One Day, Three Parks
I know you are going to think all I do is blog about biking, but that's simply not true. It's just what I've been doing a lot of recently, that's all.
And I was jonesin' for a ride on the dirt since the last one didn't quite pan out, so I set my sights on the Mount Diablo Region. Looking at the maps, there are a number of parks and open-space preserves out there near Walnut Creek BART, and I planned out a route that would take me through three of these parks over the course of several hours.
First stop, however, was the bike shop, where I picked up a Shimano/SRAM chain tool, as promised earlier. This I added to my kit, which this time was near full-strength. I had a first-aid kit, tire repair stuff, tools for everything on my bike, and an extra bottle of water. Additionally, I threw in a couple PBJs, my homemade food of choice for riding.
Excessive? Nah--I didn't fancy pushing my broken bike 15 km when a simple tool could have saved me.
Got on BART and journeyed to Walnut Creek without incident. The weather was excellent, with 50% scattered puffy cumulous clouds and the sun shining through from time to time. Upon arrival, I pulled out map #1 which would help me navigate to the start of the park.
Yeah, I love maps, so I had four of them for this trip.
The park begins with a small historical park called Howe Homestead Park, which has been preserved as a homestead from the 1930s. Old farm equipment was on display around the farmhouse, and there was a large active community garden on the grounds, as well.
I didn't see signs for no bikes, and the map seemed to say this was multiuse Kovar Trail, so I took off up it. Riding past the garden, the trail narrows to singletrack and starts heading up into Shell Ridge Open Space Preserve.
The singletrack ran behind a number of homes, did two easy switchbacks and one sharp switchback before cresting the short grassy Joaquin Ridge. From there, it cruised along a sandy downhill to intersect the Briones-to-Diablo Trail. No, wait, it was the Fossil Ridge Trail. The map was giving me all kinds of trouble for some reason.
I was already loving the rock outcrops that were exposed around these parts, and the best was yet to come!
It didn't take long to realize why the trail was called Fossil Ridge: there were tons of shell fossils embedded in the rock all over! Wonderful old seabed, right here in my backyard! I stopped and took more photos. Sometimes I would only ride three meters before stopping again. I would have been the worst bike buddy ever this day.
Fossil Ridge Trail hits a parking area (with water), and then turns back north and dives into Indian Valley (which is more of a creek ravine.) Indian Valley pond was dry at the bottom, though oak-shaded picnic tables nearby would still offer a fine picnic area.
There were a lot of some kind of critter running around. Looked like a squirrel, but there were a helluva lot of them. Coming out of Indian Valley, I saw a number standing on their hind legs scoping me out before running into underground burrows. Prairie Dogs?? Do we have those around here? Turns out we do! Lucky day for our birds of prey.
The next intersection put me on Briones-to-Mount Diablo Trail, and I turned to the east. It climbed slowly but steadily, with the grassy Shell Ridge towering to my left, and the Indian Creek ravine full of leafy oak below to my right.
At the next intersection, I turned north to cut through Ginder Gap, a saddle in the middle of Shell Ridge. It's interesting to note that most of the oaks grow on north-facing slopes, while south-facing slopes are usually grassy. So the minute I passed through Ginder Gap, the tree cover increased tremendously.
I misread the map again at this point, and turned left on Costanoan Trail for a short side trip before returning and making my intended left onto Sulfur Creek Trail. This trail descends steeply into Sulfur Creek ravine and Sulfur Creek Pond, which sports a sign that says "No Swimming, No Fishing, No Dogs, No Drinking". And with a name like Sulfur Creek, you'd probably do well to obey.
Not that it mattered now, since the pond was just a bed of dry cracked mud.
The trail climbed again following the creekbed, with huge numbers of Prairie Dogs inhabiting the slope opposite the creek. They'd run out, see me go by, and run back in again.
I pedalled up through the oaks, and eventually Sulfur Creek Trail rejoined the eastern arm of Costanoan Trail via Flat Top Trail. I finally got my first view of Mount Diablo since getting off BART! Costonoan Trail wound down toward it through the grass and tree-covered hills, and I followed it down to the bottom.
There were some chalk marks on the trail around here, including one that said "1 M". Must be a race, I thought, and sure enough packs of high-school runners were soon in evidence. Some sort of big meet it seemed like, since the picnic area down at Borges Ranch was completely taken-over. So much for eating lunch there!
Borges Ranch is another historical site kept in early 1900s condition. There is a small farmhouse, a barn, and a blacksmith shop, with a lot of rusted farm equipment nearby. It's neatly tucked in a small canyon in the hills.
Which meant more climbing for me. I followed a pack of running girls up Borges Trail until it once again intersected Briones-to-Mount Diablo Trail, and I turned east. My goal here was to reach Diablo Foothills Regional Park, and since the trail was through a flat meadow here, I got there in short order.
