Support California State Parks
The Governator of California, among a number of other bizarre recent “decisions” has recommend closing almost all California State Parks. This is just plain nuts for a whole bunch of reasons. (How do you close a public park? how do you protect the parks from vandals and marijuana growers and off-road vehicles? What happens to valuable and sensitive sites like Bodie? Why close the parks that produce more income and taxes than they cost to run?)
Of course, given that he is also in the process of laying off tens of thousands of tax paying public employees, reducing support for education in the state the already ranks 47th in the nation for per-student k12 education funding, swiping money from local governments… and much more… it is hard for some to get worked up over parks.
But please do get worked up. And then share your opinion. One first step is go go here.
Take Transit to Trails?
Tom Mangan of Two-Heel Drive (Tom, again I first typed Two-Hell Drive before backspacing and correcting… ;-) has an interesting post with a quick overview of some options for getting to your San Francisco Bay Area hike on public transit. (See Transit accessible trails in the Bay Area)
Read Tom’s Post for details and links to more information. The short story is that you have lots of options if you live in certain areas north of the Golden Gate. You have limited options if you live elsewhere in the Bay Area, but some of them do seem pretty interesting. His report on Mt. Diablo, for example, is intriguing. I’ve often considered heading to New Almaden Quicksilver County Park on a VTA but have never quite gotten around to it – something about schlepping my typical Big Bag o’ Camera Gear through city streets and on the bus perhaps?
A day after posting this I realized I could have had even more perverse fun with the title of the post – “Time to Take Transit to Top Trails” would have worked. (I suspect that Tom would have approved… or at least chuckled a bit.)
Glacier Point Road Set To Open Friday… Or Maybe Not?
According to a variety of reports that have been floating around for the past couple of weeks, Yosemite National Park’s Glacier Point Road is scheduled to open tomorrow, May 1 “conditions permitting.” That last pair of words may well be important this season, as a respectable storm is scheduled to pass through northern California on Friday.
My bet at this point is that the NPS will delay the official opening of the road a bit.
Informal updates on Tioga Pass Road indicate that a decent chunk of the road from the west has been cleared, and I’m betting that other portions have also been cleared. The NPS won’t say in advance when it will open and I haven’t heard any unofficial announcements (I sometimes manage to pick up on a few of these a week or so before the opening) but it is likely to be at least a few more weeks. I’m betting against the first half of May, but I’m pretty confident about the second half.
Update: Right after posting this I saw an update on Tioga Road at Yosemite blog. The short story is that they have made it to the May Lake turnoff.
Two-Heel Drive reports on one of my favorite hiking locations
Tom Mangan just posted a description of his Sunday hike at my favorite local park, the Calero County Park south of San Jose. I was there on Saturday (when it was cool and foggy in the morning, Tom… ;-) and he was there on Sunday after the Great Spring Warmup in Central California.
Tom hiked on some of my favorite trails in the park, including the relatively remote Chisnantuk Peak Trail, which traverses some of the less visited corners of the park (and in doing so passes over some less maintained trails) and also visits some of the open ridges that provide great vistas of Santa Clara County and beyond.
As a bonus, Tom not only writes a witty and informative description of his hike, but he accompanies it with some great photographs of the area, including some of the wildflower displays – which were probably more or less at their peak when he visited
More Redwoods
At his Two Heel Drive blog, Tom Mangan points out a redwood grove that I did not know about. It is located at the Mount Madonna county park on the ridge between Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties.
A Good Sound on the Trail
Today, for the first time in almost a year, I heard the sound of running water during my hike in the Calero Hills. Here in dry California that is a special thing!
Big Basin Quick Hike Today
This afternoon I headed over to Big Basin for a few hours of hiking and photography. (This evening it occurred to me that I’m, well, lucky to be able to drive a bit more than an hour and hike among coastal redwoods.) I arrived at the park in the early afternoon to find that a) it was quite crowded, and b) it was quite cold. Although the rest of the Bay Area is experiencing unusual (and record) warmth, in the bottom of the “basin” it was cold enough that gloves and a hat were called for.
I parked and headed up the trail through the “creeping forest,” where I stopped a few times to photograph various sights in the forest. After hiking in the outbound direction for about an hour and a half, I reversed course and headed back to the trailhead and then home.
A Brand New State Park…
… to me anyway. This morning I visited Pacheco State Park at the summit of Pacheco Pass between Los Banos and Gilroy. I’ve driven past here for years on my way to/from the Sierra, Death Valley, Los Angeles, but only turned off the road here briefly once a few years ago. This past week I read a post about wildflowers at this park, and I decided to check it out.
I was on the road early enough this morning that I arrived at the park before the sun was up – so I decided to first take a quick trip down to the shoreline of San Luis Reservoir to check out a photo I’ve had in mind. Didn’t work, so I headed back up to the pass and turned off to the park. A short distance up the road from Hiway 152 I took the turn-off onto the short dirt road to the parking lot at the start of the trail to Spikes Peak and many other places. There was only one other car there when I arrived!. This trailhead is – at this time of year – in a beautiful green meadow area with wildflowers just coming up.
