Pleasanton Ridge

The Pleasanton Ridge is a bit of a hike, but if you can make it to the top you will have some breathtaking views of the valley. The hike up was pretty intense, but it was a gorgeous fall day and we were glad to be out! Cora was still in the backpack carrier at this point and she enjoyed the ride! About halfway up, we stopped and let the kids play under a huge tree. As you can see Caleb climbed and we just hung out and had a snack. After a bit of a break, we continued toward the top and almost made it. We decided to turn back after a while as we weren't sure the kids would make it all the way back down without a meltdown. There were a lot of other families and lots of dogs on this hike which is always fun. Halfway back down the hill, we discovered that one of Cora's shoes was missing! It had fallen off while she was enjoying her ride down the hill in the backpack. We did some backtracking to no avail, and since it was getting late and the kids were tired,we decided to just head back to the parking lot. Lo and behold, when we arrived back to our car a lady approached us holding Cora's shoe! I have no idea where she found it or how she knew it was ours, but I was relieved to have it back! All in all, it was a afternoon well spent on the ridge.

Crissy Field ~ San Francisco

This was a really fun adventure! I had hesitated going into the city just because I am nervous about the traffic and finding parking on my own with the kids. However, for this adventure we went along with our walking group! Our walking leader gave me very specific and easy to follow directions and I was able to find parking very easily and right away. I was so excited to have made it in to the city on my own! Of course, the was horribly foggy and overcast, but that just added to the adventure. I came prepared with extra clothes, towels and jackets. After parking and hooking up with our group, we made our way to the flat gravel path and enjoyed the views of the Golden Gate Bridge as we walked along. The wind was blowing pretty strong, but we charged ahead! There were lots of bikers, walkers, runners and dog walkers going back and forth despite the chilly weather. At the end of the path, we came to what is called the warming hut which is a little gift shop and cafe. Bingo! We quickly got in line to invest in some hot chocolate (lets keep in mind we were in the middle of July....55 and rainy it was not in the East Bay, so after a half hour of walking, we were pretty frozen!) We sat outside the warming hut chatting and sipping our hot chocolate. After a few minutes we decided to head back to the parking lot. As we got closer to where our cars were parked, we headed toward the beach to give the kids a better view of the bridge and let them splash in the water. Yes, no matter how cold it is, my kids still want to play in the water! Caleb was able to guide Nyah (he is such a good brother!) to a sandbar a short distance from the beach. They rolled their pants up and off they went. Thankfully, Cora stayed glued to me, too cold and scared to venture away from me. This is when I took the pictures of the kids with the bridge in the background. If the weather had been just a bit nicer, I would have stayed the rest of the afternoon to let the kids play at the beach, but I could tell they were getting cold, so we decided to head back to the car and have our lunch. I wanted to get the kids changed out of their wet clothes, but they wanted to eat, so we ate quick and then changed. Then we headed out. I saw signs for Ghiradelli Square on our way out, but wasn't sure the kids were up for it. I may try that when we have family out next week! This is a really fun place to show visitors the Golden Gate Bridge and take a nice walk as well!

Tilden Park ~ Little Farm

Ok, we all know Tilden Park is awesome: steam trains, carousel, farm, etc. if it would just be a little easier to get around. The signage is not very helpful as you maneuver through the Berkeley hills which makes things even more frustrating, but if you can manage to find what you're looking for, I guarantee its worth it! So this day, we decided to hunt down the Little Farm. I had heard about it numerous times and although my sense of direction is pretty good, I was not sure I could find it on my own with the kids. So, I decided to wait till my husband who has an amazing sense of direction could go with me.
Although we had directions that seemed pretty clear, it still took a few wrong turns and a stop at the Lawrence Hall of Science to ask for directions, but we did eventually find it! Yeah!!!! Again, it was around lunch time when we arrived, so we sat at a picnic table and had lunch before venturing to the farm. What an great place! I had read on the website that we could bring lettuce to feed the animals, so I grabbed a bunch of romaine we had in the fridge before we headed out and the kids really enjoyed feeding the animals food that we had brought ourselves as opposed to buying something there. There were cows, goats, chickens, etc. The farm is built against a large hill and you climb the hill to get to the goats, etc. We wandered around the farm for a bit, reading about the animals and feeding them. After enough wandering, we walked back across the path leading to the farm and hiked a loop through some gorgeous greenery of the park. It was a very easy, flat hike that the kids really enjoyed. The path loops a small pond where we saw some ducks and turtles. The kids are always excited to see any kind of wildlife, so this was really fun. Some of the path was dirt and some was a wooden path that sat on top of marshy ground. It probably took us an hour to hike the loop, but we took our sweet time and studied lots of cool animals, plants, etc. The Little Farm is another gem where the kids can discover, learn and just as importantly, be kids!

Lake del Valle ~ Livermore, CA

Although this is my 2nd post on a park in Livermore, Livermore is new territory for us and is quickly becoming one of our favorite places to hike and explore nature. Lake del Valle lies in the foothills that surround Livermore and has a ton to offer. As I mentioned before, my son loves to fish and Lake del Valle is a great place to do that as there are a ton of spots along the lakeshore to stop and fish. This is a man made lake that also offers swimming, boating, kayaking, camping, a dog run, boat tours, pontooning, hiking, you name it and it can be done at this park. On our first trip over, we found a spot on the dog run trail to settle in for the afternoon while the kids played in the water and fished. The water was clean and cool on this hot Sunday afternoon which was a great relief. I love nothing more than finding a spot where the kids can play freely and just explore their surroundings and be kids. This allows me some much needed down time, but more importantly, I feel like it allows my kids to learn about the world around them on their own terms without me or another adult directing or redirecting them whatever the case may be. Either way, Lake del Valle is a great place for families to explore.
On our 2nd trip out there, we decided to try kayaking. Unfortunately, when we got to the park, there were gale force winds and there was no hope of me being able to keep the kayak from being thrown about by the wind. Thankfully the kid working the kayak rentals let us know that it would be pretty rough out on the lake and that he was already thinking he was going to have to save some people that had gone out in kayaks. We appreciated his honesty and heeded the warning. We then went out to the swimming area to try to let the kids play in the water some, but the wind was so strong that it was not enjoyable and we ended up just going home. We expect to return to this park soon to continue exploring the many activities offered!

My favorite park ~ Alum Rock Park, San Jose

This is definitely a hidden gem of the bay area. When we lived in San Jose, I found this park in a book called "Babies by the Bay." We were new to the area, so I was just trying parks listed in the book. Was I blown away by this park! It sits right in the foothills of San Jose and was only about 15 minutes from our house. I believe it is one of the oldest and largest city parks in California. It has the feel of a state park with the close proximity of a city park. The first time we visited, I think we were there all day. There are endless miles of hiking trails and an incredible play ground, complete with a picnic area. We have seen many wildlife here including deer and turkey. We have climbed to Eagle Rock and Inspiration Point, hung out at the visitor center and the Youth Science Institute which is a habitat for raptors that are unable to live in the wild on their own due to an injury. Come to think of it, there are 2 playgrounds, one larger newer one and another smaller one for smaller kids that my older kids still enjoy due to the large stone spider and eagle they can climb.
What I like best about the park is the peacefulness that you feel as you enter the park. All of a sudden it is quiet and the noise and clamour of the city is gone despite the fact that it is only 5 minutes away.
This last time, the kids their cousin, aunt and I were able to spend 2 very enjoyable hours just at the main playground. This playground is large, so there is plenty of room to play tag. We also saw deer on the hill behind the playground as well as in the field surrounding us. It was a peaceful ending to our day and we so look forward to going again!