Hiking Panoramic Hill in Berkeley + Lunch at Nature’s Express

I’m a little late with my weekend recap but better late than never, right? One of our friends from Texas was in town for work and came to spend the night with us on Sunday so there wasn’t much time for blogging.

Like I said on Friday, I really wanted to get outside and do some hiking, so as soon as our guest said he was up for it, that’s what was officially on the agenda.

I read about a hike in Berkeley that has awesome views of San Francisco and the Golden Gate so we decided to check that one out. But first we had to stop and get some vegan fuel at little café named Nature’s Express in downtown Berkeley.

Nature's Express

Their menu was huge and I had a really hard time deciding but in the end, I went for the Tuna Melt {made from garbanzo beans} and an Apple Kale Cooler {juice of  an apple, kale, cucumber and lime}. It was so good; my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

After that we made the short drive to Panoramic Hill to start our hike. It was a little tricky navigating the narrow, winding roads but the views at the top were definitely worth it.

Panoramic Hill Berkeley

Can you spot the Golden Gate Bridge?

Panoramic Hill Berkeley

The hike I had originally planned for us starts on Panoramic Hill which has some pretty steep hills to get your heart pumping.

Panoramic Hill Berkeley

Panoramic Hill Berkeley

At one point, you can take a small side trail up to a spot known by locals as The Spiral Knob which is another nice lookout spot. I have no idea what the significance of the spiraled rocks are but I’m guessing it probably has something to do with the name.

Panoramic Hill Berkeley

As the trail continues, there are more steep climbs with frighteningly loose gravel. If you ever plan to hike this trail, make sure you wear a good pair of hiking shoes!

IMG_2147

That picture is actually from our hike in South Lake Tahoe, about three months ago when I decided to finally buy a pair of designated hiking shoes. They’re made by Columbia and have turned out to be great.

After about an hour of hiking, we stopped at an open field to watch as the sun started to set. It was right about then that we realized we weren’t going to be able to finish the 6.7 mile loop before it got dark so we decided to turn back around.

Panoramic Hill Berkeley

Panoramic Hill Berkeley

The sunset on the way back was perfect and made me glad that we turned back when we did.

Panoramic Hill Berkeley

p3

As we walked to the car, we passed a house up on the hill with some aloe vera plants and these other crazy looking (succulent?) plants that reminded me of an octopus.

Panoramic Hill Berkeley

The house is actually in a pretty nice spot with the driveway wrapping around the front of Panoramic Hill.

Panoramic Hill Berkeley

Panoramic Hill Berkeley

I mean really, can you imagine having this view outside your window every evening?

Panoramic Hill Berkeley

I would never leave. Just kidding…kind of.

For dinner, we decided to try a restaurant in Berkeley called Gather. They are big on supporting local farmers and had a small menu with some meat, pizzas, and a few vegan items. We split the ‘vegan charcuterie’ and a chanterelle pizza with poblano peppers, lemon and thyme.

Gather

The food was really flavorful but I’m not sure the price or the wait {over an hour} was quite worth it. That’s just me though.

We got in pretty late last night and all I wanted to do was get in bed to prepare for another Monday morning sitting in traffic. For some reason, it is the worst on Monday mornings. I keep trying to convince my job to let me work four 10 hour shifts {Tuesday through Friday} but it hasn’t worked out yet. I’ve still got my fingers crossed!

As much as I hate Mondays, I am looking forward to Body Attack tonight. A good sweat always makes me feel better, mentally and physically.

I hope everybody’s Monday has gone well so far and I’ll talk to you soon!

 

Where’s your favorite spot to watch the sunset?