Post Fire Trip to Shell Ridge

Earlier in the summer we discovered Shell Ridge. Not really discovered, we have seen it off in a distance for years; but now the kids are old enough and Beth and I are healthy to explore it. It is a wonderful place to hike here in Walnut Creek.  We discovered on our first hike several ponds, including one pond with tons of polliwogs and baby frogs.  The kids loved the hike.

About two weeks after our first hike, there was a grass fire on the ridge.  The day of the fire, we took the kids safely to the trail head to watch the fire planes and helicopters put out the fire. The helicopters were taking water from the lakes at Heather Farms.  It was pretty impressive.  The kids got to see the news teams interview the fire chief also.

Ever since the fire, the kids have been worried about the frogs.  So we took another hike on the ridge.  Amazingly, even with the summer heat, the area is really rebounding.  The kids got to see that, while the fire burned over 100 acres, that one of their new favorite places was fine.

We found the pond that was previously home to the baby frogs empty.  That is of water.  The frogs were still there!!! There were two kinds, small toad like frogs and small tree frogs.  Most of the frogs were found in the cracks in the pond bed or under rocks.

I also found a huge wasp.  I mean this wasp was the size of my hand.  Come to find out this is a Tarantula Hawk.    You can imagine what they eat!  Click here for more info on what they are. This wasp looked like something out of some science-fiction movie.  In the next couple of months, the tarantulas come out on Mt. Diablo and I can just imagine seeing these things swarming around.  This is a link to  YouTube video of a tarantula hawk.

San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers and the San Francisco Zoo

At the beginning of the summer we sat down as a family and discussed what we wanted to do.  We pretty much accomplished what was on the list, with the exception of going to the zoo.

So the weekend before the start of school we took the kids to the San Francisco Zoo.  We also were able to squeeze in a run through Golden Gate Park.

The run through Golden Gate Park has become one of our favorites, especially since we ran the San Francisco Marathon last month.  We took the kids through a really neat tunnel that we discovered on the marathon.  On the other side of the tunnel was this beautiful pond.

After we had spent some time we moved on to the Conservatory of Flowers.

One of the highlights of this run is the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers. What makes it special this time of year is that they have a beautiful Dahlia garden. The different sizes, textures and colours are a feast to the eyes. It makes a great place to turn around in the park.

So after our run we took the kids to the zoo.

It has been awhile since we have been to the San Francisco Zoo.  We have opted instead to go to the Oakland Zoo, partly due to the proximity, partly due to how it has been upgraded.  While the visit to the zoo was nice, it came apparent that it is showing its age.

We have always loved seeing the gorillas. It was fun  watching the mother gorilla play with her adopted baby.  The Alpha was fun to watch as he looked out at the people watching him.  He seemed as if he did not want to be bothered by the baby.

The Savannah paddock is nice, especially seeing the Giraffes and the zebras. 

The lemurs were out frolicking.


The kids had a great time. They also loved the bird exhibit in the Petting zoo.  The golden eagle has gotten so big.

Overall it was a very nice day.   On the way out, kids, Beth and I very tired headed back to the car for the drive home.  On the way out of the zoo, we were treated though to this Doggie Diner Head.  It kind of stands out like, huh, whats that doing here.  There is a story behind this head.  Click on the link for the story.