Scenes from Another Walk-About

After days of cloudy (or not) skies, we took off again in the van to go to a popular park to walk and stretch our legs. We encountered ROAD CLOSED signs on the roadway giving motorists access to the very popular Millennium Park in Kent County, Michigan. Days ago, we stopped to photograph the rising waters of the Grand River which borders this road. The river itself was at very high tide, and had flooded parts of a small unpaved park parking area and boat ramp. Two days later and the road to the boat ramp is closed and the flooding had extended to the other side of the road. It wasn't very deep but one can never tell. There are countless tales of motorists driving without caution into flooded roadways, only to be calling for assistance later as their vehicle has stopped in the flood waters. A vehicle should never be driven into floodwaters of ANY height simply because you can never tell how deep that water is.....

A beautifully reflective flood pond!

While photographing the scene, we watched as many vehicles simply drove past the caution signs and into the calm flood waters! One truck even went in fast and threw up huge and high waves of water. 

Nobody got stuck in the water but it could have been the case! A few bicyclists drove through the water, including one biker wearing an ESPAÑA jersey!! Really!! 

After a few more snaps, we walked finally on a paved trail to get to the other side of the flooded area. 

A mile and an hour later, we were on the other side, watching from where we were snapping earlier. Again, a few vehicles passed us to head to the flood waters which had receded a little. 

It was fun however, watching two guys at the other end where an hour ago WE were standing. They were filming themselves playing in the water and doing hand stands!

walking alone in profound thought

Thank goodness I have a "local" bank - using this as an excuse to leave the car (happily) behind and take a walk - a real walk - to the edge of the Financial District from North Beach which is just about a mile in distance. I haven't done any real walking since I was in Spain during January and I had a lot of meals to get rid of. I walk fairly fast... I can walk about two miles in about 17,6 minutes, and that's been with a camera stopping to snap at buildings and things.

When I got to the bank, I saw the manager in his office and asked my usual question about refinancing my spanish apartment with an american bank so I can quit losing $400+ monthly on conversion between the stronger euro and the weaker dollar. Of course I knew the answer would be negative but I always hope for a pleasant surprise and a positive reply instead.

I returned home using a different route taking me up to the steep hills of Nob Hill - I needed this exertion as I haven't walked in so many months. The frigid wind whipped around the corners as I reached the top but it was refreshing. An unseen ambulance blaring with sirens zipped by on another street... I didn't care. I passed by an apartment building with ornate windows and pulled out my cell to snap a picture... a woman walking a small brown dog watched me as she stepped closely behind me. Her expression told of unknown and unseen horrors; hopefully it wasn't her windows!
I saw cars zipping through stop signs, people walking by without noticing their close proximity to the driven danger, their eyes downward, talking on cell phones or listening to an unseen and unheard iPod. Birds not caring of the humans below and the unknown close brush with death glided above our heads.... twisting, turning, circling....

I walked down a steep hill where city workers dressed in bright orange vests were busily sweeping and pushing brooms. I greeted the two of seven nearest me, wishing them a good morning and to take care, and they politely smiled and returned the greeting.

At the top of the next hill at Taylor and Union, across the street a couple stood next to a parked car, looking to the bay where their cameras pointed. I looked past their cameras and smiled, and they smiled back. Stepping onto to Union Street a MUNI bus stopped, and the air hissed as the bus "kneeled" and dropped four inches to the ground as an elderly woman stepped gingerly off the bus and walked away, cane in hand. I waved to the bus driver as he waited for me to walk past in front of his bus before driving off.

it's just an inch in distance on the map....

...and not really that far. I love to walk, and I do walk fast. I love to hike too, and it's so different from walking. I can do either and enjoy both and specially when the scenery along the route taken is fantastic as it was this day! It started off a bright day with the greatest fluffy clouds I've seen in some time. The day previous was very hot but today promised a weak breeze (delivered as promised) and not such high temperatures.

I met up with a small group of about eight hikers, and starting from Baker Beach, we took to the road leading upward toward the Golden Gate Bridge toll plaza......

.....continuing under the bridge and down toward Fort Mason. The views were of course amazing and though I've seen the sights often, there were a few spots I hadn't seen before, and it was pure joy. I last did something like this as a pre-teen lad with only a bicycle, and I didn't have a camera yet alone the interest of photography yet. Now I live here as an adult with a car, and though the areas I am driving through are "familiar", it just isn't the same.

From Fort Mason we went up a short hill and down to Aquatic Park at the base of steep Hyde Street, then to a Fishermen's Wharf italian restaurant for a quick lunch, then continued out of the wharf area toward the Ferry Building, where the hike ended and we boarded a MUNI bus to get us within walking distance of the parking lot at Baker's Beach where our cars and a mess of stop-N-go traffic awaited us.

It was just a wee-bit over 8 miles that was completed in just a bit over two hours; the group was overall slower than the rapid pace I like, but still, I'm patient and can hike/walk slow or fast; I just get bored though. The route was filled with many sightings of pelicans which I attempted capturing at each opportunity as it presented itself. All of the beaches we neared or transited through were crowded with families and children as the day was hot and bright.

It was great to get out of the hot apartment though I had a friend visiting from out of state, so I was busy all week playing a combination of host tour guide and tourist myself, as many of the places I had taken my friend to, were those places I hadn't been to since I was a wee lad! It was so interesting to see the differences, plus then I walked everywhere; now I had to figure out how to get there by car! My friend and I had gone to the headlands also, and also was lucky enough to witness some gorgeous red flaming sunsets (below), plus the unusual and rare creation of a cloud funnel in the warm airs above Marin County. My friend also helped me to take advantage of stop-N-go traffic on the Bay Bridge to get some pictures of Coit Tower and the waterfront of my hometown from the bridge's upper deck... something I've been driving to do for many years/decades but difficult when you are the driver and camera-man.