an adventure to lick observatory

The adventure for Thanksgiving time did not take us too far, but it certainly was like a different world – high above the Silicon Valley and San Jose. We drove on small windy roads towards the wilderness of Mount Hamilton where one can visit the 100+ years old Lick Observatory. On the way back we enjoyed a little like a huge county park and even came across a bobcat, which has just caught a rabbit.

A true adventure for the kids and breathtaking views for the older ones – we got to enjoy witnessing the veil of mist being lifted for a moment in the valley and on the other side it was pure wilderness. A bit cool but sunny day and thoroughly enjoyable for all!

A view of San Jose and Silicon Valley when the morning mist was rising

Breathtaking views towards the distant mountains covered in mist

Destination spotted – Lick Observatory sits atop Mount Hamilton

The summit has several pretty buildings

The original Lick telescope dating back to late 1880s

This must be one of the cutest mail boxes I have seen

Open wilderness

The road up to the conservatory

Classical buildings in the middle of the mountains

The area has several observatories

A hike in the Joseph D. Grant country park where we came across a bobcat

A large, hidden country park with plenty of trails along the hills

Descend back to the valley where the mist is thickening again

There were some beautiful residences scattered on the hills, but this was definitely the winner of the day – the closest I’ve been to Taj Majal since I haven’t made it to India yet…