There is a tarantula behind us!

Bill and Donna took me for a short hike up through the hills on the edge of Livermore.  We pulled into the car park and got our water and hiking pole out of the boot.  I turned around just in time to see a tarantula strolling across the gravel like he owned the place.  He was headed straight for a young couple getting out of the next car.  The girl’s reaction was considerably politer than mine would have been in her position.  Bill grabbed his camera and crouched down for a photo, which caused the tarantula to raise itself up and look menacing.  I strategically passed my camera to Bill and stayed at a safe distance.  Apparently it is ‘tarantula season’ now in California – something I am glad I hadn’t known in Yosemite!

Thankfully, that was the only tarantula we saw on our walk.  We followed the trail up along the ridges until we reached the overlook at the top, which gave us a great view out over the reservoir.  It is around 6 miles long, although we could only see one end of it.  It’s possible to follow the parkland all the way to the bay from here, if you have a couple of days to spare.

I didn’t, so we made our way back down and I set off for San Francisco airport to pick up my new road trip buddy, Ailsa.  Keen blog readers will spot that this is the third section of my trip that Ailsa has joined me for, after our previous adventures in Burma and Java.  Her plane arrived on time – in fact I think I saw it coming in to land as I crossed over the San Matteo bridge.  We drove out to Half Moon Bay and found a motel for the night, before I took Ailsa to the same sushi restaurant that Verity and I had discovered a few weeks earlier.  She just about stayed awake long enough to finish eating.  It was great to catch up, but the jetlag won out in the end.