Last Saturday I visited Joseph D. Grant Ranch County Park. I started my short hike in Grant ranch near Grant Lake, took the Lakeview Trail to McCreery Lake, and then circled back. McCreery Lake is teaming with life this time of year. On the lake you’ll find ducks, turtles, [...]]]> http://ke6fas.com/blog/?p=28 Spring and early summer is the mating/nesting season for many of the inhabitants of the South Bay Parks. Turkeys are everywhere, and the males are showing their tail fans to impress the females. Around my neck of the woods, Santa Teresa County Park is a great place to see turkeys. [...]]]> http://ke6fas.com/blog/?p=27 I’ve noticed there’s a lot more activity in the local parks and preserves now then just a few weeks ago. The onset of spring and the beautiful weather are bringing people outdoors. During the winter time it often seemed that I had whole parks and preserves just to myself, and well sometimes [...]]]> http://ke6fas.com/blog/?p=26 After many years in the planning and construction phases, the Arastradero Preserve visitor center, known as the Gateway Facility, finally opened to the public a few months ago. The small, rustic facility is located just east of the main parking lot on Arastradero Rd. and was designed to blend in with the surrounding foothills. [...]]]> http://ke6fas.com/blog/?p=25 [GP:ed_levin] Though I’ve lived in the South Bay for almost 15 years, I had never before visited Ed R. Levin County Park. This county park is very accessible to folks in the South Bay (take Calaveras exit off I680 and follow the signs), and offers a variety of activities including hiking, picnicking, fishing, [...]]]> http://ke6fas.com/blog/?p=23 Fall and winter hiking in the Bay area often means having an entire park or open space preserve to yourself. I don’t recommend hiking alone, but frankly I do it myself quite often. This fall I visited several preserves and parks. The mild temperatures and the peacefulness make for a great [...]]]> http://ke6fas.com/blog/?p=22 A couple weeks ago I had what can only be called a “bad day at work” due to total brain freeze on my part.

I had just purchased a new flash drive the night before and had given it an access password that was very similar to my NT login password at work. When I [...]]]> http://ke6fas.com/blog/?p=21 Last week I was up in Oregon on a business trip and took a short trip down the Columbia River Gorge Historic Highway near Portland. This is a beautiful scenic drive with great views of the Columbia river and also the most spectacular collection of waterfalls I have ever seen. There [...]]]> http://ke6fas.com/blog/?p=20 Deer are among the most common mammals found in Bay Area county parks and open space preserves. Nonetheless you usually have to make an effort to find them within most parks. But not in Santa Teresa County Park.

Deer in Santa Teresa County Park

Santa Teresa County Park is one of the easiest and most accessible [...]]]> http://ke6fas.com/blog/?p=19 What’s so great about Spring Hikes?

A couple months ago I wrote a blog entry titled “Early spring hiking in the South Bay”, proclaiming how wonderful a time of year it is for exploring the parks and trails in the South bay area. Well, it is now mid-spring and the hiking experience is even better.  [...]]]> http://ke6fas.com/blog/?p=18