Alameda Park - June 6, '11

Walking Distance: 1.6 miles
Walking Time: 1 hr., 4 min. (4:57 - 6:01 p.m.)
Start and End Point: street parking near Encinal High School, Alameda, CA

I played cat and mouse with the weather today in Alameda. I started walking in Alameda Park, but hadn't gotten more than 50 yards from the parking lot when a light rain starting falling (again), so I aborted this walk, and started to drive away, but then the rain stopped. So, I re-parked near Encinal High School -- a few blocks away (double yellow lines on map) and started walking again. Encinal High School has a jet mounted and parked in the front of the school. (The school's sports and other teams are known as the Encinal Jets I believe.) This is another symbol of times gone by -- when the island of Alameda once housed a U.S. naval air base.


This afternoon I walked the section of Bay Trail (shown as both solid red line on Bay Trail map) that extended from Main Street to Central Avenue. For a few blocks, the trail (on the east side of Main street) is coincident with a grassy strip park area. I walked from West Atlantic and Main Street (close to where Main Street turned into Central Avenue) to the intersection of Central Ave. and 3rd Street, a block southeast of Encinal High School. The latter area was more heavily residential and shown as double yellow lines on the map.

I also walked the double yellow line spur (long, narrow road/looks like a driveway) to Alameda Park shore area. Watch for signs on the fence for the Bay Trail, and the Encinal Boat Ramp.

Had the weather been better, I would have gone off-trail and walked a few blocks west and toured the U.S.S. Hornet (ship) that is open to the public on certain days. There are also nice views of the San Francisco skyline in the distance here. Maybe later in the week.

The Main Street-to-Central Ave. trail segment was a mixed residential, commercial and industrial area that had sidewalks or setback areas most of the way; and traffic was relatively light, making for a relatively easy walk. If you're on a bicycle, the road narrows and becomes a bit more crowded in the double yellow lined area.

Wildlife Sightings:
1 duck; 9 sea gulls; 1 cormorant; 1 pillbug; 1 snail; 5 little brown jobs (LBJs)

Alameda Ferry-Main St. - June 6, '11

Walking Distance: 1.8 miles
Walking Time: 1 hr., 34 min. (3:10 - 4:44 p.m.) includes winery stop
Start and End Point: Alameda Ferry parking lot, Alameda, CA

I had never taken a ferry boat into Alameda, and so I was fascinated to see very large cargo ships and small sailboats jostling for position in the Inner Harbor area near the Alameda Ferry boarding area. This was a great place to see these huge cargo behemoths up close as they slowly glide in and out (with the help of small, intrepid tugboats at their sides).

From the paved (cement and asphalt) ferry and pier area trail (solid red line on Bay Trail map), I walked southish on Main Street (double yellow line section on map),  through an extended area that had once been part of, or adjacent to, the Alameda naval and seaplane base. The large, open paved area is still in transition, with some areas being fenced off, and other large hangar-sized buildings being renovated and occupied by commercial tenants.

I walked as far south as West Atlantic before turning around, largely due to the threat of rain. Best not to be too far away from the car, especially if you forgot to bring an umbrella.

Today was a drizzly day, and, while I was initially able to protect my camera with a piece of paper from light mist, the mist turned into a heavier sprinkle on my walk back to the Alameda Ferry area on Main Street, just as I was (unsuccessfully) trying to photograph a group of chickens and roosters -- through not one, but two layers of wire fencing. I believe the chickens were part of the Ploughshares Nursery that was closed today.

Finally admitting defeat, after snapping several blurred shots of feathers and beaks with a telephoto lens, and not wanting to break my camera by getting it wet, I was forced to duck into a building nearby -- which, happily, turned out to be Rosenblum Cellars (one of two wineries I believe in in the northwestern part of Alameda).

Thank you to Jackie for showing me around the Rosenblum Cellars space, and for information on the company's zinfandel red wine lineup. The company buys wine grapes from several vineyards and estates in California and age and bottle their own wine.

On a sunnier day, there would be seating ouside. The wonderfully cavernous space inside contains different tasting, sitting and event areas. This winery is within easy walking distance of the Alameda ferry, making it a nice stop for those traveling across the Bay.

Wildlife Sightings:
2 little brown jobs (LBJs); 4 sea gulls; 1 pigeon; 9 chickens/roosters (through fence, at a nursery); 1 brown pelican