Night hikes: what's so cool about being in the dark?

On July 4th, I was camping at Sugarloaf Ridge State Park in Sonoma with family and friends. After the burger and corn BBQ, my husband and I kissed good night to our girls, left them with our friends and started the 2.9 mile trip to the top of Bald Mountain with a heart-pumping 1,500 feet elevation gain. At 2,729 feet, Bald Mountain towers over Napa and Sonoma valleys, 360 views all around.

We set off right before dusk and arrived at sunset an hour later. On the way, we saw deer, wild turkeys and quails. On top of Bald Mountain as chill was settling in, we saw the sun melt away in the crimson horizon.

Right under the top we heard laughter. We were not alone on top of that mountain but we already knew it. The ranger had told us there was a hiking club of about 20 people doing the hike that night.

Individuals were pulling wine bottles and home-made cookies out of their bags, waiting for their leader who was staying behind with the slowest revelers. They were greeting each other and laying big lens cameras on their blankets. We didn't partake in their celebration (all we had was a water bottle) but our motivation was the same.

In the starry night, we were treated to the fireworks of a dozen cities from the Bay Area and the Carquinez Strait to the Sonoma or Napa valleys.  Though the Bay Bridge fireworks were barely more than red blurs in the night, Santa Rosa's were closer, Sonoma's made it above Red Mountain in front of us and we enjoyed St Helena's pyrotechnics in full view. Everybody's comments on how each city compared with the previous years added spice to the visual enjoyment.

Once the final explosion over, headlamps on our forehead we darted down into the dark of night. No moon in sight. We chose to go the long way all along the fire road so as not to miss a trail junction. We arrived at the campground when our friends just got back from Santa Rosa. They probably had a better view from the ground on that night's fireworks but we saw handfuls of them. Over both I still pick the mountain view. While the next July 4 fireworks are a year away, I am sharing this experience because night hikes are cool and you may want to give it a try.

At night nature is different. It smells different. It sounds diffferent. When our shadow on the trail comes a silver moon, you appreciate the surroundings differently. We are so used to being outdoors in broad daylight that we tend to forget what night really is like. Owls hooting. Bats flapping their wings. Coyotes howling. Quails scurrying away, mom and dad in front of triplets in a row. Animals getting out for their errands, protected from daytime raptors by a nocturnal cloak. Night hikes are, in a way, more sensory experiences than day hikes because you have to rely on different perceptions of the terrain around you. Perspective is altered, your usual landmarks disappear.

Organizing a night hike

Obviously, you need to be prepared, especially if you are going with children. I took friends on a night hike in the Marin Headlands last year and in hindsight, I could have thought about bringing flashlights. I knew it was going to be a full moon night so thought we'd have no problem finding the trail. Big mistake. The moon doesn't pop out right in the middle of the sky full floodlights on as soon as it gets dark. Yes Galileo, the moon orbits around the Earth. It rises and declines. From that night on, I made a headlamp a permanent staple of my backpack. Other items to pack: good trail map, compass, extra layers.

Explore the Bay Area outdoors by night: Moon walks and night hikes 
There are lots of local organized night hikes that you can join. Make sure you check restrictions before going but here is a short list to give you an idea:

• The Marin Moonshiners, a hiking & picknicking meetup group, organize monthly hikes on full moon nights. The next date is on August 25 at 7pm, meeting at the Pelican Inn.
• The Mt Tamalpais Interpretive Association organizes Saturday moon hikes around each full moon to enjoy the beauty of Mt Tamalpais. Led by Rob Ross, the 2-mile hike starts at Pantoll and lasts 2 hours. The next date is "Ripe Corn Moon" on August 21st, 8pm.
• The Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy organizes full moon hikes or night tours at the following parks: Muir Woods, Point Bonita,  Alcatraz Island. The thing is, they are so popular that getting a spot is like winning a jackpot. Check the calendar and call the rangers to reserve your spot.
• The Midpeninsula Open Space District organizes evening hikes in the Santa Cruz mountains. The next date is August 1, 4pm, "Sunday Eve Coming Down" at Montebello Open Space Preserve. There are also evening night for children such as  "The Bats of Alpine Pond" on August 21st at 6.15pm.
• The San Francisco Botanical Garden organizes two yearly full moon hikes to explore the gardens and enjoy the reflection of the full moon next to the Japanese moon pond. It is a lovely way to increase your appreciation for this wonderful place. The next Japanese Moon Viewing Party is on September 22nd at 7.30pm. Note that the event might last beyond the announced hours if the moon feels shy that night.
• The East Bay Regional Park District organize night hikes at their parks. The next date is August 29th at Sunol Regional Park, "Extreme Evening Hike" at 5.30pm.
• The California State Parks open some of their parks after hours to explore special themes. The next date is August 7 from 5 to 10pm, "Olompali Bat Night" at Olompali State Park.  

