Locomotoring

Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve

Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve. That one is a mouthful. Never found anything Russian about it. It is a bald hill in the midst of not so bald hills, full of dry grasses early in the winter, tall green grasses in the peak of winter and then full of wildflowers in the spring. There are other grassy knolls along the Skyline Blvd but this one is prettier than most. The parking site is a “vista point”. From here, you can see most of the Bay Area including the Bay and the bridges across the bay, which is more often than not, covered in smog.

But once you have taken the trouble of navigating 5 miles of giddiness inducing Page Mill Road  up to Skyline Blvd, you might as well stay an hour or two longer and enjoy a sunny afternoon on these grassy knolls. It is not a challenging hike, just a saunter through mildly undulating hills. A bit of rumbling in the intestines, a touch of depression – a walk through these hills will cure it.

Early winter at the Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve

I recently read that there are too many benches (in memory of so and so) in our preserves. So much so that some of the preserves are looking like bus depots. Thankfully for some and unfortunately for others, there is none here. So, no bench to sit on and enjoy a sandwich. And while I love nature, I don’t like sitting on it. No sir, no deer manure for me. So, I usually eat my sandwich standing up if I stay long enough to need replenishment. In the winter there can be a chilly wind biting your ears and fingers off. So, come prepared in layers.