Charlie the Hiker

Have I mentioned what a great hiker Charlie is and how he's completely turned Tim into a master of the mountains?  This could be one of our favorite side effects of having Charlie.  Since his arrival we've been able to do so many great hikes (and California is just chock full of great places to trek.)  Looking back now, it's hard to believe that we didn't hike much before but I painfully recall a number of outings with Tim in the trailer ... let's just say that trailer went downhill much more effortlessly than up.

These first pix were taken during a hike at Del Valle which provides some great views of Lake Del Valle to the south and Mount Diablo to the north.  (That's Mount Diablo over Tim's right shoulder.)

(Took this one using the self-timer on my camera.  That's Lake Del Valle behind us.)

(Quick confession here:  our original intentions were to hike a portion of Mount Diablo but we foolishly neglected to check the park rules before we traveled out there.  Upon encountering the park ranger at the gate, he explained that dogs are not permitted on any trails ... grrrrr ....   So we drove to the summit and let Charlie explore from the visitors center with us.  You can see from these pix just how curious Chuck is about the view.)

Those are the snowcapped Sierras in the distance.  From the other direction we could see the Golden Gate Bridge.

I think this picture is my favorite from this day.  Charlie was so curious but so well behaved that I never once worried about him leaping off the peak or over the edge of the ridge.   (Apologies for making this a travelogue but I really just wanted to show off Charlie in some of these scenic locales.  More updates later!!!)