There are many other night hikes I don't know about so if you want to share other ones, please add them to the comments below this post.

Now tell me: is there a night hike in your future?

Escape from the Rock 2010: from Alcatraz with love - and a wetsuit

In the wee hours of Father's Day 2010, I was not home fixing coffee, wearing an apron and slippers, rollers in my hair. I'd been up since 4.37am - but really it felt like I'd been up all night - waiting for the signal to jump off a ferry at Alcatraz with hundreds of other swimmers.

After my attempt at escaping from Alcatraz last year (with goggles full of water and overtime, here's the story), I was eager to try it again. For the adrenaline kick, for the thrill. Also to know if I could do better. So there I was at it again, Alcatraz XXX Escape from the Rock 2010.

Going to the opera the night before was probably not the best idea swim-wise. Wagner's Valkyrie is beautiful beyond words but it is also wagnerian-long as in 4 hours and 40 minutes long. So in bed by 1am, up at 4.37am, the night was short. I met my swim buddy Becky at her house at 5.30am and her husband dropped us off at Aquatic Park shortly after.

Registration took place at the Maritime Museum from 5.10 to 6.10am. They crossed my name off a list and I received an ankle bracelet, a yellow swim cap and a plastic bag for my belongings.

Since I knew the drill from the previous year, anticipation overcame apprehension in my head. Shockingly, I'd rather have it that way than feeling I'm going to the slaughterhouse. I casually walked to the west end of Aquatic Park in my flip-flops, waited in the "Swim only" designated area on the dew-covered grass, and listened to the opening remarks and with relatively few words on what currents to expect that day.

As we all proceeded from Aquatic Park to the ferry pier, I savored catching tourists in their winter jackets watch us with jaws dropping. Here come the locals in wetsuits and speedos! Once in front of the ferry, I got in line and hopped onboard. 

Last year I climbed to the top level to enjoy the views. I had only my sleeveless wetsuit and to be perfectly honest, it was on the chilly side. This year I wore a surf shirt on top of my sleeveless wetsuit and stayed indoors, thus staying nicely warm until the big jump. I grabbed a spot on the bench by the door that would be facing east for an early exit. I sure didn't want to jump last. The ferry ride was quiet and smooth (check out the suspiciously flat sea behind me on the picture), pleasant even.

Given how crowded it was, people weren't warming up much or anything. Not too much space to move around. Pros were adjusting their sponsored gear and chit-chat fleeted over the humming of the engines.

I guess tides and currents were different this year because rather than circumnavigating Alcatraz Island from west to east to face San Francisco going forward, the ferry stopped on the east side of the island and turned around. I snapped a shot of sunny Alcatraz and marveled at the nice weather.

What would out-of-towners think, no legendary summer fog? Believe me, nice days like that are not the summer norm. Fortunately the water still hovers around the mid-50s, a quick reality check as far as water temps.

All of a sudden, the conversation level hiked up a few notches. People looked jumpy. Most had their goggles tightly adjusted so I hastened to put mine on. Engines off, the ferry sort of floated there and nothing happened. I watched the kayaks paddle around and in front of us. Was it time yet?

When you've been training in the cold San Francisco bay all winter long, when you've attended Swim Art's open water swims after work during the week in the spring, when you've gotten up every weekend all year to come swim before breakfast, you're ready to jump when they tell you to jump. Such was the anticipation that I just needed to jump and get it over with.

I squeezed in the tight line. Feet on the ready, sprinters were eager in front of me. I turned my camera on and got ready to film the jump. That's the short film at the top of this blog post. I heard "Jump and swim!" and then a splash. I jumped. The camera got turned off somehow. I turned it back on once I resurfaced. This is the scene. 

I re-adjusted my goggles (here is Becky adjusting hers). Gosh I love my Aquasphere Vista Lady. They're leak-free, just like it says on the box! I was glad I bought them a month prior to trial run them before Alcatraz though. I pointed the two sighting landmarks to Becky (SS Jeremiah O'Brien and then Ghirardelli Square) and we wished each other good luck. Swim time!

