Mill Valley - Sept. 18, '12

Walking Distance: 3 mi. (estimate)
Walking Time: 1 hr., 23 min. (11:42 a.m. - 1:05 p.m.)
Start and End Point: Parking lot, near 600 Redwood Highway, Mill Valley, CA

Today's walk in southeast Mill Valley (Marin County), followed Seminary Drive (named after a seminary in the area) down one side of a small peninsula, northeast of Sausalito and west of Tiburon, that extended into the Bay east of Highway 101/Redwood Highway.

Shown on the Bay Trail map (right) as a solid red line, and then as a double yellow line (unimproved trail), the walk was on a mix of asphalt path and sidewalks initially, and then packed dirt path/shoulder along paved roads.

From the parking lot, I walked with a friend toward the marsh area almost hidden behind a commercial strip (gas station, car wash, McDonalds). We found the path behind McDonald's (where I'd left off previously) and made our way north to Seminary Drive. Heading right/east on Seminary Drive, we walked along sidewalks and some unpaved road shoulders, continuing to follow Seminary Drive, past some apartment buildings, and along a broad curve -- southwest and then northeast -- toward Strawberry Point (the tip of the peninsula).

Along the walk we had views looking back toward Sausalito and also of Mount Tamalpais (west-northwest of this area). This mountain, also known as Mt. Tam, is approximately 2,570 feet tall, and is visible from most of the Bay Trail in Marin County (and many other counties).

From Seminary Drive, we made a slight right (south) onto Great Circle Drive (a detour from the Bay Trail) and, after a short block, took another right (west) and walked down a short entrance road into Brickyard Park, a small waterfront park with trees, a small playground area, and a few picnic tables and benches. It was a little breezy, but we stopped and sat for awhile to look out over the water, before heading back along Seminary Drive.

Thank you to Sandy for joining me on this walk.

Wildlife Sightings:
13 snowy egrets, 1 great egret; 3 brown pelicans; 10 crows; 3 sea gulls; 8 Canada geese; 2 little unidentified brownish shorebirds (UBBs); 1 cormorant; 3 little brown jobs (LBJs); 2 blue jays; 3 doves

Seminary Drive -> Strawberry Pt., Jan. 22, 2010

Walking Distance: 2.3 miles (estimate)
Walking Time: 1 hr., 9 min. (1:58 - 3:07 p.m.) (estim.)
Start and End Point: Parked on street (near the intersection of
Seminary Dr. and Great Circle - Brickyard Park), Mill Valley, CA

I caught a break in the rain today. I parked near the entrance to Brickyard
Park. And as I walked down the little paved drive to the water and play structure
there, I saw what I thought must be a large bird bronze sculpture.
But, it was two large turkey vultures with their wings fully extended,
facing the sun. I didn't have my good camera with me, but I was able to
take a picture of them from a distance (see image below).

Seeing the vultures, and not getting rained on, were highlights of
today's walk. Lack of rain also made for fewer puddles on the dirt path along Seminary Drive, which was nice (image at right).

Regarding the route that I took, after walking down into the Park,
I walked down Seminary Drive, to the point where I'd ended the last walk. Then, I retraced my steps, passed car, and walked out to the end
Great Circle and Century, which ended in a cul-de-sac.

From this vantage point, I aimed my camera up over the rooftops, and caught a bit of the Bay and views of San Francisco skyline, between the houses.

Wildlife Sightings:
2 Canada geese, 6 turkey vultures, 5 little brown jobs (LBJs), 5 crows, 47 coots, 34 ducks, 3 sea gulls, and 1 ball in the Bay.