Guadalupe River - Nov. 19, '11

Walking Distance: 6 miles
Walking Time: 2 hrs., 49 min. (10:12 a.m. - 1:01 p.m.)
Start and End Point: (New) Alviso Educational Center (2040 Gold St.) parking lot, Alviso, CA

I'm still waiting for one last segment of Bay Trail to re-open further north (Alameda Creek Trail by Coyote Hills). In the meantime, I am investigating the Guadalupe River Trail (shown as purple line,  connector trail on the Bay Trail map). I believe the Guadalupe River starts in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains; it moves through downtown San Jose, past San Jose airport, and eventually runs into the San Francisco Bay at Alviso.

I started walking from the Alviso/north end of this trail. This morning I headed first toward historic Alviso (across the railroad tracks and within sight of Vahl's restaurant and bar), running into where I'd walked the Bay Trail (red and gold lines on map) a few months ago. I then turned around and headed toward San Jose, following a broad, packed dirt/gravel trail, passing a (golf driving range) and crossing under Highway 237 (thicker white line on map).

Note: In case you're walking in wet months (winter/spring), during heavy periods of rain, it might be advisable to check the status of this trail in advance, as there are signs posted warning of possible flooding of the Guadalupe River in lower spots. During other times, the creek bed is home to grasses, trees (with leaves changing colors this time of year), rocks, ducks, egrets, herons, and the occasional feral/abandoned cat further south.

I passed a golf course (which I could see from the other side), and an abandoned red shirt or towel. There are all sorts of lost or left-behind objects on the trail. Each item may have a story to tell.

I walked south until I reached a red metal bridge (near River Oaks), and crossed this bridge so I could walk the other side of the trail on the way back to Alviso. This provided a nice change of scene in this area, where there were multi-dwelling housing developments and a park.

Wildlife Sightings:
2 kites (birds); 1 cloud UFO bugs; 11 little brown jobs (LBJs); 6 snowy egrets, 2 great egrets; 29 pigeons; flock of 20 ? birds (blackbirds? LBJs?); 1 turkey vulture; 3 snails; 1 tiny black beetle; 2 tennis balls; 6 white butterflies, 1 orange and blk/brown butterfly; 1 tree squirrel;1 bumblebee; 23 ducks; 12 crows; 7 cormorants; 31 Canada geese; 24 coots; 1 cloud gnats or mosquitos?; 1 dragonfly; 2 robins; 2 great blue herons

Alameda Creek Trail - Nov. 9, '11

Walking Distance: 2.2 miles
Walking Time: 1 hr., 15 min. (4:02 - 5:17 p.m.)
Start and End Point: Parked near Beard Staging Area, Fremont, CA - East Bay Regional Parks District (EBRPD)

I returned to a segment of Alameda Creek Regional Trail that was closed last month. Happily, it was open today. Thank you to the Alameda Public Works Department who let me know it was open again.

From the Beard Staging Area (end of Beard Road), I walked West on (the south side of) Alameda Creek Trail, under Highway 880 underpass, almost as far as the Alvarado overpass -- where fence had marked closed point previously. I turned around and walked back the same way.

The sun was setting, making it difficult to capture photos that weren't dark and blurry. But, can you recognize this gray blur (bottom right) on the rocks? No, it's not the squirrel. It was one or two gray foxes -- perhaps hunting for ground squirrels. The gray foxes I've seen on my Bay Trail walk have been at dusk, in the south-east portion of the San Francisco Bay. I'm sure they also live elsewhere; but I haven't seen any of their Peninsula or North Bay fox cousins (yet).

Wildlife Sightings:
3 fuzzy caterpillars; 2 crows; 1 black and white cat in creek bed/grass (domestic?); 8 starlings; 2 robins; 8 little brown jobs (LBJs)/finches; 27 Canada geese; 7 sea gulls; 1 hawk/falcon; 2 gray foxes

Alameda Creek Trail - Oct. 16, '11

Walking Distance: .25 mi. + 3.2 mi.
Walking Time: 10 min. + 1 hr., 37 min. (9:26 - 11:03 a.m.)
Start and End Point: Public parking lots 1.) Beard Staging Area; 2.) Parking lot off Eastin (off Union City Blvd., near intersection w/ Lowry); Fremont, CA

This morning I continued my walk along Alameda Creek Regional Trail (shown as two purple lines on the Bay Trail map -- extending east from the Bay), after a brief false start.