Much to my surprise, I got to the kayak line before the long horn that signaled the official start of the race. No struggle this year? The real struggle came closer to shore and snuck on many swimmers. The first half of the swim was smooth. Hardly any waves, nice temps verging on the warmish side. In my taste, more choppiness would have been more fun but hey, I was making good progress so I was not going to complain that there wasn't enough to fight against.

As last year, I followed Swim Art Leslie Thomas's suggestion to sight for the Jeremiah O'Brien for the first two thirds of the swim, then cut to Aquatic Park. A reader told me he followed the same advice and was glad he did so. The idea is to over-compensate for the westward tide as you near Aquatic Park. Indeed, Alcatraz swims are 1) usually planned to start when the tide is slack (neutral) and 2) timed so you can finish before the slack tide changes to an ebb tide (water going towards Golden Gate). It's very hard to fight against the ebb tide to get into the roughly 500-foot-wide opening of Aquatic Park. On June 19, 2010, the slack tide was announced at 8.35am and by that time, we were all in the water.

So here I was, swimming my way back to San Francisco. However as I got halfway through, I started noticing how much farther west a lot of the swimmers were. Not to worry I thought initially. I kept breaking the non-waves, stroke after stroke, with the occasional mouthful of fishy green salty water for good form. Another sighting check a little bit further. Crapola, I was really way off everybody's course! Though I was still within kayak boundaries, I was a couple hundred yards east of the closest swimmer at least. Had I been too conservative? I changed strategies and shot westward. Time for a reality check!

On this photo by my friend Greg - who's a fantastic swimmer and member of the South End Rowing Club - you see a spread out patch of swimmers west of Aquatic Park. Greg stood on the fishing pier when he took this photo so the swimmers are all already way past the opening. In  real life, that sucks. The swimmers are trying to make it back towards the entrance of Aquatic Park. Becky's husband who was also on the pier described how two thirds of the swimmers missed the opening. Some clung to the concrete pilings of the pier to fight the current and make it to the next piling. Man, these pilings are covered in seaweeds, starfish and whatnot. Other swimmers were swimming against the ebb and going nowhere.

Being way east, I didn't see that crazy scene but did notice that it was challenging to keep a straight course. As I was getting closer, I heard a voice yell at me "Get on the boat! You'll never make it!" I looked around and saw a private rescue boat. They were telling me to get on the boat. Had I been that slow? My heart sank. I so wanted to swim a better time and feared my swim was over but there was no time to argue. Four other people were already on the boat. I climbed the ladder. We fished a couple more and a guy who had been scooped out by a boat from the San Francisco Fire Department climbed onboard too.

It dawned on me that perhaps there was something unusual going on. I scanned the water. So many people past the opening. Jet skis, private boats, the Coast Guard too. The Envirosports guy on the boat was on the radio giving instructions to reposition swimmers because they were not going to make it. By the looks of it, he was right.

Much to my relief, we were allowed to get back into the water east of the Hyde Street Pier and pretty close to the pier so we could cut through the ebb and get inside Aquatic Park. Once inside, it was just a matter of aiming for the big inflatable gate that indicated the end of the swim with an electronic timer on top.

Since I hadn't had to fight too much, I put on my best Raquel Welch smile to get out of the water and even waved to my family - who didn't recognize me because I made it in an unexpected record time for me, 49 minutes. So much for arriving "early"! I had to go around and knock on my husband's shoulder before he realized I was out.

Now I'm left wondering: what would have been my real time without repositioning? I can only imagine over an hour since Becky, who is a faster swimmer than I am, got moved by boat later (she was ahead of me, west of the opening) and finished in 57 minutes. I got lucky that I was in the initial batch of boat pick-ups. Despite the ebb tide detail, I had the best time swimming from Alcatraz. So glad I did it again. Swimming on such a sunny day, wasn't it a dream?

Last detail for aspiring Alcatraz swimmers: I trained all winter and spring in the bay. I only went to the pool once and hated it. For me it was a matter of working on my endurance and it worked. Swimming in the ocean beats any pool any day. Pools can't offer you resistance, waves, or the sardine aftertaste. Not to mention the views. Next on my list: Angel Island - Tiburon.

* Thanks to Greg Kling for letting me use his photos.

Meet the 501st Legion, Vader's Fist

Living in the Bay Area, you can't help but feeling close to the Star Wars galaxies. Lucasfilm's offices buzz with creative brains in the Presidio at the Letterman Digital Arts Center, Industrial Light & Magic is there too, and Skywalker Ranch (click here for a visit) is over the bridge in Marin county. That's like the triple-decker-Star-Wars effect. Now, imagine you're a die-hard Star Wars fan and you want to get yourself suited up with a storm trooper outfit. Or a lifesize Sith lord costume. Or a nasty bounty hunter ensemble. Or - thrills - the sombre shiny armor of Darth Vader.

