A grand view

I was climbing Mt Konocti at Clear Lake, trudging up to the top of Buckingham Peak in search of a killer view of the landscape below. Ironically, I discovered that the lake views from the trail were much better than the ones I could get from the top of the peak. The brush was too tall for me to see over, although I did see a lot of trees and some magnificent views of the mountain; so I had to be content with the enjoyment of having reached my goal — no small thing, really. And then it was time to head back down, retracing my steps along the long dusty trail to where I had parked my car. Of course, heading down off a mountain isn’t nearly as easy as you might think. If I had expected a welcome break from constant climbing, my over 60-year-old knees had another story to tell!

I couldn’t get a good look at the view from the top of Buckingham Peak

Dead ahead was my halfway point, where I had stopped for lunch

Where the road forks