Beautiful rural scene of pastoral California hillsides in the East Bay Area, the foothills of the Diablo Range.

I almost missed this beautiful scene. I was on the return portion of my hike, walking back along the main ridge in Garin/Dry Creek Pioneer regional park. It’s hard to look east on this hike. West is so much more stunning, in the stereotypical way. To the west is the descent from the high foothills of the park. Beyond that is the East Bay suburbs, followed by the bay. And in the distance are the cities on the peninsula, and the Santa Cruz Mountains. To the east, is just some gentle rolling hills, and some cows. But luckily, I did look east. And I found the scene even prettier than that to the west. Less stunning, but more beautiful in its subtle ways. To me, this is a perfect example of a quiet pastoral California hillside. There are cows, verdant spring hills, and even a small drinking hole. But what I like most, and what is most reminiscent of California, are the trees between the hills. I love how the trees follow the arroyos where the water flows. They get so big and dense that I would assume trees of a smaller size should be able to grow further away. But no, the trees strictly stay faithfully to the stream beds.

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