No, a jumpsuit with EVA molded pieces is not going to cut it. There is a way to assemble these officially-George-Lucas-approved costumes and become part of the biggest army of Star Wars villains on earth: the 501st Legion. Self-described as Vader's Fist, this organization is actually a volunteer army. Bad guys doing good deeds? Yes, these guys get out and about to raise funds for charity. Make that 7,467 costumes worldwide as of June 29, 2010. Each costume is unique and hand-made. Each member gets a Legion ID.

Got your attention now? Believe it or not, three of the 501st Legion's storm troopers came to my 5-year-old's birthday party a few weeks ago - and it was the best experience the kids could have had. The guy to the left in the frame, he was the leader of the trio. Super nice guy.

I first heard about the Star Wars volunteers from my friend Sue who had a friend who knew about them. "They came down trees and stormed the place!" she described with glee. That's all the spark I needed to get in touch with them. Unfortunately she didn't have their name, much less a contact number. Still, I knew that it would be a blast for a 5-year-old's birthday party. Why?

I was 12 when I saw Return of the Jedi on big screen. I immediately fell in love with the movie, with the sets, with this sci-fi uncompromising world. I secretly worshipped Luke and the Force. Despised the Emperor all the same. I started collecting cards, trading them at school. I asked for the LPs for my birthdays and blasted the tunes on my record player (now, I do sound like a dinosaur). I read the novelizations. I subscribed to a sci-fi/fantasy movie mag and pinned the poster of the movie on my bedroom walls (wasn't easy, they were fabric with padding). The trilogy showed at Paris' largest screen. I dragged my entire family including my father who couldn't take it anymore (my mom loves Star Wars) and my two brothers. Seven hours of Star Wars in one sitting!

My family took a well-deserved break when I turned my obsession to the Rocky Horror Picture Show when I turned 14. However, that was not the end of Star Wars for me. Just wasn't collecting cards anymore.

Then life went on. When my girls became preschoolers, I started telling them stories of the Star Wars trilogy sixology (sorry George, trilogy sounds way better than sixology). They loved it all. How could they not? Princess, knights, villains, magic, evil against good, jokes, man-made moons, space travel. I mean - isn't it great? On a March visit to the San Francisco Public Library, I borrowed a DVD of the animated series The Clone Wars. Without knowing it, I had triggered a Star Wars button in their head. They loved it. When I started planning the birthday party, my junior Clone Wars fan announced: "It's going to be a Fairy Star Wars party Maman." Done deal.

I started looking for the Bay Area volunteer storm troopers and discovered there were two parallel organizations: the 501st Legion for the dark side of the Force; the Rebel Legion for the good side of the Force. It's Imperial Army vs Jedis. Quizzed on who she preferred, my daughter opted for the bad guys. I then filled the details to request an appearance by three villains.

Shortly after I got contacted by the Event Coordinator at the Golden Gate Garrison. He sent me a list of questions on the event including a stumper: "Are there any restrictions at this location which would preclude costumed members from appearing in helmets and (toy) blasters?"

Since the party was to be held outdoors at the picnic area of San Pedro Valley County Park, I set out to reach the rangers and ask them about toy blasters. Over the phone, they did not initially understand my request. They had me repeat "toy blaster" various times, loud and louder, until finally I explained the outfit of a storm trooper. Three phone calls later, the rangers gave us a green light. The Force my friend!

To turn the party into a real Star Wars party, I made a chocolate cake decorated with Clone Wars figurines, got my girls light sabers (including the training DVD, for good hand positioning), built a home-made R2D2 with tubes, silver duct tape and sheet metal from my neighborhood hardware store, and my husband made a "May the Fairies be with you" banner.

On D-Day, the storm troopers arrived when all the kids were getting wired up. As soon as the storm troopers appeared around the corner and started walking to us, it was like a tidal wave of screams and races. Boys and girls grabbed their light sabers and got on their two feet. My 5-year-old got behind my back and got squirmy.

I led her to the storm troopers. "Lord Vader told us it was your birthday." Silence from my little girl. "Happy birthday!" they said in their android voice. It was great to hear the voices as in the movie. If kids were excited, I was beyond thrilled. The three storm troopers graciously posed for photos with everybody, gently fought off a few enthusiasts and left with a great recommendation that Star Wars fans will appreciate: "Now you be good rebels!"

