Afternoon at the Lafayette Reservoir

This is my third visit to the Lafayette Reservoir, a water supply standing by for customers of the East Bay Municipal Utility District. Also, this is one of the rare occasions that my son and I were out of the house because of COVID-19 restrictions still being enforced in the Bay Area. Outdoor recreation is allowed as long as we stay away from others and people over the age of two years old wear masks.

It's almost surreal to me that we're outdoors just as winter is giving way to spring. The last time we were out, the temperature outside hovered just below 60 ºF/ 15.5 ºC which felt even colder because of the strong winter wind. We were all bundled up, with me wearing my son in a baby carrier covered with a polar fleece winter coat. But just a few weeks later, we were already walking in the forest surrounding the reservoir wearing activewear sans winter outerwear. 

Anyway, I'm glad that we were able to go outdoors because I needed the exercise (to help my knees and hips recover from postpartum aches and pains), the wee one needs to be exposed to nature, and fresh air would do us a lot of good.

As we entered the lakeside reservoir trail (one of two trails around the reservoir), we were met by this bulletin board regarding rules and safety reminders. We were supposed to watch out for wild animals, inedible mushrooms, and fire hazards, among others.

I think that this is the first time that I've seen pelicans on the reservoir's lake. During my previous visits, I observed other birds (like wild turkey and blue heron). There were other birds in the reservoir too but I didn't know what they were.

Since this is a reservoir whose water has high concentrations of mercury and other contaminants, people and pets aren't allowed to be in the water. However, fish caught in the reservoir are safe to eat after these have been thoroughly and properly cleaned.

Anyway, I didn't want the wee one to miss out on the sights so I opted to carry him front-facing using the ErgoBaby Omni 360 (the mesh feature came in really handy when the temperature peaked!). He thoroughly enjoyed seeing the trees, the birds, and the toddlers who were walking along the path with their parents. He was giggling and babbling during our trail walk except when he started feeling sleepy (which was when we were almost back at the parking lot). I am really glad that he had a great time outdoors.

We picked a great day to go on our walk. It still gets cold (temperatures dip to the high 30s) but trees have started to bloom. Yes, it's also a sign of the beginning of allergy season but the flowers show that we're nearing spring. Here's to lots of hope that the COVID-19 pandemic is almost over—with people getting vaccinated—and activities go back to normal (so that my son can finally meet Val).

As always, I look forward to going back to the Lafayette Reservoir. Perhaps next time, I'll be strong enough to dare follow the longer and more difficult Rim Trail.