Lockdown Day 34: Getting Some Color at Byxbee Park
The weather today was nicer than expected so we made a point of going out to hike. ...But locally, because lockdown. After a failed attempt yesterday at returning to Sierra Vista Open Space in the hills above San Jose we decided to keep it even more local today and visit Byxbee Park, owned by the city of Palo Alto.
Byxbee Park is on the baylands and is a combination of marshes, sloughs, freshwater ponds, and covered-over landfill. Yes, for a swamp-trash heap combo it's very pretty! And even the modest gain in elevation achieved by climbing the covered-over trash heap provides amazing views out across the southern end of the San Francisco Bay to the Diablo Mountains beyond.
We visited Byxbee last weekend, too. I didn't write about it then because the closed-off parking lot sent us looking for parking on a side street a mile away from the trailhead, and we snuck through some technically closed property to get to the trail, which wasn't even one of the more scenic parts anyway.
The fact that the road to the trailhead parking areas was/is closed off is a real peeve. What's wrong with a parking area during the lockdown? Counties and cities are trying to close parks without incurring the bad press of having to admit they're factually closed. Instead they close the parking lots and block the roads that lead to them while crowing to the press and public, "Our parks are still open!"
For parks in remote areas, shutting the access roads and closing the parking lots is de facto closing the parks. Thankfully Byxbee Park has numerous access points from various different roads. Today we planned ahead a bit and parked near a different entrance. I think technically it was a no-parking zone, but I felt there was probably safety in numbers as about a dozen other cars were parked in the same area already. Not that safety-in-numbers helps when the cops come around with a fresh ticket book!
I mentioned at the top that today's trek was one of "getting some color". Obviously there was color in the grasses and wildflowers. I got some color on my skin, too! A mild sunburn from being out for an hour or so on the unexpectedly clear day. But it's mild, so I hope that after I put on some lotion tonight it will clear up tomorrow.
Byxbee Park is on the baylands and is a combination of marshes, sloughs, freshwater ponds, and covered-over landfill. Yes, for a swamp-trash heap combo it's very pretty! And even the modest gain in elevation achieved by climbing the covered-over trash heap provides amazing views out across the southern end of the San Francisco Bay to the Diablo Mountains beyond.
We visited Byxbee last weekend, too. I didn't write about it then because the closed-off parking lot sent us looking for parking on a side street a mile away from the trailhead, and we snuck through some technically closed property to get to the trail, which wasn't even one of the more scenic parts anyway.
The fact that the road to the trailhead parking areas was/is closed off is a real peeve. What's wrong with a parking area during the lockdown? Counties and cities are trying to close parks without incurring the bad press of having to admit they're factually closed. Instead they close the parking lots and block the roads that lead to them while crowing to the press and public, "Our parks are still open!"
For parks in remote areas, shutting the access roads and closing the parking lots is de facto closing the parks. Thankfully Byxbee Park has numerous access points from various different roads. Today we planned ahead a bit and parked near a different entrance. I think technically it was a no-parking zone, but I felt there was probably safety in numbers as about a dozen other cars were parked in the same area already. Not that safety-in-numbers helps when the cops come around with a fresh ticket book!
I mentioned at the top that today's trek was one of "getting some color". Obviously there was color in the grasses and wildflowers. I got some color on my skin, too! A mild sunburn from being out for an hour or so on the unexpectedly clear day. But it's mild, so I hope that after I put on some lotion tonight it will clear up tomorrow.