Musafir's Musings

After the long spell of cold and rainy days it felt like spring last Wednesday (April 19th). It was sunny and warm. The long range weather forecast indicates that we still have some wet days ahead of us.

JHL and I took advantage of the weather to go hiking in Edgewood Park. This is a good time of the year to go there. Edgewood Park is limited in terms of trails that offer long hikes. But parts of the park are hilly and one can get a good panoramic view of the Bay area. We take the trailhead at the junction of Edgewood Road and Canãda Road (west of 280), not the main entrance off Edgewood Road.

Edgewood Park is known for display of wild flowers in spring. We took the Serpentine Trail and then Ridgeview to the top of the hill. Then we sat down on the grass, facing west with Hwy 280 about a mile away, for a picnic of Lanterne pasta with roasted butternut squash, pine nuts and sage, and asparagus gratin, accompanied by a Johannisberg Riesling; coffee, and dark chocolate for dessert.

On the return leg we made a loop via Ridgeview to Serpentine. Saw a few deers,healthy and not too afraid of human beings. Edgewood is a habitat for rattle snakes also and the warm weather brings them out. Joanne and I were talking about snakes when a woman runner passed us and all of a sudden came to a halt about 20 yards ahead of us. I could see a long dark object lying across the trail and thought that it was a snake. It was. A big rattle snake. It slowly crossed the trail and went into the brush alongside. The runner was hesitant to go past that spot. We went first. The rattler was visible,long and thick. Yes, I am aware that they are not aggressive and are not likely to attack unless provoked. Nevertheless, I am afraid of them, almost stepped on one when I was running on a trail a few years back. I don't like anything that slithers....even lizards make me feel uneasy. I am cautious when I hike or run on trails in warm weather.