Mission Peak guide post

Following up from yesterday's post, this is the guide post on top of Mission Peak in Fremont, California, USA.

Top: looking north across the bay towards San Francisco.

Bottom (left to right): me, Siva, John. (Same year, different hike.)

Today was another rest day. [Photo: click to enlarge.]

View over Silicon Valley from Mission Peak

Mission Peak is a popular Silicon Valley day hike. In 2004, I hiked up with friends John and Ed from Force Computers. At 2517' the view was spectacular. We could see Fremont, San Jose and tall buildings in downtown San Francisco, some 50 miles away. Mt. Diablo, Mt. Hamilton, Mt. Umunhum, and other local peaks were also in plain sight. It was truely a WOW! experience for me.

Mission Peak is located in Fremont, California, about 20-miles north of Almaden Lake. It's a very popular hiking venue that can be ascended from the Stanford Rd. parking lot in 70-minutes if you're in shape. The trail from the parking lot climbs 2200' in three miles, so it's a fairly steep walk (about 8-degrees on average), though no hiking gear is required. At the top there's a guidepost with viewports aimed at all the local sights (see tomorrow's post). Its Google Earth GPS coordinates are: 37 30' 45.26" N, 21 52' 51.71" W.

Walking up is a pretty good workout, and the first time I did it I was kinda proud of myself. But the second trip brought me back to reality as I watched an older woman jog all the way up to the summit. To add insult to injury, as we chatted she casually mentioned that she does it several times a week. So much for macho.

From this vantage point you can also see the outlines of several salt evaporation ponds at the southern end of San Francisco Bay. The satellite view shows the salt ponds and Mission peak (upper-right corner): www.earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=4877

The ambitious South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project will restore several of those ponds back to their original status as mudflats and tidal marshes long before man arrived. Since the bay is contaminated with mercury, some of which originates from the Almaden Quicksilver Mines, you shouldn't eat the fish. See the July 13, 2009 post, "SolarBees and methylmercury."

Force Computers was located in Fremont until Motorola bought (and extinguished) it.

[Photo: click to enlarge. I took this shot on the return trip, downhill from the peak.]

Map: http://www.ebparks.org/node/1095
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_Peak

Today was a rest day.

Mallard Duck

This female was so preoccupied preening herself (no comment) that I was lucky to eventually get this still profile. The males are more attractive with a green head, white colar and brown chest. (A photo will appear soon.)

The birds at Almaden Lake are almost fearless of people, and you can get pretty close before spooking them. This one let me approach, but if you get within an arms length or two, that's too close for comfort-they're not stupid.

It was hot today so it was three miles on the treadmill.

[Photo: Mallard duck (Anas platyrhynchos) Click to enlarge.]

California Sycamore Tree

These stately trees are located on Almaden Expressway in front of the Santa Clara Valley Water District building, not far from Almaden Lake.

The bark of sycamore trees flakes off in patches, giving them an attractive white-brown appearance. These specimens look mostly white here, but if you enlarge the photo you can see numerous light-brown patches.

Three sycamore types are native to the U.S. A percolation pond is about 100-yards away- behind the SCVWD building, which is good because they like moist soils. I wonder if this one was burned by lightning. [Photo: California Sycamore (Platanus racemosa) Click to enlarge.]

Summer swimming

Today was a rest day, so I drove to the lake to take pictures in the favorable low afternoon sun. There were a lot of people there for 5:30pm, possibly because it was warmer than usual. As you can see, the kids were having a blast in the water.

[Movie: Snow Geese (Chen caerulescens) and swimmers]

Treadmill duty

An invigorating three miles on the True treadmill. Speed 12, 2-degree incline, 35 minutes burned 400 calories.

Shift over

Canadian geese (Branta canadensis) punch out after another day on lake patrol.
[Click photo to enlarge.]

Armed pot growers: a new hiking danger?

Yesterday was a rest day so I decided to take a drive up Mt Umunhum to enjoy the spectacular view of San Jose. I've been up there numerous times before on my bike, but not yet this year.

As I parked at the padlocked gate (as high up as you can drive--about 2328' elevation), I noticed two park rangers walking back toward their vehicles from Bald Mountain. When they arrived at the tiny parking area where I was, I struck up a conversation about the trail to Lexington Reservoir and how realistic it would be for me to mountain bike to it from here. (I fear mountain lions.) To my surprise, they acknowledged that there are indeed lions around, but the greater danger would be surprising a marijuana grower up there, not lions. In 2005, a Fish and Game Warden was shot, and a marijuana grower killed, in a marijuana raid on Mt. Um. In 2006, about 47,000 plants were destroyed in Santa Clara county, and double that were destroyed the year before. With each plant worth about $4,000 and Mexican drug cartel involvement suspected, it's not surprising that guns are involved.

It's disturbing picture. But, like the ranger said, great white sharks are out there but you still swim in the ocean. Why? Because the overall risk is small compared to the benefit. So, I like hiking and biking in the Sierra Azul Open Preserve and I will continue to do so, mountain lions and pot-farmers notwithstanding. I will, however, heed the rangers' wise parting advice: (a) hike with others; (b) stay on the trails.

