South SF - March 11, '12

Walking Distance: 8 miles
Walking Time: 4 hrs., 59 min. (11:31 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.)
Start and End Point: Parked: Public shore pkg. lot, at end of Belle Air Rd., SSF, CA

I started today's walk by the bay under overcast skies, but it did clear up later in the afternoon, and I enjoyed this entire stretch of mostly paved (asphalt) trail (show as a red line or more developed trail on the Bay Trail Map).

From the public shore parking lot, near the wastewater treatment plant at the end of Belle Air Road, I walked north over the first of a few bridges. I passed the Colma Creek Habitat Restoration Project, and over a second bridge;

I passed by the Bay Trail Overlook spot and several Genentech buildings. I also walked by a Bike Share rack -- with a row of bicycles ready to go. A few steps away was Pt. San Bruno.

I stopped for a restroom break, and lunch at Oyster Point Bait, Tackle and Mini-Mart; and I took my microwaved chicken tamale with hot sauce out to the patio to enjoy.

After lunch, I continued along the water, and wound my way around a detour near Oyster Pt. Marina (near what I'm assuming was a ferry terminal/stop.)

It was interesting to walk around the inlet where Liberty ships were made back in the World War II era.

I passed two Marriott hotels, and turned around before the pedestrian/bicycle bridge to Brisbane.

As this was a longer walk, and a nice afternoon, I took a few 5-minute rest stops on a few benches, to enjoy bay views, on the way back.

In the last stretch of the walk, I startled a feral black and white cat; and when the cat ran across the trail to run into a bush, it flushed a handsome looking falcon or hawk into flight. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to act fast enough to capture this on film. However, I did snap one or two shots of hummingbirds feeding on flowers in bloom on the way back.

Wildlife Sightings:
6 UFO grebes/divers; 12 Canada geese; 23 sea gulls; 5 pigeons; 4 bumblebees; 155 unidentified brownish shorebirds (UBBs), 120 tiny UBBs; 4 black-necked stilts; 182 coots; 1 pillbug; 154 ducks; 29 American avocets; 1 tern; 27 little brown jobs (LBJs); 4 hummingbirds; 28 blackbirds; 45 starlings; 6 crows; 1 snowy egret; 1 snail; 1 small caterpillar; 2 white butterflies, 3 black and yellow butterflies; 1 dove; 1 feral black and white cat; 1 falcon/hawk

Oyster Point - Part 2/2 - Nov. 19, 2009

Walking Distance: 1.62 miles
Walking Time: 1 hr., 2 min. (4:00 - 5:02 p.m.)
Start & End Point: Behind commercial building (Monogram Biosciences) (off Oyster Pt. Blvd.), in public parking spaces by trail, South San Francisco, CA

Walk fast, and don't stop to take too many pictures. That was the plan. Well, that last part didn't work. But, I did move quickly enough to keep warm as the sun set.
I'm still wearing my flip flops, but I may need to get some special "flip flop socks" soon.

The small rectangular "bay" (shown on map) is actually an old shipbuilding area from World War II and is ringed with some informative signage about the history, and about South San Francisco, and the Bay Trail.

Wildlife Sightings:
22 sea gulls; 10 little brown jobs (LBJs); 6 Western grebes; 4 crows; 28 coots; 5 unidentified brownish shorebirds; 1 black-necked stilt; 1 killdeer; 8 bufflehead ducks + 13 other ducks; 1 common grebe (finally saw one of these cuties)

Oyster Point, Part 1/2, Nov. 19, 2009

Walking Distance: 1.64 miles
Walking Time: 1 hr., 9 min. (1:04 - 2:13 p.m.)
Start & End Point: Public Parking, Oyster Point Marina, near Fishing Pier, South San Francisco, CA

Thank you to Sandy for joining me on this walk today.

Wildlife Sightings:
20 ducks; 27 coots; 10 sea gulls; 2 great blue herons; 3 Western grebes; 5 little brown jobs (LBJs); 1 brown pelican; 75 unidentified brownish shorebirds on rocks near/at shoreline; and 1 white butterfly