Paradise Dr., Solano St. - Nov. 3, 2012

Walking Distance: 4.7 mi.
Walking Time: 2 hrs., 4 min. (4:10 - 6:14 p.m.)
Start and End Point: street parking, near 2355 Paradise Dr., Tiburon, CA

This late fall afternoon, I continued my walk along Paradise Drive in Tiburon, until evening shadows made it difficult to continue. This stretch of Paradise Drive, in fact most of Paradise Drive, on the north side of the Tiburon peninsula in Marin County, is shown as a dotted dark green line on the San Francisco Bay Trail map.

There were still a few carved pumpkins from Halloween on porches of houses I passed. The weather had gotten a bit cooler this week, and the easy days of summer, with evenings that stayed light until almost 9 p.m. were but a memory now.

However, what today's late-afternoon-into-early-evening walk lacked in trail amenities (such as setbacks) and daylight, it more than made up for in scenery, with views of Angel Island (including a clear view of the old red brick army hospital building up on the hill across the strait), Keil Cove, Golden Gate Bridge, Sutro Tower and the skyline of San Francisco, the Port of Oakland, Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, San Quentin Prison, and boats in the Bay: ferry boats, sailboats and various motorized ships.

I walked north on Paradise Drive, and passed the County of Marin Tiburon Uplands Nature Preserve trailhead (a small sign and a set of stairs disappeared into the wooded hillside). A minute later I walked past the Romberg Tiburon Center gate, and and soon thereafter, the Bay Conference Center.


I took lots of pictures of the winding, narrow, tree-lined stretches of Paradise Drive. I stopped occasionally to shoot pictures of items perched precariously on a narrow strip of earth adjacent to the asphalt. This time of year there were plenty of berries, acorns, chestnuts, new tiny green shoots starting to push up from the ground, and the occasional banana slug.

I would have liked to have walked a bit more, but cars and bicyclists have a difficult enough time seeing pedestrians in the daytime on roads like this. Best not to alarm them unexpectedly with your presence at dusk.

I turned around at 3333 Paradise Dr. Toward the end of my walk back, about a half hour before sunset, I enjoyed glimpses of small, pretty coves and sailboats, and golden cliffs, visible between dark, silhouetted trees.

On the way back, I took a slight detour and walked downhill Mar Centro/to Mar East street sign, to a cluster of mailboxes, where I'd stopped on a previous walk. Then I headed back up to Paradise Dr., past my car, to the intersection with Solano Street, where I turned around to walk back to my car again. But, not before spending several minutes admiring the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance, with the sun setting behind it.

Wildlife Sightings:
3 butterflies/moths; 2 little brown jobs (LBJs); 1 banana slug

America's Cup - SF 2013

America's Cup and The Bay Trail
January 2013

People have asked me if they can view the 34th America's Cup (AC34) yacht races (Summer 2013) from the San Francisco Bay and Bay Trail. The answer is yes, and maybe. The races are expected to draw thousands of visitors, and walking and bike paths will be an important part of getting people there and limiting car congestion.

Construction has been underway for some time to get ready for this event, along the Embarcadero, Piers 15-17 (new home of the Exploratorium), and Fisherman's Wharf, and other areas near or including the Bay Trail -- including segments of refurbished Trail segments for bicyclists and pedestrians. I look forward to walking these segments when they're completed.

More on the America's Cup
The races take place in 3 stages. The earliest America's Cup World Series took place in August and October 2012.

The races in 2013 begin with the Louis Vuitton Challenge Cup (July 4 - Sept. 1), and culminate with the America's Cup Finals from Sept. 7 until as late as Sept. 23, 2013. For more information and final dates, check with the America's Cup website.  Also check the Port of San Francisco site and the San Francisco Bay Trail website (click on the Maps/Guides tab).

The Red Bull Youth America's Cup selection series of races will be coming up in February (with final races in September) 2013.

Where to Watch
Most of the action is happening in northeast San Francisco, and viewing areas may stretch from the Marina Green/Presidio area in the north, to several piers south of the Bay Bridge.

Note: odd numbered piers start at the San Francisco Ferry Building (located at the end of Market Street), and extend north. Even numbered piers start at the SF Ferry Building and increase in number further south.

Possible viewing areas on the Bay Trail: Crissy Field (Warming Hut), Marina, Fort Mason (Greens), Aquatic Park, Hyde St. Pier, Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39, and places along the Embarcadero that offer Bay views. (See also previous walk entries and places to eat page on this site for more places in San Francisco.) There are also small pocket parks, some benches, and pier areas where boats may be visible.

Boats may also be viewable (depending on weather, fog) from the Bay Trail in other areas: Northwest Alameda; Alcatraz Island; Angel Island; Fort Baker; Fort Point; the Golden Gate Bridge; and Treasure Island. Bring your binoculars.

