East of the Diablo Range and West of the Central Valley is an unincorporated city called Mountain House, California. If you visit this town that is made up of residential villages, you’ll see some good-looking homes, clean environs and people and their pets on strolls. One of the best-kept secrets of this town has to be an almost-hidden creek. And a belt of green to go along with it (in the winter). Last weekend when the rains took a break, we pulled on our jackets and hit the Mountain House Creek Trail.
The sun was out and streaming through the bare branches, throwing light on the grounds that had turned green thanks to weeks of winter showers. The birds were out of their hiding and exploring the naked branches. And some little critters seemed to be looking for the wildflowers that have started to bloom. The reeds along the river bed were green in some parts and very dry in some parts where the creek thinned. For me, it was a lovely one-mile-stroll with the family and frames-and-frames of pretty pictures.
Mountain House Creek Trail
There are two trails here, one on either side of the creek. We took the paved trail and saved the unpaved one for the next time.
Halfway down the trail, I came across an information board that told me that when the creek was restored, care was taken to set up three different terraces in the area. Then there was: the Lower Terraces or Marshland, the Middle Terrace or the Riparian Zone and the Upper Terrace or the Prairie. Each of these Terraces is meant to cater to different kinds of plants and animal life depending on the season, the water in the creek and moisture in the soil. The information there also told me a bit about the vegetation in the area and what to expect in the summer or draught time, and about the provisions for a flood, should there be one.
Now, if YOU are ready to see the different terraces of the creek, the plants and the paved trail beside it, take a look at these pictures:
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So beautiful!
🙂
Winter turns these parts very green and very pretty. 🙂
Hello, the trail and views look beautiful. A lovely spot for a walk. Your photos are beautiful. Thanks for visiting. Have a happy day and week ahead.
It was a lovely walk.
Thank you, Eileen.
Happy Week to you too. 🙂
What a delightful place to walk and gorgeous photos!
Happy Day to you,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)
Isn’t it?! It doesn’t look like this all year, tho. 🙂
You have a happy day too, Carol. 🙂
…a fabulous spot for a walk, thanks for taking me along!
It is. 🙂
It was a pleasure, Tom. I hope you are having a good week. 🙂
It looks like a very pretty trail.
It is — in the winters. And I’m sure in the fall, too.
Thanks, Al.
So beautiful 🙂
Isn’t it? 🙂
Delightful captures all!
Thank you, Magiceye. 🙂
Such a pretty landscape. I deal for a trail.
It’s going to look different soon. The landscape gets very dry in the summer. But its a great place for easy walks. 🙂
I would love to walk around those trees. Must have been so beautiful. I can go back again and again.
It looks beautiful around here in the winter months. This place is going to be a different story in the next couple of months tho’ 😐
Thank you for visiting, Parul. 🙂
I should fish out the tree pics I have, for your blog hop. 🙂
Picture postcards! Lovely!
Thank you, Magiceye. 🙂
Just mesmerizing!
🙂
Thank you for coming this way, Neeraj. 🙂
Lovely views. Very well captured.
Thank you, Abhisek. 🙂
It is such a scenic place and it must me so much fun with kids!
It is. And it looks different almost every season.
It’s a kid-friendly trail, too. 🙂