For more information check out this article: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2009/07/high-sierras.

[Photo: The building on Mt. Umunhum once had an early warning radar dish rotating on top of it before Almaden Air Force Station closed in 1980. Click to enlarge.]

Dusk at Almaden Lake

These Eucalyptus trees are "x-rayed" by the setting sun to reveal their skeletons.

[Photo was taken just before sunset at about 7:50pm, hence the red overtones. Click to enlarge.]

View from Santa Clara Water District building

Again there were a lot of people at the lake for a working day. Most were middle-aged and beyond, so I'm guessing that many were laid off from the Great Republican Recession. Three miles. [Photo was taken last Monday at 7:30pm behind the Santa Clara Water Department building on Almaden Expressway. I go there late in the evening when the sun is low, though 7:30 was still a bit too early for the best light. Those are Canadian Geese in the sky. Click to enlarge.]

Beach bathing at Almaden Lake

Kids bathing on Almaden Lake beach today at around noon. Taken from the east side of the lake with my 6MP Canon S3 Powershot camera with 12x zoom. In the foreground is one of the four SolarBees floating in the water today. It was another lazy three mile jog. [Photo was taken at around noon. Notice how lackluster the light is directly overhead. Click photo to enlarge.]

Cyclers gather for local bike ride

Bikers assemble in the Almaden Lake parking lot the morning of July 27th. [Click photo to enlarge.]

Mt Umunhum summit could open soon to bikes

The House Appropriations Committee recently approved $4M for the cleanup of the old Almaden Air Force Station sitting atop Mt. Umunhum.

The site, contaminated with asbestos and lead paint from its days as a cold war early warning radar station between 1958-1980, remains closed to the public. Its landmark radar building ("the cube") on top would probably be removed during the cleanup, along with some of the other 88 buildings. The mission of the site was to scan the skies for Soviet bombers. The next step is for the Senate to take up the bill in September. If it passes, future bike rides up the 3486' peak are all but certain. I've biked up to the second gate, which is as far up as you can legally go today. (Google Earth reports the second gate to be at 2864' elevation, 37-09-13.58N latitude and 121-53-31.36W longitude. At those coordinates you can see the white paint on the road that warns bikers not to pass that point.) The photo was taken from the pond behind the Santa Clara Water Department building adjacent to Almaden Lake. Click on the photo to see other antenna that lease space from the owner of adjacent land, Scott McQueen. Rep. Mike Honda, D-Campbell, gets a lot of credit for making progress on this issue. (Today was a rest day.) Source articles:

http://www.mercurynews.com/topstories/ci_12902020?nclick_check=1

http://www.lofgrenforcongress.com/node/196

Cool six

[Photo: Snow goose Chen caerulescens]

Six miles today, from home to the second red bridge at Camden, and back. I noticed 4 SolarBees in the water today. Temp was about 65F.

From yesterday's post, a bowl of oatmeal one hour before worked well. Turns out oatmeal is the perfect breakfast food because it has the right amount of carbs and protein.

Eat to fuel exercise

[Photo: California Gull Larus californicus]


Being late in the day, I was concerned about having enough juice in me to sustain a good workout. So I ate two tangerines 30-minutes beforehand, thinking that it would give me a "sugar boost." It did seem to help, but was it really enough fuel, and was it the right kind?

Well, according to Leslie Bonci, sports nutritionist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, it wasn't. Ideally, you should have a fist-sized amount of food about one hour before exercise. It should be a carbohydrate snack, with protein, in the range of 150-200 calories. Something like a granola bar, or half a peanut butter sandwich, will do. Trail mix will do, too. You should also drink about 20-oz of liquid an hour beforehand. And if you're workout will last more than an hour, you also need to eat while exercising at a rate of 30-60 grams per hour.

For a quick recovery, eat again within 15-minutes of finishing. The same snack will do. The longer you wait to eat, the longer recovery will take.

This information will be useful for my next 6-mile run, maybe tomorrow.

Source article: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/02/eating-to-fuel-exercise/?em

How to become a natural resource steward

It was too hot to jog at 5PM, so treadmill duty again. Two tangerines taken 30-minutes beforehand provided more than enough fuel for a hearty workout. The sign in the photo explains the title.

Garlic Festival 2009, Gilroy, California, USA

Today was a rest day, so we went to the Garlic Festival in Gilroy.

(1) Though it was sunny and comfortable, if you did overheat, the Rain Room will cool you down.

(2) Cooking, courtesy of the FDNY.

(3) This handsome couple snagged some free garlic ice cream at the booth. Yummie. The festival's link appears below.

[Click on photos to enlarge.] http://www.mercurynews.com/lifestyle/ci_12893988?nclick_check=1.

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Three miler

It was around 75F at 5:00PM today. There were six fishermen on the north end of the lake--two under the Coleman bridge. Lots of people on bikes, but only one other jogger, and he looked older than me. The bod was draggin' today, so tomorrow might be a stroll with the camera.

