Alhambra Valley

"Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach some of us more than we can ever learn from books." John Lubbock



I love the evening fog carpet that rolls in from the Bay in warmer months.





Spring brings the vibrant California Poppy.





About a year or two ago I saw film crews out here filming On the Road.


I love the area we are currently calling home. We are blessed to have such open space, free of concrete and yet be close enough to the trappings of the urban jungles called Berkeley, Oakland and San Francisco. When driving through the valley its hard to believe I am in the East Bay. The area looks more like Sonoma or Mendicino Counties.

In researching Alhambra Valley and Briones Regional Park, I discovered that the Briones family owned the Briones Valley Rancho which the park now calls home. Cattle ranching was the predominant land use in most the valley, followed by orchards and vineyards. In the early part of the last century, orchards were common in the valley with pear being the major crop. Cattle still graze but nothing like it was a hundred years ago. And orchards are far and few, mostly on private residences for private use. One exception is the Alhambra Valley Ranch (http://www.alhambravalley.com/) which grows olives and has a small organic farm. In the summer months they set up a farm stand on weekends. We have gotten to know the owner and farmers and enjoy seeing them on our weekly visits.



The back roads are so much nicer than the freeway and not that much longer, so the girls and I will often drive Alhambra Valley Road to Martinez, Walnut Creek or Lafayette/Orinda. Bear Creek Road is one of the roads off Alhambra Valley that we also often take. We will often leave early for our destination so we can see some of our 'friends' who live along the way, at one of the many stables and small ranches.

While we love the horses, we really enjoy seeing the two donkeys and two ponies that live on Bear Creek Road. They aren't always out, so we have to pull over and look real hard. The girls are thrilled when we see them. Just the other day, one of the little donkey was right at the fence along the side of the road! I was so thrilled I had my camera with me!

Just down the road, on the turn to Happy Valley Road, is a large field that occasionally has goat. There is a local 'Goat Man' who takes his goats all over the East Bay to graze and we get so excited when we see them in one of their many spots. They seem to frequent this corner field a few times a year so we are always on the lookout. This past weekend, there they were! Havana was the only one with me and was very clear that she wanted to "get out and see the goats" up close!





The Alhambra Valley is a special place here in the overpopulated and overbuilt Bay Area. I know many prefer to live on a crowded street and be in walking distance of a coffee shop or grocery store. But I would much rather hear the wind, turkey and more often, silence, I would rather see green, open space, than office buildings, freeways and stores. The city has it's appeal.. But for me, and for our family, this suits us just fine. I can do with walking to the store. I can't live without Mother Nature.