Central Ave. - June 8, '11

Walking Distance: 1.8 miles (estimate)
Walking Time: 2 hrs., 21 min. (5:56 - 8:17 p.m.)
Start and End Point: street parking, 4th Street, near intersection with Central Ave., Alameda, CA

Today was a short walk, with many stops in the Central Ave. area of Alameda -- looking at books on the San Francisco Bay at Wilmot's Books on Central Ave., and wandering down 4th Street and looking for places to eat in Ballena Bay. I didn't do much walking. In fact, my 1,000 mile amble may be the slowest walk around San Francisco Bay on record. Some days are like that. I get out late, and then it's dark. But, whatever time spent walking in between is wonderful.

After walking the short segment of Central Avenue (from 3rd Street to Crown Drive) that I had missed on Monday due to rain showers, I walked southish on 4th Street into the Ballena Bay residential and marina area.

Technically, the Ballena Bay area (shown as a gray dotted line on the Bay Trail Map) may not be a fully developed/included part of the Bay Trail (yet). However, some dotted line areas I've visited, like this one, are still walkable. And the curved portion of this walk (encompassing a marina) extends out by the Bay and affords very nice views of ships and the distant San Francisco skyline on a clear day.

I enjoyed a dinner stop at Pier 29 restaurant and bar and discovered there was also a walkway/trail on the inside/marina side of this curved peninsula, when I saw people walking by out the restaurant window (facing the Ballena Isle Marina) while I was eating dinner. It may not be meant for the general walking public; I'm not sure. This path takes you by the Ballena Bay Yacht Harbor and Yacht Club.

Wildlife Sightings:
1 squirrel; 2 little brown jobs (LBJs); 2 cormorants; 5 sea gulls; 1 crow; 1 hummingbird; and 1 domestic black and white cat (~30 feet off Bay Trail in someone's yard) on 4th Street, by my car.

Crown Memorial Park - June 6, '11

Walking Distance: 2.3 mi. total (estimate)
Walking Time: 1 hr., 26 min. (7:04 - 8:30 p.m.)
Start and End Point: Crown Memorial State Beach park parking lot (entrance on Westline); Alameda, CA

I'm not sure why, or how, I'd forgotten that being in Alameda for a sunset would be a great experience. Tonight I was reminded why this was the case as I was walking through the Robert Crown Memorial State Park and Beach, Crab Cove Visitors Center, and a gated section (only open during the day, until dusk) of paved (asphalt) trail running by/through what I'm assuming was a condominium development (private property).

All this trail is shown as a solid red line on the Bay Trail map. This last section of gated trail popped out onto a driveway and the intersection of Crown Drive and Central Avenue. Even before sunset, this was a nice area.

Robert W. Crown was evidently a State Assemblyman who helped campaign for parks in California. The Crab Cove Visitors Center, located within Crown Memorial Park, was closed when I walked by, but this center contains exhibits and information about the area.

Regarding the history of the extended Crown Memorial State Park/Beach area, the long (2.5 mile) stretch of beach on this part of Alameda was popular with past as well as present generations; and the beach has been replenished with more sand from the Bay from time to time. This beach area was once called the "Coney Island of the West."

I'd previously walked on the beach along Shoreline Drive in Alameda that extends into Crown Memorial State Park and Crab Cove. With many park closures this year in California, I feel very grateful that the East Bay Regional Park District has been able to manage to keep so many great parks open that I've had the opportunity to visit.

Fingers crossed that people will get out and appreciate these open spaces.

I walked along the beach and out to the end of a rocky peninsula at Crab Cove, and enjoyed seeing a family out fishing. Three little girls danced around and jumped in a big puddle with their dolls, to the consternation of their mother, while dad fished. Kids will be kids. At least everyone looked like they were having a good time. They might be cold and wet and complaining later, but you're only young once I guess. I can say this because I'm not their mom.

On the walk back, the clouds finally dissipated enough to allow for a great sunset -- with Alameda homes in the foreground, and the distant outline of the San Francisco skyline in the distance. I think I have to come back for another Alameda sunset.

Wildlife Sightings: 

16 sea gulls; 8 ducks; 17 Canada geese; 19 crows; 8 little brown jobs (LBJs); 3 cormorants; 1 small white ball; 4 Western/Clarks grebes; 1 bumblebee; 2 blue jays

Alameda Park - June 6, '11

Walking Distance: 1.6 miles
Walking Time: 1 hr., 4 min. (4:57 - 6:01 p.m.)
Start and End Point: street parking near Encinal High School, Alameda, CA

I played cat and mouse with the weather today in Alameda. I started walking in Alameda Park, but hadn't gotten more than 50 yards from the parking lot when a light rain starting falling (again), so I aborted this walk, and started to drive away, but then the rain stopped. So, I re-parked near Encinal High School -- a few blocks away (double yellow lines on map) and started walking again. Encinal High School has a jet mounted and parked in the front of the school. (The school's sports and other teams are known as the Encinal Jets I believe.) This is another symbol of times gone by -- when the island of Alameda once housed a U.S. naval air base.


This afternoon I walked the section of Bay Trail (shown as both solid red line on Bay Trail map) that extended from Main Street to Central Avenue. For a few blocks, the trail (on the east side of Main street) is coincident with a grassy strip park area. I walked from West Atlantic and Main Street (close to where Main Street turned into Central Avenue) to the intersection of Central Ave. and 3rd Street, a block southeast of Encinal High School. The latter area was more heavily residential and shown as double yellow lines on the map.

