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Run Around the Stanford Dish

April 10, 2020September 14, 2020Silvia

It is vital these days to exercise. A lot of public parks and open space preserves have been closed off, due to the excessive use and therefore people not being able to keep the 6ft required distance.

We were lucky two weeks ago when my son and I decided to hike the Stanford Dish it was still open. As of April 3rd, they closed access to the Dish.

I have to confess I put the Stanford Dish hike in my 50 things to do in Stanford without ever being on the path. I am glad I did this hike before it got closed off. The path is concrete, which allows for wheelchairs and strollers, but keep in mind the alleviation changes dramatically – my health app said I climbed 22 floors that day!

Old radio telescope, Stanford Dish hike.

I always wanted to do this 3.8 mile loop passing the old radio telescope visible from 280. I was surprised that there are actually two radio telescopes! We parked at the Stanford parking lot, which is free. Be sure not to park in the residential area, because they will ticket.

The Dish is (usually) open from sunrise to sunset. No dogs, accept service dogs, or bicycles are allowed.

Have you hiked the Dish loop before?

Do you know of any hikes that are still open?

Front of the egg vending machine at the Glaum Egg Ranch in Aptos, advising you that you will need 4 crisp dollar bills.

Vend your Eggs

April 3, 2020September 14, 2020Silvia

Easter will be April 12th, this year. There is a confusing tradition that links bunnies to eggs, which I don’t understand or even feel qualified to explain. But for now let’s just focus on eggs.

The Barn, egg vendor and eggs sold here sign of the Glaum Egg Ranch in Aptos, CA.

Before the shelter-in-place order I went to Aptos to see the egg vending machine at the Glaum Egg Ranch. I believe it is still open, but in these days and times anything can change. Are we even allowed to drive that far? I think not.

Please take this as a virtual tour and when you have the chance of freely moving around again consider this as a fun activity for young kids. It is not the vending of the eggs that I refer to here, it is the show that is offered after you vend. You can see this demonstrated in this YouTube video (be my first subscriber to my new channel!):

Succulents in egg shells at the Barn, Glaum Egg Ranch, Aptos.

To see the show you need four crisp dollar bills and you will be rewarded with 18 eggs and a show. The barn store will be happy to provide you with wrinkle free money. By the way the barn store is open Mon – Fri 8am – 4pm and Sat 8am – 2-pm. There you can get a lot of products around eggs. One was succulents in little egg shells, such a cute idea! They also have interesting gift ideas mostly food related.

Chicken dressed up in their Easter outfits - part of the show at the Glaum Egg Ranch, Aptos.

I wish you all a Happy Spring!

Have you ever vended your eggs?

How about some other eating adventures in the Bay Area?

Explore 50 Things to do in Cupertino

March 20, 2020December 15, 2020Silvia

Since Tuesday we are officially ordered to ‘shelter in place’. So I like to take this time to introduce you to my series: ‘50 things to do’. I try to find 50 things to do in a city nearby. It is an interesting challenge and I enjoy discovering every aspect of a city.

Bowling balls at Homestead Bowl, Cupertino.

In my latest ‘50 things to do’ I discovered Cupertino. Most of you might know Cupertino as Apple’s headquarters, but this is not all this city has to offer. I was really surprised to see how many interesting options for sports they have. From disc golf to archery, hiking in the hills, and yoga in the park. This city also has two bowling alleys and an ice rink!

There are some cool outings for kids, too, like the 16 feet wide aquarium in the library or the Deer Hollow Farm at Rancho San Antonio. If you like to explore local history you’ll be able to enjoy a few fascinating finds.

If you have any suggestions of places that I might have missed I’d love to hear from you!

Are you ready to explore Cupertino (virtually)?

Taste of the award-winning goat cheese at Hartley Farm, Pescadero.

Taste some Goat Cheese

February 21, 2020December 15, 2020Silvia

Goat shop sign at Hartley Farm in Pescadero.

At Hartley Farm in Pescadero there is not only a shop for goat cheese and their accompaniments, like habanero jelly, you can also look at the goats that give their milk for this deliciousness. This award-winning cheese converted my husband, who’s goal for 2018 was not to eat any goat cheese, to agree to buy a tub to take home with us.

We came here to see some farm life, inspired by the movie documentary: Our biggest little farm.

Mother goat with her three recently born baby goats.

