Blossom Hill Area Hike To Mall May 10 2008 - Page 4

After the other week, where the Sierra Club went for a really brisk "hike" of 5 miles, all on paved walkways in the suburbs of Palo Alto, with some folks snapping photos left and right, I thought--hey--let's take a new view of my own neighborhood as a Hiking Destination! But when? Saturday morning I agreed to meet my sister and bro-in-law at the mall to see Iron Man. I always drive because it's a LONG way over there--gosh, at least 5 minutes, or maybe less! But then, Saturday was gorgeous, and I realized that hiking 1.8 miles each way to the mall was a whole lot less walking than I've been doing Wednesdays with the Sierra Club. So, what the heck! Have camera, will hike. So off I went. (My photographic goal today was: No cropping or lighting fixes or realignment required in Photoshop after I got home. This was all done with my cheapie point-and-click digital camera. I did end up cropping two or three but mostly it helps if you actually pay attention to what you're doing!)

Gallery pages: < 1 2 3 4 5 6 > >>

< 28 of 57 >

elf1 > William Cilker park. I sometimes stroll through here with my dogs on my way to somewhere else, which is about all that you can do, because there's not much HERE here. But it's very prettily landscaped. (An interesting note: See all the people walking? No?)

elf1 > Yet another shopping cart. Alas, I cannot take more than one on my little jaunt. (On my whole trip, I saw more shopping carts than I saw people. On this beautiful sunny day!)

elf1 > Look, there's another one, politely waiting for the walk signal so he doesn't get ticketed for jaywalking. (There won't be any people to press the button, though. Once I passed two teenagers, probably pre-drivers-license age, walking together. I passed a bicyclist. And another bicyclist. And one guy crossed the street ahead of me and vanished up the side road.)

elf1 > Here's the AAA office, conveniently located in my very neighborhood so that I can get maps when I want to go to Arizona for the USDAA Nationals or maybe hiking in Havasu canyon. But no topo maps.

elf1 > Two more hoodlum shopping carts lurking in the shrubbery waiting for likely victims to walk by. Theyll have a very very very long wait, since no one walks by ( Four miles and an hour and 20 minutes, and all I saw were 3 pedestrians and 2 bicyclists.)

elf1 > Woot! Here I am at the mall! Fondly known as Westfield Shoppingtown Oakridge. But only to his friends.

elf1 > Oh boy oh boy there's a sign pointing me to the theaters! I am very close to having a movie experience!

elf1 > I return the shopping cart to the general environs of Sears, and discover that we can apparently blame Sears for everything.

elf1 > Plus you get a free riding mower, if you have a big truck, strong muscles, and can move really quickly.

William Cilker park. I sometimes stroll through here with my dogs on my way to somewhere else, which is about all that you can do, because there's not much HERE here. But it's very prettily landscaped. (An interesting note: See all the people walking? No?)