I also walked the double yellow line spur (long, narrow road/looks like a driveway) to Alameda Park shore area. Watch for signs on the fence for the Bay Trail, and the Encinal Boat Ramp.

Had the weather been better, I would have gone off-trail and walked a few blocks west and toured the U.S.S. Hornet (ship) that is open to the public on certain days. There are also nice views of the San Francisco skyline in the distance here. Maybe later in the week.

The Main Street-to-Central Ave. trail segment was a mixed residential, commercial and industrial area that had sidewalks or setback areas most of the way; and traffic was relatively light, making for a relatively easy walk. If you're on a bicycle, the road narrows and becomes a bit more crowded in the double yellow lined area.

Wildlife Sightings:
1 duck; 9 sea gulls; 1 cormorant; 1 pillbug; 1 snail; 5 little brown jobs (LBJs)

Alameda Ferry-Main St. - June 6, '11

Walking Distance: 1.8 miles
Walking Time: 1 hr., 34 min. (3:10 - 4:44 p.m.) includes winery stop
Start and End Point: Alameda Ferry parking lot, Alameda, CA

I had never taken a ferry boat into Alameda, and so I was fascinated to see very large cargo ships and small sailboats jostling for position in the Inner Harbor area near the Alameda Ferry boarding area. This was a great place to see these huge cargo behemoths up close as they slowly glide in and out (with the help of small, intrepid tugboats at their sides).

From the paved (cement and asphalt) ferry and pier area trail (solid red line on Bay Trail map), I walked southish on Main Street (double yellow line section on map),  through an extended area that had once been part of, or adjacent to, the Alameda naval and seaplane base. The large, open paved area is still in transition, with some areas being fenced off, and other large hangar-sized buildings being renovated and occupied by commercial tenants.

I walked as far south as West Atlantic before turning around, largely due to the threat of rain. Best not to be too far away from the car, especially if you forgot to bring an umbrella.

Today was a drizzly day, and, while I was initially able to protect my camera with a piece of paper from light mist, the mist turned into a heavier sprinkle on my walk back to the Alameda Ferry area on Main Street, just as I was (unsuccessfully) trying to photograph a group of chickens and roosters -- through not one, but two layers of wire fencing. I believe the chickens were part of the Ploughshares Nursery that was closed today.

Finally admitting defeat, after snapping several blurred shots of feathers and beaks with a telephoto lens, and not wanting to break my camera by getting it wet, I was forced to duck into a building nearby -- which, happily, turned out to be Rosenblum Cellars (one of two wineries I believe in in the northwestern part of Alameda).

Thank you to Jackie for showing me around the Rosenblum Cellars space, and for information on the company's zinfandel red wine lineup. The company buys wine grapes from several vineyards and estates in California and age and bottle their own wine.

On a sunnier day, there would be seating ouside. The wonderfully cavernous space inside contains different tasting, sitting and event areas. This winery is within easy walking distance of the Alameda ferry, making it a nice stop for those traveling across the Bay.

Wildlife Sightings:
2 little brown jobs (LBJs); 4 sea gulls; 1 pigeon; 9 chickens/roosters (through fence, at a nursery); 1 brown pelican

Oyster Bay - June 2, '11

Walking Distance: 2 miles (estimate)

Walking Time: 1 hr., 8 min. (6:48 - 7:56 p.m.)
Start and End Point: parking area, by park entrance, end of Neptune (off Williams), San Leandro, CA

Some of the trails in Oyster Bay Regional Shoreline park had paved (asphalt) trails (shown as solid red line on Bay Trail map), and the rest of the trail was packed dirt (unpaved). The unpaved portion of the trail does not show up on the current Bay Trail map.

However, that may change in the future if there are further improvements made. In any case, the unpaved trail was fine for walking for me this evening. The ground was dry, and I made my way directly, past a large materials recycling/recovery facility (with lots of sea gulls flying overhead), to the Bill Lockyer Bay Trail bridge, where I'd left off on a previous walk -- where I'd crossed this bridge from the north side (Oakland Airport/Airport trail).

I then followed a paved (asphalt) trail (shown as a solid, red line on the Bay Trail map) around this ear or half-moon shaped, rounded outcropping of land -- with a small hill in the middle -- as it curved back to shore again.

I'm guessing the area's sculpted shape means the Oyster Bay Regional Shoreline park area was once a garbage dump or landfill area that has been reclaimed, and converted to a park area, like many shoreline parks in the Bay Area.

The upper part of the (solid red line) trail was a great area for aircraft fans of all ages to watch planes take off and land at Oakland Airport.

The last part of this walk offered views of the San Leandro shore to the south, including homes by the water,  El Torito restaurant, and a park area. And further walking led to paths up the hill and to picnic areas before reaching the parking lot again.

There were lots of swallows and smaller birds darting about before sundown, and other wading birds (egrets) in the area under the bridge, in the shallow water, mudflats and grasses area on the north side of this walk.

I saw one black (feral) cat in amongst the grasses that looked like it may have recently become homeless. I say recently, because this cat looked pretty healthy. My soapbox plea for the day: Please don't drop off unwanted pets or cats in the Baylands. It's a hard life for cats/pets and the nesting birds they may have to hunt for food there as well.

Wildlife:
89 sea gulls; 8 turkey vultures; 5 red-winged blackbirds; 31 little brown jobs (LBJs), 2 finches; 1 hawk; 21 swallows; 3 snowy egrets; 2 crows; 1 black cat (assume it was feral); 1 black beetle