Dumbarton Bridge Approach - July 31, '11

Walking Distance: 5.3 miles total (estimate)
Walking Times:
   1.) 60 min. (1 hr.) (3:52 - 4:52 p.m.)
   2.) 51 min. (5:06 - 5:57 p.m.)
Start and End Point(s):
   1.) Don Edwards SF Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Newark, CA
   2.) Fishing Pier at end of Marshlands Road, Newark, CA

Today I parked at Don Edwards SF Bay National Wildlife Refuge and walked Marshlands Road (shown as double red lines on Bay Trail map) -- the approach to Dumbarton Bridge -- in two segments.

The first segment I walked from the parking area in the Refuge (west) to approximately where the KGO building is on Highway 84, before turning around. And the second segment I drove west, parked at the base of the Dumbarton Bridge -- near the old bridge that has been kept open as a fishing pier, and walked east to the KGO building/shack where I'd left off previously.

How do I know this? Because there was a wire fence with a few slats, dividing Marshlands Road and Highway 84, and the KGO building on the other side of the freeway was clearly visible from Marshlands Road -- along with various bits of detritus against the fence: pillows, CDs, insulation, and the usual broken bits.

That said, approaching Marshlands Road this way was a very convenient way to break the Dumbarton Bridge walk in half (or thirds) -- taking advantage of the few parking spots near the fishing pier as a place to scope out the Bridge itself (which is less than 2 miles across from the entry ramp to the span near the fishing pier).

So, to summarize, today's walk was a long "corridor" walk with the sounds and shadows of speeding traffic on the north side, and the bay to the south. Every once in awhile a brave sea gull or tern would venture to fly over the freeway, flapping hard to avoid hitting a downdraft into traffic. The swallows seemed to stay on the Bay side, and darted about over the marsh. I'm used to seeing them wherever there are bridges and overpasses -- places where they can build their mud nests.

Unfortunately, I forgot the camera today, so any pictures here were taken a few days later.

Wildlife Sightings:
1 little brown job (LBJ); 7 swallows; 5 hubcaps; 14 sea gulls; 2 terns; 1 black and yellow butterfly; 30 starlings; 1 cormorant flying overhead; 1 great egret, 2 snowy egrets; 1 chair; 1 small mattress; 2 pillows