Mineral Treasures and Natural Beauty at Alum Rock Park

Date: February 26 and May 11, 2019
Place: Alum Rock Park, San Jose, California
Coordinates: 37.396132, -121.801633
Length: About 3.5 miles
Level: moderate

Considering how old is this park (the oldest municipal park in California) it is surprising how long it took me to find it. I knew it was there because I saw the signs every time I drove down I-680 past that area, but I never took the time to check it out before. Not until last winter when I was looking for new trails for our 4-H Hiking Project. And from the first few steps on the park's trails I was completely taken by it.
It was May already when I finally got to lead our 4H Hiking Project on the trail I checked last February. The masonry still looked the same, but everything else changed with the season. Most of the photos here were taken during the May hike (some by Pappa Quail and the elder chika) but a few are from the February hike.

Alum Rock Park has a rich history of human indulgence. Once discovered, the Pentensia Creek mineral springs became a hot sensation among spa seekers, attracting visitors from all around.

Penitensia Creek, the mineral springs area. May 11, 2019

The creek was tamed between stone walls and stone grottos were built at the springs, channeling the water to sitting pools.

Mineral spring grotto, May 11

The Penitensia springs are rich in salts and minerals but none more evident than the sulfur, which I could smell in the air. The mineral water is also a splendid substrate for bacteria: white filaments of bacterial growth mark the water flow from the springs to the creek.

Mineral spring grotto, February 26

It was high spring when I lead the 4H group along that trail and the birds were active all around us. Pappa Quail had joined our hike and captured many of them, including this pretty grosbeak female.

Black-headed Grosbeak, May 11

He had seen only female grosbeaks on that hike. The elder chika, however, had seen the male.

Black-headed Grosbeak, male, May 11

The elder chika was also quick to see a garter snake slithering through the vegetation. By the time I came over it was already gone.

Garter Snake, May 11

At its prime, Alum Rock Park had a Natatorium with an indoor pool, a zoo, a carousel, and many other attractions. A railroad connected the park to downtown San Jose and thousands of people visited it every year. Much of the masonry from those days is still present, rendering the area a look of a reconstructed archeological site.
Across the bridge there is a narrow trail following the north bank of the creek back to the road and the parking lot area. We crossed and continued west along that trail.

Foot bridge across Penitensia Creek, February 26. 

The mineral springs aren't hot springs, so the water in the sitting pools was heated. While most of these pools are now broken and drained, some still hold water.

Mineral spring pool, February 26, 2019

The pool's water was green with algae growth, as expected of standing water. Ten weeks later it was full of a different kind if growth, foretelling a very itchy future for the nearby neighborhoods.

Mosquito larvae at the sitting pool, May 11.

Other, more benign and much prettier insects were flying all around us, enjoying the lovely spring. I had a hard time photographing them because they were constantly on the move.

Checkerspot, May 11

My chika however, got a nice shot of swallowtails when they posed a little to drink some mineral water.

Pale Swallowtail, May 11

Butterflies and birds, birds and butterflies. I love spring in the Bay Area. Everyone is so busy with love! Colors and love songs fill the air.

Mourning Dove, May 11

Pappa Quail was busy photographing the birds but when I caught sight of some orange poppies down by the creek way beyond the range of my wide lens zoom, I grabbed him to get a close up for me.

Wind Poppy, Papaver, heterophyllum, May 11

Back at the road we turned onto the North rim Trail that leads up high above the creek. Back in February I walked through lush green open oak savannah.

February 26

The firs wave of wildflowers had just begun and I was excited to see any a bloom. 

February 26

The surrounding hills looked like an image taken from The Sound of Music. All that was missing was Julie Andrews dancing on the ridge.

February 26

Needless to say, two and a half months later the scenery looked very different.

May 11 

Although the hills were already turning yellow, there were many more wildflowers and they were painting much of the slopes in lively colors.

Morning Glory, Calistegia sp. May 11 

Although much of the wildflowers-painted slopes was because of invasive plants it was still very pretty.

May 11

The plants that were blooming February were now bearing fruit. Pretty fruit.

Creek Clematis, Clematis ligusticifolia, May 11

The North Rim Trail rises up high above Penitensia Creek. The way up was about half a mile of moderate grade slope. We walked slowly and steadily, but then Pappa Quail stopped walking altogether: he saw a male lazuli bunting! Ever since my first hike up Mission Peak where I had seen a lazuli bunting, Pappa Quail had a burning desire to see one too. We did see them since - in Joshua Tree National Park. Now however, it was sitting in a perfect pose, perched fairly close. A very beautiful bird.

Lazuli Bunting, May 11

He didn't settle for the bunting - even the very commonly seen red-tailed hawk  was given appropriate attention.

Red-tailed Hawk, May 11

High up above the creek the view was fantastic. It would have been spectacular if not for the cloud of smog hanging over the Santa Clara Valley.

May 11

By May the buckeye trees were in full bloom. One of the nicest trees of the bay Area, the buckeye changes its appearance throughout the year and renders its own seasonal tag to the local landscape.

