Calif. Maritime Academy, Vallejo - Feb. 20, '11

Walking Distance: 2 miles (estimate)
Walking Time: 1 hr., 1 min. (12:24 - 1:25 p.m.)
Start and End Point: on-street parking, Country Lane Drive, Vallejo, CA

It was good to be able to walk, after a week of rain and canceled walks. I parked on Country Lane Drive and walked to the gated entrance to the California Maritime Academy. After speaking briefly to two young men in the gate house, I was able to walk into and follow the trail through the campus and along Morrow Cove/the Bay (solid red line on Bay Trail map).

The trail ends roughly near the campus bookstore. (The Golden Bear ship that is part of the Academy is docked nearby -- visible from the campus, and also from the other side of the Strait at the Vallejo end of the Alfred Zampa Memorial (Carquinez) bridge (see photo at right). However, this ship is not open to the public as far as I know.

After exiting the California Maritime Academy campus, I also walked a bit further north (area shown as two red parallel lines on map), along Maritime Academy Drive, as far as the intersection of Sonoma Blvd. (aka Highway 29) and Sandy Beach Rd., before turning back to return to my car. 




Wildlife Sightings:
2 Canada geese
3 sea gulls
1 cormorant
2 ducks
1 little brown job (LBJ)

Glen Cove Marina to Carquinez Bridge Overlook - Dec. 26, '10

Walking Distance: 2.0 miles (estimate)
Walking Time: 1 hr. 2 min. (2:40 - 3:42 p.m.)
Start and End Point: Glen Cove Marina Rd. East - up hill from Elliott Cove/Glen Cove Marina; Vallejo, CA

I walked out to both ends of the Glen Cove Marina. Although walkers are skirting private property, there is public access, and it's a nice area for a stroll, and maybe even a light picnic out by the water, weather permitting.

After walking around Elliot Cove and Glen Cove Marina, I worked my way up a series of earthen and wood reinforced steps and a dirt trail leading uphill -- to an overlook area with good views. This stretch of trail is part of the San Francisco Ridge Trail and the Bay Trail.

From the top of this hill, I could look West into the San Francisco Bay; look East into the Sacramento Delta; look South, across the strait, to the old C&H Sugar plant and trains moving along the shoreline; and I could look down onto traffic moving across the Carquinez Strait bridge. It was worth a little climb to get there.

Wildlife Sightings:
2 pigeons; 5 little brown jobs (LBJs); 6 sea gulls; 2 hawks; 14 coots; 20 ducks; 2 slugs; 3 snails (dark); 1 cormorant

Glen Cove Waterfront Park - Dec. 26, '10

Walking Distance: 1 mile (estimate)
Walking Time: 34 min. (1:57 - 2:31 p.m.)
Start and End Point: End of Westsides/Shoal Dr. (cul-de-sac); Glen Cove Waterfront Park, Vallejo, CA

I first walked East (following what is a dotted line on the map near Glen Cove), past the deserted Stremmel mansion, and found the paved road/trail (shown as a red line) that led to the wooden sign -- just West of the Benicia State Recreation Area, where I'd ended my walk two days ago.

After I reached the sign and admired the view of the Carquinez Strait, I turned around and walked West - as far as the narrow, muddy (dotted line) trail would allow.

The trail narrowed, and at one point I reached an area that I thought might have been an improvised camp or children's fort under a tree; however, the hand-drawn signs hanging from some low branches advised passer-bys that these were Native American burial grounds; and asked that hikers please pass respectfully. It would be great if these facts were called out or recognized as part of the Park. But, it looks like the city may not have finished developing this area. Or, like many areas right now, funding may be an issue.

At some point the trail got even narrower, muddier and sketchier -- enough that I decided to turn around and walk back to the car. It's possible that it continued around the point, and into the next cove (Elliot Cove, where the Glen Cove Marina is located); but it was hard to tell. All the recent rain contributed to a bumper crop of wild mushrooms.

Wildlife Sightings:
20 ducks; 20 coots; 3 turkey vultures; 2 sea gulls; 13 little brown jobs (LBJs); 1 (bumble) bee; 1 (tennis) ball in reeds/water

Wilson Ave., Vallejo, CA - Oct. 8, '10

Walking Distance: 2.0 miles (estimate)
Walking Time: 60 minutes (4:30 - 6:30 p.m. - less 1 hr. for meal)
Start and End Point: Sardine Can (restaurant) parking lot

I started this afternoon/evening walk with some crab salad and tomato artichoke soup at the Sardine Can restaurant. After that,  I walked south and then north -- under the Mare Island Causeway, and along Wilson north of Highway 37. I stopped near an onramp to Highway 37, after a sidewalk area had ended as well, near a locked gate.

Wildlife:
1 big seal or sea lion (which disappeared too quickly to be properly identified)
5 ducks
50 little brown jobs
3 blurs in the bushes
1 fairly large crane or heron perched on top of a tall wooden pole/piling off-shore
1 cloud of bugs
1 crow
1 hypodermic syringe
1 shell (gun) casing
5 sea gulls
5 unidentified brownish shorebirds
13 geese

Mare Island Way, Vallejo - Oct. 7, 2010

Walking Distance: 2.4 miles
Walking Time: 1 hr., 7 min. (5:13 - 7:20 p.m.); 1 hour was dinner stop
Start and Stop Point: Public parking lot where people were fishing

Today, I got out of my car and walked south. I eventually passed a make-shift memorial for a young man who had died, complete with candles, balloons, cards, and other items. These roadside memorials are a sad bit of life, that go largely unnoticed when you are inside a car. However, when walking, you have a chance to glimpse a picture, parts of a story, and it's difficult to ignore these small shrines. So, best wishes to Isaac's family, wherever you may be.

Shortly after this point, I turned around near the intersection of Curtola Parkway and Sonoma Boulevard/Highway 29, and walked north, past my car, and the Vallejo Ferry. There were views of Mare Island from the trail, which ran along the Bay. I walked as far north as the Vallejo Boat Works. Along the way, I stopped and had dinner at Zio Freddos restaurant on the water.

Wildlife:
77 pigeons
33 sea gulls
2 turkey vultures
14 ducks
1 cormorant
2 black crowned night herons

Decision to skip two stretches of Vallejo

I will be walking through Vallejo next. Unfortunately, there are some areas of the Bay Trail that can be a little dicey for pedestrians walking alone.

For safety reasons -- linked to a recent rise in crime in some areas, cuts in law enforcement, and kids throwing rocks at passerbys (fortunately I got away with a dent in my car just below my passenger window, and was not hit directly) -- I've chosen to skip two stretches of Bay Trail in Vallejo. This week I will finish walking two stretches of Vallejo trail. However, after that, I will skip the remaining two, and I will move onto Benicia. I hope to return to finish these two sections someday.