Central Ave. - June 8, '11

Walking Distance: 1.8 miles (estimate)
Walking Time: 2 hrs., 21 min. (5:56 - 8:17 p.m.)
Start and End Point: street parking, 4th Street, near intersection with Central Ave., Alameda, CA

Today was a short walk, with many stops in the Central Ave. area of Alameda -- looking at books on the San Francisco Bay at Wilmot's Books on Central Ave., and wandering down 4th Street and looking for places to eat in Ballena Bay. I didn't do much walking. In fact, my 1,000 mile amble may be the slowest walk around San Francisco Bay on record. Some days are like that. I get out late, and then it's dark. But, whatever time spent walking in between is wonderful.

After walking the short segment of Central Avenue (from 3rd Street to Crown Drive) that I had missed on Monday due to rain showers, I walked southish on 4th Street into the Ballena Bay residential and marina area.

Technically, the Ballena Bay area (shown as a gray dotted line on the Bay Trail Map) may not be a fully developed/included part of the Bay Trail (yet). However, some dotted line areas I've visited, like this one, are still walkable. And the curved portion of this walk (encompassing a marina) extends out by the Bay and affords very nice views of ships and the distant San Francisco skyline on a clear day.

I enjoyed a dinner stop at Pier 29 restaurant and bar and discovered there was also a walkway/trail on the inside/marina side of this curved peninsula, when I saw people walking by out the restaurant window (facing the Ballena Isle Marina) while I was eating dinner. It may not be meant for the general walking public; I'm not sure. This path takes you by the Ballena Bay Yacht Harbor and Yacht Club.

Wildlife Sightings:
1 squirrel; 2 little brown jobs (LBJs); 2 cormorants; 5 sea gulls; 1 crow; 1 hummingbird; and 1 domestic black and white cat (~30 feet off Bay Trail in someone's yard) on 4th Street, by my car.