Vegas!

May 11, 2015 / myrestlesssoles / 2 Comments

We took a trip to Las Vegas to watch the WCC Basketball Conference Tournament. We had a blast! It was so fun and relaxing. We spent most of our time watching basketball. My husband was afraid I might get a bit restless. It was four nights in the same hotel room. Something we’ve never done before. My daughter kindly suggested bringing a tent if that would help me feel better. Surprisingly it was no problem. We didn’t spend much time there.

It had been a long time since I’d been to Vegas, in fact I think I’ve really only driven through. I didn’t know how many fun recreational activities are available there. When we weren’t watching basketball or trying new eating establishments we visited a few fun places.

We first went to Red Rock Canyon. This is a National Conservation Area. I loved how it was set up. You drive into the park and the first place you reach is the visitor center.

It was full of great information and the people working at the desks were so helpful. There is a one way 13 mile drive that takes you through the whole park. Along the drive their are lots of different trails you can take to explore the area. I wish we would have had more time. It is definitely a whole day adventure or more. We were only there for 5 hrs. It wasn’t enough. We did two of the shorter hikes. We stopped at the Calico II spot on the map and explored and hiked around for a while. We were able to see one of the trails that takes you to the top of some of the Red Rocks. We also saw climbers. We pulled over several times just to take in the views along the drive. The next hike we took was on the Lost Creek trail. We picked the right season to go because this trail has a waterfall if you time it right. This trail was easy. You are suppose to be able to see ancient pictographs but we couldn’t find them. This is a place I would love to revisit and do more exploring.

We didn’t have enough time to visit the Hoover Dam so we chose to go to the Lake Mead National Recreation Visitor Center. We walked along the Historical Railroad Hiking Trail. This was a very easy walk and had great views of the Lake. Once again not enough time to see everything we wanted to. The hope is to return to Vegas again next year and plan a little better so we can fit in more outdoor adventures.

My true feelings about California

March 6, 2015March 6, 2015 / myrestlesssoles / Leave a comment

Today I explored a new regional park that is not too far from my house. It took about 20 mins. to get there. I have lived in this area for 22 years and I can’t believe I am still finding new places to explore. Moving to California was hard for me. I swore I would never like it. Then I started realizing that if I had to live in California at least it was the Bay Area. Now I can truly say this is home and I love it! I never thought I could say that. I think the first time I started having good feelings about California was my first trip to Yosemite. Since then I have been able to explore and learn about so many beautiful places here in California. I especially love the East Bay. Mount Diablo is right in my backyard. There are so many great hiking, biking and running trails all around me. It takes about an hour and I’m at the beach. I can be in Tahoe in 2.5 hours. Yosemite is approx. 4 hours. What could be better?

Ok, now lets talk about Briones Regional Park. Today was my first trip here. I cannot believe I haven’t hiked here before. It is gorgeous. I will definitely be back to explore more trails and learn my way around. I always come prepared with a map of the area and a general idea of what trails I plan on taking. Like many times before things didn’t go exactly as planned. After researching the area, I decided to park at the Alhambra Creek Staging area. The best way to find this parking area is to use the address 298 Brookwood Dr., Martinez, CA. I had two friends with me today. We entered the park and took the Orchard Trail.

. As we followed this trail we came to a fork in the road.

We took the trail to the right. This is still the Orchard Trail but it is not marked well. As we hiked along this trail we encountered a man waving a white flag in a grassy area. When I asked him what he was doing he replied, “collecting ticks from this area to study”. Interesting. I was glad to have on long pants. The trail is nice and wide so there really wasn’t any worry about ticks. There is a gentle climb and as you get to the top you come to a gate and a road.

The trail continues on the other side of the road and through a gate. So far the trail has been very easy. You will soon arrive at a split in the trail. We took the Tonyon Canyon Trail.

It is the trail on the right. Not long after being on the Tonyon Canyon Trail we started climbing. The climbing seemed easier because it was such a peaceful, beautiful trail.

