Magical Mystical Light*

The Los Alamos entrance to Hood Mountain Regional Park at the top of our road reopened this morning, having been closed since the fires. The Pythian Road entrance and a whole section of the park as well as the adjoining Sugarloaf Ridge State Park are still closed. This picture was taken somewhere over Hood Mountain.   As the crow flies, it is just a couple of miles from our house, and the fire burned in our direction to about a half mile from the house before the wind changed direction.

We were excited as we made the short drive up a narrow, exposed road to what we like to think of as the top of the world. On a clear day there are views from up there over the city of Santa Rosa all the way to the coast. It was sunny and clear this morning but still freezing...literally. A couple of years ago we had a wonderful family hike to the top of Hood Mountain, a place called Gunsight Rock. 

This morning we could only go as far as the head of Santa Rosa Creek, but Ozzie remembered it and set off at a brisk pace. The steep hillsides were covered in thick frost and the sun which was just rising over the steeply cut hills was melting the frost, lighting the moss on the trees and causing a rising mist of condensation.  

We have often done this hike and never met a soul. Usually we meet a couple of people, many of whom are carrying on across the creek and up to Gunsight Rock. I don't know how far anybody got this morning, but there were obviously a lot of people like us who had been eagerly awaiting even a limited entry into this beautiful spot. We see the rangers in their trucks driving up and down our road, but have never, until this morning seen any in the park. Today was different. The narrow road carried a steady stream of traffic and there were a number of rangers an volunteers around to point out which parts were open and which were still closed.

One more step toward 'normal' and a lot of people out in the crisp, cold morning were feeling pretty good about it.

*I know it is probably too late for this entry, but since it fit the bill so well, I added the tag.