Buckeye, Aesculus californica, May 11

 I think this year I saw a record high of the yellow flowering coastal bush lupine. They were literally everywhere in the East Bay, and of course in Alum Rock Park.

Coastal Bush Lupine, Lupinus arboreus, May 11

We ad a nice break in the shade of a knoll of large oak trees. The day was getting hotter and we were grateful for any patch of shade we passed under.

May 11

The North Rim Trail, however, is exposed to the sun almost all its length. But after the initial ascent the slope grade mellowed and we were making a good pace on our hike. Even the adults.

May 11

From a distance the slope seemed to be covered will only tall, dry grasses and some low chaparral. When looking into the grass however, I could see smaller wildflowers making themselves known to the bees and other insects that were buzzing about.

Blue-eyed Grass, Sisyrinchium bellum, May 11

The name of Alum Rock comes from a large, prominent and colorful rock that filled early prospectors to believe it might contain alum ore. They were wrong, but the name stuck. And the rock is still present and looking very lovely.

'Alum' Rock, May 11

There are other trails that split off the North Rim Trail and extend higher uphill into Sierra Vista Open Space Preserve. I looked wistfully at the trails leading to the high ridge. I had no time to extend my hike there in February, and it wasn't an option during the 4H hike. I therefore added the Sierra Vista OSP to my wish list for the near future.

May 11

After nearly a mile of a pleasant walk westward on the North Rim Trail we took the turn south to go back down to Penitensia Creek. The trail drops sharply right to the access road and crosses the creek on the old railroad bridge.
At its prime, thousands of people would visit Alum Rock Park each year. In time the facilities could not be upkept anymore and the city scaled back on maintenance. One by one the recreation facilities closed and dismantled and the park was put on the long and continuous path of nature restoration.
After crossing the creek we turned left and followed Penitensia Creek on the nicely shaded South Rim Trail close to the running water.
On my February solo hike there were only a few wildflowers blooming along that trail. Of those in bloom the most common was the milkmaids.

Milk maids, Cardamon californica, February 26

On our May hike the south rim trail side was a celebration of colorful wildflowers. Every sunny patch was filled with the common gumplant and many invasive thistles.

Common Gumplant,  Grindelia camporum, May 11

Pink onion inflorescences towered over lower weeds and poison oak. These didn't grow in patches but as separate individuals here and there.

Onion, Allium sp. May 11

Carpets of Chinese houses flowers covered the ground between trees and poison oak bushes and their colors were as intense as I've ever seen.

Chinese Houses, Collinsia heterophylla, May 11

I was starting to fall behind the group, trying to get good shots of all of the wildflowers when the chikas call me excitedly - they had found fairylantern flowers!

Fairylantern, Calochortus albus, May 11

Pappa Quail was also happy - he caught on camera a tree swallow in a rare perching pose.

Tree Swallow, May 11

He had also captured a small house wren that was singing out for its mate.

House Wren, May 11

I left the bird photographing to Pappa Quail and the elder chika and trained my camera on other, less conspicuous beings. 

Cobweb covered in willow seeds, May 11

Most of the group had already arrived back at the visitor center when I caught up with them. We finished our hike with a nice picnic - it was the last hike of this 4H year, and this trail was a perfect one to conclude this year with.

February 26

The Ultimate Nature Discovery Trail: Hiking Around Crescent Meadow

Crescent Meadow

Date: May 19, 2018
Place: Sequoia National Park, Three Rivers, California
Coordinates: 36.554856, -118.748997
Length: about 2 miles
Level: easy

Years ago, when Pappa Quail and I visited Sequoia National Park we were told that bears were seen active around Crescent Meadow, not far from the General Sherman Tree area. We hiked that trail and enjoyed it much, but the bear we saw when we made it back to the parking area, where we saw it turning logs over and a group of excited tourists following it with camera until a ranger showed up to chase the bear away and disperse the excited tourists. More than 15 years would pass before I would hike this trail again, this time with my friend, good cameras, and a better sense of what we wished to see and experience.
When my friend Anenet and I embarked on our big California road trip one of our goals was to see a bear. It was Anenet's third visit to California and although she had traveled many a bear habitat already she hasn't seen one yet. As for me, the most success I had in seeing bears in nature was in Sequoia National Park. This park made it on our itinerary for many good reasons (the giant sequoia trees being the strongest), and hopes of seeing bears was one of them.
It was lunch when we arrived at the Crescent Meadow parking area so we sat to eat at one of the numerous picnic tables there and watched the disturbingly close deer that wandered through the picnic area. We took a good care to clean and stash away all our leftovers: bear awareness is always high in this park. But not only bears get habituated on human food - other wildlife  do too and its really bad for them and can lead to danger to people as well. Deer and squirrels too.

One of the deer we saw at the Crescent Meadow Picnic Area

Crescent Meadow is one of these gorgeous little alpine meadows that form when a forest pond fills up. It is surrounded by a beautiful forest of conifers of which many and the most majestic are the giant sequoia.

