Just a Normal Sunday Morning

 The sun came up over the Mount Diablo range hills around 7:30 this morning.   We were out before it came up and the dogs enjoyed the upper 30 degree weather running the open spaces.  We parked at the Borges Ranch parking lot in Walnut Creek and headed out into the hills.

"Borges Ranch is an historic ranch originally owned by Frank Borges. The ranch includes a blacksmith shop, numerous outbuildings, a fishing pond, and farm equipment displays. It also features a barn and covered trellis available for group reservations. The original Borges house was constructed in 1901 and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Borges Ranch offers parking and access to hiking on Shell Ridge. It is located off of Castle Rock Road, about 1/2 mile past Northgate High School."

 Bailey looks up one of the many valleys of Shell Ridge that we hiked this morning.

Up this valley this lone tree was catching the first rays of the morning sun.  The pictures do not capture the fire yellow color the tree gave off.

Chloe enjoying the fields before we dropped into the Castle Rock canyon.

 Bailey enjoying the cool air and the moist earth from a storm that blew through earlier in the week.

The trails got smaller as we entered the canyon that is over looked by the Castle Rocks.

 Near the end of the hike, we walked along this ridge that looked out over our city in the distance.

Just a normal Sunday morning twenty minutes away from our front door.