Friday, December 24, 2010

Benicia State Recreation Area - Dillon Pt. - Dec. 23, '10

Walking Distance: 3.2 miles
Walking Time: 1 hr., 23 min. (3:10 - 4:33 p.m.)
Start and End Point: State Park public parking lot ($6.00 for Day Use), Benicia State Recreation Area (end of Rose Dr.); Benicia, CA

Today was a gorgeous, sunny winter day; it was a perfect time to walk around Southampton Bay and out to Dillon Point, in Benicia. The pictures tell the story. I followed Dillon Point Road (red line on map), inside the Benicia State Recreation Area -- continuing where I'd left off a few days ago.

On the way, I passed the Forrest Deaner Native Plant Botanic Garden (which contains some 250 species on 3.5 acres, overlooking Southampton Bay.

This dog-friendly stretch of of trail was suitable for all types of traffic -- walkers, runners, bicyclists, and cars. At the end of Dillon Point Road, there were restrooms and what appeared to be the end of the road; a small section of unpaved trail continued out to Dillon Point from there. Looking West (toward Vallejo), on a clear day, was a nice view of the Carquinez Strait Bridge.

Wildlife Sightings:
4 robins; 14 little brown jobs (LBJs); 9 ducks; 9 egrets (6 snowy, 3 great); 4 sea gulls; 5 ground and/or other squirrels; 7 Western and/or Clark's Grebes; 22 coots; 1 cormorant; 11 red-winged blackbirds; 6 crows

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