Belmont's Water Dog Lake

As part of my weekend post-test therapy, Sak and I went to nearby Belmont..to the hidden gem of Water Dog Lake Park.

It's kind of sad..we've lived here for five years and I didn't even know Belmont had little trails.  It's fairly hidden - nestled secretly in between housing.

When you first start, there's a fork in the road! Pick the easy upper route, or risk your life amongst the bikers on the hilly route.

Obviously, we chose the easy route. We had lox bagels to leisurely enjoy, after all.

It was a really beautiful day, and just what I needed to get out of my funk!

It is kinda funny how the "nature zone" is flanked on both sides by houses though. Expensive, beautiful houses with stellar views, I'm sure.

Along the path were lizards out sunning themselves too, so fun!

It's a short trek, and eventually we get to Water Dog Lake!

Ehh. Not much, huh? I don't know if it's brown all the time, or just because it recently rained. The ducks didn't seem to mind though, cute little couple!

"Honey, would you please STOP mooning me?!"

The spillways on the side of the lake were super eerie.  I kind of wanted to go inside the tube.

I'm glad we found this place. It's closer than going to Crystal Spring's trail, and it's the perfect "difficulty" for an afternoon weekend stroll.

And along the way there we saw some of these Belmont fire hydrant fellows!

I want to paint the one outside our house now. Do you need a permit for that? :P

What kind of nature trails do you have near your home? I wish ours had more open space for star gazing, there's too much light pollution where we are. :P