Giant Sequoia, Sequoiadendron giganteum

We started our hike by edging to the meadow and looking around. Across the crescent-shaped meandow the sequoia trees were standing out, huge and russet-red against the other conifers which, not very little themselves seemed dwarfed by the forest giants.

At first glance the meadow itself looked uniform green but quickly we discerned the different types of greens.

California Corn Lily, Veratrum californicum var. californicum

We couldn't see flowers deep inside the meadow but at the edge bloomed many violets.

Pine Violet, Viola lobata 

The delicate white flowers of the mountain strawberry told of a sweet summer to come. I was sorry to not have had a visit there a month later to pick some of the fruit.

Mountain Strawberry, Fragaria virginiana 

Back at the trail we begun circling around the meadow. The trail meandered between the trees and for some time we seemed to be following a busy woodpecker that almost on purpose was pecking at the trees right by the trail.

Hairy Woodpecker

Sequoia trees are very hardy and can withstand many natural woes such as lightning strikes and fire. Nearly every old sequoia bears the marks of a past fire. Some heavier than others. It's always impressing to see the resilience of these marvelous beings.

Giant Sequoia, Sequoiadendron giganteum

Although our eyes were rising to the tops of giants, we kept on the lookout for the littler treasures of the forest too.

Repand Rock Cress, Arabis repanda 

Gooseberry bushes bloomed by the trail, their beautiful flowers hanging like ornaments from the fresh green branches.

Sierra Gooseberry, Ribes roezlii 

I caught a glimpse of red some distance from the trail and motioned my friend to get down there. A snow plant! We wanted to see these ever since we begun our road trip and now we finally have. We went down to get a closer look.

Snow Plant, Sarcodes sanguinea 

It was only when really close to the snow plants that we discovered the well-camouflaged morel mushroom that grew right next to it.

On the way back to the trail I spotted a pretty rush or at least I believe it's a rush ...)

Back on the trail, we were trying to make some good time. We had planned to go see General Sherman after this hike and we were taking a lot of time looking at everything.

Plans aside, we stopped again to look at a marmot sitting atop a large rock. Later, as I progressed down the trail my friend was lucky to catch the marmot gathering some nesting material.

Yellow-bellied Marmot

Turning one of the narrow corners of the meadow we saw a swampy area and stopped to check it out. Little white violets were growing right out of the dark, mucky water.

Small White Violet, Viola macloskeyi 

We kept moving slowly despite our best intentions. There were simply too many pretty sights along the path.

Giant Sequoia, Sequoiadendron giganteum

The trail brought us closer to the meadow and the seem line between the dark forest and the sun bathed grass provided endless delightful discoveries.

Brewer's Mitewort, Pestiantia breweri 

Not all colors flashing between leaves were flowers. Some turned out to be pretty bugs.

Lady bug

But there were plenty of little flowers all over the place. It seemed as if the eastern side of the meadow was far ricer with bloom than the western side where we had begun our hike. 

Miner's Lettuce and Stream Violet

There was also another species of gooseberry blooming along that art of the trail. This one I would later learn, had berries that were really good to eat.

Sierra Currant, Ribes nevadense 

The day was mostly sunny but large clouds did pass over our heads every now and then, darkening the day and shadowing the meadow. We enjoyed the warmth of the sun whenever it broke through the moving clouds.

Crescent Meadow

Spring in the mountains is a busy time for the little critters. Junco birds, who are quick to fly and hide from view, were much less shy than I remembered. Perhaps they too were already much accustomed to human presence.

Dark-eyed Junco

A little chipmunk was also busy at the forest floor. A pregnant female, gathering nesting material before giving birth.

Lodgepole Chipmunk

As we came to the mid point of the hike we saw the large old trunk of a toppled sequoia that had fallen onto the meadow, almost half way across the grass. I actually remembered that one from my first visit there and it appeared to have not changed at all in all those years. I wonder hw long does it take for a dead sequoia to decompose.

The root crown of a fallen giant sequoia

Near the mid point of the eastern part of the trail I could see well the shape that gave it its name. The north and south corners were both hidden from our view. I guess that much of the meadow's area must have been flooded between the plants because a little brook fas flowing into it.

Near the brook there grew different vegetation: the poplar trees and willow bushes that make a riparian (creekside) community.

The shadows had deepened by the time we came around the south corner of the meadow. It was getting late.

We quickened our pace and made it to the final bit of trail that was actually paved. Another busy bird, an American robin, was hopping alongside our trail, catching insects and swallowing them. The photo below was taken right after it swallowed one.

American Robin

We returned to the picnic area where we had found that the deer had taken over and were licking the tables, trying to ingest whatever people had left there.
Little flowers by the parking lot which I had missed earlier now caught my eye. We spent a few minutes looking at some of the little roadside flowers before saying goodbye to the meadow and driving over to see General Sherman - the biggest Giant Sequoia known.

Phacelia congdonii

We were also hoping to get lucky and see a bear near General Sherman because we had not seen any at the Crescent Meadow. But bear or no bear, this was a lovely hike at a very beautiful and special place! 

Many thanks to my friend Anenet for identifying the plants we saw that day.