I found lots of riders enjoying the sunshine on Thursday, myself included as I made one last attempt to find chanterelles.
Russian Ridge parking area. No water here.
Sadly, I found none, and it’s not for lack of rain. It may be that all the places I came to know lost their mojo. Chanterelles are mysterious fungi. They spook easily.
I soldiered on and made my Alpine Road/Old La Honda Road/Skyline loop. At the bottom of Alpine Road just before Pescadero Road, I came across trucks and patrol cars.
Alpine Road West still magical. That mushroom was about all I saw.
They were cleaning up a downed redwood, which took out communication lines for nearby houses. AT&T was on it.
When you see lines down, be fearful. Live power lines can kill, as they did on Portola Road in Portola Valley some years ago.
Skyline Boulevard turned into a cloudy, foggy churn up to Alpine Road, cold and damp. Winter has only just begun.
I can’t think of a better way to avoid Omicron than a bike ride in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Old La Honda Road view to the Pacific. Stuff of dreams.
This round of stormy weather gave our Santa Clara home 2.87 inches of badly needed rain, and a total of 7.08 inches since September. And snow on Mt. Hamilton.
Guadalupe River running strong at San Jose airport
Guadalupe River is raging and the often flooded underpass at Hwy 101 is flooded once again.
Flooding at Hwy 101 and Guadalupe River underpassSan Tomas Aquino Creek Trail waterfall
San Tomas Aquino Creek’s “Niagara Falls” is flowing nicely.
Even more good news, construction is underway at the De La Cruz Blvd./Trimble Rd. and Hwy 101 overpass. The road will be widened with a bike lane.
Trimble Road and Hwy 101 overpass construction
It comes too late for me, as I stopped daily commuting here in 2010.
Today I’d probably take the paved Guadalupe River path, although not on days like today when it’s flooded.
I had a few close calls here as huge trucks squeezed by me on the overpass, and I dodged cars taking the Hwy 101 south on-ramp.
I enjoyed the ride, except for this short stretch.
Palo Alto’s new recreation overcrossing improves baylands access.
After years of work and millions of dollars, cyclists finally have a better way to reach the Palo Alto Baylands.
The wide overcrossing includes interpretive signage and a place to sit.
The trail continues to E. Meadow Drive, which has a bike lane and continues into Palo Alto. Or you can take the lightly traveled Bayshore Road paralleling highway 101.
Judging by the traffic this morning, the bridge will see plenty of wheels for recreation and commuting.
What is a Mirai you may ask? It’s a hydrogen fuel cell car made by Toyota. Looks a lot like a Prius.
Today I saw two of these elusive vehicles!
Looking into it, I found out there are a couple of stations in the South Bay and a few more elsewhere in the Bay Area. Nationwide there are only 48 stations (maybe more), almost all of them in California.
So the car’s 400 mile range will get you around most of the state, but that’s all.
I encountered these machines on my way to Almaden Reservoir, where water is about as scarce as hydrogen fuel these days.
The reservoir is 41 percent full — not so bad.
The new bridge over Los Alamitos Creek is quiet today. No workers.
Built in 1935 (refurbished 1964), the bridge needs replacement. Because the span will have a completely new alignment, eliminating a sharp curve, it qualified for a Federal subsidy at 100 percent reimbursement to the county.
New Alamitos Creek Bridge completion set for 2022.Decent water level. Back in 2014 it was empty.
Jason Slaughter burst onto the YouTube scene two years ago and already he has a substantial following among people concerned about our car-centric world.
The Canadian recently moved his family to Amsterdam to settle down. He and his wife decided it was the most livable city in the world.
Here’s his take on Houston, Texas, and its wretched city planning. His description of trying to walk to a nearby store says it all.