Because I was carrying my camera equipment my hike was rather slow since I needed to stop frequently to unload and set up my tripod and camera and various lenses. Before I topped the small saddle at the far end of the meadow I had already stopped two or three times to photograph oak trees catching the first morning light.
Two Oak Trees, Morning. Pacheco State Park, California. March 16, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.
Although the hills and grasslands of central California have been starting to turn green for a few weeks now, the impossibly green season is now underway, with grasses coming up like crazy along with all sorts of other vegetation and many wildflowers. I stopped frequently to check out loads of flowers, though it wasn’t easy to photograph them due to extreme winds.
Eventually I wound my way up onto a high ridge along the crest of this portion of the Diablo Range, with extensive views in all directions. To the south there was a bit of snow on somewhat higher peaks; to the west I could see a few clouds forming under the marine air influence; to the north the burned areas of Coe Park were visible with Mt. Hamilton beyond. But the real treat was to the east – green, folded, oak covered ridges in front of me, the San Luis Reservoir beyond them, and then across the wide Central Valley almost the whole Sierra Nevada range was visible on the horizon.
From Pacheco to the Sierra. Pacheco State Park, California. March 16, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.
I continued on along the ridge – in astonishingly strong winds – until I finally reached the “summit” of Spikes Peak. It is the tallest spot on this ridge, and it affords quite a view – but there were higher peaks in several directions. After a quick jaunt back along the ridge and then down to the parking lot the way I had come, I was back at my car by noon.
Almaden Quicksilver County Park Photographs
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***About this page
You might wonder “why so many pictures of this park?” It is the closest decent hiking location to my home, so I go there frequently – often once a week. Although this park overlooks Silicon Valley (and even San Francisco on a clear day) and some trails are almost literally in the backyards of expensive Almaden Valley homes, there is a lot of great hiking here. (More info at http://www.parkhere.org/ and at Ron Horii’s Almaden Quicksilver web site.)
All text and photographs are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved. Neither text nor photographs may be used in any form without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.
(Note: This now qualifies as a rather old page, but I’m keeping it around for the archives.)
***Photos of buildings at Almaden Quicksilver
– There is no escaping the fact that this was a mining site for many years (hence “Almaden Quicksilver County Park”), and I find the ruins historically and aesthetically interesting. A separate page (Almaden Quicksilver County Park Structures Photographs) contains photographs of these subjects.
Note: Additional photographs from this park are found here.
—
New and Old Trees, Spanish Camp. Almaden Quicksilver Park, California. April 15, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)
Trees, Spanish Town. Almaden Quicksilver Park, California. April 15, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)
Oak Grassland Near Webb Canyon. Almaden Hills, California. March 17, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)
Two Hikers, Oak Grove Near Webb Canyon. Almaden Quicksilver Park, California. March 17, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)
Santa Clara Valley Hills. Almaden Valley, California. February 16, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)
Winter Hiker. Almaden Hills, California. February 16, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)
Oak Emerging from Fog. Almaden Hills, California. February 16, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)
“>
Poison Oak Leaves. Almaden Quicksilver Park. October 14, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.
Autumn Leaves. Almaden Quicksilver Park. October 14, 2006. ©: Copyright G Dan Mitchell.
Rocks, Trees, and Grass. Almaden Quicksilver Park. March 18, 2006. © Copyright Dan Mitchell.
Diablo Range Snow and Clouds. Almaden Quicksilver. February 18, 2006. © Copyright Dan Mitchell.
Oak Arches. Almaden Quicksilver Park. December 23, 2005. © Copyright Dan Mitchell.
Late Season Fall Color. Almaden Quicksilver Park. December 23, 2005. © Copyright Dan Mitchell.
Tree and Rain. Almaden Quicksilver Park. December 21, 2005. © Copyright Dan Mitchell.
Solstice Trees. Almaden Quicksilver. December 21, 2005. © Copyright Dan Mitchell.
Prospect #3 Trail. Almaden Quicksilver Park. February 26, 2005. © Copyright Dan Mitchell.
Oak Grove and Fog. Almaden Quicksilver Park. October 22, 2005. © Copyright Dan Mitchell.
Moonrise Near the Senador Mine. Almaden Quicksilver Park. October 16, 2005. © Copyright Dan Mitchell.
Mt. Hamilton and Santa Clara Valley Fog. Almaden Quicksilver Park. October 1, 2005. © Copyright Dan Mitchell.
Leaves Turning Colors. Quicksilver Park. September 2, 2005. © Copyright Dan Mitchell.
Sunset. Almaden Quicksilver Park. July 21, 2005. © Copyright Dan Mitchell.