Currently there are 106 baby goats. I’m not sure if the count is correct, because we saw three baby goats in the pen with the pregnant goats, and the mom licking them clean. So, I guess we missed the birth by mere minutes.

Two week old baby goats at Hartley Farms, Pescadero.

It was a delight to see the two week old goats play in their playpen. Not all 106 of them, just about ten in each of the two pens.

You can also peek into the milking station and the place where they make the yummy goat cheese.

Are you a goat cheese lover?

If you like farms maybe consider Ardenwood a historic farm in Fremont.

Citrus for all seasons, descriptive poster at Quarry Lakes, Fremont

Sample some Citrus

February 14, 2020December 15, 2020Silvia

Growing citrus at the Rare Fruit Grove, Quarry Lakes Park, Fremont.

I wrote about Quarry Lakes Park in Fremont before (Hike around a quarry). A nice park where you can walk around the quarry lakes. But there is more than just bird watching, boating and fishing. A friend told me you can pick your own lemons there. It gets more sophisticated than that, you can sample the fruit from over 100 different rare fruit trees!

Quarry Lakes Rare Fruit Grove sign. Please sample
But no collecting
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The Rare Fruit Grove is located at the north east side of the lake in the peninsula, reaching into Horseshoe Lake. You can pick up a brochure of the various fruits that can be found right by the entrance. Please only sample, so others can enjoy this, too. The orchard brochure lists all the names, descriptions, when to harvest, and how to use it.

There are also several other scavenger hunts you can do:

Quarry Lakes Botanical Scavenger Hunts. QR codes and paper maps.

Palms and Cycads
Subtropical Plants
California Natives
Oak Trees
Conifer Trees

Screenshot of Google maps of the Quarry Lakes scavenger hunt.

Either read in the QR code which opens up Google maps, find it by GPS coordinates, or check out the paper map and go hunting. It’s a fun way to learn about trees and plants.

Quarry Lakes parking is $5.

Have you tried some of the citrus or other fruits at the rare fruit grove?

Disc golf basket at Stevens Creek County Park, Cupertino.

Throw some Discs Around

February 7, 2020December 15, 2020Silvia

I’ve been to the San Jose disc golf course at Hellyer. (https://untilsuburbia.com/frisbee-being-in-the-woods-disc-golf/) My technical skills for this sport are nothing to write about. But I was pleasantly surprised to find another course at Stevens Creek County Park in Cupertino.

A disc golf basket surrounded by trees at the Stevens Creek County Park in Cupertino.

This 12 hole course is well maintained by the Silicon Valley Disc Golf Club which established the Villa Maria course in 2018.

View from tee number 5 at the Stevens Creek County Park disc golf course, Cupertino.

Therefore this course is a fairly recent addition to the area. You have to pay the $6 parking fee at the bottom and then head up to the Villa Maria Orchard. There are restrooms nearby and picnic tables. The course itself has a decent elevation and is technically challenging because of the trees. I found reviews at DG Course Review that warn people about poison oak, but overall it got a 3.5 out of a 5. The phone holders at the tee off were a big hit. Film yourself teeing off – how Silicon Valley!

Tee off at the disc golf course, Stevens Creek County Park, Cupertino.

If you are a regular you might consider joining the club to support the sport. But if you are just trying it out, it’s free, and there are no green fees, just parking fees. You just have to get yourself a disc golf set at your local sports store (around $20).

Have you tried disc golf?

Hike up to Contemplate

January 31, 2020December 15, 2020Silvia

We did pick the easy route, parking on the highest spot for Eaton Park in San Carlos. But if you are feeling adventurous, and in great shape, you might want to start with 72 stairs and climb your way up to this amazing view point.

Views of San Francisco at Eaton Park, San Carlos.

On a clear day you can see San Francisco!

With a view like this it is hard to focus on the labyrinth in front and look down to follow the path. Nevertheless, this too is very satisfying. Start with a specific question or just follow the path and see where it leads your thoughts. For more ideas on where to find labyrinths in the Bay Area, you can click on the article:

Follow the spiral/spiritual path

A great viewpoint in San Carlos.

Would you walk the labyrinth or just enjoy the view?

The iris garden at the Three Creeks Trail in San Jose.

Bike by some Irises

January 24, 2020December 15, 2020Silvia

The water tower with the 3 indicates the entrance to the Three Creeks Trail in Willow Glen.

