Millbrae - Mar. 3, '12

Walking Distance: 5 miles (estimate)
Walking Time: 2 hrs., 14 min. (8:34 - 10:48 a.m.)
Start and End Point: Public Shore parking spaces (bay side of st.) just north of Burlingame Wastewater Treatment Plant, Burlingame, CA

After parking in a public shore parking space near the trail, I first walked south to the spot where I left off last weekend. After reaching that spot (the City of Burlingame Wastewater Treatment plant), I headed north, passing Bayside Park/Fields (across the street) along the way. I walked to the end of the paved (asphalt) trail (shown as a red line on the Bay Trail map), over a rickety wood "bridge" that was a series of planks laid down on the mud creek bed. This crossing took me to a parking lot, behind some commercial buildings.

I traversed the parking lot, sticking close to the bay, but I didn't get very far before reaching a second creek (north of the Holiday Inn, and Max's restaurant). These little creeks aren't shown on the Bay Trail map.

This area was somewhat passable -- but was shown as a dotted line on the Bay Trail map, indicating that there was not a developed trail currently in place. If you ride your bike through here, I'd stick to (Old) Bayshore Highway all the way through this area.


When I reached this second creek that emptied into the Bay (that wasn't crossable), I walked along the creek back (west) toward (Old) Bayshore Highway (a freeway frontage road). I walked (on a sidewalk) north along Bayshore until I reached the Bay Plaza building, where I was able to turn right and walk through their parking lot to the Bay (Trail).

I continued north, past Fandorin and Benihana restaurants, and crossed a small bridge that was adjacent to the City of Burlingame Shorebird Sanctuary -- which did indeed have a nice selection of ducks, shorebirds, stilts and avocets poking around in the mud, at low tide, looking for food, when I passed by.


There were also a few different hotels that I passed, offering lots of choices for an overnight trip in this area. And I also enjoyed passing an old movie theater (which looked closed).  The design looked like it was from the 1960s, and when it was built it was likely might to look quite modern for the time, with interesting lines and shapes -- i.e., not a tilt-up rectangle. An awning advertised a Caribbean restaurant, but I think that was closed as well. If I passed by here again in another two years this complex might well be gone.


One restaurant that I passed, The Elephant Bar, had a menu that was posted in the back so that it faced the Bay Trail -- very handy for passers-by, who might want to stop for a bite to eat, or something to drink.

I crossed over a second metal bridge, and kept walking, passing through Bayfront Park/parking lot, to the end of the trail -- a small paved loop that ended at the Millbrae Gate.

As the map seemed to indicate a walk up Millbrae Avenue, I turned (west) on Millbrae Ave. (shown as double yellow lines on the map -- indicating it's more of a busy street than a trail; so proceed with caution). I turned around at the Highway 101 interchange, and walked back to Old Bayshore, and then followed the trail back to the car.

On the walk back, I saw four teenagers gawking at a live crab that had the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time (too close to passerbys). I hope it made it back to the water.


Wildlife Sightings:
80 tiny unidentified brownish shorebirds (UBBs), 25 small UBBs, 343 medium UBBs, 8 willets; 241 ducks; 1 UFO grebe; 58 sea gulls; 4 crows; 4 snowy egrets, 1 great egret; 7 Western/Clarks grebes; 12 coots; 7 little brown jobs (LBJs); 8 pigeons; 1 dove; 1 black-necked stilt; 96 American avocets; 4 Canada geese; 1 tennis ball; 1 starling; 1 crab

Burlingame - Feb. 26, '12

Walking Distance: 2.6 miles (estimate)
Walking Time: 1 hr., 5 min. (3:35 - 4:40 p.m.)
Start and End Point: near Kincaid's restaurant parking lot, Burlingame, CA

In this second walk of the day. I covered the two circular trails (shown as red lines on Bay Trail map) around Burlingame. The smaller of these two is a rough loop shape around Anza Lagoon, with Kincaid's restaurant at the southeast end, and the Embassy Suites at the northwest end. The larger loop encompasses sidewalks (or bike path) along Airport Boulevard. Note: You may be walking in the bike path alongside cars if you're a pedestrian in one very short stretch with a lawn.

I walked north along the bay along the larger loop first, passing a film crew along the way. They let me  gingerly step in between lights and cords to continue along the trail. The Bay Trail is full of surprises. I continued northwest to the City of Burlingame Wastewater Treatment plant, before turning around and heading back toward Anza Blvd. and a short stretch of Airport Blvd., then finishing the Lagoon loop and walking southeast along the rest of Airport Blvd. to Bay View Place and back to Kincaid's.