[Picture: The distant building is Almaden Lake Village apartments (1045 Coleman Rd, San Jose). Their going rate for a 1016' 2-bedroom/2-bath ranges from $1700-$1750/month today. Foxchase Apartments (1070 Foxchase Dr., San Jose) has lower rates, better parking, and they were totally remodeled this year. And Foxchase is more convenient to shopping and highways 85 and 87--a big time saver.]

Treadmill Day

After a lazy nap today I was raring to do thirty minutes on the treadmill. No run because it takes longer and we had to go out. Two-degree incline and speed 11.

Three miler

It was already cool at 5:35PM, so I did a pass at the lake. That handful of raisins I ate 30-minutes before helped a lot, so it was a pretty strong run.

Speaking of raisins, here's a good article on eating to fuel exercise: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/02/eating-to-fuel-exercise/?em
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Shady Foxchase

It was another hot afternoon, so I plannned to use the gym again today. But someone left the doors wide open with the AC off, so it was hot in there, too. Miffed, I decided to jog up and down Foxchase Drive, and I'm glad I did: it turned out to be a nice variety day, and a visual treat to boot.

Foxchase Drive is shaded by about 20 big oak trees on either side of the street. The sidewalks are therefore mostly shaded, with only a narrow strip of sun shining down the middle. This was wisely planned, I'm sure, when the apartments were built in the mid '70's. The original thought was probably to keep the tenants cool in the summer. If so, it worked. The trees, numerous and mature now, provide more shade than most any other street I know. And with the cool breeze today, it felt cooler running outside in the breeze than inside with the AC.

The shaded sidewalks, doppled with sunlight and set against the bright green grass, offered some eye candy. Simple pleasures are still the best.

Almaden Snow Geese

Heat, and lack of sleep, makes this a rest day. In lieu of words, this shot was taken a few days ago at Almaden Lake.

[Photo: Snow geese (Chen caerulescens) Click to enlarge.]

Another treadmill day

By the time I was ready to jog today, it was almost 90F and the only realistic option was the air conditioned exercise room on site. Aside from having AC, I do like the machines once in a while because they break up the routine. The lake is great, but variety is keeps it fresh.

A Treadmill Day

Too hot to jog. Strong run on the machine at 2-degree incline.

SolarBees and methylmercury

For years I jogged past Almaden Lake and biked past Guadaulpe and Almaden reservoirs, curious each time what those alien-looking contraptions were floating in the water. Half-consciously, I imagined they measured the water's temperature or chemical composition. Those "antenna," I imagined, were powered by the photovoltaic panels and transmitted the data back to a park computer.

Wrong! They're SolarBees: solar-powered water-circulation machines that prevent the harmful buildup of methylmercury in stagnant water at the bottom of the lake. The solar panels convert sunlight to electricity to power the circulation motors.

Almaden Lake is contaminated with quicksilver (mercury) originating from the New Almaden mines located 10 miles to the south, in an area now known as Almaden Quicksilver Park. The mines were open from 1847-1976. From the start of the California Gold Rush (1848-1855), mercury was used to extract gold and silver from mines in the Sierra Nevada mountains.

Mercury was used in gold mining because it dissolves gold from rock to form an amalgam of gold and mercury. The gold can then be extracted from the amalgam by heating, which causes the mercury to vaporize. The airborne mercury then condenses and falls to the ground, contaminating the land and water. At Quicksilver, mercury got into our local environment through the mercury mining process itself, not from the gold extraction process.

At Almaden Lake, elemental mercury (Hg) from the mines settles at the bottom of the lake. There, it is converted to methylmercury (CH3Hg) by the metabolic processes of naturally occurring anerobic (oxygen-hating) bacteria that live in the sediments. The methylized version of mercury gets into our food chain by being absorbed by aquatic plant life, which is then eaten by fish. The fish, of course, are eaten by birds and humans. Methylmercury is the most toxic form of mercury, and it is especially harmful to embryos. "Do not eat the fish" signs are plentiful around Almaden Lake and at the Almaden and Guadalupe Reservoirs.

SolarBees interrupt the mercury methylization process by circulating oxygen-rich water from the surface down to the oxygen-depleted regions below. The aerated (oxygenated) water inhibits the metabolic processes of anerobic bacteria that produces the methymercury. I've jogged past Almaden Lake for 13 years and I've also seen a noticable improvement in water clarity in the past few years since the SolarBees were installed. SolarBees are also in the Guadalupe and Almaden Reservoirs. Next time I'm there I'm going to check out the clarity of water there.

SolarBee: http://www.solarbee.com/
Almaden Quicksilver Park: http://www.geocities.com/almadenqs/
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Saturday morning run

Lots of people enjoying nature today. Most people walk, but hey--at least they're out there.

Today's run

post needed

Another day

Post.

Church in Almaden Lake Park

A church group was using the ampitheater at this morning's s 3-miler. I took a picture with my cell while passing on way out and that drew more than a few funny looks. I guess that was impolite, but I didn't realize they were church-goers until I stopped and listened in on the way back.

The 4th of July

Lots of people celebrating our 233rd birthday.