Mission Peak Trail in Fremont, CA

Today I had a BBQ planned with a MeetUp, but felt that driving 2.5 hrs just to eat, drink and be merry was not good enough, so I decided to hike before the BBQ.

Mission Peak trail was mentioned to me a few times as one of the more popular hikes in the Bay area. I don't usually like to hike with dozens of people, but this time there was an excuse to try it out. There are two main trails leading to Mission Peak, one starts from Ohlone college and is 7.5 miles round trip, and the other one begins near Stanford Ave, is 5 miles, but has only 40 parking stalls. It is highly recommended to park at Ohlone college, and I can see why - there is plenty of parking and is $4 or free (depends on the time of the year). The parking garage was right across from the trailhead, very simple and convenient. This trail also has more shade, and believe me, you need that!

I started the hike early, at 8 AM I was already at the trailhead. It was supposed to be 90F today, so I really wanted to skip the heat. By the time I started, some people were already coming back. If I lived closer, I would have done the same.

Today I decided to wear shorts instead of my usual hiking pants because I saw that the trail is wide and sandy with no vegetation on the trail itself. I was right, I would not want to wear anything more than I did - it was hot! The climb is gradual, but consistent. In the beginning, I saw some bulls and cows really close by accompanied by dozens of flies. I can't even imaging how they can live covered in insects like that all the time! Cool experience that cattle is just grazing wherever they want to, some though were confined in smaller spaces. I was glad I am an aspiring vegetarian...

The nicer parts of the trail start about 2 miles in. You get a full view of the Bay and surrounding areas. It was clear and a big smoggy today, but visibility was not an issue. Once you are past the first 2 miles, it gets nice and cooler with somewhat of a stronger wind that brings some relief. The last part of the climb is intense, but the reward is so visible that you really can't stop.

At the top, many people are lined up to take a picture with a pole and the US flag, but I decided I didn't want to wait and just enjoyed the view before starting to descend. The way down is very enjoyable, especially as you watch other people starting at 10-11 AM and dying from heat at the very beginning of the trail. Do your research, people!

Mushroom Mardi Gras in Morgan Hill, CA

I love mushrooms! Love them! Hence, I was excited to go to a Mushroom Mardi Gras. Who cares that it's 2.5 hrs away from Fresno, we are going to eat mushrooms! Or not...

Here is a summary of the festival.
Positive:
1) street parking available within 3-4 blocks;
2) lots of food;
3) lots of vendors with expensive stuff;
4) drink ticket booths are throughout the festival;
5) no cover charge.

Cons:
1) few booths actually have anything with mushrooms. I chose rice with mushrooms, and it was good, but I expected lots of different dishes with mushrooms at a mushroom Mardi Gras;
2) premium wine tasting is a joke. You can get a Groupon a few bucks off the tasting, buy on their Facebook page or on site with cash. $30 gets you 10 tastings. Only those who bought the tickets can go in, but if there are two people in your group, you can buy one punch card with a "complimentary" festival glass and just alternate who goes in (as long as you ask for the wrist band for each person). There are 4 wineries; each offers 2 reds and 1 white. Not a great selection, but wine is great.
3) everything is extremely overpriced, but I guess this is a festival...
4) few things to pick for a vegetarian. You'd think at a mushroom festival that would not be an issue, but it is.
5) some vendors are a bit annoying trying to cover you with their cream products without consent.

Overall, a bummer, don't think I would go there unless I lived nearby.

I wasn't even motivated to film, because there was not much to film, but here you go...

What? Blueberry picking again? Yes!

I loved picking blueberries two weeks ago at Big L Ranch, so we came back! At $5 per pound, you cannot go wrong with organic blueberries. And this time I fully comprehended the idea of "organic".

As we arrived, the parking lot was relatively empty. On Memorial Day weekend, many people must have gone out of town or just decided to enjoy the extra day off on their couches. Not us! We work for our food! Especially, food that is so delicious.

Two weeks ago I got about 4 lbs of blueberries. We came for the opening weekend, and many blueberries were still green. This time they were ripe and plentiful. The only thing is insects, lots of them! Little flying bugs were all over the bushes. As you reached for some blueberries and accidentally shake the branch, dozens of them would fly out, scared for their lives.

There were also some lady bugs, not as many. I kind of liked how graceful they are, and tried not to disturb them. If these blueberries were sprayed with something, bugs would stay away. So glad to have got the full picking experience, and kudos to Big L Ranch for farming organically!

Attempted hike to Mitchell Peak

From the title itself, you already understand that the hike did not completely happen. Well, it did, but not to Mitchell Peak. As we were driving to the trailhead, the road was closed due to washouts.

We parked right next to the gate and were planning to at least hike a little bit, if not to Mitchell Peak. As we were hiking, there was a service truck driving on the road. The guy said that they were also going to be doing prescribed fire, so we would see some smoke shortly. Strike two! And what did we do? We proceeded! It was a nice day, and we didn't want to drive all the way out to the national park to just turn around an hour later.

We found a nice waterfall and took a short break there. If you were driving, you probably would never have stopped by that spot.

The air felt thin due to elevation, and 4 miles into the hike, we decided to turn around. In the meantime, we discovered small elevations on the ground. As I looked closer, it was dirt coming out from the ground, probably from ants or worms digging their tunnels. I have never seen such a thing! Very interesting.

It was a peaceful, and for some reason exhausting hike. I guess it was thin air, but I was really tired. We stopped by the School House restaurant on the way back to have lunch. I have heard quite a bit about it, but it was about 45 min driving from Fresno, so I never had the desire to drive that far to try it out.

