After spending the weekend destroying brain cells and tearing ear drums, there's nothing better than a good cleansing. And while some people still believe in high colonics, I'm much more interested in a more natural fix. Last Sunday, we hopped on a sun drenched expressway and made the whopping 10 minute drive over to Los Altos' Rancho San Antonio park for some one-on-one time with mother nature.

RSA is an old favorite of mine, probably for its proximity to home and the sentimental value - when I was in grade school, we made annual field trips to Deer Hollow farm, just inside the confines of the park. And those supposed rattlesnakes (I've never seen one) bring that exciting element of danger.

It's amazing that this rural/woodsy oasis is in the middle of Silicon Valley. To think that a few minutes away from the modern-day sweatshops run by the tech industry, an almost pristine area exists for us to frolic in.

The most noticeable thing about the area is all the damn trees. Trees, trees trees. Lush trees, bare trees, dead trees. But they sure are pretty.

What is there to say, really? It's just kind of rustic and pretty - to the point that a manly, rugged guy like me took a picture of some flowers.

As the trail continues (or the one we took, at least) the canopy of trees thickens and everything gest a bit more dense and shady, which makes for a nice, big temperature drop...

Eventually, you get to the top and you have a full-on panoramic view of Santa Clara Valley. Of course, this camera of mine doesn't have one of those cheesy panoramic modes, so I did my best to take a series of pictures and stuck them together.

Did I mention the abundance of trees? Eventually, we found our way out of them. How Vince survived the 5-mile loop wearing clogs, I'm not exacty sure. But then, I was the one running on three hours of sleep after the Naked Music shindig...

Coming up against the dusk deadline to get out of the park, we eventually made our way to the parking lot. Admittedly, it's a bit jarring - for hours while trudging through the woods, you feel as though you've completely escaped the confines of the big, bad suburbs. Then you come off the trail to this. It's worth it, though, even if it's just for a while. The fresh air, beautiful surroundings, and change of pace make it an excellent way to detoxify the body and mind after a rough week at work and an even rougher weekend of partying.