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| Photos by Nico Zernik Traxler |
Last Sunday a great group of people met up to walk Candlestick Point State Recreation Area, maybe thirty or forty people, including children. Some folks brought bicycles for their kids, others brought kites, and everyone had something for the picnic.
It was interesting and inspiring for me to hear so many people say, "I never knew this park was here," which goes to show that there are so many great places to explore in San Francisco.
One highlight of the morning was walking down the long pier and meeting a fisherman who had just caught a shark! For most of the kids, they'd never touched a shark before, or posed with one. The shark was released back into the water.
Consider coming down to Candlestick Point State Recreation Area for your next urban hike. Google a tide schedule and shoot for high tide. Bring a lunch and a hat; it's just about always sunny and beautiful. The trails are flat and snake all over the place, and being by the water is refreshing.
WATER QUALITY ISSUES
In this Sunday's Chronicle, the water quality was pretty poor around here, getting a "grade" ranging as far low as a "D". I'm not clear on what this means, but I presume one should wash hands after handling fish or sand at the shoreline, don't eat any fish you might catch, and don't go swimming.
PARK CLOSURE AND VOLUNTEERING NEWS
Ann Menneguzi, Supervising Ranger for Candlestick Point, told me in a recent email conversation, "This park was on the closure list," but because of groups like the California State Parks Foundation, it is open. "But this park is still understaffed," she wrote, "and no new funds have been identified for operations here." She recommends visiting www.calparks.org if someone wants to volunteer at Candlestick Point. "Look for the Park Champions link to see when our next Park Champions day is scheduled."
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