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Hwy. 99, B.C.
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East Bay Hill and Dale Drive
A San Francisco Wander Hwy. 25, CA
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One-day tour One-day tour

East Bay Hill and Dale Drive: The Antidote to City Living
Your tour guide: Curt Ingraham of Oakland, California
This leisurely 32-mile, two-hour drive takes you along the scenic backroads of the Berkeley Hills and rural Contra Costa County. It starts atop the Caldecott Tunnel on Hwy. 24 between Orinda and Oakland and ends with lunch at the unique Warehouse Cafe in the tiny town of Port Costa on the Carquinez Straight waterfront.

  1. Start at Fish Ranch Road and Caldecott Tunnel. Go north (uphill) on Fish Ranch Road.
  2. Turn right on Grizzly Peak Blvd. As you drive along Grizzly Peak, you are following the eastern boundary of UC Berkeley. Watch for bicyclists on this popular route.
  3. Pass 'Steam Train' intersection.
  4. Look on the left for "The Wall," a nationally known gathering place for motorcyclists. Stop by here any dry day at sunset for proof.
  5. Turn right on Golf Course Road. Come back another time and turn left here to reach the Lawrence Hall of Science (another good place for kids) and the botanical gardens.

  6. Turn right on Shasta Road.
  7. Turn right on Wildcat Canyon Road. Keep left.
  8. Turn left into Inspiration Point parking lot. Stop, get out and enjoy the view of San Pablo Reservoir and Briones Reservoir.
  9. Turn left on Wildcat Canyon Road. Enjoy your descent down the eastern slope of the Berkeley Hills.
  10. Go straight across at the traffic light, and continue on Bear Creek Road. Watch for bicyclists.

  11. Look for Freckle Butt ahead on the left. Return to a leisurely pace for the drive past horse ranches in Briones Valley. Again, watch for bikes.
  12. Turn right into the Bottomley Farm Equestrian Center. Drive slowly and quietly through the parking lot so as not to spook the horses. Feed carrots to the horses.
  13. Leave Bottomley Farm. Turn right onto Bear Creek Road.
  14. Turn right at the stop sign onto Alhambra Valley Road. Watch for llamas.
  15. Enjoy scenic canyon along Arroyo del Hambre Creek.

  16. Turn left at the stop sign to continue on Alhambra Valley Road.
  17. Turn left at the traffic light on Alhambra Avenue.
  18. Approach the tall railroad trestle, Hwy. 4, and the traffic light. Before the trestle, turn left on Franklin Canyon Road. Follow Franklin Canyon Road under the trestle then parallel to Hwy. 4.
  19. Turn right on McEwen Road, and go under Hwy. 4. Watch for Solano County, across the Carquinez Straight, to come into view.

  20. At the stop sign, cross Carquinez Scenic Drive and continue on Reservoir Street. Enter Port Costa. 21. Turn right at the stop sign on Canyon Lake Drive.
  21. Park in the lot at the end of Canyon Lake Drive, get out, stretch, wander about the town. Enjoy lunch at the Warehouse Cafe.

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