Hike #7 - Windy Hill - 7 miles

Today's hike was unbelievable!  After seeing Brigit's Well Celtic concert for kids in Portola Valley, we bought lunch at Robert's Market and drove to Windy Hill.  We chose the Spring Ridge-Hammas Gulch Loop.

The highlights and sightings on this hike:

• Turtles and American Coots sunning in the pond
• Mud that was unavoidable, so why not just have fun with it?
• Trillium albidum - I was so excited to see these white beauties!
• Trillium chloropetalum - A native to California.  Gorgeous dark purple.
• Wild Strawberries
• Crossing a creek
• Gorgeous, huge, moss covered Douglas Fir trees
• Once we hit Anniversary Trail we had breathtaking views of the East Bay, then looked back and had a gorgeous view of the West Coast.  
• Snow and hail once we hit Skyline Road
• Rainbows and sunshine

Sausal Pond

Turtles sunning on logs

Hounds Tongue - Cynoglossum officinale

Hounds Tongue

Trillium chloropetalum - A native to California.  Gorgeous dark purple.  

Woodland Strawberry - Fragaria vesca

Trillium chloropetalum - A native to California.  Gorgeous dark purple. 

Milk Maids - Cardamine californica

Trillium albidum 

California Newt

North American Mission Bell or Checker Lily - Fritillarias

Trillium chloropetalum - A native to California.  Gorgeous dark purple. 

A great resource for stroller hikes in the Bay Area:   http://www.strollerhikes.com/

Hike #6 - Henry Cowell Redwood State Park - 2 miles

We always like to park on Hwy 9 and walk in.  Adira's legs hurt from running the Jenny's Light Charity Run so she stayed home.  After the race, out day swiftly went by.  We only had 1-1/2 hours to walk so the 4 miles hike that I wanted to do was not possible.

The walk along the San Lorenzo River was peaceful.  The children really wanted to play in the river (Note to self:  come back another day).   The river trail took us to the train trellis then we looped back to the Redwood Loop Trail.  We stopped at the General Fremont hollow tree and explored the inside with my cell phone flashlight.  The walk back took us by the Nature Center  (Note to self:  come back another day) and the steam train.  Then, we continued past open meadows and saw 5 deer.