5-30 Fernandez Ranch

After a 90 degree day on Tuesday, Wednesday was at least 20 degrees cooler with a good bit of biting wind. A year ago, 6-14-17, we hiked the newly opened northern section of Fernandez Ranch in a clockwise loop. Today eight of us did a counter-clockwise "lollipop".  We went out Windmill to Woodland, took Franklin Ridge back to the gate at the saddle, then Woodrat back to Windmill. Just under 4.2 miles.

It was a day of long views over hills of golden grass. There were some flowers including the most prolific display of dark purple T. laxa that we can remember and a lush section of profusely blooming sticky monkey flower. This is a quiet space with few other hikers. We saw lots of birds...hawks, of course, but there were towhees (both brown and rufous-sided), wrens, and jays in the  woodland areas and bluebirds and lark sparrows in the open grassland.

It was another wonderful Wednesday!!!

https://www.flickr.com/gp/momcat_ksw/0224NH

5/23 No hike

That's the view from the Lawrence Hall web cam this morning...!

The temperature in Orinda was 52, the streets were wet and the idea of going anywhere was not at all tempting. Add to that the lack of hikers and cancellation was the only sane option.

05/16 Mt Diablo

There were a dozen of us today. It was odd, weather-wise, with clouds and sun playing hide and seek all day. In honor of Jeanne's 89th birthday Shirley suggested three short hikes. First from Curry Point looking in vain for yellow Calochortus luteus, then the Camp force Trail where we actually found them! Next was Artist's Point for lunch  followed by a random exploration of Rock City and eventually a short walk on Wall Point Rd. Distances varied, from 2 to almost 3 miles (lots of wandering and exploring).

https://www.flickr.com/gp/momcat_ksw/2t4c2u

05/09 Round Valley Regional Preserve

Eleven of us made the approx 4.75 mile loop up Hardy Canyon with lunch just over the saddle overlooking Round Valley and Murphy Meadow, then down and back along Miwok Tr.  The lead group took a single track trail for part of the way back to the cars rather than the old farm road. Shirley said there was approximately 800 feet elevation gain, but Google Earth says the gain/loss is over 1200 feet. My legs vote for the GE figure. 

The grass is drying quickly and flowers were fewer than we have seen when we have visited earlier in the year. But it was a lovely sunny day with  a good breeze in exposed areas and we all had a good time.

https://www.flickr.com/gp/momcat_ksw/1K93kn

Pictures from April 1,  2015, our last visit: https://www.flickr.com/gp/momcat_ksw/m1q3YL/

05/02 - Devil's Elbow and beyond

10 of us took the North Peak Trail out to Devil's Elbow and then on to Prospector's Gap for lunch. We returned the same way. It was a bright day full of flowers, especially notable were the hillsides yellow with tarweed.  The trail seemed much, much longer than 2 miles.

https://www.flickr.com/gp/momcat_ksw/995bpW