After going stir crazy for about a week without Donna, I finally had a chance to get out and do some exploring in between job applications.
On 8/12, I took a quick trip up to the Chabot Science Center, in preparation for going to watch the meteor shower later that night (which, while I saw a handful, was quickly shrouded by fog). Because I did this drive around dusk, I wasn’t able to take any meaningful pictures, but I can assure you there were some nice vistas along the way. Maybe I will take a few pictures if I head that way again.
On 8/16, as a reprieve from several apps and dealing with a few other things, I took advantage of the nice Bay Area weather and headed north, to Inspiration Point, just outside of Berkeley, CA.
Inspiration Point, located within the Tilden parks, has many, many hiking trails running through it, a Merry-Go-Round, a miniature Steam Train, and Botanical Gardens. For this particular trip, I wanted to take a bit of a hike to clear my mind, and found myself on the highly rated Nimitz Way Trail.
The Nimitz Way Trail, named after US Navy Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz, who often hiked the trails in the Tilden Regional Park, is a paved, rolling path a little more than 4 miles one-way (making it an 8-mile round trip), and boasts some wonderful views of the Bay Area.
To be honest, it’s been a rather long time since I’ve done a hike that long – when I was younger (and a Boy Scout), 10 mile day trips weren’t bad. This one wasn’t bad either, but I didn’t come prepared enough – while I did have the camelpak I used during the epic scooter ride, I didn’t bring snacks, or more water – another bottle would have gone a long way. All-in-all, I made it roughly 2 miles in, and 2-miles back (so halfway).
That said, there were some lovely photo opportunities. According to everything I’ve read, there are even more at the end of the trail. Soon. With company, hopefully. Hiking on your own is nice, but having company always helps the miles tick by, right?
That said, on to the pictures!
I’ll definitely go again, better prepared with more water, and some snacks.
The landscape was very pretty, albeit a bit dry (since it hasn’t rained since I’ve gotten here!). In the spring this is supposed to turn into “Fields of emeralds with Nimitz way acting as the Yellow Brick Road.” That will be a sight to see!
As for Inspiring…..I’ll get back to you when I do the entire trail 😉
Want to Help? That would be super-cool!
The trip, which took 8 days, took a rather large hit to the ol’ wallet, so I am happy to take any donations my generous friends would like to offer. For reference:
$50 pays for the new rear tire (Michelin S1)
$88 pays for the install of the rear tire
$50 pays for the replacement front shock, as I seem to have blown the old one out somewhere along the way (creating a dangerous shudder!)
$88 pays for the install of the new front shock
Remember, no obligation, no demands, no expectations!
If you would like to donate, feel free to leave a comment (they are private until I approve them, or you can email me at bryrhoey at gmail) and I can set that up, or you can send me money via PayPal! 🙂