Every year around Mother’s Day, Mike and Kathy take their hiking club out to Henry Coe State Park, where wildflowers tend to still be in bloom and the weather’s pleasant enough that the park’s hills can be survived without keeping a rescue helicopter on call.

Saturday was just about perfect for such a venture — cool breezes coming in from the coast, blue skies to the horizon, colorful blooms. The hills were still the hills, but we took one of the less-painful routes and did fine.

OK, pictures:


Sun behind Old Glory


I saw Old Glory flapping in the breeze at the Park Headquarters and dashed over to take a pic. (Suddenly I’m reminded of a bumper sticker I saw the other day “These colors Don’t Run THE WORLD” … only in Calif.)


Mike admires an oak tree


On the drive to the park, Mike told me, “pictures need people in them!”


Flowers along the trail


Dave gets in one more hike before heading back to Iowa.


Kathy at the Frog Lake Trail junction


Kathy, deep in thought at the junction to the trail heading to Frog Lake, where we’re going to do lunch.


Tangle o' snags


Ducking through a tangle of snags along the way.

More sun-behind-the-tree action


Some sun-behind-the-tree action.


Excellent snag

An admirable snag.

Snag with sun behind


Yet more light-behind-the-branches action.

Owl's clover


Owl’s clover, which has a couple little yellow specks in a field of purple that make the flower look vaguely owl-like.


Tree frames hikers


Another snag frames the action along the trail to Frog Lake.


Checking for ticks


After breaking for lunch, Mike and Kathy do a tick check.


Great sky, ey?


The sky never gets this blue in the summertime around Silicon Valley — you have to get out in the country, away from civilization.

Mariposa lily

A mariposa lily, looking gorgeous as usual.

So, those are the highlights. I have a five-day weekend coming up starting Thursday, so I should have some interesting pictures by a week from now.