Sunnyvale-San Jose - Aug. 21, 2011

Walking Distance: 8.6 miles
Walking Time: 4 hrs., 18 min. (1:40 - 6:00 p.m.)
Start and End Point: Public parking lot, end of Carl Rd., Sunnyvale, CA

Today's walk spanned from the Sunnyvale Water Pollution Control Plant (I believe this is what we used to call a sewage treatment plant) to Gold Street in San Jose. It was a long walking day -- made even longer by the fact that I was walking mid-day on a hot, sunny Sunday afternoon, and I forgot to bring a water bottle. (Not recommended.)

I did cover a lot of ground though -- including part of St. Tomas Aquino (a purple line, connector trail) going into Santa Clara (Great America), where I could buy something to eat and drink. This paved, bicycle and pedestrian path connects to the Bay Trail, near Calabazas Creek I believe.

On the way to San Jose, I passed a sports complex with ball fields, Sunnyvale Baylands Park, a long stretch of open land, and pair of new, gleaming and vacant high tech buildings.

Lots of bird and wildlife to see along the way.

Wildlife Sightings:
64 butterflies (54 white butterflies, 4 orange and brown/black, 4 black and yellow, 1 small brownish, 1 small grayish one); 26 crows; 25 swallows; 10 sea gulls; 12 little brown jobs (including 3 finches); 4 red-winged blackbirds; 2 ladybugs; 8 bumblebees; 9 dragonflies; 5 white pelicans; 16 terns (4 = ? terns); 2 hawks/kestrels; 7 cormorants; 2 snowy egrets, 1 great egret; 16 ducks (8 = ? ducks); 8 Canada geese; 3 ground squirrels; 30 snails; 11 coots; 6 UFO grebes/divers; 1 lizard; 1 black-crowned night heron; 1 dove; 2 pigeons; 1 great blue heron