out midweek with my toddler because the parks are just so much less populated midweek. Yesterday, we went a little further from home than we have ventured in the past two months, but still not very far: Round Valley Regional Preserve in nearby Brentwood. Click "read more" to see about our little adventure for the day.
 As I wrote about our recent trip to Tassajara Creek Regional Park, I have been limited recently in my ability to hike. I have only been to the parks mid-week when I have my very young daughter with me. So we aren't really hiking for distance as much as hiking to make close observations about the natural world around us. Today we went to Livermore's Sycamore Grove Park and we had a blast noticing the different wildflowers blooming and wading in the Arroyo del Valle.
 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!
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