One of the things we do during our school time is write for 15 minutes non-stop. Sometimes we have to answer a question and other times we have to finish the sentence. Recently we had to finish the sentence….”Why not…..”
Why not hike for the rest of our lives? I mean can you just imagine just walking forever? That would be so awesome. Just imagine all we could see? All the wildlife we could observe real close and personal. We could see them in their natural habitat. We could be one with nature. There would be no time to live by. No need to look at your watch or be in a hurry. We could become one with the dirt and grass. We could know the names of every bird, flower, plant, and animal. We would know the unique song each bird makes and recognize the footprint of every animal. We would be wild and free. We could run with the deer, swim with the fish, and wake up with the birds. There would be no need to collect nature or own unnecessary material belongings. We could observe the cycle of life and watch baby animals being born and watch the weaker animals become prey. We could help a few of them along the way and learn so much from them. We would be closer to God because we would see his fingerprints everywhere we would look. We could become skillful hunters. We would follow the seasons by rising and going to bed with the sun. We would collect wild edible food and eat what was in season. We would not waste anything and we would learn how we could use everything that we hunted or gathered. There would be no need to workout because everyday we would be staying active. We would always walk on new paths. We would not carry extra baggage with us. We would be out of our comfort zone and life would really be an adventure.
In this post we share some ways to cool down during the summer months.
Lynch Canyon Open Space
The hills between the valley and the bay are passed through on highway 80 by hundreds of thousands of people but only a few actually get off to explore this area. This is such a unique area because here hot air meets cold air, making it windy and foggy in the summer. However, in the spring before the valley heats up you can enjoy a beautiful sunny clear day. Because few come walk these trails you’ll have the trail pretty much to yourself even on a Sunday. Do follow all of the rules and lock the gates behind you because you do share these beautiful grassy hills with livestock.
Big Basin Redwoods State Park
This was our first backpacking experience as a family. Now we chose a difficult trail but everyone did so well. We camped at Sunset. We hiked 3 miles in and 3 miles out. The great thing is that we did a loop trail so we saw different things both of the days. We started at Sunset Connector Trail and took the Sunset Trail until we got to our campsite. It took us about three hours to get to our campsite. The following day we took the Berry Creek Falls Trail to Skyline to the Sea. There are three beautiful water falls on this trail. The redwoods were so beautiful. This trail was great for the summer months because the redwoods provide lots of shade and the waterfalls are very refreshing.
Bat Monitoring
I love love love bats. They are so fascinating. Black Diamond Mines offers a program where individuals can come and monitor bats. We recorded how many bats came out of the mine, how many went back into the mine, and how many individual bats we saw. We were also given bat frequency monitors. This experience starts at 7:45 pm and lasts until 10:00pm. You have to hike to the mine in the dark so it is a really cool way to end your day.
Hazel Atlas Mine
This mine opened in the 1920s and eventually was purchased by Hazel Atlas Glass Company. It stopped operating in 1945 and became a museum in the 1970s. Even though this district has the largest amount of coal, it has a low quality type and that is why mining stopped and they began sandstone mining here.
Talk about a great way to spend the day on a hot summer day. As soon as you walk into the Greathouse Visitor Center you will be glad that you brought your sweater or jacket with you. This is one of those hidden gems of the Bay area that most people have never heard of. Here you will not find large crowds and you won’t have to travel to find extra parking space. The Mine was so interesting. We were so surprised that they only charged $5 per person. The tour is very educational and you’ll learn the history of the area and how coal and the mine was formed. We were so surprised that the mine was so clean, lightened, and well maintained. This is one of the best ways to get out of the heat.
Located at 5175 Somersville Road. Antioch, CA 94509.
Little Knopp’s Bakery
After a hike it is only natural or right to treat yourself to ice-cream. Little Knopp’s Bakery serves homemade ice-cream which is served in a cup with a hot baked wafer on top of it.
Located at 2627 Rockville Rd, Fairfield, CA 94534.
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