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We have completed three of the six preparatory hikes in anticipation of the Round Top Challenge in the Sierra this summer. Our most recent hike at Sunol Regional Wilderness received rave reviews from all who came. Without a doubt, it was a stunner.When I sent out the email of instructions and directions prior to this hike, I said that I remembered the loop for its healthy dose of huffing and puffing and for its spectacular views. For once, my memory didn't fail me. We climbed 1200 feet—some of it up a grueling grade, but the views repaid the effort many times over. This loop is one of the best in the south Bay Area.In Sunol Valley, Calaveras Road turns south off of Interstate 680. Four miles down Calaveras Road, a left turn onto Geary Road leads directly to Sunol Regional Wilderness. This 6,858-acre East Bay Regional Park boasts many miles of trails including a three-mile loop to a handsome waterfall in an area that is overbilled as Little Yosemite. But that would not be our goal this day.Hiking shoes laced and day packs hoisted, we crossed Alameda Creek and walked a very short distance up the Canyon Trail, turned left onto the Indian Joe Creek Trail where our tussle with the theory of gravity began. We climbed steeply up a creek bed through a thicket of oaks and bay trees. A mile and a half out, as we turned onto the Cave Rocks Trail, the canopy opened and the view widened. To the west, a luscious green Mission Peak blocked our view of the bay. Below, the shrinking parking lot was an encouraging pat on the back.A short distance up the well-named Eagle View Trail, the going eased and we began a delightfully level stroll across the slope. Here was our reward, and it came in an ever-changing setting. Across an oak-dotted grassy slope, we entered a dark tangle in a creek-cut hillside crease and emerged into a bright stretch of chaparral. Among the sagebrush, poppies and bush lupine were in full flower. The hillside was so steep along this portion of the trail that the parking lot seemed one step and a long free fall beneath us. Here was a glimpse into the world as seen by a soaring raptor.Just beyond the chaparral, we stepped back onto oak grassland and the most prominent viewpoint on the loop. Southward, a gash in the Diablo Range was just wide enough to reveal Loma Prieta and Mount Umunhum. North of Mission Peak, the bay was now visible through the Sunol Grade. The rooftops of Pleasanton marked the beginning of the 680 corridor reaching north. Mount Tamalpais and Mount Diablo were both crisp on the horizon.Energized by the views and a bite to eat, we began our descent through bright and open terrain. Down Vista Grande Road to Valley Road, we passed a huge barn set on a lovely broad bench. From there, we turned onto Hayfield Road and the last mile back to the trailhead.I can think of very few trails that surpass this six-mile loop for every variety of spectator value. Have a large bowl of Wheaties before you go, but the variety of landscape and the tremendous views will drive the huffing and puffing from of your thoughts. Nearly any hike is a day well spent, but some you simply can't miss. Don't miss this one.If you would like to join me on future hikes and maybe come with us to 10,381-foot Round Top Mountain this summer, contact me at [email protected].  

SAN JOSE – San Jose scored three goals in a span of four shots on net in the third period Saturday afternoon to highlight a 4-1 victory over the New York Rangers in front of 16,888 fans at SAP Center.

It isn’t often that I learn of a state park in the Bay Area that I have never heard of before. Hidden in the foothills of the San Mateo Coast, Burleigh Murray Ranch State Park waits humbly and quietly for someone to notice.

On a recent weekday morning, two friends and I set out on what we called a guys field trip. For years, we have met weekly to do what old men do: drink coffee and talk about nothing. And we love it. We decided it was time for a road trip, a term that has a dramatically different meaning than it did 40 years ago. After a fabulous meal at the Breakfast House, an inconspicuous but terrific cafe in San Carlos, we set out for Huddart County Park and a walk in the woods to burn off some of the Hollandaise sauce.

They’re still out there, waving at us from the peripheries of our Google searches as we hunt for the cheapest and most efficient ways to book a dream vacation.

The Al Navaroli Young Musicians Competition came about after the passing of Gilroy resident, music lover and avid supporter of the South Valley Symphony the contest was named for. It was created to showcase the young musicians and teachers in our area. Now in its eighth year, the winners performed solos with the South Valley Symphony orchestra in their spring concert March 5 at Gavilan College.

Listen up athletes and weekend grinders: The key to enhancing your performance might be the bacteria in your gut. A December story in the Outside Magazine Twitter feed titled, The Athlete’s Guide to Probiotics, highlighted a project that took stool samples from runners competing in Race Across America, a grueling 140-day nationwide competition.

I was a spectacular liar when I was a kid. I wrote on the couch with a black pen and blamed my little brother. I splashed on gallons of my mom’s Ambush perfume one day, and then denied that I had done so even when I could tell that I reeked of the heavy scent. Everyone I knew was born nearby in Boston, including me, and that seemed so pedestrian, so I told all my neighborhood friends one November that I was actually from Baltimore and would be flying there for Thanksgiving to spend the holiday with my aunt. Little did I know that a neighbor would call my parents to say that she had a relative who worked for Eastern Airlines and I could get a discount on my flight to Baltimore. My parents were livid that I would make up such a story.

Love is in the air at Pinnacles National Park and around San Benito County as a variety of raptors, birds of prey, begin their nesting season. Raptors are a common and beautiful sight at Pinnacles during the nesting season, which typically runs from January to August. As specialized hunters, raptors have powerful beaks and talons for tearing apart prey, and exceptional eyesight for locating food from great distances. Most raptors can see even small prey animals clearly from almost 2 miles away, thanks to their telescopic vision.

SAN JOSE – New Jersey, owner of a seventh-place record in the Metropolitan Division going into Thursday night’s game against the San Jose Sharks, kept its playoff hopes flickering by turning back the Sharks 3-0 in front of 16,234 fans.