1,000 miles - Now what do I do?

After 1,000 miles of Walking the Bay, what does one do?
I plan to start another revolution around the Bay this month (Dec. '11).
I'm sure there will be more to see, discover next time.
See you on the Bay Trail.

Alameda Creek - Dec. 9, 2011

Walking Distance: 3.8 miles
Walking Time: 1 hr., 42 min. (3:50 - 5:32 p.m.)
Start and End Point: Alameda Creek Stables Staging Area, Fremont, CA

Today I finished up the last bit of Bay Trail for this go-round. My original goal two years ago was to walk 1,000 miles around SF Bay. However, when I reached the end of my walk around the bay a few months ago, my mileage total was only 997.28 miles. I had come up a few miles short -- because I'd been forced to skip this last section of Alameda Creek trail; it was closed when I walked by here a few months ago. (Thank you to Greg Hilst at the Alameda Public Works Dept. for confirming that this trail reopened last Wednesday.) This evening I walked this segment and finally reached my official 1,000 mile goal -- at last.

From the Alameda Creek Stables Staging Area parking lot ("P" on map), I walked up a slight hill to the top of the levee, and headed east on the north side (unpaved for equestrians) of the Alameda Creek Regional Trail (red line on the north side of the Creek/Channel Bay Trail Map) toward the Union City Boulevard bridge (double yellow lines in Bay Trail map) over the Alameda County Flood Control Channel/Alameda Creek. I walked under this bridge and then back onto (the east side of bridge that has a sidewalk for pedestrians); and I walked across the bridge. I exited left at the end of the bridge, and went under bridge again, back to west side, and walked up to newly re-opened section of the Alameda Creek Regional Trail (red line on map, south side of Creek/Channel).

This sounds complicated, but this is all a fancy way of saying -- don't try crossing this bridge walking on the west side -- as there is no sidewalk/shoulder for pedestrians or bikes, and cars are zipping along this street at a good clip. Note: walkers and bicyclists can also access this trail through Coyote Hills Regional Park.

Once I made it onto the south side of the Alameda Creek trail (paved for bikes and pedestrians), I headed west toward Coyote Hills Regional Park/SF Bay. On the way, I passed the turn-off to the Dust Trail, an unpaved packed dirt trail, good for trail bike riding. I continued to walk west on the newly asphalted trail, until I reached the intersection of Alameda Creek trail and the Bayview Trail (which continued into Coyote Hills park, and/or toward the Bay (offering nice views of the water and Dumbarton Bridge heading over to Menlo Park.


I started this walk in the 90 degree weather. Tonight I ended my walk in considerably cooler weather. The colors and landscape were muted. Tonight today's not-quite winter sun sank at 4:50 p.m. A colorful orange sunset to the west, and a full moon rising in the east. It was a beautiful way to end a 1,000 mile walk.

Wildlife Sightings:
56 Canada geese; 4 pigeons; 3 great blue herons; 5 snowy egrets; 7 great egrets; 2 killdeer; 79 ducks; 1 turkey vulture; 12 little brown jobs (LBJs); 3 kites (birds); 2 hawks/kestrels/falcons; 3 unidentified brownish shorebirds (UBBs); 10 coots; 9 doves; 9 sea gulls; 2 deer

Guadalupe River Trail - Nov. 27, 2011

Walking Distance: 2.9 miles (estimate)
Walking Time: 1 hr., 22 min. (2:09 - 3:31 p.m.)
Start and End Point: San Jose International Airport, Economy (long-term parking) Lot 1; San Jose, CA

Having walked, unintentionally, south on the Guadalupe River Trail (shown as a purple line on Bay Trail map) yesterday, I made sure I headed north this afternoon. I soon crossed under Highway 101, and then the Trimble Rd. underpass. These concrete structures are cool and silent except for the muffled thurrumping of cars passing by above; they have a solemnity similar to stone cathedrals or catacombs.

After getting above ground again, I spotted a few mature walnut trees along a wire fence. I had been smelling green walnuts/walnut trees yesterday and couldn't see any. I grew up climbing three large walnut trees in my parents backyard, so I recognized the pleasant, green nut aroma. Hard to tell whether the plowed field on the other side of the fence (a rare bit of open space in between office parks and technology companies) was once a walnut grove or not. But, it was a fun trip down memory lane.

I kept going until I reached the point where I'd left off previously

 (near 2701 Orchard Pkwy, or the back of the building located at this address), with the single basketball hoop in the back. It helps to have an identifiable marker or two to make sure I've arrived at the right place.

