Calero Creek Trail

On Saturday D. and I took a walk along a shady part of the Calero Creek Trail in San José, and I took a few pics.

Poison oak leaves are beginning to show some autumn color already.


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Adobe Creek Loop TrailOn Saturday D. and I took a walk on part of the Adobe Creek Loop Trail in the Baylands Nature Preserve in Palo Alto.  We saw a towhee, a turkey vulture, lots of white pelicans, a pair of Caspian terns, a great egret, tiny fry in the creek, flowers and stuff, and a feral cat at the edge of the marsh.  Here are some of the pics ( Read more... )

Return To Penitencia Creek Park

Because we liked it so much on our previous visit, on Sunday D. and I took another walk in Penitencia Creek Park to see what else was there.  Here are some of the pics I took.


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Coyote Creek: Montague To Brokaw

On Saturday D. and I returned to Coyote Creek to walk the unofficial trail (the flood control levee) between Montague Expressway and Brokaw Road, taking us past light industrial facilities and a few homeless encampments, and I took some pics ( Read more... )

Coyote Creek Trail: Montague Expwy. to Tasman Dr.

On Saturday D. and I took a walk on the Coyote Creek Trail between Montague Expressway and Tasman Dr.  Here are some of the pics I took.

Montague overpass at the trailhead, and graffiti.


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Picchetti Ranch Open Space Preserve

On Saturday D. and I went to Picchetti Ranch Open Space Preserve. Picchetti Ranch is not only a preserve, it is also a winery. We went there to walk some of the woodsy trails and hope the rain held off till we were done. We also took some pics. Mine first.

The trailhead at the main entrance.


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Fremont Older Open Space Preserve

On Sunday it looked rainy and drizzly, so D. and I went to Fremont Older Open Space Preserve because we'd never been there and we thought we would be low enough to be out of the fog and the clouds. We were, sort of. It was very "atmospheric" there, but it warrants a return visit when the air isn't full of mist ( Read more... )

Tarantulas!

On Saturday evening, D. and I attended a "spider walk" at Monte Bello Open Space Preserve. October is the time of year when the local tarantula males start wandering around after dusk, looking for mates. The walk, led by 3 arachnophiliac docents, took us into part of the preserve's grassland and oak woodland habitats to look for ( Read more... )

Cuesta AnnexCuesta Annex, next to Cuesta Park in Mountain View, is a remnant piece of open space that was once slated for residential development but was acquired by the City and kept as open space for the past 20 years. The vegetation on the site is a mix of some native plants, such as coast live oak and Engelmann’s oak, and some non-native plants ( Read more... )