Maybe we should all get out for a while. The weather has been
pretty chancy lately, and more rain is on the way, so I want to
stay close to home. And aunt Mildred’s sciatica is acting up. A
short walk is OK, but this crew is not fit for a long hike. Where
should we go?
Aunt Mildred and uncle Henry are here for the holidays. Gee, it’s great to see them, and we’re so happy they can stay for two full weeks. I love all of aunt Mildred’s stories, and I never realized there were 38 bowl games on TV. Uncle Harry apparently wants to see them all. Is it me, or are the walls creeping in just a little bit each day?
Maybe we should all get out for a while. The weather has been pretty chancy lately, and more rain is on the way, so I want to stay close to home. And aunt Mildred’s sciatica is acting up. A short walk is OK, but this crew is not fit for a long hike. Where should we go?
Waterfalls at Uvas Canyon Park: All this recent rain is collecting in creeks and makes for a lively concert where the hills are steep enough to elicit music from rushing water. Uvas Canyon County Park has quick access to cascades splashing down the east side of the Santa Cruz Mountains. You hear Swanson Creek before you see it as you walk toward the Waterfall Loop Trail from the parking lot. The full loop is only a mile, but aunt Mildred might not like the slight climb up the creek. Never mind. The center ring is up above at Black Rock Falls and Upper Falls, but the tumbling water gives a spirited show right by the road.
To get to Uvas Canyon Park, turn onto Croy Road off of Uvas Road north of Uvas Reservoir and drive 4.4 miles past the Swedish enclave of Sveadal to the end of the road.
Birds and water at Ogiers Ponds: I always fear that the mention of birds will cause readers to recoil at the suggestion of what some might consider a nerdy pastime. But you needn’t be a nerdy birder to appreciate the presence of the birds we can see here in winter. Think of them as seasoning that adds pleasure to a visit to an already lovely spot.
Along the length of Coyote Creek between Morgan Hill and San Jose, there are several access points to surprising settings. Ogiers Ponds is close and easy — even for aunt Mildred. About 2.6 miles north of Cochrane Road on Monterey Highway, turn right where the high-tension power lines cross the highway. A quarter of a mile down the road, park at the very edge of one of the ponds, and then wander where your impulse takes you. The Coyote Creek Parkway path is nearby, and a number of other ponds lay a short walk north.
An interesting assortment of waterfowl will be resting on the ponds below you while raptors (white-tailed kites, osprey, northern harriers) are likely to be hunting above.
Wetlands at Alviso: When you drive into Alviso, you feel as though you have stepped back in time. This little berg at the bottom edge of the bay used to be an active commercial center and a major shipping point from the south Bay Area in the late 1800s, but now it is sleepy and charming.
Alviso Marina County Park is a lovely bay wetland setting that is particularly nice at the edges of the day. I watched the day break there while shorebirds rested on glassy ponds underneath a pastel sunrise. But this park is a superb meeting of land and bay any time.
Google Alviso Marina County Park for exact directions.
These short getaways are nearby and easy, even for aunt Mildred and uncle Henry. They need the fresh air, and you need to move those walls back out where they belong.
REMINDER: Join us if you can for a New Year’s morning hike. Meet at 9 a.m. — rain or shine — at Rancho Cañada del Oro Preserve. It’s at the end of the paved portion of Casa Loma Road which turns off Uvas Road where it becomes McKean Road a few miles south of Cinnabar Hills Golf Course. Happy New Year.
