Pioneer Park In Bloom

On Sunday D. and I went downtown to look at the flowering trees and other things in Pioneer Park, and I took these pics.

Flowering cherry (Prunus subhirtella).


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Saratoga Gap Open Space Preserve;
or, Three Trails, Four Parks

On a hot Saturday D. and I decided to go up to Saratoga Gap Open Space Preserve and walk the Saratoga Gap Trail through the shady woods of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Little did we know we would wind up walking through 3 other parks in the process: Upper Stevens Creek County Park, just ( Read more... )

Coal Mine RidgeOn Saturday D. and I went to an open space in neighboring Portola Valley called Coal Mine Ridge. There used to be a coal mine there long ago but a huge landslide put it out of production. It never produced much coal anyway. But now there is a network of public trails all through the area, and we decided to go and see what spring ( Read more... )

Tree Walk: Civic Center, South of Forest, Palo Alto

Last Saturday D. and I went on a tree walk in Palo Alto, organized by Canopy, a cool local tree advocacy group. Once a month they get a local tree expert to lead the public on free walks through selected neighborhoods in Palo Alto to look at the really cool and notable trees and talk about the ( Read more... )

Sunol: Maguire Peaks Trail

On Saturday D. and I went back to Sunol Regional Wilderness to check out the Maguire Peaks Trail. We parked on Welch Creek Rd. and made our way along Upper Maguire Peaks Trail. I took the following pics:

Looking down Welch Creek Rd.  Cool and shady.


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Stanford Dish LoopOn March 7, D. and I visited the Dish Loop at Stanford University.  The Dish Loop is a 3.7-mile trail on a portion of Stanford's Academic Reserve dedicated to field research activities and is also enjoyed by visitors for recreational purposes.  It is one of the last unbroken expanses of open space in the lower foothills.  It is ( Read more... )

Tree Walk, Southgate, Palo Alto

Last weekend D. and I went on a tree walk in Palo Alto, organized by Canopy, a cool local tree advocacy group. Once a month they get a local tree expert to lead the public on free walks through selected neighborhoods to look at the really cool and notable trees and talk about the proper care of them ( Read more... )