Pleasanton, California (April 2013)

Our three week stay in Pleasanton wrapped up all too soon! We stayed in the RV Park at the Alameda County Fairgrounds, which was literally walking distance to my daughter Jill's place. When we first arrived, the hills surrounding this small city were in the peak of spring green, all the trees were leafing out, and flowers were blooming just about everywhere you looked. This is a beautiful time of year to visit this area! But the best part was being so close to my daughter and grandkids, and being able to spend so much together. We shared many a meal, attended a choir competition for Maddy's school (which they won! J), visited the Street Fair in downtown Pleasanton, took a beautiful hike in the Sunol Regional Wilderness area, and just hung out with each other as much as we possibly could! Here are some pictures taken during our visit.

San Francisco, California (April 2013)

Pleasanton, California, was our next stop as we continue our trek in a north westerly direction. Pleasanton is home to my daughter and two of my granddaughters, so we settled in for a nice long three-week visit to get as much reconnecting and bonding time as possible. With San Francisco only 40 miles from Pleasanton, and with much time to ourselves during the hours kids and grandkids are tied up with work and school, Dan and I decided to take BART into The City one day. Although both of us have visited San Francisco more times than we can count, we never get tired of it, and love to return there again and again. There is always something going on, interesting people to watch, bridges to admire, walks along the beach, and just immersing ourselves in the highly varied microcosmic communities that combine to make San Francisco what it is. The day we chose to visit was brisk, but sunny, and wonderful for walking. We took BART out of the Dublin station to the Embarcadero station, then set off for the day. We walked along the piers, making our way to Pier 39 and the ever enduring Fisherman's Wharf, where we had lunch, browsed the shops, and visited with the sea lions laying on the pier soaking up the sun. From there, we took a cable car to the downtown district, ducked into the huge Westfield Mall for a coffee and tea break, then walked about a mile uphill to visit the Grace Cathedral, one of my favorite spots in San Francisco. After a lengthy visit at the church, we walked another half mile to our favorite Bay Area restaurant, The Millennium, which serves up the best vegan gourmet food anywhere on the planet! After a delicious and leisurely dinner, we walked back to the BART station, and came back home. We both agreed our day at the bay was quite wonderful. Here are some snapshots of the highlights.

Anza Borrego Desert State Park (San Diego, California)

I love to hike! Finally being back to the places that literally beckon me to don my hiking boots, grab my walking sticks, and set out on the trail has done wonders for my spirit. From the coast to the desert, San Diego seems to have it all, too, with no shortage of scenic hiking trails to discover and explore. On Tuesday April 9 Dan, my sister Jennifer, and I set out for the Anza Borrego Desert State Park located within the Colorado Desert of Southern California, about 90 miles northeast of San Diego, but still within San Diego county (that's one big county!). Often notable for the lavish displays of wildflowers this time of year, we were disappointed to find just the opposite to be true. Two years in a row of below average rainfall was to blame for the lack of color in the park, but we still had a very satisfying hike on the Palm Canyon trail which winds back into the hills to a hidden oasis. Here we were treated to waterfalls, trickling streams, a stand of palm trees, and patches of greenery you normally don't expect to find in a dry desert setting. We kept an eye out for the native longhorn sheep that had been sighted along the creeks recently, but didn't see any that day. Below are some pictures from our hike.

Torrey Pines State Preserve (San Diego, Califorina)

Friday April 5th, and we're finally back in California! San Diego was our first destination in our wonderful home state, and here we spent a week visiting with my sister Jennifer. Since she has lived here for over 20 years, Jennifer is well acquainted with this part of California, and does an excellent job as travel agent and social activities director each time we come to visit. J San Diego is a beautiful city and I always wish I could spend more time here. We really enjoy hiking in the Torrey Pines State Reserve when we get the chance, a coastal state park within the San Diego city limits, and bordered immediately on the south by the Torrey Pines Municipal Golf Course. This is a rugged and beautiful part of the Southern California coastline, with eight miles of trails within the park. Many species of wildlife and flora are found within the reserve, including bobcats, foxes, skunks, raccoons, coyotes, rabbits, cacti, coastal chaparral, and the rare Torrey Pine. From the cliffs it is possible to see La Jolla to the south and Del Mar to the north, and during whale migrations, it is sometimes possible to see whales from the cliffs as well. On Saturday we packed our lunch and took the hike, and we couldn't have picked a more perfect day to do so. Here are some pictures of our outing.