It's 93 degrees and time to hike Pleasanton Ridge. This hike follows a fire road through the foothills and provides great views of the east bay. Click on the pics to get a large view, especially of the scenic shots. At the trailhead, Yanni and I decide to strike our best dork pose.
I am glad that we hiked the ridge, but it is a dry and exposed trail. It climbs over 1,000 feet up and then gradually descends as you make your way back.
There are not many wildflowers on the trail since it is so dry, but we did find this beautiful Mariposa Lily, which I mistakenly identified as a Johnny-Jump-Up. While I do not "make this s%#@ up" as Yanni claims, this is the second time that I have mis-identified a wildflower .
The trails are well marked and it is impossible to get lost. Well, almost impossible. "Let's see, here's the Nevada border, if we head back west......"
So, we're hiking along, and Gary, a friend and neighbor, sees two vultures sitting on a fence. For some reason, they are not flying away, so Gary inches closer.....
...and gets this shot.
And at the last moment, the vultures flies away. These ubiquitous birds are pretty amazing: They feed primarily on a wide variety of carrion, from small mammals to large grazers, preferring those recently dead, but may also feed on plant matter, shoreline vegetation, pumpkin and other crops, live insects and other
invertebrates . They prefer the meat of herbivorous animals to that of dogs and other carnivores. Turkey Vultures can often be seen along roadsides cleaning up roadkill, or near rivers feasting on washed-up fish, another of their favorite foods. They really have some interesting stuff going on. Get this: their main form of defense, other than just flying away, is to vomit when attacked. The smell from the undigested food deters most predators. To cool off, they will defecate on their own legs. As the liquid evaporates, it cools, similar to the reason that we humans sweat when hot. And, as mean/ugly as these guys are, they are gentle and timid birds. (I know it sounds like I just make this S%$# up, but its what I read on the Internet, I have a lot of free time.) I can go on about the turkey vultures, but back to the hike.
After a while, we take a break for lunch and more importantly, some shade! (For you camera buffs, here's a shot that makes a light meter go crazy.)
Here's one of the views we get looking southeast:
...and looking east towards Mt. Diablo:
...and another eastward view to the golf course:
Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout, $2.00, Corona, $1.50, Sam Adams, $1.25, hangin' with your buds drinking beer on a hot day after hiking six miles, priceless.
It's 93 degrees and time to hike Pleasanton Ridge. This hike follows a fire road through the foothills and provides great views of the east bay. Click on the pics to get a large view, especially of the scenic shots. At the trailhead, Yanni and I decide to strike our best dork pose.
I am glad that we hiked the ridge, but it is a dry and exposed trail. It climbs over 1,000 feet up and then gradually descends as you make your way back.
There are not many wildflowers on the trail since it is so dry, but we did find this beautiful Mariposa Lily, which I mistakenly identified as a Johnny-Jump-Up. While I do not "make this s%#@ up" as Yanni claims, this is the second time that I have mis-identified a wildflower .
The trails are well marked and it is impossible to get lost. Well, almost impossible. "Let's see, here's the Nevada border, if we head back west......"
So, we're hiking along, and Gary, a friend and neighbor, sees two vultures sitting on a fence. For some reason, they are not flying away, so Gary inches closer.....
...and gets this shot.
And at the last moment, the vultures flies away. These ubiquitous birds are pretty amazing: They feed primarily on a wide variety of carrion, from small mammals to large grazers, preferring those recently dead, but may also feed on plant matter, shoreline vegetation, pumpkin and other crops, live insects and other invertebrates . They prefer the meat of herbivorous animals to that of dogs and other carnivores. Turkey Vultures can often be seen along roadsides cleaning up roadkill, or near rivers feasting on washed-up fish, another of their favorite foods. They really have some interesting stuff going on. Get this: their main form of defense, other than just flying away, is to vomit when attacked. The smell from the undigested food deters most predators. To cool off, they will defecate on their own legs. As the liquid evaporates, it cools, similar to the reason that we humans sweat when hot. And, as mean/ugly as these guys are, they are gentle and timid birds. (I know it sounds like I just make this S%$# up, but its what I read on the Internet, I have a lot of free time.) I can go on about the turkey vultures, but back to the hike.
After a while, we take a break for lunch and more importantly, some shade! (For you camera buffs, here's a shot that makes a light meter go crazy.)
Here's one of the views we get looking southeast:
...and looking east towards Mt. Diablo:
...and another eastward view to the golf course:
Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout, $2.00, Corona, $1.50, Sam Adams, $1.25, hangin' with your buds drinking beer on a hot day after hiking six miles, priceless.
1 comment:
Jeff, since you're retired and have some time to kill you might as well destroy some brain cells at my hiking blog ... http://www.twoheeldrive.com ... if you're really desperate for amusement, I've hiked many of your favorite trails and written about them at my homepage, http://tommangan.net ... pictures, too.
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