Eight eager THD residents including myself were 15 minutes early for our scheduled scenic drive to the top of Mt Diablo yesterday afternoon. The day was sunny and warm and was not windy at all. I was ready for a windy day at the top, but when we arrived after a 25 to 30 minutes slow and torturous drive on the 5.7 miles winding road, it was very warm at the top of Mt Diablo. I have to take of my wind-breaker jacket of. The view however was super clear and mesmerizing. It was worth the 3-4 hours we spent on the drive and tour that whole afternoon under the guidance of our capable driver- Sylvia ( I do not know her last name, since she is a very new THD employee). After tour on our way back to THD, the group fired me as the resident meteorologist for the Day.
I purchased the above cap at the gift shop to add to my collection. Currently I have 24 caps in my collection.
We stayed for about 30 minutes, taking pictures, visiting the visitor center and museum and me purchasing a black baseball cap to add to my cap collection ( see photo above). Here are some of the other photos I took;
Our Capable Driver- Sylvia
Hisako Tanaka- Dressed to Kill for the Remarkable Summit View
One of the Inside Museum Framed Photographs, I loved
Pamela ( Pam) Atkinson enjoying One of the Museum Exhibits
Anne Stackhouse and Eileen Breismeister


Many visitors to Mount Diablo head straight for the Summit to enjoy the famous view. As mountains go, Mount Diablo isn't particularly tall - only 3,849 feet. However, it is surrounded by low, rolling hills and broad, flat valleys, so the view from the Summit is remarkable. When conditions are best, you can see almost 200 miles. Summer days are sometimes hazy, and the best viewing is often on the day after a winter storm. Then, you can look to the west, beyond the Golden Gate Bridge, to the Farallon Islands; southeast to the James Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton at 4,213 feet elevation; south to Mount Loma Prieta in the Santa Cruz Mountains at 3,791 feet elevation, north to Mount Saint Helena in the Coast Range at 4,344 feet elevation, and still farther north to Lassen Peak in the Cascades at 10,466 feet. North and east of Mount Diablo the San Joaquin and Sacramento Rivers meet to form the twisting waterways of the Delta. To the east beyond California's great central valley, the crest of the Sierra Nevada seems to float in space. All in all, you can see over 8,539 square miles and parts of 40 of California's 58 counties from the Summit of Mount Diablo.
Here are three other photos taken by Sylvia and sent to me by Jenny S:
Lastly a Personal Note: Two new employees of THD/Hillandale Combo told me the other day, I look like I have Chinese Ancestry. I told them I am too good-looking to have Chinese DNA( just a joke). When I told them I am a Filipino-American, both of them look surprise. Really? Any Comments on this incident, my dear readers here at THD and other parts of the World? I do not look like a regular or typical Filipino, because of my nose? Agree or Disagree?