Castle Rock state park

The most recent hike with my wife was to Castle Rock State park. It was a good half day spent in great weather! 

First off... we had fun on the trip, per these photos..

This park and trail was amazing. At one point we got a view to what must have been 10 layers of mountains all the way to the ocean. 

The rest of the time we were treated to visuals of green hills as far as the eye could see

The trails were beautiful as well.. 

This big tree was just amazing and picturesque..

The entire park was beautiful. It was good we went early in the morning. There was a beautiful burnt tree root that was converted to a sculpture. My plan was to take a photo of it on the way back.. but given COVID, a lot of the paths have been made one way.. so we ended up returning to an overflow parking lot and walked on the road back to the main parking. Another trip, another day! 

There was a lot of climbing up and down large rocks on the trail path. I did bruise my big toe by hitting it against the side of a rock. Turns out the shoes I recently bought were not the right ones.. working on getting better shoes this week! 

Definitely recommend this trail for a half day hike if you are in south bay! I for one am happy to be going on all these hikes to explore the local parks in rapid succession. 

Another weekend another mountain..

This weekend we went on an amazing hike with friends to Mount Hamilton area. We climbed 1600 feet and did 7+ miles of some pretty steep hikes in Joseph D. Grant county park. Part of the park had fires and while it was all out, we could see the burnt trees and get some of the smell in the air. 

It was an amazing hike. It had rained all last night and this morning and the colors were vibrant. There was a part on our way back where the fog rolled in and we had very poor visibility, but it was okay because we were in a group. 

Once we descended below the fog, we were treated to amazing views of the lake and a spectacular sunset.. 

It took us a good 45 minutes to drive to the parking lot and three hours to do the trails. Some parts are so steep that you pretty much have to run down in as controlled a fashion as possible! 

There is Mount Hamilton in the background..

Happy to be in fresh air among friends..

was wearing the mask when anyone was within eyesight.. for the most part the entire area was empty. We saw a total of 8 people over that 3 hour period...  after some point was just wearing the mask like an armband just to huff and puff my way up the slopes.

The scenery was breathtaking.. 

be it sunny..

overcast..

or foggy..

I also got a close up picture of this little guy who we almost stepped on..

A short video clip from the afternoons hike..

When the sun started setting we were treated to some amazing colors..

amazing views of the lake as we walked down towards it 

The last few pictures were taken from the park entrance/exit..

The fog was amazing to watch, as long as we were below it! 

Our friends treated us to some vadais, hot chai and cookies etc. 

after they were all safely tucked away into the tummy, we drove back to what was an amazing sunset..

got these from the moving car..

There was no room to park and take pictures on this one lane windy road that got us back down to the valley.. 

It was surreal with all the hues being reflected everywhere! 

Something tells me we will be going here again and spending more time in this park. Strongly recommend a hike here if you have at least a 4-5 hour window. Go there by noon (if you are going in December!) so you are back down before the fog rolls in..

A belated birthday present

The family co-operated as planned on the birthday present.. a family portrait.

The idea was to wear something we all have.. flannel shirts and blue jeans..

This was the first family portrait since Jr.'s graduation..

That middle aged man in the picture is happy for that moment. 

got this pic of Jr. as she was switching sides while doing the test shots.. she is always my test subject. 

We have another month to put enough fat on her and send her back to the midwest winter..

That that parent, that that worry! 

Hope all of you are having a safe and happy thanksgiving!