A fun and lucky convergence of the Austin and Berkeley offices of Cathy Heck Studio took place weekend before last, and I’m happily reliving the early spring break through belatedly downloaded photos. We went on a great hike at one of our favorite East Bay locations, Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve. It oddly hasn’t rained here as much as it usually does during Northern California Februaries, but the normally green or gold rolling hills were just as beautiful in their taupey kangaroo coats. (For more kangaroo inspiration, check out Cathy’s newest Pinterest board.)
Another great thing about this hike is the grand views for relatively little effort. You only need to climb up just a little bit at the beginning, and the rest of the time, you circle the sides of hills with vistas in all directions: the city, the valley, the water, the old mining town. The way the slopes tumble down below you always reminded me a little of Grant Wood’s landscapes. Here is one called, Young Corn:
Doesn’t it seem like our hills would look like that too – maybe if we puffed them out with a little helium from inside the old coal mines?
