north slopes
in this otherwise dry landscape in the rainshadow of the range. The three peaks
were all outside the state property boundaries, but much of the hiking was
inside and provided the easiest access to these summits.
Peak 1,331ft / Peak 1,330ft
These are the two most prominent summits, located north of the reservoir, nearly detached from the rest of the ran e by the Cottonwood and Romero Creek drainages. Though there are cheaper ways to access these peaks through the state property, I paid the $10 entrance fee at the west entrance to O'Neill Forebay which provides access to various campgrounds, day use areas and the Lower Cottonwood Creek Wildlife Area to the north. This separate unit is managed not by the State Parks system, but the CA Dept of Fish and Wildlife, primarily for hunting purposes. At one time used extensively for ranching as most of the lands further north still are, this area has been set aside for deer, pigs, turkeys and other game animals to roam, reproduce and thrive until people periodically come by and put small steel pellets in their heads. I could have done a better job of figuring out where to park and best access
the wildlife area
but didn't expect to find it fenced off from the recreation area that surrounds
the reservoir and forebay. I ended up 
parking just outside the
San Luis Creek Area Campground, possibly illegally, as I
noted upon my return some pesky No Parking Between Signs signs right
about where I was parked. No nasty notes or tickets to greet me, thankfully.
After a short walk west along the pavement, I hopped a sturdy barbed-wire fence
to gain access to the wildlife area and began walking down the old ranch road,
periodically maintained to clear brush though no longer used for vehicles
except those belonging to Fish & Wildlife personnel. A few 
deer took
off when I first entered, the only game animals I saw the whole day. I followed
the 
grassy road for several miles 
into the hills until I was at
the base of a ridgeline heading NW up to Peak 1,331ft. A 
first fence is
encountered just off the road, but another 2/3
of the way up the ridgeline marks the actual wildlife area boundary. The space
between the two fences may act as a No Man's Land to keep hunters from
accidently plugging a wayward cow or two. The occasional beer can and bottle
found discarded along the route suggests this is more possible than one might
otherwise think.
Taking about an hour from the pavement, 
the summit of
Peak 1,331ft offers some nice views of the surrounding countryside. The
reservoir can be seen to 
the south framed by the higher Diablo summits
around Laveaga Peak, with the forebay seen to 
the southeast. The
Central Valley spreads across to east and though shrouded in fog and haze, the
Sierra snowpack above Yosemite can just be seen in the far distance.
Looking 
northwest I could easily identify the connecting ridgeline to
reach Peak 1,300ft about two miles distance and headed off in that direction.
After dropping to a low saddle and climbing the opposite side, I found
a fenceline skirting much of this ridgeline separating two ranch
properties. In various parts of the Romero Creek drainage to the east and north
could be seen a few herds of grazing cattle. Above, a handful of ravens and
redtail hawks circled the landscape above. Atop the second summit I
reached 45min later is a large 
water tank that can easily be seen from
SR152. Perhaps 15ft high, it must have been quite an effort to get it to the top
of this hill where it has since fallen into disuse. A flock of sheep could be
seen 
far below in the Romero drainage, but I saw no trucks and no sign
of people out tending the animals grazing the new grass that has begun to
spring up over these hills. A
few modest rainstorms have done wonders to the dry land as they start to green
a bit earlier than usual.
My 
return route was much the same, only shortened by not returning
back over the first summit. With a few free hours still remaining before I was
due in Gilroy, I paid a visit to a third summit to the south.
Peak 1,414ft
This modest summit is found SE of the reservoir and just outside the boundary of the recreation area. It can be accessed via a dirt road off Basalt Rd. Not wanting to get in trouble for parking illegally along the road, I asked at the entrance kiosk on Basalt Rd where I might park. I was directed to the nearby campground where signs unequivocably indicate No Day Use. To be fair, the attendant was fairly new and wasn't very confident with her directions, but I didn't want to drive back out again and explore further options so I just parked in one of the many empty sites. In fact there were only two other sites out of perhaps 50 occupied, and one of these by the camp host who left me
a note about my bad behavior for my return. I kinda expected it.
From the campground, I wandered east through 
tall grass to meet up
with the dirt road I wanted to hike to 
its end. From there it's a
short uphill hike outside the recreation area to reach 
the highpoint
above a transmission line and ranch road. I snapped a few unethusiastic
photos (the air quality had grown considerably more hazy
over the past few hours) and headed back down. I found an interesting
collection of 
cattle bones, young and old, in a ravine I descended
before going back through the fence to the recreation area.
Back
by 3p, I showered before heading back to Gilroy for the match. It was as
good a match as I've seen them play, winning to advance to the championship
round. Looks like I'll be hanging around the San Jose area for at least another
week...