Adventures in Microclimates

The Bay Area is know for its microclimates as the boys and I discovered first-hand this morning. After Henry's nap, the sun was starting to break through here in Alameda, so I thought we'd get out and about before the next rainstorm hit. I've been wanting to check out the farm in Tilden Regional Park, so I packed a lunch, threw the boys in the car, and headed for the hills above Berkeley.

I could see a massive bank of clouds sitting on the hills as I drove toward them, but I foolishly thought that they would clear before we got up there. As we started to spiral up a steep mountain road, however, the clouds and fog quickly engulfed us and I realized my mistake! The driving conditions were HORRIBLE -- steep narrow road, Precipitous drop-off with no railing, nowhere to pull over, blinding fog on all sides. Add to this the fact that (1) Henry was crying in the backseat, (2) Max was upset that we had left the lettuce for the goats at home and (3) I have a bizarre recurring nightmare about driving up a mountain and then sliding uncontrollably backwards as my brakes fail, and you have a recipe for an extremely unpleasant (near terrifying) drive. Eventually I found a place to pull over and I turned the car around and headed back down the mountain. We never did make it to Tilden, but I would love to try again on a SUNNY day!

Having abandoned that outing, I decided to head back to familiar turf in Alameda. The boys and I took our lunch to the beach where it was warm, sunny, and absolutely gorgeous. Max threw sticks in the bay and fed the seagulls (sorry, Nicolle) and Henry ate sticks and crawled around. It was delightful. It's amazing to me that these two destinations are separated by only a few miles and yet the weather couldn't have been more different. That's the Bay Area for you!

Max strikes a GQ pose at the beach.

Yummy stick!