As  I walked back the storm troopers to their cars, my 5-year-old thought they were taking me to the Death Star and sent a small batallion of pint-size Jedis to protect me.

I had the hardest time convincing them I was not being kidnapped and that there was a shuttle back from the Death Star. Certainly didn't want them to see half-naked Storm Troopers in the parking lot.

When I returned she breathed a sigh of relief. "Mom, you're back from the Death Star?" Hey, I was not going to disappoint. Yes, with hyperspace travel and all, it's super quick. "Wow," she said, "Can I go too when I grow big?"

Gotta love nice storm troopers raising funds for the Make-A-Wish foundation. Job well done. To all Bay Area event planners, call the Star wars volunteers and do your audience a favor!

The Northern California Pirate Festival at Vallejo

Ahoy matey! Yes ye lilly livered landlubbers, it's that time of the year. Time to channel your inner Long John Silver at Vallejo waterfront's two-day Northern California Pirate Festival on June 19 and 20, 2010. Get the peg leg out of the closet, find the white flannel shirts, let your hair down and let's hear some ferocious Arrrrrrrs! Last year we went with my husband and two daughters and had a giant ball despite a) a scorching sun and restrooms that seemed like they were miles away, b) a real parking challenge that ended up with us crossing some forbidden residential properties.

As I announced the program of the day that morning - it's like this at our house, I dress up in minstrel attire, unroll the scroll and read the list really loud perched on a barrel - my husband's initial reaction was: "What, the same folks as the Renaissance Faire? Do we have to?"

Err, yes, we have to. Probably the same folks as the Renaisssance Faire and the Dickens Fair too. I mean, they have a ton of white open-collared shirts with ruffles in their drawers. They've got to make the best use of them right? So yes the same folks but get this. We get to see Capt'n Jack Spareribs perform and after I interviewed him for my blog, I was dying to see Johnny Depp's look-alike with irresistible juggling skills. And so we went.

Good news, the entrance is free. Let me repeat that. FREE -unlike the Renaissance Faire and the Dickens Fair and honestly, I don't know how they manage to keep it that way. All you are going to enjoy, the music, the performers, the puppets, the cannon-firing, the boat battles, that's all free. So make sure to put on your best smile and enjoy the show.

Right after we got in, the Schooner Aldebaran was getting ready to engage into a fierce ship-to-shore cannon battle so we rushed to the waterfront. Boom! went the cannons, and sure enough we were smoked in. The girls were enthused. We couldn't hear many of the hopefully salty exchanges but enjoyed it tremendously. However the metal handrail lining the waterfront seemed totally out of place. Despite the costumes and the theatricals, the scene was lacking a dirt waterfront and 18th century rundown houses. Sigh. I am signing a petition right now to build a marine waterfront appropriate for period pirate fights.

The many shops and grass alleys forming the pirate encampment had achieved a remarkable effort in looking as pirate-like as possible. It was actually great eye candy and we soaked it in. My favorite hangouts were places where the girls could play games and activities. By knocking down rats at the Cat-Apult vs. Pi-Rats, our 5-year-old won as wooden flute she still cherishes to this day.

We even met a little fella pulled by her mom, all comfortably sitting in the pirate ship on wheels his dad had built for him.

Hey dads, feeling inspired? This is a great craft activity if you have a lonely Radio Flyer wagon in the garage. Our girls certainly thought it would make an ideal weekend activity. However Papa a.k.a. Cedric had other plans. Cedric was already eying the list of performers.

"Capt'n Jack Spareribs is performing in half an hour, let's go to the main stage!" Yoohoo, finally I get to see the real thing on stage. We headed over and heard the last two songs of a rock pirate band. Wish I remembered their name.

Finally You-know-who arrives on stage. Thrills in the audience, as he had been voted best family fun entertainment by readers of the SF Chronicle just days before. Man, Ace Miles a.k.a. Capt'n Jack Spareribs sure can juggle. Look at that, with a mouth-piece too. And he's a ventriloquist.

If you're sitting in the audience, be ready for a few harmless tricks that may involve you, your partner and delicate balancing acts. Nobody was hurt and the audience loved it all. It was so worth driving all the way to the Vallejo waterfront, a place we never go to otherwise. Arrrrr, can't wait for this weekend. Aren't pirate festivals the ideal Father's Day outing?

Details: The Northern California Pirate Festival is located on the Vallejo Waterfront, only a few short steps west of the Vallejo Ferry Terminal (the Ferry Terminal Address is 289 Mare Island Way Vallejo California)

Directions: click here. Hey, you can get there by ferry and enjoy a scenic water ride too.

