It’s a selfish thing, but I’m also grateful that hiking a few miles puts me in the center of a gorgeous 1,400 acre park with no people in it on a fine, windy spring day. It’s closed to cars and there’s no parking on the access road; few people walk or hike any distance, so I had the park largely to myself. It’s great for the health and soul. I figure if I can keep my fitness up (it's a good 800 foot climb up to the park), I won’t become a cardiac patient and overtax the health care system. And the chance of getting infected here is probably lower than in my own house! It's legal to walk to the park and be in it; you just aren't allowed to drive into the park (gates are closed and locked).
I thought I'd share some of the pics I took on my hike yesterday so you can see what I'm grateful for. I hope you like these.
Lake Boronda, Foothills Park, Palo Alto, California 
The Visitor's Center, all buttoned up and closed down. Nary a soul to be seen anywhere. Of course, even on a normal early spring weekday around 5 pm this isn't a crowded place. 
The park rangers are somewhat serious about keeping people off of the bench at the Visitor's Center. I figured the space between the yellow tapes wasn't off-limits, so I plopped myself down.
But the rangers are REALLY SERIOUS about keeping people off the chairs. The nicely varnished bench is better anyway. 
The view of the meadow and hills from the bench is always pleasant. I had a nice 30 minute break by myself on the bench just enjoying watching the deer, turkeys and hawks in the meadow and sky. 
The woodland critters seem to be getting a bit petrified of COVID, too. 
The majestic old oaks on the hike down through the Pearson-Arastradero Preserve are always spectacular. The parks people closed the parking lot at this preserve a couple days ago, but you can still park on the road outside the preserve a half mile down the road. 
When hiking east down the hill, you get the gorgeous sunset at your back illuminating all the ancient oaks. The big ones are hundreds of years old; unfortunately, a fungus-like plant disease called "Sudden Oak Death" is killing a lot of the ancient oaks. First recognized in the mid 1990s, the disease kills some oak species (primarily coast live oak, Quercus agrifolia, and an oak relative, tanoak, Notholithocarpus densiflorus) and has had devastating effects on coastal forests in California and Oregon. It really is heartbreaking to see these giants dying and toppled over. 
I tried an "artistic - grainy black & white" setting in the camera for a moody effect. But I think I like the color image better. What do you think? 