The Three Creeks Trail is a relatively new addition to the paved trail system in San Jose. It connects to the Los Gatos Creek Trail and the Guadalupe River Trail.

I love to find these small, hidden gardens. When we recently checked out the Three Creeks Trail in San Jose we came by the Iris Garden.

Snow Flurry, a white iris, in the iris garden on the Three Creeks Trail in Willow Glen.

This is a tribute to Ruth and Clara Rees who successfully crossed varieties of irises in the Willow Glen neighborhood. ‘Snow Flurry’ was created as a white iris with “broad, ruffled paddles, clear hafts, several buds in each spathe, good branching and excellent blue-green foliage.”

After some more research I found out that Clara really hit the jackpot and in 1939 grew “the most important iris ever created”.

Snow Flurry became the parentage of all modern TB irises. The iris garden used to be a much larger development in Willow Glen, and this little strip is all but an homage to them; honoring the botanist and flower lover Clara Rees.

Have you noticed the iris garden along the Three Creeks Trail?

If you like native plants you might enjoy Woodside’s Native Plant Garden.

Resources:

https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/07/18/iris-gardens-return-to-the-reopened-three-creeks-trail http://www.historiciris.org/photos/snow-flurry-lm.html

https://www.historiciris.org/articles/notable-clara-rees.html

https://cbris.org/

https://theamericanirissociety.blogspot.com/2018/12/clara-b-rees-queen-mother-of-iris-world.html

https://theamericanirissociety.blogspot.com/2012/02/clara-and-ruth-rees-san-joses-iris.html

http://wiki.irises.org/Main/Bio/HybridizerReesClara

Hike with your Dog

January 17, 2020December 15, 2020Silvia

The nice thing about the Bay Area is there are a myriad of options for hiking in relatively short distances from where you live. If you are a dog owner and want to bring your pooch with you on these hiking excursion, you might find that a lot of open spaces don’t allow dogs. To find a place that has an off leash policy is even rarer.

End of the off-leash dog area at Pulgas Ridge Preserve. Sign reads: You are leaving the off-leash dog area. All dogs must remain on a leash beyond this point.

While the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space allows dogs in 11 of it’s 24 parks, only one – the Pulgas Ridge Preserve – has an off leash dog area. The 17.5 acre area where you can let your dog roam free in is located in the middle of the Preserve and is surrounded by the Hassler Loop trail. Your dog needs to be voice controlled and you should have a leash with you. And of course, you are always asked to pick up after your dog (only leave paw prints behind).

Group of dog walkers at Pulgas Ridge Preserve.

For discoverers, the park is the former home of the Hassler Health Home, a tuberculosis sanitarium, some remnants of the building and stairs still remain.

Where do you hike with your dog?

Did you know that Sunol had a dog as mayor?

Walking in the cloud at the Devils Slide Coastal Trail.

Walk in the clouds

December 27, 2019October 27, 2023Silvia

The chances of fog are high at the Devil’s Slide Trail in Pacifica. The former Interstate 1 made hiking trail is a 1.3 mile stretch with ocean views on one side and a rocky hill on the other.

At the Devils Slide Coastal Trail a warning sign: Step back steep cliff.

Numerous landslides made this stretch of Highway 1 a dangerous road. When San Mateo County proposed to have the interstate go over the Montara Mountain Ollie Mayer an activist and environmentalist fought successfully for a tunnel. The Devil’s Slide Trail opened in March 2014 as part of the initiative’s agreement.

Since it is paved the trail is great for bikers, wheelchairs and strollers. When we arrived two moms just packed their babies into their cars. The slopes make it challenging for wheels and especially on wet days it can be tricky.

View of Egg Rock from Devils Slide Coastal Trail.

I particularly liked the story from one information sign of the reestablishment of the Common Murres colony on Egg Rock, a rock formation peeking out of the Pacific. An already diminishing bird population was erased by the Apex Houston 1986 oil spill. In 1996 a restoration project was started and the birds were tricked into recolonize by mirrors, decoys and broadcast murre calls, a method called social attraction. The Common Murres population grew from 12 in 1996 to 3200 in 2013! If you bring two quarters you can zoom in on Egg Rock with a telescope.

Exit of the south side tunnel at Devils Slide, Pacifica.

Parking is available on the north or the south entrance of the tunnel. Open from dusk till dawn. No parking fee. There is even a bus stop!

Where do you hike in the clouds?