Yosemite at Wawona, where the Giant Sequoias grow

"Where is the tree that you can drive through?" ask most visitors. Answer: at the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias in Yosemite National Park. However you and I can't drive through it. The tree fell in 1969 because the driving-through hole actually damaged the root system. There. You can enjoy giant sequoias up or down but no messin' up with our green friends these days. Just walk through, relax, and reflect on how small we are. You may even learn cool forest stuff along the way. Then you can call it a day at the terrace of the Victorian Wawona Hotel sipping your drink that night and marvel at the starry sky. Here is to Yosemite's forest monarchs. Respect.

As much as I love the Yosemite valley and its gorgeous granite waterfalls, it's no mystery that from spring to fall the valley attracts big crowds and even trafic jams. With almost 4 million visitors in 2009, the park is uber busy year round and the campgrounds' popularity results in rare spots to snatch up six months in advance.

Despite the numbers, all you need to do is to stray from the main trail a quarter mile to find peace and tranquility- or head to other parts of the park such as the high country of Tuolumne Meadows or the southernmost portion of the park, Wawona. Wawona is where the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias is located, home of the largest trees on earth and one of only 68 registered groves of these monster trees in California. How monster can they be? Not as tall as the coastal redwoods but if superlatives are you thing, giant sequoias are no less than the largest living beings on earth and can be as old as 3,000 years.

Kids will love that. Extreme old age, size, it's all cool stuff to impress. Plus, there might be an ice cream reward at the end so that's extra incentive to stick to the trails.

Your visit of the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias starts at the parking lot on a wide paved road that ascends this side of the mountain during roughly 2 miles and culminates around the Mariposa Grove Museum. Unfortunately the museum was closed over Memorial Day weekend when we visited but the upside of the winter lingering on was that we found sizable fields of snow on the ground. Snowball fights in groves of giant sequoias? Bring it on!

After the hike, we all caravaned to the Pioneer Yosemite Historical Museum at Wawona, a family favorite. Right at the entrance off the parking lot is a general store that sells strawberry slushies (amongst other wonderful things such as Yosemite key rings) and our kids didn't need to hear that twice. It was a hot day and the 5-mile hike was a lot for them.

Getting to the Pioneer Yosemite Historical Museum was easy since it starts at the end of the parking lot. That place really deserves a shout out. It's an outdoors museum consisting of several historical structures that were spread throughout the park and moved to this location in the 50s and 60s.

There, you will find a covered bridge (that reminded me of the one in Beetlejuice), a barn with old horse-drawn wagons, a powderhouse that doubled as a jail, a Wells Fargo office, a blacksmith shop, a ranger patrol cabin and of course, log cabins in the best pioneer tradition.

Walking around is lots of fun and you can peek through the windows - only to wonder where the furniture is gone before realizing that there wasn't much furniture at all back in the days. This historical interlude completely re-energized our junior troups and as a group, we walked over to the Wawona Hotel, just to check it out. The velvet-heavy Victorian style lobby was really a riot and some of us wished we were staying there, just because the Saturday barbecue menu looked amazing. We weren't though.

We were camping at the campground closest to the park's entrance, Summerdale, a place described as "pretty in its own right despite the proximity to the highway" by Tom Stientra's California Camping guidebook. Honestly the place deserved better than that. For our kids (12 total, 7 families), exploring the river sides, their fishing opportunities or hiding options, was the best vacation they could have had. We let them play, unsupervised and enjoyed adult time by the campfire. I couldn't resist a dip, as did two other friends. Sure it was snowmelt but it was still the best remedy after a hot hiking day under the giant sequoias.

Next time you go to the Yosemite in the summer and decide to go south, pack a swim suit. There are good swimming holes next to Summerdale and in Oakhurst along the Lewis Creek National Scenic Trail.

Hiking to Maple Falls at the Forest of Nisene Marks

Hiking through miles of densely wooded terrain, you would never know this land at the Forest of Nisene Marks State Park was bare in 1923. Not a single tree left in the ground. All chopped down between 1883 and the 1923. The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park, now one of the biggest California State Parks, was a major logging operation with a railroad, residential housing, telegraph office and school. Look at the photo today. The current forest results from fantastic reforestation efforts and you will be walking through miles of second-growth redwoods that look like they've been there forever. What a beauty. Miracles do happen after all.