Read Christy W.'s review of School House Restaurant & Tavern on Yelp

Upper Yosemite Falls Trail, Yosemite National Park

"This is gonna be tough," I said to myself. I have done trails with 3,500 ft elevation gain and 7 miles in length, but it does not get much easier even if you hike often like I do. In addition, it was going to be really warm, mid 70s, and in the sun probably even high 70s. "Here I come, Upper Yosemite Falls!"

Originally, I signed up with a group that was going to El Capitan, but I decided it was not for me (17 miles round trip). I arrived at the trailhead at 7.45 AM and started the hike around 8 AM. It took me 6 hours of pretty much non-stop hiking (except 25 min at the top) and by 2 PM I was back to my car.

The way up was hard. In the blazing sun with no shade as you reach the second half of the trail (pretty steep uphill) you just hope the end will come soon. On the way down it is much easier, but now you have to be careful of where you step because some portions of the trail are pure sand, others are covered in trickling springs flowing downhill. My knees were sore and the next day I felt like I have never exercised my calves. Was it worth it? Yes!

The views on the top were really incredible, and the waterfall full with water during this time of the year. As you hike near the falls, closer to the bottom of it, you are gently sprinkled with mist coming from the powerful waterfall. It felt incredible on skin and refreshing enough to continue going.

A few tips:
1) get at least 2 L of water;
2) bring sunscreen, and reapply constantly;
3) wear hiking shoes with good traction on the soles;
4) wear a had and sunglasses;
5) bring your good camera. I didn't and some pictures came out not so great because of lots of sunlight.

Mt. Diablo and Cat Sitter disaster

This was supposed to be a weekend away from home, but as they say, one thing you can predict is that something unpredictable will definitely happen.

On Saturday I left nice and early at 8 AM and headed to Mt. Diablo State Park about 2.5 hrs away from home. I was nervous going because a new cat sitter was supposed to be taking care of Kitty, but I met her once and she had great reviews on Rover, plus I explained to her what I wanted her to do. I arrived to the trailhead around 11 AM, assembled my new Osmo Mobile 2 and my cellphone and started hiking. I realized right away that my new gizmo is not gonna work for a long time because my cellphone battery drained faster than I anticipated using the device. This was the first "go wrong" thing. "It's ok," I thought. "I will just use my other cellphone." This was what helped me film some of the clips that you will see below.

The weather for the hike was good, nice and chilly, but the clouds spoiled the pictures I took because of the lack of light. Although I think that the gloomy atmosphere just adds character to the landscape.

Creepy picture, isn't it?

I hiked Mt. Diablo North Peak Trail. Rated as "Hard" by AllTrails, it was almost 7 miles round trip with about 2,200 ft elevation gain. In this cool weather I would rate it "moderately strenuous", but in the summer I bet it would be "Hard". The views were really nice. The trail was moderately trafficked on the weekend, but once you get to the end of the trail, there is pretty much nobody. In fact, the last mile I hiked without a soul around me.

The last stretch of the trail is really hard. The uphill is so significant, you almost need to rock climb.

Going back, the sun started to shine through, hence nicer pictures.

There were also lots of wildflowers around, although not as many as I saw at Hites Cove trail.

After finishing the hike, I wanted to go to John Muir museum, but unfortunately there was some sort of fancy event for the rich, and they did not let me in. Another "fail" of the trip...

I went to have dinner at an Italian place I found on Yelp, but even that was a disappointment...

Read Christy W.'s review of Bella Vita Family Bistro on Yelp

Finally, I decided it was time for me to check in at the AirBnb. This was a lovely place with a great host who made me some tea and gave some cookies. We had a nice conversation over tea and later I went to take a shower in a pleasant room he prepared for me. Great experience!

As the night turned in, I was watching the camera in my house and did not see my cat sitter. She showed up at 3 PM and then left. Around 8 PM, I was getting anxious, by 11 PM I sent her a message, did not receive a response and decided to head back home. She later replied to me, but did not show up to the house until 12.30 AM when I was already on my way. I was angry and frustrated, and tired, but Kitty could not stay alone all night, and I did not trust her anymore to take care of him.

I got home at 2.30 AM and was so relieved to see Kitty... I don't even know how I will find a cat sitter who is responsible enough to show up at a reasonable time.

The weekend ended on a crappy note, but I am still glad I came home. Kitty was happy!

Hite Cove Trail

This trail is absolutely amazing, especially during this time of the year (Spring) when the wildflowers are in full bloom. This trails is about 9 miles round trip out and back. Parking is available on the side of the highway, although I did see an old "No Parking" sign that was so faint, you would not even know which way it's pointing. People parked there regardless.

Best views are at the beginning of the trail, but at the end you will find some history with abandoned coal mining equipment all over and an old shack. The beginning of the trail has some shade from trees, but still most of it in in full sun, especially at noon when the mountains don't protect you from it. I brought sunscreen with me and had to reapply several times throughout the hike. The earlier you start, the better. We started at 9 AM, and I think this was already too late. If you can, start around 6ish, this way you are not hiking back in blazing heat.

Water is essential on this trail. I usually bring 1.5L and have at least half left, but this time I drank the full water bladder.

While the trail runs along the side of the mountain, I did not have my usual fear of heights. It is rated as strenuous, but if you are in a good shape, I would say it is moderate due to distance.

This is one of the best hikes I have done.