Crossing the gate and leaving the runners behind, I rolled through open space with a number of ups and downs, riding past another dry pond on the right, until I crested a small saddle, and entered Mount Diablo State Park.
At this point, I was really feeling like I'd gotten away from the city. I couldn't see any structures from this vantage, I'd been riding for an hour or so. A brace of oaks kept me company to the left as the wind whistled through the rusty gate and barbed wire that marked the state park boundary. I pushed it open with a creak and wheeled my bike though, riding down into my third park of the day.
It was immediately apparent that cattle used this land, since the trail was pitted and gouged like nobody's business. But that was forgotten as I spied a ridge of strange rocks off to my right, and ventured up there to check it out.
Yup, there were cows here, all right. And cow-mines as well. They gathered around a nearby pond and mooed at me while I examined the rock ridge.
The ridge was obviously thrown up by a fault and then exposed by weathering, but I had no idea what kind of rock it was. I'm going to guess limestone. It was wonderfully etched and dissolved by the elements. The wind was coming through here quite smartly, and I crouched in the shelter of the wall to keep from getting too chilled while I ate my first PBJ.
Snacking complete, I was unsurprised to continue climbing along the trail. After all, I was heading up Diablo's southwest flank, so there was bound to be more climbing than not.
I turned left and continued climbing up Wall Point Road and crossed over Pine Ridge dropping into an unnamed oak-filled ravine over a dry creek. Then continued climbing to the east. It was really really steep. I could handle the climb technically, but there was so much of it, it was really wearing me down. Look at the profile of the ride starting about 13 km, and you'll see it.
Passed another cyclist (who was walking up the hill) and a ranger on a quad going the other direction. I thought the ranger was going to cite the cyclist for not having a helmet, but I guess it's not a regulation here.
At the top of the stretch, I met the ranger again, and chatted with him about what trail I was on. Turns out I wanted to make a left way back there. But now that I was up at the top, I would ride a little farther. I was high enough in elevation that pines were starting to grow, and also at this point, you could look back to the west and see the Castle Rock Area.
I also asked him about a tunnel I'd seen on the topo map but he hadn't heard of it. He was enthusiastic about all the mining in the area, so he said he'd check it out, and told me of a number of other mineshafts north of Diablo.
So I followed the trail east for a flat stretch, with a sharp drop off to the right and rock outcrops all over, until it started looking like it was going to do some mad climbing. I then turned around and headed back down to the proper intersection, now going right onto a connector trail to BBQ Terrace Road/Stage Road. The connector was moderately steep downhill over smooth rock outcrops and sand, curving to the right as it ran through the trees.
My GPS said I was closing on the tunnel, and I easily found the small cove where it was hiding. But it was collapsed, I'm sorry to say, either naturally or deliberately.
And now it was 5pm! Yikes! Time to head back!
Stage Road is a great easy downhill along the bottom of Pine Canyon. It cuts over the dry creekbed, and then you reach Pine Pond, highly grown over with tall reeds, but the first place I'd seen with any appreciable water in it.
Dropping past the earthen dam, the trail twists through the trees, and crosses the now-wet creek several times, each good for a splash. In the shade of Pine Ridge and gnarled oaks twisting overhead, the atmosphere was a little spooky!
So when I saw something sizable sprinting on all fours across the trail in front of me, I hauled on the brakes and pulled up short to see what was before me. It is mountain lion country, after all.
But this was too small. And it had a bob-tail. A bobcat! Maybe the third one I've ever seen in my life. He crouched at the bast of a tree near the edge of the brambles ready for a quick escape. I talked soothingly as I pulled out my point-and-shoot camera and attempted to get it to perform under these conditions. The cat's eyes reflected back at me.
I got back on my bike and left before he did--a great rare encounter!
Giving him space, I passed back into Diablo Foothills park and stopped at yet another dark and spooky picnic area for my last PBJ, giving me energy for the trip back to BART.
Looking through the trees to my right, the Castle Rock area was quite a grand sight! Titanic weathered outcrops towered far above near Castle Rock itself, a pinnacle topping out at 296 meters elevation.
The weathering on the stone was excellent, and it had formed caves and cavities in some places. Maybe if the area weren't so seismically active, we'd have more legitimate dissolution caves around here. Some of the holes in the rock formed perches high above the trail. I wondered how many pounds of pot had been smoked up there over the years.
It was time to get back on the main trail home. I turned left on Shell Ridge Loop Trail, climbed left on an unnamed connector trail, and then rejoined Briones-to-Diablo Trail at the Shell Ridge boundary where I'd left the runners. As I broke out over the top of the climb, I was greeted by the bright orange glow of the setting sun, a sharp welcome contrast to the gloomy dark oak forest along Pine Creek.
With lots of downhill before me, the trail went by quickly and before I knew it, I was back at the singletrack, to Howe Homestead, and back home!