Normally, I would have stopped at the Kincaid's or Embassy Suites, for something to eat or drink. But I had to rush home. Both places offer some seating/dining areas with views of the Bay.

Wildlife Sightings:
51 ducks; 2 cormorants; 19 sea gulls; 2 unidentified brownish shorebirds (UBBs); 8 crows; 5 coots; 8 starlings; 1 little brown job (LBJ)

 

Burlingame to SFO - Nov. 3, 2009

Walking Distance: 2.11 miles
Walking Time: Approx. 1 hr. (5:30 - 7:15 p.m. total time including dinner stop)
Start & End Point: Public Parking near Mahler and Bayshore Highway, Burlingame, CA

I don't recommend walking the Bay Trail at night. But, on warm nights with a full moon, it can be beautiful. I got lucky and found the public parking lot in the dark, and heading Northwest I walked first as far as I could go (to the tidal gate(s), just North of the intersection of Millbrae Ave. and S. McDonnell, south of the San Francisco Airport (SFO). Then I turned around and walked Southeast, until I hit "the gap" zone where I ended up in someone's back parking lot (private property). I enjoyed a dinner stop at Benihana's (Japanese) restaurant, conveniently located right on the Bay Trail, out on a small point, with the moon lighting it from above. And speaking of the moon...

My only heartbreak this evening: not bringing a camera with me, because I thought it would be too dark. As if to mock me, a gigantic, cheddar cheese pumpkin of a moon rose out of the Bay, casting beautiful reflections on the water. Silhouettes of planes landing at SFO started to cross in front of it. Never leave your camera behind. I also have to say, it is impressive watching thundering planes/jets take off in pairs so close-up. Although I wouldn't want to live this close to a major airport without extra soundproofing in all my walls.

One final note: I was struck by how much more foot traffic there was in this segment this evening. Hurray, people walking, and taking advantage of this great resource we have at our disposal.

Wildlife Sightings:
None; I could hear a few shorebirds, but it was too dark to see any creatures - except a few dogs going walking with their owners.

Burlingame, Day 2 - Nov. 3, 2009

Walking Distance: 1.83 miles
Walking Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes (4:10 - 5:20 p.m.)
Start & End Point: Public Parking Lot by Anza Lagoon & Robert E. Woolley State Park, Burlingame, CA

I finished walking the two loops that are part of the Burlingame segment of the Bay Trail. The smallest loop is the walk around Anza Lagoon which is ringed by hotels, restaurants and office buildings, but still remains quiet and peaceful given the ample buffer space around the lagoon. The (lower portion of the) larger loop is made up of Airport Boulevard which is linked at both ends to the Bay Trail that fronts the Bay.

The weather was warm and beautiful. In the absence of wind, the water was very calm, and was bathed in pastel colors at sunset.
I watched two fishermen whose cell phones kept ringing.
(Does this scare the fish?)

Wildlife Sightings:
16 sea gulls; 5 little brown jobs (LBJs); 2 feral cats; 5 crows; 11 unidentified brownish shorebirds; 34 ducks; 2 snowy egrets; and 21 Willets

Burlingame, Part 1 - Nov. 2, 2009

Walking Distance: 3.15 miles
Walking Time: 3 hrs., 43 min. (1:46 - 5:29 p.m.) less 1.5 hrs. for breaks.
Start & End Point: Fisherman's Park parking lot,
Burlingame (near San Mateo border), CA


It was a beatiful day today: sunny, warm, and the Bay surface was
like glass.

I passed The Sherman (apparently an old, permanently docked Oakland Ferry boat) first. It took me a longtime to cover a little more than 3 miles, because I made two long stops: 1.) I paused to talk with a birder, NW of the Embassy Suites hotel, and that was quite a long, interesting conversation; and, 2.) I stopped to eat an early dinner at Max's Restaurant in Burlingame. The latter stop was also my turning around point. I took so many pictures of the moon rising on the way back that I worried the parking lot would be closed before I could pick up my car; but all was well. Run, run, picture, picture, run, run, picture, picture. I started to feel like a darting shorebird.

Wildlife Sightings:
3 cormorants; 8 Western grebes; 8 little tiny brown jobs (LBJs); 5 brown pelicans; 29 sea gulls; 2 butterflies; 2 feral cats (see image at right for cat next to the spay neuter Peninsula Humane Society building); 2 crows; 9 Canada geese flying overhead; 15 ducks (darker in color than normal mallards, saw on and under water); 105 UBBs in shallow water or water's edge; 3 black-necked stilts (flying past, close to water); 2 snowy egrets; 3 willets; 1 plover; and 1 couch.