Continuing on, I found a little pile of white sea shells on a concrete slope leading up to the freeway. I have no idea how these might have gotten here. Raccoon picnic?

On my way back, I passed by a gaggle of Canada geese, sitting on the trail, and nibbling on fresh green grass at the edge of the top of the embankment that sloped down into the Guadalupe River. I'm fairly certain these were the same geese I saw down by the River when I passed here the first time. Even though they are sandwiched between highway over- and under-passes, the geese had found a reasonably undisturbed area of riverbed to visit.

After this relatively short stroll this afternoon, I took the free San Jose airport shuttle bus over to the new terminal (Terminal B) to take care of an errand I needed to run, and to check in early for a Southwest Airlines flight tomorrow, since I was already at the airport.

The Bay Trail runs by most of the major airports in the Bay Area -- San Francisco (SFO), Oakland (OAK); and, if you walk the Guadalupe River Trail (technically a connector trail to the Bay Trail), then you'll pass San Jose (SJC) as well.

Wildlife Sightings:
35 little brown jobs (LBJs); 12 Canada geese; 10 ducks, 2 cute brownish divers/grebes/ducks?; 15 coots; 1 white butterfly; 3 sea gulls; 4 blue jays; 2 snowy egrets, 1 great egret

Guadalupe River Trail - Nov. 26, 2011

Walking Distance: 5.2 miles
Walking Time: 2 hrs., 37 min. (2:07 - 4:44 p.m.)
Start and End Point: San Jose Airport Economy Parking Lot 1; San Jose, CA

This afternoon I had planned to walk the Guadalupe River Trail (shown as purple line on Bay Trail map) from the San Jose airport north -- to the point where I left off a few days ago. I parked in the airport's long-term parking lot (flat daily rate of $15.00), and proceeded to look for the trail, which is adjacent to this large parking lot.

I enjoyed seeing the public art/design piece by Christian Moeller ("Hands") on the side of Terminal B at the airport (which opened last June). This large, black and white high-tech mural looks like a series of hands raised up -- accomplished by working out the design on a computer first I imagine, and then placing hundreds of small white plastic pieces on a very large mesh or screen background/wall. I went under an underpass and popped out the other side, and there the hands were - waving at passerbys.

I should explain why I was seeing this mural...The Guadalupe trail fans out in a few directions at the airport. Instead or going north, I started walking south toward downtown San Jose, down a long stretch of packed dirt and gravel. And, since it was too late by the time I realized I was headed south vs. north, I made the best of it, kept walking, and eventually stopped at the Heritage Rose Garden in San Jose, south of the airport. (At this point, the trail continues south, but it is off the edge of the Bay Trail map.) The trail was dirt/gravel, then asphalt, then dirt, then asphalt again. Good for mountain bikes. It was great to stop and smell the roses, literally, before heading back.

Wildlife Sightings:
6 crows; 25 little brown jobs (LBJs); 3 unidentified flying bugs (UFBs); 3 white butterflies; 2 hawks/falcons/kestrels; 1 robin; 1 pillbug; 4 cats (abandoned, now feral); 1 mockingbird; 1 tree squirrel; 2 blue jays; 1 great egret; 11 doves.

Guadalupe Trail - Nov. 24, 2011

Walking Distance: 2.6 miles
Walking Time: 1 hr., 4 min. (4:04 - 5:08 p.m.)
Start and End Point: End of River Oaks Parkway (off N. 1st St.), San Jose, CA

It's always a good day to go walking, but it's even better to walk on holidays like Thanksgiving. After a nice big meal - I enjoyed catching a breathe of fresh air and working off some of the Thanksgiving Day feast. And I felt very thankful to be able to enjoy seeing the leaves turn colors -- bright yellows, reds, oranges, crimson pinks, and greens.

Today my short walk took me from the (red metal) bridge near the end of River Oaks Parkway, to within a mile or two of the San Jose International Airport (SJC).

And I took pictures of colored leaves....lots of pictures of leaves...

However, it was starting to get dark so the lack of light limited how many pictures I could take, and how far I could walk this afternoon. We're in the season of shorter, darker days -- by California standards that is.


Wildlife Sightings:
1 gray and white cat (feral/abandoned); 23 little brown jobs (LBJs); 38 ducks; 16 coots; 2 great egrets, 3 snowy egrets; 9 Canada geese; 1 mockingbird