treasure hunt on Mount Tamalpais, part 2 of 2

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The western slope of my beloved Mount Tamalpais is a steep drop-off to Stinson Beach and the Pacific Ocean below. And I don't quite know what it is, but I usually feel a sense of power when looking down at dramatic beauty. For a brief while I feel like a god of the fog.



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And when conditions are just right, a secret treasure of gold floats on the surface of one of Mount Tam's lakes.



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treasure hunt on Mount Tamalpais, part 1 of 2

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My beloved Mount Tamalpais (tam - al - pie' - us) never fails to surprise me with her beauty and variety. Ridgecrest Boulevard snakes it's way along her northern flank. This road has been used countless times over the years as a backdrop in automobile commercials--currently Ford is running one on TV for their "Escape" model.



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This is the Sidney B. Cushing Theater, built in 1913. It's home to the "Mountain Play". Performances over the years range from the first in 1913--"Abraham and Isaac", to some rather cheesy but fun sounding adaptations in recent years--such as "Oklahoma" and "Hair". There's room for 4000 attendees here. Most folks know to bring cushions along with them to the performances--giant Serpentine blocks are used for seating. You can read more about the history of Mountain Theater here.



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Okay, just for fun, lets turn this from a treasure-hunt into a guessing-game. What is this? One clue--it's on the West Peak of Mount Tamalpais at 2574 feet, which is two feet taller than more accessible East Peak.


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designs of the Eucalyptus

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In the 1850s, Eucalyptus trees were introduced to California by Australians during the California Gold Rush. Much of California has a similar climate to parts of Australia. By the early 1900s, thousands of acres of Eucalyptus were planted with the encouragement of the state government. It was hoped that they would provide a renewable source of timber for construction, furniture making and railroad ties. It was soon found that for the latter purpose Eucalyptus was particularly unsuitable, as the ties made from Eucalyptus had a tendency to twist while drying, and the dried ties were so tough that it was nearly impossible to hammer rail spikes into them.
(source: Wikipedia).



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Eucalyptus oil is readily steam distilled from the leaves and can be used for cleaning, deodorizing, and in very small quantities in food supplements, especially sweets, cough drops, toothpaste and decongestants. It also has insect repellent properties, and is an active ingredient in some commercial mosquito repellents.
(source: Wikipedia).

Years ago I took care of a friends dog for a few days, and "Ada-Bagel" (the dog) wore a handmade collar made of the triangular shaped Eucalyptus seeds. It was supposed to help keep the dog free of fleas. And I can't resist telling you that Ada-Bagel's diet was supplemented with one clove of garlic per day, finely chopped and mixed with peanut butter. Yummy...



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Many scorn the mighty Eucalyptus because it is non-native and is invasive. It's also a major fire hazard and fueled the devastating Oakland Hills fire of 1991.

But I will always enjoy Eucalyptus because of the abstract qualities of it's bark, which peels and shreds in long strips as the girth of the trunk expands. No shortage of Eucalyptus photo opportunities here in California. In addition to the uses outlined in the Wikipedia information above, I can tell you they were planted extensively throughout the state to serve as windbreaks for the fields of farmers.


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up and over Mount Tamalpais

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Just to the west of where I live, Fairfax, is Mount Tamalpais. And not far out of town is a great vantage point. On Wednesday morning my beloved mountain was wrapped in soft fog.



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Sometimes the foggy clouds and sun put on a show of their own.



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So, continuing, and after more twists-and-turns and ups-and-downs than anyone could possibly imagine, I made my way up to a mossy little forest of Redwoods and Laurels. This mossy stump and I are old friends.


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early morning at Covello Point

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It seems to me that San Francisco's skyline, when viewed from a low elevation, is much more dramatic than the standard elevated views from Conzelman Road on the west side of the Golden Gate Bridge.



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So yes, we are within spitting-distance of the G.G. Bridge. And, if I were a few years younger I could probably toss a rock across the bay and hit San Francisco from my favorite viewing spot at Covello Point.



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And when not spitting or throwing rocks, I generally just like to soak up the view. It's all right there--a panorama of Angel Island, Alcatraz, Bay Bridge, San Francisco skyline, and the Golden Gate Bridge. Hmmm... Maybe I should get down there and try a panorama shot.

Which reminds me--the other day Bob Horowitz of the AllCitySF team posted one of the most incredible and creative circular panoramas I've ever seen.


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Community Garden at Fort Mason

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One of San Francisco's best kept secrets is the community garden at Fort Mason.



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Tourists will come very close to the garden, however, when they take the popular scenic trail along the bluffs between Aquatic Park and the Marina Green. The Community Garden is located in the center of Fort Mason, behind the Administration Building.



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I wasn't quite sure what I would find going on at the garden "in the dead of our California Winter", but there's still lots to look at, and of course for a guy like me, still lots of photo opportunities.



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...TECHNICAL PROBLEMS -- Well, darn-it, I hit one wrong button this morning and somehow completely lost yesterday's edition of APAD... But if you missed yesterday's "issue", here's the photos, minus my commentary:

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Water -- it's a three ring circus!

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Thanks to J. Edgar Hoover, former head of the F.B.I., we've always known that no two fingerprints are exactly alike. Fingerprints cannot be changed--but little did we know that the surface of the water at Alpine Dam knows a few tricks.



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And I've got to tell you that not all the stars are in the Heavens. Again, the surface of the water at Alpine Dam can put on a star-show of it's own.



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And in this ring, ladies and gentlemen, we have peace and tranquility. A small lake in the countryside. I recommend it highly. Approved by birds and cows, and the occasional
.


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China Camp -- bright and early

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My usual sunrise viewing spot was socked in with fog on Friday morning. I thought I would have better chances farther up San Pablo Bay at China Camp.



