Botanical Adventure

We spent a morning in the Tilden Park Botanical Gardens recently. The gardens are so lush from all the rain. Plus we were some of the few there on such an early morning, made for a peaceful adventure.

Hope to return to those gardens soon. Always a refreshing experience.

{This Moment}--First Hike He Walked

{this moment} - A Friday ritual inspired by Soulemama. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Solo Aqui::Fullness

This past week was busy and full. Full bellies, full house, and days filled with friends and family. We all gathered from near and far to celebrate my husband's birthday, and the festivities just continued on into the weekend!

 

We celebrated with sisters, and aunts, and significant others.

We hiked in the sun and cooked in the rain (there was lot's of rain!)

Did I mention that we ate? And ate, and ATE! There was lot's of food to be had. Oh what a delicious week. So much lovely time with people who are near and dear to our hearts. 

Wishing you friends a happy and full rest of your week!

Hiking Redwood Regional Park

Redwood Regional Park is such an unusual and unexpected place to find tucked away in the Oakland Hills. Suddenly you are away from the urban sprawl and find yourself among towering giants. The hike was on the longer side of 4.5 miles. Long enough for E to catch a nap. It was a shady trail the whole way and would be perfect for late spring and summer treks. Also, awesome for a wee one's delicate skin. E just loved hanging out in the hiking backpack! I picked up the white sun hat he's wearing from Target last summer. The Velcro strap has made it so easy to take on and off. Plus it's SPF 50!

It was a little confusing where to park. We ended up parking way out in an overflow lot, since it wasn't marked well. It just added maybe a quarter of a mile to our overall hike. E did really well for most of the hike and only had one melt down toward the end. He was very thirsty! Bring lot's of water because this is a hilly hike for sure. Layer yourself as the beginning you will be cool and the end you will be toasting up!

You can check it out on weekend sherpa for more info on the hikes and how to get there.

Happy Trails!

Hiking Mt. Tam

The view from West Point Inn

The fog came rolling in and covered the Golden Gate Bridge

My Father-In Law Takes in the view

I love Weekend Sherpa and their constant supply of amazing outdoor information for the SF Bay Area. A few weeks ago we took the Mt. Tam hike up to West Point Inn. We saw breath taking vistas and panoramic views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the city of San Francisco. Basically, it was the most beautiful hike I have been on in a while. We parked at Pantoll Camp grounds. There was an $8 fee for parking in the lot or it was free if you parked on the street. We started our hike from Pantoll and did a moderate climb up to the West Point Inn where we got a drink, took a breather, and ate a snack while looking out onto some of the ocean and city. Completely worth the hour and half drive! We plugged Emory into the baby backpack and put a big sun hat on him and he was perfectly content for the entire trek. I hope to return to Mt. Tam soon!