EYES ON THE WORLD: Photos by Alessandra Gutierrez-Arnold

Street in Downtown San Francisco.

My granddaughter Alessandra has a new camera and she brought it with her when she came to California for the Christmas holidays. Here she shares a few favorite photos from that trip. I am impressed by her sharp eye and ability to capture such arresting images. In her shot of a street in San Francisco I love the reflections, the perspective, and the sense of scale. (Note tiny people crossing the street in the center of the picture.) Black-and-white makes the photo even more powerful. In her nature photos, taken on our walk in Tennessee Valley in the Marin headlands, I love how she catches textures and patterns, shadows along the trail, and the sinuous shape of the river meeting the sea. And in the photo taken through the car window as we crossed the Richmond Bridge over San Francisco Bay, I love the bold pattern of the girders in the afternoon light. I look forward to seeing more of her photos in the future!

Wild grass gone to seed.

Jade plant in bloom.

Tree rings.

Uplifted sedimentary rock.

Fence shadows and puddle.

Mouth of the river at Tennessee Beach.

Traveling west on the Richmond Bridge over San Francisco Bay.

GOLDEN GATE NATIONAL RECREATION AREA, Tennessee Valley Trail, Marin County, California

The Tennessee Valley Trail is among many in the Marin Headlands. 

A short drive over the Golden Gate Bridge brings you from the city of San Francisco to the hills of Marin County, and to the Marin headlands, which line the passage from the Pacific Ocean to San Francisco Bay. One of my favorite places to hike in the Marin Headlands is the 1.7-mile Tennessee Valley trail that leads to Tennessee Beach. 

Tennessee Beach.

The beach gets its name from the wreck of the steamship S.S. Tennessee, which ran aground in heavy fog in 1853, with all 550 passengers and crew safely reaching the shore. At low tide you can still see the remains of the ship in the water.

The gravel trail is mostly level.

In late December, I went with my family for a hike on the Tennessee Valley trail. (The trailhead is about a 35-minute drive from our house in Oakland.) It was a beautiful sunny day--welcome after a week of steady rain. Many other people had the same idea, but the trail did not seem crowded despite all the hikers.  (At the trailhead there is a parking area and toilets and picnic tables.)

Boulders composed of sedimentary rock can be seen along the trail.

The trail is wide and mostly level, suitable for families with small children and even strollers, gradually sloping downhill from the parking area to the beach. Dogs, even on leashes, are not allowed, although we did see one man who was taking his cat for a walk. (The cat was eager to explore and did not seem too happy about being restrained on a leash.)

Because of the recent rains, we had to dodge a few puddles.

The rain had made the hills green and lush and we could hear the gurgle of small streams along the path. We did spot a few flowers, but it was a bit early in the season for spring blooms. We kept our eye out for wildlife, but except for two vultures circling on updrafts, we didn’t see much. On an earlier trip to Tennessee Valley we had spotted a doe and her fawn in a field being stalked by a bobcat. It was only when we put the long lens on the camera (we had forgotten our binoculars) that we saw the bobcat perched on a rock on the hillside above the field where the deer were grazing.

Tennessee Valley is part of the huge Golden GateNational Recreation Area, operated by the National Parks, that includes a wide variety of sites ranging from Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay, to Point Reyes National Seashore to the north and beaches and historic sites to the south of San Francisco. 

A sign in the picnic area near the trailhead tells how close the beautiful hills of Tennessee Valley once were in danger of development, before they became part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Thankfully, the project was halted and the beautiful hillsides are now preserved for wildlife and hikers like me.

STORY WALK: Reading is Fun Along the Trail, Marin County, California

 

Story Walk, Tennessee Valley, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, CA

Reading a book about taking a hike is one way for children to learn about nature.

Taking a hike on an outdoor trail is another.

At Tennessee Valley near Mill Valley. California, families with children can do both at the same time. (Even if you are not accompanied by children, you can still enjoy reading the story.)

Tennessee Valley is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. An offshoot of the Golden Gate Headlands, Tennessee Valley is a large undeveloped area of coastal hills and a variety of hiking trails, formerly used for ranching. The main trail leads from the parking lot to the beach, a distance of about 1.75 miles. I have taken this hike numerous times through the years, often spotting deer, soaring hawks, and once even a bobcat!

"We are going on a hike."

On a recent visit to the Bay Area, I went again to Tennessee Valley. I was intrigued to see something new-- a series of signs at the side of the trail (reminiscent of the old Burma Shave signs on the side of the road but closer together.) On closer look I discovered that these signs were the pages of a picture book mounted on boards, just the right height for a child to read. The book was The Hike by Alison Farrell (Chronicle Books, 2019.) Each panel showed a page spread as well as a guide to what to look for in the surrounding area.

"It's our favorite thing to do."

Altogether there are 19 panels stretched over a half mile near the beginning of the trail. It is a perfect activity for families as they start out on their hike. Here are a few sample panels:

"Wren's sketchbook."

"In no time, we get back on track."

"A deer walks past. Bean sneezes."

"A light rain comes and goes. The birds are happy. We listen to them cheep and chatter in the trees."

Story Walk is a cooperative project of the National Parks, Marin County Library, Mill Valley Public Library, Sausalito Library.

After reading the story we continued down the trail to the beach. It was a beautiful day to be out in nature!

End of the story. Continuing on the trail to the beach.

End of the trail. My brothers at the beach.