Hwy 221, Kaiser Rd. - Anderson Rd., Napa, CA - Aug. 14, 2010

Walking Distance: 1.5 miles
Walking Time: 31 min. (6:20 - 6:51 p.m.)
Start and End Point: Parked near Greene's Cleaners, 860-B Kaiser Road, Napa, CA

From Kaiser Road parking space, I first walked North to the Kaiser Road sign, and then South -- to the intersection of Highway 221 and Anderson Road (to the East of Highway 221) and Napa Valley Corporate Way (West of Highway 221). Note: Neither of these end points are shown on the map insert at right. More vineyards could be seen on the hillsides.

Red-tailed hawks have a very distinctive screeching cry (often used in television and film). Having heard this cry, I looked up to find I was fairly close to a red-tailed hawk who was perched on some bare limb of a large eucalyptus tree in the median strip of the highway. However, when I got close enough (even with this tree on the other side of the road) to try to take a picture, the hawk flew away.

Animals and birds seem to be quite wary of pedestrians -- who are far more unusual than automobiles speeding past. And, when I see things like this mask (right), I guess I don't blame them.

The closest I came to capturing any bird images today were these two very long shots: 1.) a great egret perched up on a hillside, and 2.) a turkey vulture spotted flying a bit later. Both are shown at right.

Wildlife Sightings:
2 crows; 2 red-tailed hawks (around/in tall eucalyptus trees); 11 little brown jobs/songbirds; 3 blurs in bushes/dry grass; 1 great egret.

Napa Vallejo Highway - Aug. 13, 2010

Walking Distance: 2.7 mi.
Walking Time: 1 hr., 5 min. (7:38 - 8:43 p.m.)
Start and End Point: Unpaved shoulder, N. Kelly and Napa Vallejo Highway, Napa, CA

This evening's walk took me from the North end of N. Kelly Road to Anderson Rd. (not shown on map), north of the Highway 29/Highway 221 split. What was most notable about tonight's walk? Was it the nice sunset? Or, the crescent moon beginning to rise, and the warm evening with the sound of crickets chirping?

No, the most memorable aspect of this evening's walk was strolling by a mouse metropolis. Every few steps I would take, I would catch a glimpse of a mouse dashing into a nearby hole in the dirt and dried grass (examples shown at right). No wonder there were hawks circling above. This area was a veritable supermarket for birds of prey or mouse-loving mammals.

The fact that this stretch of road was close to some of the few remaining open fields in this area helped explain why I was seeing an "intact ecosystem" with different kinds of predators and prey (although some were victims of run-ins with cars). I suspect if these fields disappear, the number of species will likely dwindle as well.

The Hillside Christian Center complex off Highway 221/Anderson Road (the point where I turned around) is shown at right.


Wildlife Sightings:
Lots of Mice: 24 blurs in the dried grass/weeds (all probably mice); 3 dead mice + 10 live mice; 3 hawks circling above; 7 little brown jobs (LBJs); 1 screw; 1 crow; 1 dead gopher? snake; 1 unidentified dead bird or mammal; 1 dead squirrel; and 1 hubcap. 

Highway 29 - North from Broadway Market - Aug. 9, 2010

Walking Distance: 5.8 miles
Walking Time: 1 hr., 33 min. (6:42 - 8:15 p.m.)
Start and End Point: Parking lot in front of Broadway Market, 3915 Broadway Street, American Canyon, CA

This evening I fueled up at the Broadway Market (cheddar cheese and Fritos -- a childhood favorite combination, and water) before walking North on Broadway/Highway 29 (double yellow lines on map at right). I breezed past the big Walmart Supercenter on Napa Junction Road, and walked over the bridge/overpass, stopping only to examine, and step over, the remnants of several little (six-inch long) blue plastic bicycles with tiny black tires , strewn around on the side of the road. (I could write a book about all the interesting items that end up on the side of the road, but I digress.)

I turned around at 5455 Highway 29 (a waterfall and pond supplies outfit). As I walked back, still feeling energetic, I took what I thought would be a shortcut. I turned Right on Green Island Rd. and then left onto a frontage road (Paoli Loop) that paralleled the highway. I thought it might lead me past a place I'd spotted earlier that had a sign advertising "honey for sale."