We climbed for about a mile. Near the top of the climb we passed a small pond. The views at the top were amazing. This picture show Mount Diablo in the background. We stayed to the left on the trail and came to another pond. At some point Tonyon Canyon Trail changes to Lagoon Trail. This was a bit confusing because we couldn’t see this on our map. We followed Lagoon trail to the left. It is hard to see it but this trail ends. This is where we made the wrong turn. My map wasn’t clear. We could go left and take Briones Road or right which took us on the Briones Crest Trail. We took the Crest Trail. From this point on we tried to find the trails we were supposed to be hiking. We ended up on the Table Top Trail. At the top you find a bench and more views. The path is not marked but we took the trail to the left. After hiking for about another 15 minutes we came across the Spengler Trail. This was part of the original plan so we thought we had found our way back. We were wrong but the trail was still very enjoyable. We came up close and personal with some cows. This is the point we realized we really didn’t know where we were. I just purchased a garmin etrex 20 and this was it’s maiden voyage. I’m not quite sure how to use it completely but it was very uselful in helping us navigate our way back to the car. I found an old fire road that we took until we spotted a marked trail. We ended up on the Diablo View trail which took us back to our car. We did get lost but it really was worth it. The trip ended up being 7.72 miles, 2316 ft. elevation and took us 3.5 hrs. I loved it! I cannot wait to go back and actually figure out what the original route is like.

Bike

February 25, 2015 / myrestlesssoles / Leave a comment

I love my bike. This last week I just wanted to spend more time on it. I usually get in at least one good ride a week but that just wasn’t enough. I think its the spring like weather that has made me want to ride or the fact that I need to start training for my upcoming 100K. The 100K Cinderella ride is in Pleasanton Ca. I think this will be my 5th time to participate in this event. It’s an all women’s ride. The atmosphere is so fun. Lots of women dress up or decorate their bikes. This will be the first of hopefully two 100K rides this year.

My bike is a Navora touring bike. I think I’ve had it for almost 7 yrs. It’s the perfect bike for me. I wanted a bike that was light enough to take on the road but also practical for around town. I have campus pedals. These have a flat side and a clip in side. That way I don’t have to have biking shoes on every time I ride. I love this because I ride my bike to the store, the pool and sometimes to a trail head. Here’s a picture from my ride the other day.

I think one of the other reasons I love biking is because it is something my husband and I do together. Another reason, and this may seem like a contradiction, but I enjoy going by myself. It gives me a sense of freedom. If I’m feeling good, I just keep going. If I’m dragging, I can switch up my route. I am lucky to live in an area that even though I’m on the road there are lots of places to ride where you can feel like you are still getting away. There are also lots of great bike lanes and paths. Lastly, biking is hard work but my body doesn’t receive the pounding it does if I’m running or hiking.

If you haven’t been on a bike lately go out and give it a try!

Group Hike with Family and Friends

February 17, 2015 / myrestlesssoles / 1 Comment

Today I invited a group of friends to join me on a hike to the waterfalls on Mount Diablo. It was a perfect day to do it. It rained hard last week but has since been sunny leaving the trail dry but lots of water for the falls. We started the hike at the end of Regency Dr. in Clayton. You want to follow the trail through the gates to Mount Diablo park. You will see a large map posted. The trail will immediately split with one going up and to the right but make sure you stay on the trail that is flat and straight ahead. This trail is called the Cardinet Oaks Road. Continue to follow this trail. You will see a lot of other trails break off of this main road but stay on this road. The first part of this trail is very easy but it does have a steep hill after about a mile. Once you have climbed a bit the trail will level off and you will reach an intersection. You want to take Boundary Park to the left. Here are some pictures from this point. This trail is going to take you to a creek crossing. After crossing the creek you will begin to climb. The next trail you need to take is the Middle Trail. Here are some pictures of the spot where the turn off is. It can be hard to find.

After coming around this curve you will find the trail post on the right. Up to this point you have been on a wide trail but this Middle trail is much smaller. It is less groomed and you need to watch your footing. You will come to a point where the trail splits. Follow the post that says “trail” and points up. You can follow the other trail down where you will have a great view of one of the falls but you need to go back to the trail to continue on. You can barely see the falls at the bottom of this pictures.

