- 4,822
- Concord, CA
- kylehnat
It's been a whole three weeks since my last photo-journal, so I think you've all waited long enough 
. Sadly, this one does not take place in Washington, so I don't get to brag about how awesome my home state is, but I'll try to work it in anyway.
Last weekend was SFGTP3, and while I was sequestered in a garage for 2 days playing video games, I did have a free day on Friday with which to experience the phenomenon known as "fresh air". "Sun", which I've been told is some fireball in the sky, was also a possibility, though most of the Bay Area was shrouded in cloud cover on Friday morning. Still, a quick roadtrip was in order.
The destination? Mt. Diablo State Park, and the stunning views from Mt. Diablo itself. A robust 3800 feet above sea level, Mt. Diablo is just east of Danville and Walnut Creek. I don't know where the name comes from, though I'm told it's a Spanish word, which is unheard of in California. I assume it references the devil because a)it's hotter than Hell in the summer, and b)with the amount of cursing that occurred while driving to the summit (damn mountain bikers), heaven's pearly gates are no longer open to this driver, who managed to unleash 50 F-Bombs in 17 seconds.
Enough chit-chat. To the top!
Up 1000 feet or so, some nice views come into focus:
Here's the obligatory picture of my noble steed for the weekend: a 2008 VW Passat:
It was a fun car to drive around, even when detouring through some of the more flavorful neighborhoods in west Oakland. I assume the iron bars on all the houses are some sort of regional decoration. Residents must all go to bed early, too, because I didn't see anybody out for a nice evening stroll.
(I'm never getting off 880 again unless I can see "Entering Oakland" in my rear-view mirror).
Continuing the march to the top:
A little bit off the beaten path is a nice paved path that wanders up to a small picnic area, where it is eerily quiet:
Testing my camera's awesomeness, I looked back towards this neighborhood in Diablo or Blackhawk (I can't tell which):
...and then zoomed in! (Yes, the digital zoom pixelates the crap out of it, but it's still pretty cool...)
Sadly, nobody was fornicating in front of any of the windows.
This is either a tree branch or the most painful stool that any creature has ever passed:
More stuff:
At the summit, you can see for miles in every direction, and admire the Bay Fog from afar. If you have a telephoto lens, you can also spy on the residents of Concord, Pittsburg, and Antioch.
Birdies!!!
Yes, there's a bird of prey in there somewhere
.
This little guy probably isn't too fond of the winged marauders:
The lookout on top of the hill makes you feel like you're a king in an impenetrable fortress. However, the park ranger got really mad at me when I started firing arrows at the trespassers below who were storming the steps of my castle. He's apparently never had to deal with a peasant uprising.
And so...we've reached the conclusion of another installment of "Kyle Has Way Too Much Time On His Hands".
. Sadly, this one does not take place in Washington, so I don't get to brag about how awesome my home state is, but I'll try to work it in anyway.Last weekend was SFGTP3, and while I was sequestered in a garage for 2 days playing video games, I did have a free day on Friday with which to experience the phenomenon known as "fresh air". "Sun", which I've been told is some fireball in the sky, was also a possibility, though most of the Bay Area was shrouded in cloud cover on Friday morning. Still, a quick roadtrip was in order.
The destination? Mt. Diablo State Park, and the stunning views from Mt. Diablo itself. A robust 3800 feet above sea level, Mt. Diablo is just east of Danville and Walnut Creek. I don't know where the name comes from, though I'm told it's a Spanish word, which is unheard of in California. I assume it references the devil because a)it's hotter than Hell in the summer, and b)with the amount of cursing that occurred while driving to the summit (damn mountain bikers), heaven's pearly gates are no longer open to this driver, who managed to unleash 50 F-Bombs in 17 seconds.
Enough chit-chat. To the top!
Up 1000 feet or so, some nice views come into focus:
Here's the obligatory picture of my noble steed for the weekend: a 2008 VW Passat:
It was a fun car to drive around, even when detouring through some of the more flavorful neighborhoods in west Oakland. I assume the iron bars on all the houses are some sort of regional decoration. Residents must all go to bed early, too, because I didn't see anybody out for a nice evening stroll.
(I'm never getting off 880 again unless I can see "Entering Oakland" in my rear-view mirror).
Continuing the march to the top:
A little bit off the beaten path is a nice paved path that wanders up to a small picnic area, where it is eerily quiet:
Testing my camera's awesomeness, I looked back towards this neighborhood in Diablo or Blackhawk (I can't tell which):
...and then zoomed in! (Yes, the digital zoom pixelates the crap out of it, but it's still pretty cool...)
Sadly, nobody was fornicating in front of any of the windows.
This is either a tree branch or the most painful stool that any creature has ever passed:
More stuff:
At the summit, you can see for miles in every direction, and admire the Bay Fog from afar. If you have a telephoto lens, you can also spy on the residents of Concord, Pittsburg, and Antioch.
Birdies!!!
Yes, there's a bird of prey in there somewhere
.This little guy probably isn't too fond of the winged marauders:
The lookout on top of the hill makes you feel like you're a king in an impenetrable fortress. However, the park ranger got really mad at me when I started firing arrows at the trespassers below who were storming the steps of my castle. He's apparently never had to deal with a peasant uprising.
And so...we've reached the conclusion of another installment of "Kyle Has Way Too Much Time On His Hands".
)
👍
.
