Today started out sunny and crispy cold, and since the weather forecast called for rain starting up tonight, I wanted to get in a good hike. I haven't been up Mt. St. Helena in awhile, but on a good day, you can see over much of Northern California.
Part way up I paused to look down the Napa Valley from it's headwaters.
It was very clear looking toward the east.
You can barely make out the snow capped Sierras behind that last ridge.
It was cold at the top with the ice not really melting. There were some interesting looking ice delicacies.
More ice art.
... and more.
What's a Bay Area peak without an arsenal of antennae these days! What a blight - they also require power poles all over the mountain. But I do use a cell phone, so I'm part of the problem, too.
Looking northwest you can see several plumes of steam coming from The Geysers Geothermal Powerplant. This is the biggest one in the U.S. and produces enough electricity from underground steam to power a city the size of San Francisco - if I remember correctly.
Looking to the west you can see Point Reyes extending into the ocean.
As I was being microwaved, a jet contrail added to the spectacle.
Looking north you can see the white triangular peak of Mount Lassen, about 150 miles away.
Some old geek hanging out at the top.
Mt. St. Helena has large areas covered with Knobcone Pines. They are all about the same height, and I assume age. This is because the cones stay on the tree a very ling time, and only open to release seeds when they are burned by fire. I think they must have been burned off in a big fire in the seventies, and that's when most of today's knobcones started to sprout. That's my theory, anyways. Notice how I qualify most everything I say these days? Well, that's it for today.
It was very clear looking toward the east.
You can barely make out the snow capped Sierras behind that last ridge.
It was cold at the top with the ice not really melting. There were some interesting looking ice delicacies.
More ice art.
... and more.
What's a Bay Area peak without an arsenal of antennae these days! What a blight - they also require power poles all over the mountain. But I do use a cell phone, so I'm part of the problem, too.
Looking northwest you can see several plumes of steam coming from The Geysers Geothermal Powerplant. This is the biggest one in the U.S. and produces enough electricity from underground steam to power a city the size of San Francisco - if I remember correctly. 
Looking to the west you can see Point Reyes extending into the ocean.
As I was being microwaved, a jet contrail added to the spectacle.
Looking north you can see the white triangular peak of Mount Lassen, about 150 miles away.
Some old geek hanging out at the top. 
Mt. St. Helena has large areas covered with Knobcone Pines. They are all about the same height, and I assume age. This is because the cones stay on the tree a very ling time, and only open to release seeds when they are burned by fire. I think they must have been burned off in a big fire in the seventies, and that's when most of today's knobcones started to sprout. That's my theory, anyways. Notice how I qualify most everything I say these days? Well, that's it for today.
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