Visit to San Francisco

We visited with Peter and Vian in San Francisco today. During the week Peter is at Caltech in Pasadena, but on the week-ends he flies to San Francisco to be with Vian who is in Med School at UCSF School of Medicine.

Marin Hills above a layer of fog at 8 a.m., from the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.

Replacement (11/18/2013) for the eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, which was severely damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake. 

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2409952 

Coit Tower atop Telegraph Hill, a landmark of the San Francisco skyline. Fog and the Marin Hills to the right.

Classic "painted lady" house two doors down from Vian's apartment.

View down the hill and across to the Golden Gate Bridge from the street in front of Vian's apartment.

We accompanied Peter and Vian to their Saturday morning class in Suio Ryu Iai Kenpo style of Iaido. 

http://www.suioryu-usa.org

From the drive home - modern buildings in San Francisco.

Buildings old and new, and the bridge.

Skyline Trail

Our RV park is called Vineyard RV Park because we are located right on the edge of the Napa Valley. Today we ventured into Napa and viewed the vineyards covering the hills; many of the vines turning fall colors. On the border of the Napa town limits is Skyline Wilderness Park.

We decided on an out-and-back to Lake Marie. About two miles up the trail we had this nice view of the Napa Valley. Those are vineyards in the middle of the picture. (Click to make larger.)

Interesting trees along the trail.

The trail climbs up a southwest canyon wall and then contours along a steep slope for over 3 miles before arriving at Lake Marie.

Lake Marie is held by an earthen dam seen in this lunch picture.

Our lunch view.

A mining cabin foundation and chimney along the trail.

On the way back the view became quite hazy.

Today's hike:

Length - 7.66 miles

Duration - 4 hours, 16 minutes (including lunch)

Elevation gain - 1,660 feet (168 floors on the Fitbit)

Rush Ranch - Marsh and South Pasture Loop Trails

Most of the East Bay and South Bay of the San Francisco Bay ecosystem has been diked and filled destroying the bay's natural wet land edges. The North Bay's Suisun Marsh remains relatively untouched as a tidal wetland area. In fact, it is so rare in today's world that Suisun is considered to be the largest contiguous estuarine marsh in the United States.

Now marshes and wetlands are not our most favorite hiking areas, but since we are in the area we drove the 20 miles a section of the Suisun Marsh that is operated by the Solano Land Trust specifically as a nature preserve. Rush Ranch, a former sheep and cattle ranch is now a 2,070-acre open-space area, including more than 1,000 acres of wetlands.

In addition to the ranch buildings, looking much as they did when the Rush family lived here in the early 1900's, there are two trails that took us along the Suisun Slough and out to the South Pasture.

Picturesque ranch buildings.

Along the Marsh Trail there is a small hill and a replica of a Patwin shelter.

Close-up of the dwelling. Looks likes a real fixer-upper.

We climbed the hill for views of Mt. Diablo to the south.

Twin Sisters peak to the west.

Mount Vaca to the north and...

the Portrero hills to the east with the Suisun Slough in the foreground.

Every now and then, a huge, gray military plane from nearby Travis Air Force Base cruised slowly and almost silently overhead. The slow motion maneuverability of these planes allows them to take off and land on short runways. 

Frederick approaching a gate in a fenced area that held several herds of cattle. At our approach they would take off running only to criss-cross the trail several times, on the run, as we neared the barns of the ranch.

On our way over to the South Pasture we passed under a Buckeye tree.

The "fruit" of the Buckeye tree. Looks just like the Buckeye candy/cookies we helped make at Rose & Ralph's home last fall. I believe they are a favorite of Jackie's.

Along the South Pasture Trail there is a fenced cultural exhibit of the Native American grinding rock site, where the Patwin Indians, also known as Southern Wintun Indians, ground acorns and nuts into meal. 

Rush Ranch buildings from the South Pasture Trail.

Back at the main buildings there was this metal sculpture in the gardens.

The Blacksmith Shop also had a metal sculpture.

Today's hike:

Length - 4.84 miles

Duration - 2 hours, 34 minutes (including lunch)

Elevation gain - 140 feet (14 floors on the Fitbit)

I don't think we have included our campground location yet, on Google Maps.

Pena Adobe Tower Trail

A quiet afternoon hike on a beautiful California day. Nearby is Pena Adobe Regional Park, eight miles away, where we climbed into the hills to the top where there were several cell towers.

Lunch spot under live oaks.

View back down to the regional park.

Looking west toward Mount Diablo. 

A beautiful live oak tree.

Today's hike:

Length - 4.65 miles

Duration - 2 hours, 19 minutes

Elevation gain - 790 feet (79 floors on the Fitbit)

In Honor of Paul

We are only 16 miles from the University of California, Davis Campus, an agricultural college with a famed medical school. In looking for a hike for the day we found the UC Davis Arboretum and were invited to "stroll through the peaceful 'Arb' along the 3.5-mile loop" that follows one of the state's oldest reservoirs, dug in the 1860's, that forms the southeastern border of the beautiful campus. My brother Paul loved plants and had a degree in horticulture from Purdue University.

We also thought about Oliver and Sheri Huang, Vian's parents, who went to medical school at Davis. Perhaps the young Vivian walked along the very paths we strolled on today. What inspiring gardens!

View down Putah Creek.  Putah is the name of the First Nations People that lived here.

Frederick pointing out a red flowering shrub. If you click on the picture to enlarge it you will also see the red flowering tree behind the golden ginko tree on the left.

Mallard ducks on the creek. See the ducks, Maura?

There are themed gardens all along the creek - Australian Collection, California Foothill Collection, Desert Collection, East Asian Collection, California Native Plants, the Oak Grove and the Redwood Grove, etc.

A collection of cairns near the Desert Collection.

In the Redwood Grove.

Nathan, look at the turtle! (and the green "pond scum"!)

In the Oak Grove, the largest section in area, was this sculpture created by UC Davis landscape architecture student, John Gainey, as part of his senior project. It is called - Listening to Oaks. John created this sculpture using branches from a heritage valley oak tree in the Arboretum that recently died. Valley oak trees are native to this site and can live for hundreds of years.

We met this interesting man, Dan, in the Oak Grove. We had much in common and much to talk about. He had lived in the Boston area and in Alaska. We enjoyed visiting with him and hearing about his experiences on Kodiak Island.

Today's hike:

Length - 4.31 miles

Duration - 2 hours, 45 minutes

Elevation gain - 80 feet (8 floors on the Fitbit)