Roberts Regional Recreation Area

This month we are visiting the last park on our itinerary of East Bay Watershed parks that contribute to our emergency water supply, and provide great recreational opportunities right in our back yard! This time we are visiting Roberts Recreational Regional Park, which is surrounded on three sides by Redwood Regional park. But I'd like to highlight it, because it provides a place to host gatherings as well as enjoy nature.

Roberts Regional Recreational Area

Redwood Grove

Blossom Rock Navigation Trees Exhibit

Manzanita Loop Trail

The 82-acre park opened in 1952, and its entrance is in a second-generation grove of redwood trees. The original trees were logged in 1860, and the current trees are descendants of the famous trees used by ship captains to navigate San Francisco Bay. The original trees were reported to be up to 20 feet in diameter.

View of Mount Diablo from the Vista Point

Sports field with a view of the San Francisco Bay

Swimming pool

Sycamore picnic area

Park amenities include a playground (wheel chair accessible area for children), archery range, sports fields, volleyball court, swimming pool, and picnic sites. Check the Park Calendar on the website for groups hikes, swimming and archery lessons, and hours of operation. Some amenities require advanced online registration, others are on a first-come, first-served basis, so plan your group gatherings accordingly.

Ring of Redwood trees	Redwood needles
Redwood duff	Fall colors

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A network of trails connects with trails through the Redwood Regional Park, providing opportunities for hiking, biking, jogging, and horseback riding. Check out the Graham Trail, Manzanita Loop, Roberts Ridge Trail, and Vista trails. This park may not fit everyone's needs, but it is a place to consider when planning a large group event, or special birthday celebration.

Address:  Recreational Area – 10570 Skyline Boulevard; Oakland, CA 94611  Web Site: https://www.ebparks.org/parks/roberts Map: https://www.ebparks.org/parks/roberts#maps Wild Plants: https://www.ebparks.org/parks/roberts#resources For other parks and preserves in the East Bay watershed, see:  https://edenbythebay.blogspot.com/2017/02/parks-of-east-bay-watershed.html

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Fall on the Iron Horse Trail

I'm back on the Iron Horse Regional Trail, this time to report on fall, and thereby completing my four-season report on this gem in San Ramon. Since Summer on the Iron Horse Trail, we've had a series of searing and then surprisingly cooler days come and go, and definitely no rain. This is typical of our Mediterranean climate here in Northern California.

Shady oak and long shadows

Mile 18.5 heading south toward Dublin, CA

Comparing pictures, there's not a big difference between summer and fall. The grasses and spent plants do seem alarmingly dry, but the East Bay Regional Park does a good job of mowing, so there is not an excess of burnable material. A few trees sport yellow (or brown) leaves, making it feel more like fall. Some deciduous trees have even dropped their leaves.

Dry field

The shadows are longer in the late afternoon when I walk, so that helps with the heat of our Mediterranean fall weather. Kids from the nearby schools run by in large groups as part of their sports training, along with the usual joggers, walkers, and cyclists.

Long shadows and view of the Pleasanton hills

Side path with golden fall light

And on clear days the sky is a brilliant blue and the light that wonderful golden glow that somehow looks more like fall!

Shady (but dry) pines	Fall color
Dry vegetation	Orange berries

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Color in the Garden: Beautiful Browns

All year we have been using Penelope Hobhouse's book, Color in Your Garden, to learn about how to use color in the garden, including whites, clear yellows, the blues, pinks and mauves, strong reds, hot colors, and foliage in shades of green and gray. Along the way, we've developed a palette of plants that thrive in our San Francisco Bay Area gardens, whether native or Mediterranean plants. Now I'd like to part company with Ms. Hobhouse, and propose a new color for the San Francisco Bay Area – beautiful browns!

Golden hills in the inland valley

Golden hills of the San Francisco Bay Area

Our Mediterranean climate typically provides rain in the winter, and is dry or dormant in the summer. This leaves us with the dry golden-brown hills that are characteristic of Northern California for much of the year. Look at the following gallery, and consider the potential of brown!

Grasses

Golden grasses	Golden grass heads
Grass clumps turning brown	Small plants going dormant

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In addition, ongoing droughts (the most recent lasted four years), growing demand for water by an increasing number of residents, and rising water prices have caused us to rethink our gardens. Instead of bemoaning brown, let's embrace it!

Going to Seed

Golden flower head	Flowers drying in situ
Seed forming in the sun	Textured seed pod

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Let's take a closer look at nature, and the lovely shades of wheat, gold, bronze, and brown that she provides. We can continue that trajectory of replacing lawns, modifying our plant choices, and learning to love brown.

Leaves

Rustling brown hedge	Oak in fall brown
Fall leaves	Ivy turning brown in the fall

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One caveat to this wonderful world of the browns, is that we need to consider fire danger. The natural ecology of the San Francisco Bay Area includes fires that systematically clear out dry undergrowth. This natural process is not desirable for a populated area, so we need fill in the gap to mow, prune, and plant wisely to keep fire safe.

The Beauty of Bark

Mahogany textured Manzanita	Brown stretch marks on an Oak
Golden brown Redwood	Shreddy Birch

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