In the morning we checked out the Old Growth Loop set in Marcel's Forest, a recent addition to the park featuring ancient redwoods and the beautiful Aptos Creek running through canyons. We even stumbled upon a random golden crown sticking out from a redwood stump and our girls' imagination ran wild with winged forest creatures at every other turn thereafter. Whoever got the crown where it is had a brilliant idea. Finding treasures in forests is a rare treat.

After this appetizer, we set out for the main course, Maple Falls, one of two major waterfalls of the park. Before you go there, make sure you download and print this map, as the park suffers from budget cuts and we couldn't buy it at the entrance the day we went. You can get a green paper map created by Jeff Thomson, author of Explore - The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park by the entrance kiosk but once you hit the trails, they are not always well-marked and some junctions can be confusing.

We started the 6.3 mile loop hike at the Porter family Picnic Area. The total hike took us up the Loma Prieta Grade Trail to the Porter House Site, Hoffman's Historic Site, the Bridge Creek Historic Site and Maple Falls, back on Bridge Creek Trail.

Getting to the Porter House Site was a piece of cake as the trail was both wide and well-marked but nothing remains of the Porter House itself. Here stood the house of the secretary of the Loma Prieta Lumber Company who lived there with his wife Mary Easton and his son John. If Loma Prieta sounds familiar, it's because the epicenter of the Loma Prieta 1989 earthquake is only a mile away inside the park. Hence an unusual number of fallen trees on the trails. While no structure remains of the Porter House, a bench and interpretive sign commemorate the site and we spotted bricks scattered on the hill as we left the site to go to Hoffman's Historic Site. Or shall we say, China Camp?

 

This portion of the Loma Prieta Grade trail follows old railroad tracks. The Southern Pacific Railroad had Chinese workers cut, grade and lay a standard gauge railroad up the steep canyon leading to the upper Aptos and its treasure trove of redwood trees. As a result some 150,000,000 board feet of lumber flowed down the railroad line to markets all over the world from 1883 to 1923 (you can find out more about this fascinating history in the Amended General Plan of the park). As we walked steadily up the canyon, we kept seeing eroded tracks and could see where bridges had disappeared and where the tracks resumed further up the trail.
 

I need to look up why China Camp was renamed Hoffman's Historic Site but the truth of the matter is, there isn't much standing there anymore. If not for the interpretive sign you might even walk by it and not notice. While there used to be a thriving community of 400 lumber workers, only collapsed roofs and broken doors remain. Come to think of it, it could be creepy but it's all so quiet that you want to try hard and imagine a bustling village here.
 
As the girls were getting tired - it is a long and steady climb - we set out for the Bridge Creek Historic Site where we initially intended to turn back. However as we reached the junction, the Maple Falls seemed so close that we just couldn't pass. An extra mile and we would call it a day, returning to the trailhead.

Unexpectedly the kids enjoyed most this most challenging part of the hike, an adventure-course type trek through a narrowing canyon hopping over rocks, crossing the river several times without bridge and crawling under fallen trees and over land slides to the bottom of the gorge where Maple Falls are finally revealed behind a big boulder.

We sometimes had a hard time keeping up with the 6-year olds but the 4-year old kept tripping on roots and rocks so that was definitely slower. The effort was worth it though. With all the rain we've been having, the 30-foot tall falls were gushing fom a granite slab and splashing into a circular pool surrounded by maple trees. Quite the origin of the world.

We stayed a while there. The girls threw rocks in the pool, they splashed around a bit, the sun was shining and it was a rare moment in the hike where we were actually under open skies and not under tree cover. We enjoyed it as long as we could before walking back through Bridge Creek Trail.

Walking back was a breeze and strangely enough, the children picked up the pace so we were a lot faster than on the first half of the trail. It's not that it was all downhill but there was definitely less climbing than going north. Following the banks of the river was refreshing and on occasions the creacking of tall trees above us made us pause. Obviously the girls kept looking for golden crowns behind redwood trees but this had been a unique surprise. The real treat, for me, was definitely the falls and I recommend you see them while they are still flowing generously.

Directions to the Forest of Nisene Marks: From Highway 1, take the State Parks exit, turn east towards Aptos and then left on Aptos Creek Road that you follow until you hit the park's main road.

Camping: As the park does not offer any camping options other than backpacking, we camped at the nearby Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park.

Olompali Park's Heritage Day

Every third Sunday in May since 1975, Olompali State Historic Park in Marin organizes a heritage day that celebrates both the Native American and Victorian heritage of the park. During that day, visitors get to see Dry Creek Pomo dancers perform at the reconstructed Miwok village, see blacksmiths in action at the forge, visit the Victorian gardens, observe insects of all shapes with the park rangers and drill holes in shells with traditional wooden hand drills.

