Just thinking ahead for maybe 2 months or so. Mt Hamilton is a beautiful drive, awesome view and neat destination. At the top is Lick Observatory (operated by the University of CA system), formerly the world's largest telescope. There are a lot of new additions besides the original telescope. There are like 56 observatories up there with big telescopes (well, we cannot really use them or anything). It is just a cool historical spot.
Grant Ranch County Park is about halfway up, and has some very picturesque spots for picture taking, and picnic areas for grilling. It would be a nice spot to stop-off to grill before going the rest of the way to the summit. And trust me, the top has an amazing view on a reasonably clear day. You can easily see the San Francisco Bay from up there. On really clear days, Half Dome is visible from the back of the mountain (you need binoculars though).
The road, starting in San Jose, is a good 20 miles of windy climbing. If we did drive this though, there would be NO crazy driving. The road is not in that great of shape, and there are a lot of mountain bikers. From experience, it sucks being on a bike up there and having cars almost throw you off the edge of the road. It would be a nice leisurely drive to the ~4500ft summit.
Thoughts? I will post pics of my recent trips up there tonigth/tomorrow.
Topic: CA Bay Area BBQ & Drive? (Read 3242 times)