Where to Stay
Many of the hotels will have been booked by now. However, there are some great alternative sites that may have units or rooms available in San Francisco. Or, why not stay on a houseboat in Sausalito? Sausalito is a waterfront community (on the Bay Trail) on the north side of the Golden Gate Bridge; ferries travel between Sausalito and San Francisco, Tiburon, Angel Island, Alameda, and other destinations. (See my earlier entries on Sausalito to get a feel of the place.)

Seaplane Ride - Sept. 8, 2012

Walking Distance: N/A
Walking Time: N/A - 4 p.m. flight
Parking: Seaplane Adventures parking lot, Mill Valley, CA

Today, to celebration my birthday this week, I took a plane ride. Seaplane Adventures (Mill Valley, CA), in Marin Country (north of Sausalito), was located a few dozen steps from the San Francisco Bay Trail, and I remember passing them on my first walk around the bay thinking this would be a fun thing to do.

Once aloft, I was able to get a bird's eye view of where I'd been walking these past few years around the San Francisco Bay. While I could spot a few stretches of Bay Trail below, this ride was mostly for fun.

And the ride did not disappoint. It was a great, clear, calm day for flying, with very little wind. Our pilot, Glen, taxied the 1955 DeHavilland Beaver seaplane out on the water, and took off headed toward San Francisco. I felt fortunate to sit in the co-pilot's seat with a good view for taking pictures. A newly married couple sat in the backseat of this sturdy plane, which the staff referred to as a real "workhorse."

We flew over the Golden Gate Bridge, and had pretty spectacular views of tiny white sailboat shapes, a few massive cargo ships and their smaller tug boat companions in the water below. On the way out (roughly South), we could see Sausalito, the Tiburon peninsula, Belvedere and Angel Island; the Marin headlands; San Francisco and other city skylines; Fort Mason; and later, Alcatraz Island and the Port of Oakland, and other North Bay landmarks.

Our only restriction was air space over San Francisco due, in part, to a Giants baseball game that was happening today.

Wildlife:
1 sea gull (by San Francisco Bay, before taking off in plane)

SF - Pier 39 - Apr. 22, '12

Walking Distance: 2.1 mi.
Walking Time: 3 hrs., 1 min. (4:54 - 7:55 p.m.)
Start and End Point: street parking, metered space, San Francisco, CA

I parked my car on the Levi's Plaza Park (inland/west) side of The Embarcadero, the palm-tree lined avenue that runs along the Bay in San Francisco. Most of today's walk (shown as double red lines on the Bay Trail Map) was atop sidewalks/concrete, with some wood surfaces at Pier 39. Before crossing the road to Pier 23, my starting point, I enjoyed walking up the sidewalk and reading about buried ships under the concrete. Paved over and relegated to become Bay fill from previous centuries, these ships were, in part, a casualty of previous boom and bust cycles dating back to the California Gold Rush from the mid-1800s and earlier.

By the time I crossed the road and muni tracks at a crosswalk to the Bay Trail side of The Embarcadero (street), and started heading up the sidewalk on toward Pier 23 Cafe, the weather had cooled considerably. And the wind had picked up as well. I've learned that if it's sunny in the mornings, it will often be windy in the afternoons by the Bay. The wind is good for whitecap watching and sailing, but not so great for underdressed tourists and walkers, or for holding a camera perfectly steady.

I passed a fairly large construction site (future segment of Bay Trail and/or Americas Cup 2013 related perhaps); and I followed the sidewalk as it curved to the left/west toward Pier 39. I turned right/north to walk around Pier 39 -- a robustly-developed pier with dozens of small, retail shops.

There were several different boats offering rides operating out of this area, including an America's Cup style boat (look for the ultra-tall mast), smaller sailboats, power boats, a tugboat. The RocketBoat, painted in flame-colors, was on its way out to give passengers a bit of a thrill-ride on the Bay. (Blue and Gold Ferry boats are located further northwest of Pier 39.)

Through this maze of diverse boat traffic (check out all the boat-related, dotted white lines on the Bay Trail map), you'll be able to catch glimpses of Coit Tower and Alcatraz Island (itself looking boat-shaped from this angle) on all but the foggiest of days.

I circled Pier 39 and stopped to watch the group of sea lions, local denizens who had hauled themselves up on wood docks on the west side of Pier 39. This loud and proud raft (the name for a group of sea lions) is a draw for visitors and local resident photo-snappers alike. The size of the group waxes and wanes over time, but there are usually always a few that are visible on the west side of Pier 39.

Beyond the sea lions, lay Forbes Island, a tiny isle with a restaurant that can be accessed by boat.

After I'd walked around the Bay side (external perimeter) of Pier 39, I wandered through the wood plank covered and paved inside promenade area (with stairs leading to upper level(s)), out to the end and back, passing the carousel, a boatload of small shops, places to stop/explore, and places to eat and drink along the way.

