Point Pinole

I went to Point Pinole in Richmond, California the other day and thought I'd share some pictures. Overall its a nice place, but not worth the $5 parking fee, when so many similar places nearby are FREE. Dogs can run around off-leash on the trails, but there is a $2 dog fee. The parking lot is nice though, they have a shuttle that runs to the 1200 ft long pier and back, that way you don't have to carry 100 lbs of fishing gear out there.


There are ton of non-indigenous eucalyptus trees planted by the explosive companies, some of them are pretty big. To the right of the ruined foundation is one of the more minor paths, which look great for mountain biking, overall its probably a little bit limited spacewise for really tearing it up for more than an hour.


There is a freshwater pond with a couple large fields nearby.


And of course, as with any San Francisco bay area coastal park, you get great views.



Bay Area Hiker has a hike guide and more photos.

Wildflowers

The wildflowers on this east bay hillside are starting to brown.

Inspiration point.

The California hillsides are already dried out.

Late Spring.

Early Spring.

The Delta King

The riverboat Delta King on the river in Sacramento is a dinner theater and hotel. SHD has more information.

Yosemite Falls

This is the best time to visit Yosemite National Park. The walk to the point in the picture is just about 30 minutes. I recommend staying at a bed and breakfast just outside the park, and then driving in for your Yosemite adventures. Unless you're into planning ahead, staying in the park itself is difficult.

Golden Gate Bridge at Sunset

Golden Gate Bridge at Sunset. Photo Friday: Amber

Hanging out under a Joshua Tree

Joshua trees are common in some areas of the desert. Mad Mutter has more pictures.

Point Reyes 3.

The dog beach at Point Reyes, which is an hour north of San Francisco. More pictures at Periodic Mumbling. Every time I've been to the lighthouse it has been closed due to high winds.

The SS Red Oak Victory

The SS Red Oak Victory is one of Richmond, CA's attractions, it has obviously seen better days. I suppose if you are really into ships it could be interesting, but skip seeing it otherwise. You do get to drive through the Kia and Hyundai car offload lots, and a really run down port on the way. The Oakland Tribune has an article on the ship's restoration here, Jef Poskanzer has more pictures here.

Richmond California

Thats what we call open space... I live in a bit nicer area of Richmond, but this is the city where I live and I like it! More Richmond sights here.

Mountain View Cemetery

Mountain View Cemetery is tucked in between the hills in Oakland, California. It is actually a pretty popular place to take a walk on a nice day. You can supposedly see four bridges from one hill inside, good luck though, the fog will probably thwart your efforts. Steve has some more pictures of semi-famous people buried there.