A sculpture garden? A rustic playground? A Burning Man art project? When you live in the city, natureвЂ™s eccentricities can seem mythical. Surely, I found myself thinking over and over again, this is some kind of manmade creation. Rock City, Mount Diablo State Park in Contra Costa County, California. I stopped to run my fingers along the treesвЂ™ thin branches - a visceral sense memory from my Northern California childhood - while my husband and daughter plowed ahead through this weird, magical, surreal Rock City. On either side, there were shrubby manzanita with blood-red bark so smooth and shiny, it begged to be touched. The trail was a wide path snaked with deep cracks of dried clay and shaded with oak and pine. If nothing else, driving at 10 mph along the virtually shoulder-less (and entirely barrier-less) road gave us plenty of time to savor the view across the San Ramon Valley to the lumpy, straw-colored hills of Las Trampas Regional Wilderness.ДЄfter finally reaching the park entrance, we paid $10 for a day-use pass and set off. The historic picnic site scattered throughout Mount Diablo State Park feature stoves built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the New Deal. IвЂ™d wondered why this 30-mile drive to Mount Diablo State ParkвЂ™s south gate took an estimated 50 minutes. When we finally found our way to Mount Diablo Scenic Boulevard, the road narrowed and we slowed to a crawl as we snaked up the side of the mountain behind a herd of bicyclists. ThereвЂ™s nothing, I thought, as withering as a 6-year-oldвЂ™s judgment. вЂњHow much water are they using?вЂќ she asked, clearly making a connection between our frequent admonishments not to waste water and the vibrant green and flowering trees all around us.

After being led astray by Google Maps, which sent us to a private road in Alamo (median home price of $2.43 million), my daughter gaped at the grassy lawns and lush landscaping. The drive out - on Highway 24 through Oakland and the Caldecott Tunnel, south on Interstate 680 to Danville, then winding through some of the swankiest Bay Area suburbs - was an education in itself.

Mount Diablo State Park's Rock City is a playground of caves and climbable boulders.

( ).Finally, the temperatures (forecast to be in the manageable mid-70s midday, rising to the 90s by late afternoon) and smoke (in the вЂњmoderateвЂќ range on the Air Quality Index) invited a visit. And for him I was as if a younger brother,вЂќ he added. The emir also shed light on his relationship with Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, saying: вЂњWhen King Salman was the emir of Riyadh, I resorted to him in all the problems faced by me, especially in the care of young people, and he always welcomed me and was helpful. This was more than 50 years ago, and today the situation has become different and the pilgrimsвЂ™ movement is taking place easily and smoothly, thanks to the great efforts of the government to construct roads and streets,вЂќ he said. Recalling his experience about Hajj in a younger age, Prince Khaled Al-Faisal said: вЂњWhat struck most in my memory was the situation when vehicles got stuck in sand while pilgrims descending from Arafat on their way to Muzdalifah to stay overnight there. The Kingdom is more qualified to carry out the development of digital infrastructure, and the work is not easy, and cannot be completed in one year,вЂќ he said while noting that there are many interrelated projects in which all Hajj and Umrah service providers have to be participated. вЂњThe Makkah development project requires concerted efforts.

The Makkah emir pointed out that the shifting of government agencies to a unified headquarters outside the Holy Sites has facilitated offering many services in much better manner. вЂњBelieve me, no country except Saudi Arabia will be able to do this,вЂќ he said. What satisfies us is difficult to reach, but we are making our maximum efforts to serve the guests of the Two Holy Mosques,вЂќ he said while praising God for bestowing on Saudi Arabia the honor of doing this. вЂњWith concerted efforts, the Kingdom will reach what satisfies it in terms of the best services for the pilgrims and visitors to the Two Holy Mosques. He appreciated the great efforts of the volunteers and their spirit of enthusiasm and dedication in serving the pilgrims. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, who is also chairman of the Central Hajj Committee, said that the Kingdom is making all efforts to serve the Hajj and Umrah pilgrims. Speaking to Al-Arabiya channel, he said that Makkah is open to any Muslim wishing to perform Hajj. MINA - Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, emir of Makkah and advisor to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, said that Saudi Arabia is striving to transform Makkah into the first smart city in the Islamic world.

Virtual city playground stuck