Well, you know the rest...Never take a shortcut (especially a road with "loop" in the name), unless you have a detailed map with you, or you've researched this in advance. I walked about a mile more than I needed to by taking this loop road, but it was pleasant and scenic. It eventually took me under the overpass (picture lower right) that I'd walked on earlier (pictured above right), and then looped back to where I started before I took the shortcut - so I got to go over the overpass one more time, on the other side.

Walking by the Napa Junction/Walmart more closely this time, I noticed that they had a nice broad asphalt strip (shown below right) for walking and biking in front of this development. Nice. 

Note: the gray dotted line (on map) was not the route that I took when I got "lost." (Please, people, give me some credit.) Instead the dotted line is a planned/proposed right-of-way, that may be approved as part of the trail system at a future date.

Wildlife Sightings:
33 little brown jobs (LBJs)/songbirds; 3 blurs in the bushes; 1 snail (brown shell) hanging out near the highway; 4 sea gulls; 8 doves; and 2 swallows.

Broadway St./Highway 29 - American Canyon - Aug. 8, 2010

Walking Distance: 1.7 miles
Walking Time: 46 min. (8:45 - 9:31 p.m.)
Start and End Point: American Canyon Marketplace shopping center parking lot, American Canyon, CA

It was dark, but I still wanted to walk further this evening before making the long drive back to the South Bay. So, instead of finishing up Highway 221 in Napa, I skipped a few segments, and I drove further south to American Canyon -- to an area where there were enough lights to walk along the highway. Not perfect, but not pitch black either. (My apologies for the blurry night shots.)

From American Canyon Road (where double red lines meet double yellow lines on the map above right), I walked North on Broadway Street (Highway 29), crossing Donaldson. I turned around just North of the intersection of Broadway and Poco Way, near the Broadway Market and Caffino coffee stand.

As I turned around to walk back, I thought to myself: Am I really seeing a very large gorilla over there? The answer was yes....And a bit further, there was a T-Rex too.

If you squint very hard, you might be able to see these figures looming out of the darkness too.

Wildlife Sightings:
It was too dark to see anything; I saw the dim silhouettes of a large gorilla and a T-Rex dinosaur (large metal sculptures at a garden center). I listened to the sounds of a few birds and then crickets, along with lots of cars whooshing by me.

Highway 221 (South from Streblow Dr.) - Aug. 8, 2010

Walking Distance: 1.6 miles
Walking Time: 22 min. (5:35 - 5:57 p.m.)
Start and Stop Point: small gravel pull-out area along Highway 221 (near Napa Memorial Park), Napa, CA

This evening I walked along Highway 221 (shown as two double yellow lines in the map to the right), as far north as Streblow Drive and as far south as Kaiser Road (not shown on map).

From my parking spot, I first walked North to the intersection (traffic light) of Highway 221 and Streblow Drive. I caught occasional glimpses of a golf course on the West side of the Highway; and I enjoyed the wide shoulder and oleander bushes growing in the median strip. This stretch of highway felt more bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly than many others.

At the intersection with Streblow, I heard the what sounded like loud bird distress calls, and an occasional screech of a red-tailed hawk.

After spending a few minutes trying to spot the source of this apparent bird riot, I realized this was a recording, probably being played near a vineyard next to Napa Valley College -- perhaps to discourage pigeons or other birds from nesting in a nearby construction site. Less than a hundred yards south of this intersection, three "real" red-tailed hawks circled above. I wondered what the hawks made of all this noise nearby.

I walked South -- noticing a statue in the Memorial Park on the other side of a wire fence (see statue picture at right). Across the freeway, in the hills to the East, were more vineyards. When I reached the sign for Kaiser Road, then turned around and returned to my car.

Wildlife Sightings:
4 little brown jobs (LBJs); 1 turkey vulture; 1 crow; 3 hawks (red-tailed?) - perhaps attracted by the bird call recording playing up the road?