May 13, 2004

The name definitely doesn't reflect our hike. We started this hike on the edge of Martinez and immediately climbed through oak forest up to exposed fire roads on the tops of the hills above Carquinez Strait. The views included the Carquinez Bridge with the mothball fleet in the background.

As we continued our climb we had clear views of the ever present Mt Diablo and the straits below. The weather was nice, but we worked up a sweat climbing the exposed hills.

The trail guide told us to watch for seven forms of transportation in the area. We found ships, trains, trucks, airplanes, and hikers. We did not see bikes or horses on this trip, but there were plenty of signs of both in the trails.

The California hills have definitely turned to gold. They made a pretty sight with the blue skies, fluffy clouds,  and dark green oaks.