South Santa Clara Valley from Catherine Mine. Almaden Quicksilver Park. July 19, 2005. © Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Morning Light. Almaden Quicksilver Park. May 7, 2005. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Almaden Quicksilver Hillside. April 2, 2005. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Spring Flowers. Almaden Quicksilver Park. March 13, 2005. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Fisherman at Guadalupe Reservoir. Almaden Quicksilver Park. March 13, 2005. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Morning sun on oak trees and new grass. Almaden Quicksilver Park. February 26, 2005. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
New oak foliage. Almaden Quicksilver Park. February 26, 2005. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Hillside near Guadalupe Reservoir. Almaden Quicksilver Park. February 12, 2005. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Looking west from the ridge above Senador Mine. Almaden Quicksilver Park. February 12, 2005. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell
Oak and grass covered ridge near Webb Canyon. Almaden Quicksilver Park. January 22, 2005. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
New Years Day. Almaden Quicksilver Park. January 1, 2005. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Sun on a nearby ridge as rain approaches. Almaden Quicksilver Park. January 1, 2005. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Rainbow over Almaden Valley. Almaden Quicksilver Park. January 1, 2005. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Santa Clara Valley with San Francisco in the far distance. January 1, 2005. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Spur trail between New Almaden Trail and Randol Trail. Almaden Quicksilver Park. December 15, 2004. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Trees and grass on a small ridge near the Randol Trail. Almaden Quicksilver Park. December 15, 2004. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Trees in morning sun at Almaden Quicksilver Park. December 15, 2004. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Fog in the Santa Clara Valley. Almaden Quicksilver Park. December 11, 2004. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Golden late-fall trees. Almaden Quicksilver Park. December 11, 2004. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Oaks and fog on a ridge at Almaden Quicksilver Park. December 10, 2004. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Trees and grass on the New Almaden Trail. December 4, 2004. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
New Almaden Trail. December 4, 2004. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Bare branches, fall leaves, and new grass. Almaden Quicksilver Park. November 14, 2004. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Peeling bark. Almaden Quicksilver Park. October 31, 2004. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Bay trees. Almaden Quicksilver Park. October 31, 2004. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Green and brown leaves on the Deep Gulch Trail at Almaden Quicksilver Park. October 23, 2004. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Oak tree near the Hacienda Trail. Almaden Quicksilver Park. October 16, 2004. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Fall trees near the top of the Deep Gulch Trail at Almaden Quicksilver. October 16, 2004. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Mountain Hamilton beyond Almaden Quicksilver ridge. September 18, 2004. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Randol Trail #2. Almaden Quicksilver Park. September 3, 2004. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Almaden Quicksilver Park with Mt. Hamilton in the distance. August 28, 2004. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Randol Trail. Almaden Quicksilver Park. August 28, 2004. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Hacienda Trail oaks. Almaden Quicksilver. August 21, 2004. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Hacienda Trail. Almaden Quicksilver. August 21, 2004. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Catherine Tunnel mine site. Almaden Quicksilver Park. August 7, 2004. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Lichen and Leaves on the Castillero Trail. Almaden Quicksilver Park. August 7, 2004. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Mine Hill trail in evening light. July 28, 2004. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Fall colors near English Camp. Almaden Quicksilver Park. November 15, 2003. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Rock, grass, and trees on the Woods Road trail. Almaden Quicksilver Park. June 12, 2003. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Dry grass at Almaden Quicksilver Park. June 26, 2004. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
New Almaden Trail near Mockingbird Hill. April 18, 2004. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Rocks, grass, and trees. Almaden Quicksilver Park. April 18, 2004. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Another version of the oak-covered ridge near Webb Canyon. March 27, 2004.< Photo copyright Dan Mitchell./i>
Oak-covered ridge near Webb Canyon. March 27, 2004. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Hillside near the Hacienda entrance to Almaden Quicksilver Park. August 13, 2002. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Near the Hacienda entrance. March 20, 2004. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Bridge on the New Almaden Trail, Almaden Quicksilver County Park. March 13, 2004. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Trees and grass along Woods Road, Almaden Quicksilver Park. February 15, 2004. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
January flowers. January 31, 2004. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Forested section of the Prospect #3 trail. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Almaden Quicksilver early autumn leaves. September 28, 2003. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell
Almaden Quicksilver early autumn leaves in black and white. September 28, 2003.
Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.
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Dan's Outside 
Over at my photography site – another epic two-day sierra shoot
I spent the weekend shuttling around areas ranging from Yosemite Valley to Mono Lake to Mariposa grove. The story is posted at my photography web site.
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June 8, 2009 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | california, epic, grove, lake, mariposa, meadows, mono, national, nevada, park, pass, Photography, redwood, road, sequoia, sierra, tioga, tree, trip, tuolumne, usa, valley, wawona, Yosemite | Comments Off on Over at my photography site – another epic two-day sierra shoot