It was another awesome hike in the NorCal outback. It was another Chihuahua swan dive into cow poop. It was another very long car ride home. Sigh. Fool me once...

We have snagged a handful of beautiful weekend days of late, and while it is still warm enough to want to be in the sun, it is not so hot that the little doggie runs for cover the minute we get out into the wild. This means we finally have a chance to visit all those places which allow off-leash pooches to run wild, but which are otherwise off limits to us in the summer. This weekend, we went to Contra Costa County for a first visit to the (very awesome) Black Diamond Regional Park.

The name Black Diamond in the park title refers to the name the original settlers gave to the coal they mined here back in the 19th century. The area has 3 or 4 old town sites, cemetaries, old mines, and literally feels like a window into the past, even though it is only 15-20 minutes from a BART station. For a human, the history of Black Diamond is very compelling. For a Chihuahua, the Black Diamonds are fresh meadow wafers left by the range bovine, and at that, also something my chi finds very compelling. Cow-a-bung dude!

I have a coworker native to Ireland, and he confirmed for me that NorCal in the spring looks very much like the Emerald Isle to him. I have never been to Ireland, but have flown over it in daylight. What I saw from the plane, and some of the vistas I saw at Black Diamond struck me as very similar.

For its proximity to the overgrown, sprawling, and nasty CA4 corridor from Bay Point to Brentwood, I was surprised at just how "away from it all" that I felt being out there. I need to see more of the nation to be 100% sure, but from my limited experience, there is no greater parks department than East Bay Regional. The parks are numerous, beautiful, well-kept, generous in policies, and often, more dog friendly than just about any other. Kudos for them.

I am not sure how a place with free roaming cattle does with off-leash dogs in general, but I must admit, watching a 5lb. Chihuahua act like he is gonna lay the smack down on a walking beef side is something I can't help but find humorous. The cows seem less amused, but even they don't seem all that worried at the prowess of my loco lobo. They mostly cleared the way when we approached, though had they dropped a pasture pastry as they stood, he would have had his attention sufficiently diverted to guarantee their safety.

It bothers me that Boomie and I have put in as much hard hiking in recent weeks as we have and the kid is still carrying around the extra 1.5 pounds he added over the holidays. It was very easy to put on him and is proving near impossible to lose. I am hoping that our visit with Pocket coming up this month will give him the all-day playtime he needs to work some of it off.

I have definitely learned my lesson on letting the kid eat what he wants - the weight goes on much quicker than it comes off. It ain't for a lack of trying either. I try walking the kid hard on weekends and at least recreationally each day. He still sweats sour cream. Once we get him back to waif-status, I will know better. Until that day, I must carry on with the epic hikes. Naturally, I can no longer feign shock that epic hikes beget epic poop-dives. Poop is just the cost of doing business with the canine set. How different is it with human babies really?