Continue on until you reach the waterfall and creek crossing. Keep going. You will hit some more small falls just a few yards away. Sorry for the finger in the photo. You are now on what I consider to be the most beautiful part of the hike. The trail will take you to a great look out point. Be sure to stop and take some pictures. After the look out point there is a steep downhill slide that ends at another creek crossing. Enjoy this trail on the way down. You will be following the creek so there are lots of small falls to see and hear. The trail will end and you want to go right on Donner Canyon Road. You will then take a left back on Cardinet Oaks Road. The same one you came in on.

We had people of all ages on this hike. The youngest one was 7. (not including the baby in the carrier) They all made it with no problem. The hike was about 6 miles and took approx. 3hrs. The best time to do this trail is after there has been rain. The draw back is you don’t want to go when it is still really muddy. It was such a fun day! Let me know if you’ve done this hike before and what your thoughts are.

Happy Valentines Day!

February 15, 2015 / myrestlesssoles / Leave a comment

For Valentines Day I decided to take my friend Joann and hike the trail from Tilden Park to Wildcat Canyon Park. This is the trail I wanted to hike last week. It was a gorgeous day. We started at the parking lot for the Little Farm and Education/Visitor Center. If you are walking toward the Farm you want to stay to your left. On the left hand side of the roundabout you will see this trail post.

Follow the trail to Jewel Lake. As you approach the lake you need to stay to the right and continue on to the lake.

As you continue around the lake you will cross this bridge. At the end of the bridge you want to turn left. There isn’t any posting to direct you this way. You will see a post that has and arrow for the Wildcat Peak trail. Do not take this one. You want to be on Wildcat Creek Trail. Stay on the main road. You will eventually arrive at this sign. You will be on this trail for a while. It is well groomed and an easy hike. You are now looking for the Havey Canyon Trail. This is what you will see. It has the name of the trail and also a warning that it is a rough trail. You will follow the trail to the right. I wasn’t sure what to expect with this warning. It really wasn’t that bad. It was just an ungroomed trail. There was some mud but nothing too crazy. I loved the tree cover and it felt less traveled. Here are some pictures. Continuing on the trail you will come to a water crossing. As you cross the creek you will see a gate. You need to go through the gate and stay on the trail. We later figured out that the gate is there because you are now entering an area where cows are grazing. Joann and I were a little startled when we came upon three cows laying right by the trail. We could have walked up and petted them. They didn’t seemed bothered by our presence. I have to say, cows seem much bigger when you are that close. You eventually come out of the tree cover and the trail turns into what looks like a cow path. This is us further up the cow path. You are pretty much at the top now and the views are great. As you follow the cow path you will eventually hit the Nimitz Way. This is a paved road. You want to go right on Nimitz Way. This is the view and what the road looks like. You will stay on Nimitz way until you reach the Laurel Canyon Trail. This trail is not marked. You will pass a post that directs you to Wildcat peak. DO NOT take that trail but the next trail will look like this. Take this trail. It will be on your right and is easy to pass if you are not paying attention. After walking on this for a few minutes you will come to an intersection directing you to take either Laurel Canyon Trail or Laurel Canyon Rd. Both end up at the same place. We decided to take Laurel Canyon Rd. At the end of this trail the post will direct you to the left or to the visitor center. Follow this path all the way to the farm/visitor center.

I read about this trail from different sources. One source called the hike difficult, another gave it 3 out of 5 stars for difficulty. It was 8 miles so the length is what makes it hard. The actual elevation and climbing is very easy. It was a beautiful clear day making the views great. I don’t think I would do this hike in the summer. The trails are mostly exposed to the sun and I could see it getting very hot. Overall I had a great time. This would be a great all day adventure for a family. You could pack a lunch and enjoy it on the Nimitz way. They have benches you can sit on and enjoy the view. Just understand that if you are taking younger children it is a long hike. If they can handle the length it would be doable. Enjoy!

