Pulgas Ridge Open Space Preserve is located in the hills above Redwood City, making it a convenient location for our Doogler crew. Once home to a tuberculosis sanitarium, the buildings were demolished in the 1980s, but there are still a few remnants, like some out of place stairs.

While the history is slightly creepy, we loved the trails here! There are some loop trails that are always nice for hiking and there is also an off-leash area for dogs, which makes Pulgas unique. Trails are well marked and there are maps available at the parking lot; it’s also hiking only, so no bikers or horses.

We took the Polly Geraci Trail, which winds through some pretty dense forest… Red Birch scattered amongst Coast Live Oak, Bay Laurel and California Buckeye provided some welcome cover from the sun as the trail ascended mildly through switchbacks before reaching a small clearing that offered a nice view looking north.

We connected to Hassler Trial, which lead us to the off-leash area where we found some interesting Tipi structures.

Maybe we will try some off-leash adventures here next time... and explore Dusky-footed Woodrat Trail for a longer hike in the future...

Dash rode shotgun on the way to the trails and took a nap since his friend Camille was in the back and couldn't play with him while Dewey and Harley shared the back seat comfortably... a nice calm start to the day. 

We explored a new trail today: Black Oak Trail... Black Oak has some switchbacks and is more narrow than some of the others, making for a somewhat challenging hike with four dogs, but it was well worth the effort as the scenery was beautiful... 

The secluded location, Lichen cloaked trees and leaf covered trail gave the feel of an enchanted forest in autumn.

Dash practiced his bug catching skills, but will have to try again next time as he was unsuccessful despite his best efforts... Dewey & Harley's shadows appeared to merge in the form of a tree (above) and of course, Camille was full of energy & happy to be on the trails with her friends.

Two deer crossed the road as we were leaving and I was able to capture a few pictures while they curiously watched me... first the fawn and then momma showed up to make sure everything was OK. It's always a treat to see some wildlife!

We will explore Black Oak Trail further during our next Coal Mine adventure...

Greyhound day...

First hike at St Joseph Hill OSP and it was a thumbs up. We had 3 hounds today: Ares, Jane and John. They all did well and enjoyed the hike (we kept it short as greyhounds are not built for endurance). 

The weather was perfect for a hike and the elevated trail offers some nice views of Los Gatos & Sierra Azul mountains. 

There were several joggers, bikers and people out enjoying the sunny Labor Day weekend but it wasn't too busy.

During a water break, a hiker stopped to warn us of a snake off to the side of the trail ahead and we decided it was a good time to head back. 

As we approached the park exit, two people entered with remote controlled cars. Based on experience, we knew that this was bad news with the hounds... 

The winding sound of the car motor seems to bring back memories of the electric rabbit at the racetrack and sets them into a frenzy of wining, barking, pulling and general chaos, so we made a hasty exit before it escalated!

Once we were back at the car the hounds settled in quickly and it didn't take long for them to slip into a nap for the ride home.

We had a full crew of 5 dogs today, including River, who joined us for his first hike. Camille and Dash had lots of energy as usual and decided the car ride there was a good time to sneak in some playtime in the back seat. 

River was excited at pick-up, but when he realized that we were driving away without his person, he decided to let out a howl. This was a first and caught the rest of the crew by surprise as he howled a few more times while riding shotgun on the way there. 

Once we hit the trails, River fit right in with the others... Dewey showed him the ropes by setting a fast pace and Leika balanced us out by ensuring that we weren't too speedy. We caught the attention of some passing motorists as we hit the trail and they smiled and pointed in amusement at the crew. The dogs kept a steady pace and got in some good exercise (along with their guide). As you can see from the post hike picture (lower right), the ride home was much calmer; no howls, just some happy, tired dogs... another great adventure!

Nice hike at Thornwood... small crew today, but we had fun. The .7 mile hike up Bridle Trail to Schilling Lake has some pretty steep switchbacks and running up was a great workout for all.

Camille and Leika enjoyed the fresh air, fair weather and beautiful scenery as we took a break at the lake for a profile shot and some water before heading back. 

We discovered another trail (Schilling Lake Trail) with this little bridge, but we had to save that one for our next Thornwood adventure! 

Today was a Dewey day! We had the trails to ourselves and didn't encounter a soul for the entire hike - pretty nice. 

We worked in some cardio via some nice inclines and incorporating some running into our hike... it was a nice workout for me and Dewey was game. The weather was mild and well suited for the activities.

We made the loop in about 45 min today with the faster pace. I really like this hike - it has become our regular Friday hike spot... Dewey said he likes it too!

Before we even made it to the trails, we encountered some wildlife... two deer! I got a shot of one jumping the road to join the other (iPhone camera doesn't really do them justice).

This was our first hike at Windy Hill and we will definitely be back... the views are amazing!

We found a water trough along the trail with fresh running water flowing into it... the dogs all stopped for a drink and then Gus decided to take a dip (as Leika watched in confusion)!

Dewey and Camille were blazing the trail today...
As we headed back, we saw a really cool contrail shooting straight up into the sky.

Anniversary Trail was great... looking forward to exploring the other trails here soon...

This is a great secluded hiking spot! Beautiful redwoods, nice trails and very little foot traffic. We hiked Bridle Trail which winds through some amazing forest. Dewey decided he was the designated tour guide and tried to lead the pack most of the hike.

We were joined by a special guest photographer who captured some great pics during the hike. It's not easy to get 5 dogs to sit or stand still enough to get a picture. This shot was taken at our mid-hike break. The dogs had gotten some energy out at this point and were happy to sit still for a group shot. Look at all those happy faces!

Not all the fun is had on the trails... Camile decided that Dash would make a comfy booster seat and we were lucky enough to capture their hijinks.

Beautiful hiking weather today at Coal Mine Ridge! Temps were in the 70's - perfect for a summertime trek. 

What made it even better was the gorgeous display of clouds that decorated the sky above.

Hikers today were: Dewey, Gus and Leika.

The trails were pretty quiet as we started out on Alpine Trail, continued to Deer Path Trail, connected to Los Trancos Trail and then looped back to the start. Total hike time was just about an hour. 

Happy dogs. Happy hiker. Life is good. :)