Monthly Archives: January 2014

Birding – introduction

Posted on January 31, 2014 by trailhiker

I consider myself to be a casual birder.  I grew up in a family of enthusiastic birders, drifted away from the hobby when I went away to college, and recently have become more interested again as an enhancement to my … Continue reading →

Posted in birding | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Birding at Rush Ranch

Posted on January 31, 2014 by trailhiker

My visit to Rush Ranch (see here for hike details) included quite a few bird sightings, notably two new entries to my life list.  This post is a short summary of the hike from the birding perspective.  Since I was … Continue reading →

Posted in birding, North Bay, Solano County | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Rush Ranch Open Space – Marsh and South Pasture Trails

Posted on January 31, 2014 by trailhiker

Rush Ranch Open Space, located outside Fairfield in southern Solano County and operated by the Solano Land Trust, is a 2000-acre open space area that includes different ecosystems: freshwater and salt marsh, pasture, and grasslands.  There are 3 loop trails, … Continue reading →

Posted in North Bay, Solano County | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve

Posted on January 27, 2014 by trailhiker

Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve is in Contra Costa County south of Antioch and Pittsburg and west of Brentwood, at the eastern edge of the Diablo Range.  The area was a center for coal (black diamond) mining in the second … Continue reading →

Posted in Contra Costa County, East Bay, East Bay Regional Park District | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Los Vaqueros Watershed: Valley View and Homestead Trails

Posted on January 22, 2014 by trailhiker

Los Vaqueros Watershed is relatively new, having opened to recreational use in 1999, and is owned and managed by the Contra Costa Water District.  The open space is about 20,000 acres surrounding Los Vaqueros Reservoir.  The terrain is open grassland … Continue reading →

Posted in Contra Costa County, East Bay | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve to Black Mountain

Posted on January 20, 2014 by trailhiker

Some might say that the route for this hike was the hard way to get up to the top of Black Mountain, the highest point on Monte Bello Ridge and the second highest point (after Castle Rock) in the Sierra … Continue reading →

Posted in Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, Peninsula, Santa Clara County | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Fremont Older Open Space Preserve

Posted on January 15, 2014 by trailhiker

This exploration of Fremont Older Open Space Preserve began as a plan to hike one loop, or possibly two, and I decided mid-hike to include an additional out-and-back section to the edge of nearby Stevens Creek County Park.  The total … Continue reading →

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Emigrant Trail part 1 – snow hike

Posted on January 6, 2014 by trailhiker

I have previously hiked portions of the 15-mile Commemorative Emigrant Trail, which extends from a trailhead near Tahoe Donner to the south edge of Stampede Reservoir, not far north of Truckee.  Recently I decided to start hiking the entire trail … Continue reading →

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2013 Summary by the Numbers

Posted on January 3, 2014 by trailhiker

This is a summary of my hikes and walks for the year 2013.  Last year I put together my first such summary and I thought 2013 would be an interesting comparison. The activities I’m summarizing are those I track: basically, … Continue reading →

Posted in Bay Area Ridge Trail, general, walking for fitness | Tagged , | 2 Comments