Mount Diablo in the Spring? Wait, it’s still winter.

February 12, 2015February 12, 2015 / myrestlesssoles / 2 Comments

What a perfect day to hike. It might still be winter but it was sure looking and feeling like spring today. I decided to hike a trail I haven’t been on in a while. My friend and hiking buddy, Tee, joined me again today.

We started at the Mount Diablo State Park, Mitchell Canyon Entrance and took the trail to Deer Flat. This trail is well marked and easy to follow. It’s hard to get lost on this one. Today we just went up and back the same way. It is about 3.5 miles to Deer Flat. Round trip is approx. 7 miles. As you can see in the pictures the first part of the trail is on a nice wide, well groomed dirt path. It was a bit muddy today in the beginning. The nice wide trail is consistent to the end but about 2 miles in you start to climb. The first part is a very easy slope and most anyone could hike and enjoy it. After you reach the hills it becomes more difficult. I would recommend this hike for families but only the first 2 miles. It is a great hike to take a picnic on. There are several picnic benches along the way.

You follow the creek for the first 2 miles. There is also a side path you can take to the creek to see a small waterfall. This time of year it is so green and lush. Go out and give this trail a try. You won’t regret it!

It never goes as planned

February 5, 2015February 5, 2015 / myrestlesssoles / Leave a comment

Today I planned to hike in the Tilden Nature Area to Wildcat Canyon Regional Park. I have a book called 101 Hikes in Northern California by Matt Heid , published by Wilderness Press. I am trying to hike all of the trails in the book. I am not doing them in any particular order. Today’s hike is #17 in the book. Let me just say that this book has given me great ideas of where to hike but some of the directions are hard to follow. Past experiences have taught me to look at several different maps to make sure I have a better idea of where to go. I did bring a map along. I picked up my friend Teemaree. The traffic was slow and I got lost, so by the time we arrived at the park we decided to take a different route. I will have to hike the route from the book another day.

From the parking lot we took the Jewel Lake trail to the Wildcat Peak Trail. The hope was to connect to the Laurel Canyon Trail but instead we reached the Nimitz Way. A man told us that the Laurel Canyon Trail was just down the road/trail. We followed that road (Nimitz Way) for quite a while. I soon realized we must have missed the trail. We just kept going until the trail ended at Wildcat Canyon Road. After studying the map we took the Curran trail to Meadows Canyon Trail down to Lone Oak picnic area and the road led us back to our car.

The hike ended up being 5.71 miles. It took about 2 hrs. My friends will tell you I don’t mind getting lost or trying new trails. We always find our way home and in the process see some new places. That is what I love about hiking, it’s always something unique and beautiful. You could take the same trail but depending on the weather, it may not look the same. Tilden Park is beautiful. There are so many great trails to explore. It brought back a lot of fond memories of when I used to bring my kids to the Little Farm to feed the animals and then to hike around. The hike we took today might not work for a family with small kids but there are several other hikes like the Jewel Lake Trail that would work.

Meadow Canyon Trail , Tilden park

You have to start somewhere.

February 4, 2015February 12, 2015 / myrestlesssoles / 1 Comment

. I wasn’t sure how to start this blog so I decided to just jump in. Just like exercising you never feel like you can do it because you are so out of shape. I feel the same way about writing but I won’t get any better unless I just do it.

I am excited to share with you the adventures that I take with family and friends. I love being outdoors and in nature. The world is full of beautiful sites. I have four children that I have taken on most of my adventures. I have had a lot of people ask for advice on what trail or which trip would work for their family. I thought this would be a great platform to share where to go and what works. My kids are all grown so I might be taking along some adopted children on my treks so I can give a true report on what would work for a family.

Today I was by myself just running/walking the trails on Mount Diablo. The sun was starting to set, a bit overcast and just perfect weather for the trail.

myrestlesssoles

It's hard for me to stand still. Join me in my adventures and see how I keep my feet busy.

Author: myrestlesssoles