The Little Brown Church - Sunol

Last week I happened upon the sweet Little Brown Church of Sunol. It's a few blocks up from the downtown area of Sunol along Kilkare Road. Charming little church and definitely worth stopping for to shoot a few pics...

Click HERE to see more shots from a previous visit to Sunol.

Click HERE to read about the history of this church.

Sunol Regional Park

I couldn't pass up the fabulous spring weather this morning and decided to take a quick morning hike at Sunol Regional Park, just a short drive south of San Ramon. The hills were vibrant and green, the wildflowers in full bloom, and the cows frolicking in the meadows. Come along for an easy and picturesque hike...

First, stop in at the Visitor's Center...

Then pass over the foot bridge...

Steep hillsides line the trail...

Just follow the signs...

Be sure to close the gates behind you, though....

you don't want the cows to escape...

Gorgeous views everywhere you look...

And fields of wildflowers...

The trail is easy to follow...

Be sure to check out the flowers close up...

And notice the new growth on the oak trees, too...

The cows munch away...

Then the trail heads up into the hills...

You may encounter traffic on the trail...

But just follow the arrows, and you won't get lost...

The cows have no fear of hikers...

More lovely wildflowers...

Then the trail heads down to the river where you can see waterfalls...

You'll have to cross an old bridge...

And head back to the parking lot...

Look but don't pick!

Hope you enjoyed the hike. Sunol Regional Park has miles of trails for both hiking and horseback riding, and there are also lots of picnic areas and camping sites. The gates open at 7 am and close at dusk - it's a great place to enjoy nature's beauty.

Sunol Water Temple

The Sunol Water Temple is a beautiful architectural monument well worth a visit. It was designed in 1910 by famed San Francisco architect Willis Polk, who modeled it after the Temple of Vesta in Tivoli and considered it to be his masterpiece. The Temple is situated at the end of a long, narrow road and is surrounded by picturesque oak trees and meadows with views of the nearby hills.

First you pass through the temple entry gates and then drive down

the roadway - parking is next to the temple...

Twelve concrete Corinthian columns support the conical wood and tile roof...

The inscription around the ring of the roof reads,

"I will make the wilderness a pool of water and the dry lands springs of water.

The streams whereof shall make glad the city. S.V.W.C. MCMX."

Dolphins resting on the crown of the roof...

Looking up toward the roof and paintings...

A close up of one of the ornate columns...

The decorative wood paintings...

The restored ceiling of the temple - the empty sections were never completed...

A look through the columns...

That's California - The Dry Lands...

A beautiful monument so close to home...

If you decide to visit this jewel, check out my post about Niles Canyon and Sunol - both are interesting and fun places to visit and are nearby the temple.