All things exciting, yes, but if you ask my girls and their friend Ben today, the highlights of the day were catching tiny lizards with their bare hands at the Miwok village and close second, eating the complimentary Clover Stornetta Farms vanilla ice cream under the tall oak trees.

The festivities kicked off at 10am and we arrived shortly after after navigating a tricky U-turn as coming in from 101 south is not very direct. Skies were overcast and I was glad we all had long sleeves. Sadly we missed the native plant walk at 10am but the kids found activities almost right away. As we walked on the lawn at the entrance, we were greeted by a very realistic looking mountain lion!

From far it almost fooled me. The kids were thrilled. Mountain lion, bobcat, beavers, skunks - the animal gallery was displayed as naturally as possible, a skunk even "hiding" under a tree on the grass. This booth set up by the Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue was definitely hands-on, featuring fur pelts and naturalized animals to touch. It had a side display that delighted and disgusted our kids too.

Their little table with mouldings from animal scat (with an illustrated guide to connect the right scat with the right animal) and tracks drew interested "eeuws" from our youngsters who nevertheless grabbed the guide to find out what animal's poop they were looking at. Ah, the power of poop!

Upgrading from naturalized wildlife to live insects, we went over to the California state parks table where big magnifiers were awaiting curious minds. "Want to see a spider?" asked a ranger. Our kids immediately gathered around a table where the ranger let loose a small spider. She then covered it with a tube connected to her computer and they watched the arachnid's explorations on the computer screen. Gosh things have gone hi-tech since I was a kid!

After the spider came a millipede and a worm, sometimes combined in dangerous pairs under the same magnifier. If not for the ice cream cones carried by two other kids at our table, they'd still be watching insects. See, vanilla ice cream has an appeal that even the most lovable spider doesn't have.

From what I've read, the free ice cream is a recurring feature of this event and always a hit. How could it not? Clouds are going away, the ice cream comes in crunchy cones, you can have as much as you want and the morning is drawing to a close. Why, ice cream is just the thing you need to go on to the next adventure.

After all that natural exploration the Miwok village was the place where we would satisfy our cultural endeavors that day. A work in progress, the current reconstructed village features two redwood bark kotchas (houses) and a native tule reed rounded hut. Perfect for role playing and hide-and-seek, the village was going to come to life with a dance by the Dry Creek Pomo dancers.

If Dry Creek rings a bell it's perhaps because you've seen signs for the River Rock Casino in the Alexander Valley. Opened by the Dry Creek Rancheria, this casino funds many of the tribe's needs and Bay Area highways feature many big signs to attract customers. However the Dry Creek Pomo dancers' performed was as traditional and no-thrills as a long-standing ceremony can be.

Two musicians, both of them singing and playing rhythmic sticks, a foreword to say "Oooh" to praise rather than clap, and ten dancers on a tree mulch covered circle. While the men wore elaborate feathered head dresses, the girls - including the cutest little dancer - wore fabric skirts and thick black belts with an interesting beaded head band that covered their eyes.

I wish we had had an explanation about the symbolism of the dances, a way to relate the body, head and hand moves to a story but that wasn't the case. We sort of guessed there were hunting scenes involving an eagle and another bird of prey but we weren't sure about the whole picture.

Since the dances were obviously divided into separate scenes, it would be great if the lead singer could also announce what is coming up or give a brief outline at the beginning. Even without a subtext the dances were beautiful and slightly hypnotic, a feeling that the regular beating of the sticks and singing reinforced.

Our children were captivated until the lizards came into play. They had caught lizards before the dance and fifteen minutes into the dance, wanted to catch some more. As respectfully as they could, they got up and they took off toward the bark village.

It didn't take long before one of them came back yelping that "I got it on first try!" We quietly sent them away and met them after the dance. It was fun to see how kids took care of the lizards as they would have of pets. Holding them loosely between their fingers, they stroked their claws and petted their blue bellies while whispering sweet words. Had the little scaly guys been hamsters, they would have been treated just as well. Lizards and ice cream, who could have guessed? When I advertised the event over breakfast with feathers and indians, I certainly didn't think we'd go for a crawling pets kind of day.

Next event at Olompali: Bat Night in August

You can visit Olompali on weekends until the summer, or on a daily basis after July 1st. Check the website for details. However for extra excitement and if you are looking for a fun evening with the kiddos, August 15th will be Bat Night at Olompali! Expect a twilight slide show followed by a night walk to watch the bats colonies emerge in the evening skies.