January 25th, 2014
This is probably the favorite hiking destination for those in Silicon Valley. It is also where Kid chooses to run up to the vista point on Saturdays, that weekend with her old Dad. Start at the trail at the lower parking lot, follow the Lower Meadow Trail to the Deer Hollow Farm (1.3 miles). From there, find the Upper Meadow Trail up to the vista point (0.8 miles), with way too many hope breaking switch-backs. I was breathless at the end and could hear my heart pounding above the safe range for my age.
The view was spectacular up there: the southern tip of San Francisco Bay, pretty much the whole of Silicon Valley, and all the way to the east bay. Experience expected the soreness to come and did not disappoint.
Near the upper parking lot is a small field for battery-powered model airplanes. Used to those gasoline-powered ones, I was surprised at their quietness and agility. Pilots, on the ground, demonstrated mesmerizing, stunning maneuvers. These Styrofoam planes can start flying minutes after opening the box — and crash to pieces in minutes at inexperienced hands.
Better get my Advil ready before I go to bed. Sigh, old age.