Dan's Outside

Calero Park Photographs

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Three Trees. Calero Hills, California. June 2, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Figueroa Trail. Calero Hills, California. May 19, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Two Oaks, Spring. Calero Hills, California. March 18, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Oak Branches. Calero Hills, California. March 18, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Ridgetop Oak Tree. Calero Hills, California. March 18, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Ridgetop Oak Tree (monochrome). Calero Hills, California. March 18, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Oaks, Grass, Fog. Calero Hills, California. March 18, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Oak Grove and Trail. Calera Hills, California. November 25, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Oak Grove in Morning Fog. Calero Hills, California. January 7, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Oak and Moon, Morning. Calero Hills, California. January 7, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Oaks, Grass, and Fog. Calero Hills, California. January 20, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Los Cerritos Pond. Calero Hills, California. January 20, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (Sales)

Oak Snag. Calero Hills, California. January 20, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Egret, Pond, and Fog. Calero Hills, California. January 20, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Oaks, Sunrise. Calero Hills, California. January 7, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Dusk Sky, Hills and Trees. Santa Clara Valley, California. January 3, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.

Calero Ridge and Clouds, Sunset. Calero Hills, California. January 3, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Oak Grassland, Twilight. Calero Hills, California. December 28, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Oak Grassland, Twilight (monochrome). Calero Hills, California. December 28, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Vallecito Trail. Calero Hills, California. December 20, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Oak Grove, December. Calero Hills, California. December 20, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Fences and Ridge Trail. Calero Hills, California. June 3, 1006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Oak, Valley, and Ridge. Calero Park, California. November 25, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Morning Light, Oaks and Grass II. Calero Park, California. November 25, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Oak Grove, Javelina Trail. Calero Park, California. November 25, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Morning Light, Oaks and Grass. Calero Park, California. November 25, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Oak Trees, Javelina Trail. Calero Park, California. November 25, 2006. © “copyright g dan mitchel” (Sales)

Dry Grass, Late Summer. Calero Hills, California. August 31, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.

Fences. Calero HIlls, California. August 31, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.

Oak Tree, Broken Limb. Calero HIlls. August 23, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.

Oak Tree and Fallen Branch. Calero Park. August 20, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.

Bald Peaks Trail Vista. Calero Park. June 17, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.

Bald Peaks Trail. Calero Park. June 3, 2006. © copyright G Dan Mitchell.

Fences, Bald Peaks Trail. Calero Park. June 3, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.

Oak Tree, New Grass. Calero Hills, California. February 17, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.

Winter Oaks. Rancho Cañada del Oro, California. January 21, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.

Last Light. Calero Park. April 29, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.

Sunset. Calero Park. April 29, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.

Fire Road. Calero Park. February 17, 2006. © Copyright Dan Mitchell.

Oak, Grass, and Sky. Calero Park. February 17, 2006. © Copyright Dan Mitchell.

Four Oaks. Calero Park. February 2, 2006. © Copyright Dan Mitchell.

Fire Road. Calero Park. January 14, 2006. © Copyright Dan Mitchell.

Three Oaks. Calero Park. January 16, 2006. © Copyright Dan Mitchell.

Ridgetop Oak Snag at Sunset. Calero Park. January 13, 2006. © Copyright Dan Mitchell.

Oak Forest. Calero Park. November 11, 2005. © Copyright Dan Mitchell.

Hawk. Calero Park. November 26, 2005. © Copyright Dan Mitchell.

Ridges on the Cañada Del Oro Trail. Calero Park. November 26, 2005. © Copyright Dan Mitchell.

November Grass, Tree, and Sky (alternate view). Calero Park. November 11. 2005. © Copyright Dan Mitchell.

November Grass, Tree, and Sky. Calero Park. November 11, 2005. © Copyright Dan Mitchell.

Oak tree, spring flowers, and grass. Calero Park. April 10, 2005. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.

Oaks and grass. Calero Park. March 12, 2005. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.

Spring grass at Calero Park. March 12, 2005. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.

Another Calero Ridge in the Fog. Calero Park. March 12, 2005. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.

Calero Ridge Grove. Calero Park. February 5, 2005. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.

Calero Hilltop. Calero Park. February 5, 2005. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.

Oak on ridge at Calero Park. February 5, 2005. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.

Winter trees and spring grass. Calero Park. February 5, 2005. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.

New grass and hazy skies. Calero Park. February 5, 2005. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.

Meadow filled with dew-covered spider webs. Calero Park. January 23, 2005. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.

Tree, pond, and fog. Calero Park. January 23, 2005.

Tree in fog. Calero Park. January 23, 2005

Oak and clearing fog on the Javelina Trail. Calero Park. January 23, 2005.

Tree and fog. Calero Park. January 23, 2005. Copyright Dan Mitchell.

Above the fog on the Javelina Loop Train. Calero Park. January 23, 2005.

Oak tree at Calero. May 8, 2004.

Ridgetop trail with grass, trees, and clouds. Calero Park. May 8, 2004.

Oak trees. May 2, 2004.

Flowers. May 2, 2004.

Gate. May 2, 2004.
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May 2, 2004 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Calero Park Photographs

Back from Calero

I had a nice hike at Calero Park this morning – even if I didn’t end up exactly where I planned to go. More later – words and pictures, I hope.

OK. I’m back. Here’s that “more” I promised earlier.

Calero Reservoir is south of Almaden Valley (which is in south San Jose in south Santa Clara Valley) and is noted mostly as a place to go boating. Calero County Park is more or less south of the Lake and seems to be very popular with equestrians.

I started at a parking lot near the park headquarters and headed out on a trail past a small lake full of reeds. From here the trail continued to ascend until it topped out on a hill with a water tank, from which it descended to a junction with the Javelina Loop trail and the Figueroa trail.

At this point I intended to take the Javelina Loop but I wasn’t paying attention to trail signs. I headed left down a pretty valley with a combination of open grassland and oak forest, crossed a small creek, and came to trail junction that made no sense at all in the context of where I thought I was. Orienting my map to the sun, I quickly figured out that I had taken the Figueroa Trial instead of the Javelina Loop so I continued on it, returning to the parking lot by a slightly different route than I intended.

This is the first time I’ve taken more than a brief stroll at this park, and I’ll be back. There are some very pretty oak covered hills and valleys here, and I want to explore the areas on the Javelina Loop and beyond.
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May 2, 2004 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Back from Calero

Yesterday's hike

I had time for a short Almaden Quicksilver hike yesterday. I could have had more time but I’m afraid I didn’t leave as early as I might have. I drove down to New Almaden and hiked up one of my old standby routes, the trail past English Camp and then via Castillero Trail to the Bull Run area. (I was distressed to find that cyclists had ridden all over a meadow near the ridgetop Catherine Tunnel, apparently so that they could use an old mining berm as a jump.)

This was the first day on which it really felt like a summer hike. The sun was bright and warm and the smells were no longer those of wet winter vegetation and soil, but were instead the smells of drying chapparal and grass.

I didn’t have much luck on the photography front. The midday light was difficult, especially with some haze in the air. I took a few trail shots and a series of pictures of a very old easy chair that had inexplicably appeared by one of the old buildings found in this park – it seemed interestingly incongruous with its ridgetop surroundings. However, in the end nothing was worth posting.

In a few minutes I’m going to head down to Calero Reservoir, an area not far from Almaden Quicksilver Park and through past which I’ve ridden my bike hundreds (really!) of times. I found a trail map of this park and I’m going to explore a trail that heads away from the reservoir toward the park boundary.
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May 2, 2004 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Yesterday's hike