I first parked at the Beard Staging Area (parking lot), at the end of Beard Road; and, after walking up to the trail, I almost immediately ran into a fence and a trail closed sign. A trail/levee repair project was apparently running a few days late.  So, I drove further west and re-parked to a location closer to Coyote Hills Regional Park, close to where the official Bay Trail portion (marked with red lines on map) of the Alameda Creek trail is located. This way I could skip over this closed segment, and walk back toward Beard from west to east.

From the East Bay Regional Parks District parking lot (marked with a "P" on map) off Eastin/Union City Boulevard, I walked toward, and then onto, Union City Boulevard (double yellow lines on map), crossing an overpass to the south side of Alameda Creek Trail, and walked east along this paved (asphalt) segment - until I ran into a closed trail sign and fence, marking the west end of this closure. Despite having to turn around, and missing a walk along this short segment, it was still a very nice morning for a walk, punctuated by the honking of low flying Canada geese and the sounds of other birds.


Wildlife Sightings:
3 lizards; 11 pigeons; 9 ducks; 2 great blue herons; 20 white butterflies; 4 fuzzy caterpillars; 1 belted kingfisher; 12 little brown jobs, 2 finches; 33 Canada geese; 3 snowy egrets; 1 dragonfly; 3 blue jays; 2 crows; 3 mockingbirds; 1 turkey vulture; 26 blackbirds/red-winged blackbirds; 1 hawk/kestrel/falcon; 1 true falcon; 17 tiny unidentified brownish shorebirds (UBBs) (sounded a little like killdeers flying off?); 1 lady bug

Alameda Creek - Isherwood - Oct. 11, '11

Walking Distance: 3.1 mi. (estimate)
Walking Time: 1 hr., 42 min. (4:01 - 5:43 p.m.)
Start and End Point: Isherwood Staging Area; East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD); Fremont, CA

From the Isherwood Staging Area, I walked across the overpass/bridge to the south side of the levee trail -- to walk west/northwest on the Alameda Creek Regional Trail (shown as double purple lines on the Bay Trail map).


I walked past the Decoto bridge; and I turned around at the Beard Staging Area/parking lot. I walked back to the Isherwood Staging Area/parking lot the same way. It was nice to have designated parking lots on both ends of today's walk, with a restroom/portable bathrooms.

The signs of a fall day: acorns on the ground; green leaves turning red; lizards on rocks; fuzzy caterpillars; views of Alameda Creek and hills with dried, tawny grass, not yet green after the first rainfall.

Wildlife Sightings:
3 cormorants; 8 lizards; 2 great egrets; 2 snowy egrets; 3 squirrels (2 tree + 1 ground); 68 ducks; 7 white butterflies; 5 coots; 7 fuzzy caterpillars; 4 little brown jobs (LBJs); 7 pigeons; 42 Canada geese; 9 crows; 1 blue jay; 1 great blue heron; 4 turkey vultures (1 on ground, 3 in air)

Alameda Creek - Oct. 9, '11

Walking Distance: 2 miles (estimate)
Walking Time: 1 hr., 35 min. (3:45 - 5:20 p.m.)
Start and End Point: Isherwood Staging Area, Parking Lot; Fremont, CA

This pleasant fall afternoon I continued my walk along the southern side of Alameda Creek Regional Trail. After following this connector trail (shown in purple lines on the Bay Trail map) into the hills of the Niles district of Fremont, I am now headed west, back toward San Francisco Bay.

Today I had the pleasure of taking this short walk from the Isherwood Staging Area parking lot to east of the Sequoia Bridge with my parents. Thanks mom and dad. We crossed over the Isherwood overpass/bridge to the south side of the Alameda Creek trail and walked east to the Sequoia Bridge, then stood on this bridge to gaze down into the Creek to see if we could spot any fish in the water below. I was able to pick out three large (what I believe were) carp.

From the Sequoia Bridge we walked further east, eventually turning around and walking back (west) to the Isherwood Staging Area/parking lot. On the way we spotted a few riders on horseback on the north side of the trail -- which is an easily navigable, broad, packed dirt trail. The south side of the Creek trail was paved (asphalt).

Acorns were on the ground ready to be harvested or buried by squirrels; and v-shaped squadrons of Canada geese were flying low overhead. Afternoon shadows fell more heavily and quickly than last month, but a few lizards lingered on the rocks lining the Creek banks, soaking up the last rays of sunshine. It felt like fall.

Wildlife:
2 great egrets, 3 snowy egrets; 4 lizards; 6 sea gulls; 20 ducks; 3 little brown jobs (LBJs); 24 Canada geese; 4 pigeons; 1 tree squirrel; 42 crows; 1 mockingbird; 2 white butterflies, 2 orange and brown/black butterflies; 2 turkey vultures; 1 hawk; 1 dragonfly; 3 big fish (carp?); 1 crab?