Upon returning to Levi's Plaza, pink petals from trees in bloom had settled gracefully on the water in the park, adding some color in what had become, at that point, a cold, drab, overcast evening. I revived myself with a hot meal at the Fog City Diner on the way back to my car. Their "Don't Worry" clock above the entrance also made me smile.

Wildlife Sightings:
14 sea gulls; 3 Western/Clarks grebes; 12 pigeons; 13 sea lions

The Embarcadero - April 9, '12

Walking Distance: 1.3 miles (estimate)
Walking Time: 1 hr., 34 min. (2:58 - 4:32 p.m.)
Start and End Point: Street parking on Davis Street, south of Broadway, in San Francisco, CA

I've found it tough to make rapid progress through San Francisco, a great city with many distractions and places to eat, places to see.

For example, as I waited to cross over to the Bay side of The Embarcadero, I watched the old municipal railway (muni) cars. "Ride and Relax" the print read on the two-tone green car that rolled by, and "Visit Zoo" -- in Balboa Park, in San Diego. These cars were rescued from various locations and put into service here. And they are one of several transit options running near the Bay Trail. BART also comes within a few blocks of the Bay Trail at the end of Market Street.

Today's walk was on primarily paved streets and sidewalks, along The Embarcadero (shown as double red lines on the Bay Trail map). Pier 7 (shown as a solid red line on the Bay Trail map), was a wooden fishing pier with a relatively smooth, wood plank surface. View up the hill of Coit Tower were an additional plus.

I enjoyed seeing ships like the San Francisco Belle, and the Hornblower fleet. Dinner and special event cruises are possible here. I headed north, and passed TCHO, a San Francisco chocolate maker, and the Pier 23 Cafe, before turning around to head south again.

I walked out on/to the end of Pier 7 (shown as solid red line on the Bay Trail map). Here, I spotted more people holding cell phones than with fishing poles. Perhaps that had something to do with the large sea lion that kept raiding the bait in the net belonging to the one fisherman that I did see.

Watching this sea lion bobbing for bait made me hungry. I stopped at The Plant Cafe (known for its healthy, fresh food), for a chicken salad and a raw brownie bite to go, on the way back to the car. I parked in a metered parking space on Davis Street (south of Broadway).

Did I mention that I keep getting distracted on my way through San Francisco?

Wildlife Sightings:
10 seagulls; 13 pigeons; 1 sea lion; 4 Western/Clarks grebes; 1 cormorant

San Francisco, The Embarcadero - Apr. 4, '12

Walking Distance: 1.7 miles
Walking Time: 57 min. (8:25 - 9:22 p.m.)
Start and End Point: Street parking, on Washington Street near Embarcadero (next to tennis courts), San Francisco, CA

This evening, I was up in San Francisco, setting up for my "Walking the Bay" photo exhibit a few blocks west of the Bay Trail at the Canessa Gallery.

A note about the evolving nature of trails: Canessa Gallery is situated inside a historic (old printing company) brick building. A few hundred years ago, before considerable amounts of Bay fill (including parts of old ships left behind from the Gold Rush from the mid 1800s), this gallery would have been close to the Bay shore (perhaps near/on an old version of a Bay trail). So, it's a perfect location for a show and talk about walking the San Francisco Bay Trail.

After a stop at the gallery, I headed east on Washington Street to The Embarcadero, and walked to the public promenade area along the waterfront, on a combination of paved and wood planked sections. Most activity was blurred in these night photos taken on the move.

I strolled around the boardwalk closest to the water as part of this section of Bay Trail that is shown as a set of double red lines on the Bay Trail map; and I enjoyed a view of city lights reflected on the bay and the Bay Bridge.


The Port of San Francisco building at Pier 1 was closed; but I could see the Bayside History Walk, and large photos on the walls behind glass, that I'd seen on my first round-the-bay walk in 2009. I recommend a stop here.

By the time I reached the Ferry Building, a great historic landmark, it was too late for a snack. This was a shame, as the place was/is stuffed with small shops and vendors selling delicious food items. I made a trip there a few days ago, to make sure I didn't miss out on the chocolates, macarons, salami, and the Cowgirl Creamery Mt. Tam cheese (which I plan to serve at my exhibit, as I have dozens of photographs of this north bay peak - from different angles and locations on the Bay Trail).

I passed several large public art pieces, sculptures -- such as the gleaming silver retro, Raygun Gothic Rocketship; the giant bow and arrow; and various memorials (black and white posts with tiny names inscribed on them from the past).

If you count neon signs as public art, then I suppose I should count the cocktail (Open) sign at the Hi-Dive bar.

Wildlife Sightings:
2 sea gulls; too dark to see anything else