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At this point it's still unknown what's going to happen with China Camp's last remaining resident, Frank Quan. About 200 parks will remain open, but this and 70 other California State Parks will most likely be closed on July 1. California is flat broke, yet our Governor still has his sights on spending billions on a high-speed rail system that will turn out to be neither high-speed, where people want to go, or within cost estimates.



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But San Pablo Bay isn't going anywhere, although salt intrusion has altered the ecology of this bay. Fresh water from the Sierra that would normally flush San Pablo Bay of salt has diminished due to diversion of fresh water for agricultural uses in the Central Valley.



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With dilapidated docks and traces of structures along it's 7 miles of shoreline, it's obvious that China Camp was once a busy place. And after reading about the lives of the Chinese immigrants who worked hard netting and drying Bay Shrimp here, it most certainly was a bustling village. There is a splendid little museum at China Camp telling the history of Chinese who settled here and how they were blatantly discriminated against by the "white man".

Today, China Camp's hilly trails are mostly enjoyed by mountain-bikers and joggers. And more often than not, there's going to be some joker with a camera poking around, trying to snag just one more shot.


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Mount Tamalpais -- in a foggy kind of mood

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Just to the west of where I live is probably one of the most beautiful roads in the world--the Fairfax-to-Bolinas Road--with more than it's share of twists and turns and ups and downs.

Sharing the honors, way up there in the clouds is Ridgecrest Bouleverd. A plethora of auto commercials have been filmed here--there's a great Ford Escape ad currently running on the "one-eyed-monster".



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"Tam - al - pie' - us".   If you use your imagination you can see "the sleeping lady" in the contour of her slopes.



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Well, there's three versions of how "Mt. Tam" got her name:

The name Tamalpais was first recorded in 1845. The meaning of the name is not well-established and there are several versions of the etymology of the name. One version holds that the name comes from ostensibly Coast Miwok words for "coast mountain" (tamal pais). Another holds that it comes from the Spanish Tamal pais, meaning "Tamal country," Tamal being the name that the Spanish missionaries gave to the Coast Miwok peoples. Yet another version holds that the name is the Coast Miwok word for "sleeping maiden" and is taken from a "Legend of the Sleeping Maiden." (((source:  Wikipedia)))

I tend to favor that third explanation, however some say it has no basis in Coast Miwok myth.



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Mount Tamalpais fog. It was quite a show. A command performance. The lifting of the veil. Secrets revealed.


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Watch Out! -- Cable-Car coming

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Yeah, I can just see the headlines; "Local photog gets creamed on cable-car tracks". Well, the shutter was still open when I realized I had to get out of the way.



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So anyway, I lugged my tripod along with me last Sunday on a steep walk up Mason starting near Columbus. Cable-cars have pretty wimpy warning bells--I suppose out of consideration for the residents at such an early hour.



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Surviving Mason Street, I moved several blocks south, to the curved tracks at the corner of Powell & Jackson.



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So did you know, cable-cars can't turn corners without letting go of the cable or "rope", coasting around the corner, and then re-gripping the rope? They are called "let-go" curves, where the car drops the cable and coasts around the curve on its own momentum.


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more waterfalls - the "Kinney" and "Cataract"

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Winter arrived late, but we're off to a good start with two storms that have the creeks up and flowing. For eight months of the year this creek is dry as a bone. As far as I know this one has no formal name so I've given it mine! "Kinney Creek", on the northern watershed of my beloved Mount Tamalpais.



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And for sheer might and power--this is part of Cataract Falls. After passing through two reservoirs this water will join up with San Geronimo Creek to form the mighty Lagunitas. The water's journey is completed 15 miles northwest where the Lagunitas flows into Tomales Bay, and the Pacific Ocean beyond.



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And back to the tour--this is the prettiest spot, I'm pretty sure, on "Kinney Creek". So pretty, perhaps, I've often thought about selling tickets. Pretty tickets, perhaps, for a pretty price. Of course I'd let YOU see it for free.


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it rained so I visited Cataract Falls

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Pinch me. See if I'm dreaming. What a job. What a place. Cataract Falls--I usually call it "Cardiac" Falls because the trail is so steep.



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As close to Zen as I ever get, sometimes I start wondering if the log has consciousness of it's predicament.



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Water willing to flow. It's a gravitational thing, I guess. And there seems to be a great sense of urgency.

Gotta go... Hasta la Vista...


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Memory -- Computer History Museum, part 2 of 2

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As one might expect, the first exhibit at Computer History Museum is about recorded memory. Every thing from ancient incised clay tablets to the modern miniature flash memory that I use in my camera.



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Building short and long-term memory with more capacity and speed, yet physically smaller, has always been the challenge. Transistors, diodes, resistors, capacitors, and resonant coils have shrunk in size, while power requirements have diminished as well.



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A book of functions for calculating, perhaps, the variables of a curve. Or the change in velocity of an object. Or maybe calculations on the rising and setting of the sun. Working it all out by hand was a very arduous task.



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The Jacquard loom is a mechanical loom, invented by Joseph Marie Jacquard in 1801. The loom is controlled by punched cards with punched holes, each row of which corresponds to one row of the design. Multiple rows of holes are punched on each card and the many cards that compose the design of the textile are strung together in order.
(((source:  Wikipedia)))



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And now, back home from Computer History Museum... That's the spinning memory I use for backup. It sits on top of my 4-3/4 year old MacPro. They're MercuryElite 1-TB external hard-drives in a mirrored RAID configuration.

The calendar is by one of my favorite photographers--Marty Knapp of Point Reyes Station. And yes, I probably should get his new calendar because I seem to be stuck on October of last year. (I've shown the calendar out of focus to avoid copyright issues)


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