One of the true luxuries of no longer having a job is being able to go hiking on weekdays, when few others are on the trails. Not to mention just having more time to spend out of doors, whether we’re exploring on foot, by bicycle, or from the air. 

This past fall, we were treated to — but also fretted over — unusually beautiful weather. Sunny days and warm evenings lasted into November. Giddily but a tad guiltily, we made the most of those lovely days around the Bay. Here are a few of our outings. Enjoy!

Along the Bay shore

Like me, my sisters love to hike, so on some Fridays Shannon and I go exploring. One October morning last fall we walked the shoreline trail at Coyote Hills Regional Park, which can be a great place for birdwatching. Since the autumn rains had not yet begun, the hills were golden.

ASIDE: You might be imagining that these hills are brown, but if you’re from California, you know that they’re actually gold! Just sayin’.

When we repeated this hike with our sister Kristi after last week’s storm, we found the landscape green and lush. This is the typical pattern here — gold to green, green to gold. Both are beautiful, and this seasonal transformation always makes me smile.

This trail is exposed but easy, with a couple of climbs if you want them, and some of the path is paved. In other parts of the park, boardwalks meander through reed-filled wetlands where waterbirds wade, swim, and, frankly, hide. But along the shore we spotted black-necked stilts, American avocets, brown pelicans, mallards, American coots, and the ubiquitous gulls. Coyote Hills is well worth a visit on a cool day. Don’t forget your binoculars!

Biking the Bay

A morning bike ride around San Leandro Bay is one of our favorite ways to get a little exercise, weather permitting. From our house, the loop trail is relatively short (less than an hour’s ride) and very easy (i.e., flat) — my favorite kind! — but the views are pleasant and the waterbirds abundant.

ASIDE: I’m aware as I write that calling the views “pleasant” might be a case of damning with faint praise. I mean rather to offer a middling sort of praise, but I’m struggling to find an effective way of describing scenery that is agreeable without being spectacular. I could say the views are “nice” — but that always sounds insipid. How about “charming”? Or perhaps “pleasing” is better? The aim is to say something positive without overstating the appeal: what word would you use?

At high, low, or king tide, this is an enjoyable ride!

Above the Bay

Craig fell in love with aviation when his friend Peter took him on an aerial tour of San Francisco Bay. Whenever I join Craig on a bay tour, I fall in love (again) with the Bay Area. I’m grateful to have a partner who can show me this beautiful place from an elevated perspective, and I try hard not to take this gift for granted. (These photos are from a morning flight in mid October.)

The Rock of the Bay

Though he has lived in the Bay Area since eighth grade, Craig had never visited Alcatraz. So I booked a tour for my birthday in late October. Alcatraz is notoriously cold and windy, but this happened to be a perfect fall day, gloriously sunny and warm, even on the water. We followed the scenic path around the south side of the island, then took the excellent audio tour of the prison, which is narrated by former guards, inmates, and others connected with the island’s history.

One tidbit about Alcatraz that I learned years ago is that all the soil on the island was brought out there by barge. It was a barren rock, until humans got involved. I’d always remembered this curious fact; I suppose that the image of tons of dirt being ferried over must have captured my imagination. But since I hadn’t seen any mention of this event on recent visits to Alcatraz, I’d started to wonder whether I’d made it up. It turns out, though, that I had my story more or less straight. According to the Gardens of Alcatraz website,

Before human settlement, Alcatraz had only a thin deposit of soil that supported sparse native grasses and shrubs… In an effort to make the barren island more livable, the military began importing soil from nearby Angel Island and the Presidio, and as early as 1865, planted Victorian-style gardens.

There followed a whole history of gardeners and gardening, but all was abandoned after the penitentiary closed in 1963. Finally, “in 2003, the nonprofit Garden Conservancy… decided to bring Alcatraz back into flower…”  Check out the links under “Connections,” below, if you’re interested in knowing more.

Alcatraz is now part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and managed by the National Park Service. But 50 years ago, it was occupied for nineteen months by a group of Native American activists calling themselves the Indians of All Tribes. A special exhibition called “Red Power on Alcatraz” opened in November to commemorate this anniversary. It runs for nineteen months, to match the period of the occupation, and is accompanied by a calendar of other special programs. Come visit and we’ll check it out!

I like to ask myself: Will the things that trouble me now still matter in a week or a month or a year? At the end of my life? 

Time and distance can be salutary: A bird’s eye view, a change of seasons, or a fifty-year gap can offer new perspectives and colors and insights. 

So here’s to the long view: May we remember to step back from time to time and consider the world from a new angle.

Connections

• Coyote Hills Regional Park
• The Gardens of Alcatraz: History of Gardening on the Island
• Elizabeth Laubach: Alcatraz Island is a renowned prison — but a horticultural gem? (Bay Nature, July 6, 2012)
• Patricia Leigh Brown: The Plant Men of Alcatraz (New York Times, June 21, 2001)
• Peter Fish: Flowers for Alcatraz (Sunset, August 1, 2007)
• My book club read Tommy Orange’s There There this fall. It’s mostly about Indians in Oakland, but a key section of the story takes place on Alcatraz during the occupation. Strongly recommended!
• American Indian Occupation [of Alcatraz] – 50th Anniversary

You might also enjoy…

• The Bay and beyond
• Elephant seals at Año Nuevo State Park
• All postcards
• Cover photo of the Alameda waterfront: