So Much to See and Do In Pinnacles National Park

Established as a National Monument in 1908, In 2013 Obama signed into legislation and the park's name and specification was changed to Pinnacles National Park. This park is Southeast of San Jose and is the 9th unit of National Parks in the state of California.

I really enjoyed camping here. I booked online for the perfect spot, some of the sites are in complete sunlight which can make it miserable if it's the season for sweltering heat. The website says July and August but I've been here in April and it was Hot! Check out this little beauty, it's a website that provides images of all the campsites at Pinnacles, that way you can be sure to get a site in the shade. To stay cool you can go for a swim at the park's pool, its free for campers.

The park is host to wildlife which included bats, condors, deer, frogs, and Quail. Our early morning hike up to Condor Gulch Trail hike paid off, at about 7:00 AM on our way down the trail we saw about 15 Condors circling a rock formation. The flight of the Condor is like the flight of a kite, gliding on the wind and dropping in and out of air currents. The bat caves are yet another highlight of Pinnacles, around sunset we headed out to Bear Gulch Cave and  made our way through the caves to the other side just in time to watch some bats exiting through the closed area of the caves.  

Hidden Gem; Mosaic Tiled Steps

Located between 15th and 16th Ave. off Moraga Street in Golden Gate Heights, the stairs are a project sponsored by nearby neighbors with the support of the Golden Gate Heights Neighborhood Association and San Francisco Parks Trust. 166 steps and the 163 customized tiles that are set into the stairs look different depending on the time of day and where you are viewing them. Once you get to the top of the stairs you'll get a view of the ocean it is a clear day.

Exhibit at the Center for the Book

Degrees of Innovations is an exhibit by the alumni of Mills College hosted by the San Francisco Center for the book on Rhode Island Street in the Potrero. An innovative show with a diversity of pieces that include wall tapestries,  miniature books, a dimensional paper black hole, and a frayed book expanding beyond its normal boundaries; it offers a unique take on words, paper and images. The exhibit runs through January 14, 2018  at 375 Rhode Island Street.

Art Walk in the Presidio

Art and nature meet on this 3-mile hike through the Presidio. You can find 4 of Artist Andy Goldsworthy's installations during this hike the "Spire" stands near the Arguello gate in San Francisco's Presidio. Goldsworthy a world renown artist uses site-specific materials found in nature. For this particular installation, the artist used 37 felled Monterey cypress trees which he fastened together to make an impressive 100-foot tall "Spire". The installation, as well as some of the artist's other pieces (Earth Wall, Tree Fall, and Wood Line), can be accessed on a 3-mile hiking loop.

Earth Wall

Pegasus Books in Berkeley

Pegasus Books an Independent Bookstore in Berkeley on Shattuck Avenue offers a selection of well curated books that offer a unique perspective on music, travel and art.

Some Book Titles

Some of the books that stuck out in their featured sections were Rad Women Worldwide, Broad Strokes (15 Women who Made Art), The New Analog, and Railroad Semantics (a series of books about train hopping).

The Art Section

Some Of The art hanging on the wallS includes a cubist like image of a women breast feeding her baby, a photograph of Diego Rivera, and Andy Warhol's print of yellow and red cow's.

Special Events

Check out The Jazz Series on the first Tuesday of every month at 1855 Solono called "Jazz Stories".