it's fire season again

In an annual rite, people across the Oakland hills are clearing away underbrush, cutting the grass, and trimming tree branches in preparation for fire season. It's something that's never too far from people's minds in the hills, at least since the 1991 firestorm.

According to the Tribune, Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant said, "Already this year we've responded to a 50 percent increasing in wildland fires than last year." Eep. We didn't have an especially rainy year, but we did have some rain late. That means more growth, and more hazards.

One of the lessons of the 1991 firestorm was that eucalyptus trees are particularly hazardous. Not only are the trees not native to the Bay Area, people actively planted them. Joaquin Miller planted pines, cypress, acacia, and eucalyptus in what is now the park bearing his name. Developer Frank Havens imported millions of seedlings from Australia. He started the Mahogany Eucalyptus and Land Company, thinking that eucalyptus would be a good source of lumber for railroad ties. They weren't—they grow too fast and twist, and split and warp when dried. Further, the eucalyptus trees have a high oil content, and tend to drop lots of dry, very flammable leaf litter. There were various factors that led to the 1991 firestorm being so horrific, but eucalyptus trees were a significant part of it.

Today we got a reminder. A small fire broke out in Joaquin Miller Park overnight. Once they located it, the fire department made short work of it and had it under control by 4:30am. Then this afternoon a fire in Orinda meant a circling helicopter east of Oakland, an ominous sound to hear in the hills. So lets be careful out there, and be fire safe.

Oakland Urban Paths: Oakmore Highlands

Oakmore Highlands

Saturday, Oakland Urban Paths explored the urban stairs and pathways of Oakmore Highlands and how they connect to watershed and regional trail systems. A group of 30 people and one dog met on Leimert Boulevard in front of Rocky's Market for the vigorous walk. We were joined by some members of Friends of Sausal Creek to hear about their work in restoring and protecting the Sausal Creek watershed.

Oakmore Highlands is a development dating back to the 1920s. Developers Walter and Harry Leimert owned the Park Boulevard Company, which built the bridge in 1926 and ran the Key System line across it to develop Oakmore Highlands. It's hard to see from the road, but the bridge features a sweeping arch across Dimond Canyon, and is 357 feet long and 117 feet high. It was designed by engineer George Posey (who also designed the Posey tube). You can still see the steel poles that held the overhead lines for the Key System trains.

After a brief exploration of some of the stairs in Piedmont, we came back across the bridge and started up a series of four stairways. One was built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1939. We wound around the streets to the upper end of Fruitvale Avenue, then to a hilltop overlooking the Greek Orthodox Cathedral and the Mormon Temple. The Mormon Temple was dedicated in 1964, and according to a NY Times article, averages a $35,000 per month electric bill. As it's completely lit up at night and visible from all over Oakland and beyond, the large electric bill is no surprise.

Dimond Canyon

From there we walked down Monterey Blvd., parallel to highway 13. Our leader, Paul, pointed out the tunnel under highway 13 that connects to trails in the nearby hills and Joaquin Miller park. We left the sidewalk and went into Dimond canyon. That may look familiar to long-time readers—K and I explored it last spring. The folks from Friends of Sausal Creek (FOSC) showed us areas where restoration work has been done and where there are plans for more. If you're interested in volunteering with them, see the FOSC website. Note that the creek runs all the way from near highway 13 down to the estuary in Fruitvale.

We returned to one of the stairways we'd first climbed for a group photo. Special shoutout to Doug Beyerlein of publicstairs.com who sent along the stair buttons. And a woofout to Joey, who was a great dog during the walk. Although this was a bit shorter walk (4.53 miles) than last month's Rock and Walk, it more than made up for it with the elevation changes. Next month's walk should be a good workout, too, exploring from the Laurel to Leona Heights. Hope to see you there!



Lots more pictures from the walk:


See our route on Google Maps.

detain the rain with low cost rain barrels

CM Jane Brunner and
homeowner Terry Galloway

Anyone who's lived in the Bay Area for more than a few years knows we generally have dry summers and wet winters (this winter notwithstanding). But what newer residents may not know about are the occasional fires in the urban/rural interface of the hills. The immediate event is devastating, but the longer-term effects can be devastating, too. Denuded hillsides don't hold the rain, leading to mudslides, and roads and homes destroyed.

Hiller Highlands in the north Oakland hills has experienced all this, and resident Terry Galloway knows first-hand about the effects. He lost his home in the 1991 Oakland Firestorm that killed 25 people and destroyed almost 3,800 homes, apartments and condominiums. Then he watched mudslides when the rains began that winter. But even in years when there hasn't been a recent fire, normal rains can cause mudslides which damage property and roads. It's a difficult problem.

One answer is to build a network of storm drains and storage tanks, but Oakland doesn't have the estimated $200 million+ needed for it. A much more economical solution is to detain the rain on individual properties, and make the peak water flow lower by spreading it out. Or as Lesley Estes, the city's Watershed Program Supervisor said, "to control the firehose effect." Galloway already had two 65 gallon 'Moby' rain barrels, and Estes, council member Jane Brunner, and Matt Freiberg of the Watershed Project came to see more storage installed.

Matt Freiberg of
the Watershed Project

Much of the prep work for this install was done by two interns in Merritt College's Environmental Science program, but Freiberg described how simple a typical install can be. It does require some plastic pipes and fittings, and usually cutting the existing downspout, but overall it's fairly easy. Galloway said the hardest part was getting the new 305 gallon tank from the street to its final location behind his house.

The city has a federal grant which significantly reduces the cost of the rain barrels. The 65 gallon barrel retails for $219, but is available through the city program for $48.50. There are larger tanks like the 305 gallon tank installed at the Galloway residence, all the way up to a 620 gallons. Buying one is as easy as going to the city's rain barrel program website and placing your order. You can either pick up the barrels or arrange to have them delivered. I bought two of the 65 gallon barrels a couple of years ago.

BUT (you knew there was a 'but' coming), the federal funding for the program runs out at the end of 2012. Which means to get the barrels for the lower cost, you need to order and take delivery before then.

There are benefits besides erosion control. If you have any sort of garden or plants, you can use the collected rain to water them and reduce your water bill. Galloway has a drip system connected to his existing barrels, and uses rainwater to provide water for the small greenhouse built behind his home. The new tank will be used to water six fruit trees. I was also impressed because he has a solar hot water system for providing hot water in the house and heating the small pool in the backyard, as well as photo voltaic panels to generate electricity.

more pictures from the install:


For more information about the program, see www.oaklandpw.com/rainbarrel

Also check out the coverage at Oakland North.

Oakland Firestorm anniversary

firestorm memorial

Thursday will be the 20th anniversary of the Oakland-Berkeley hills firestorm. At the time it happened, I was house- and pet-sitting for some friends in Alameda. Like a lot of people, I learned about it first from TV -- I was watching the 49ers game, and John Madden circled a cloud of smoke with electronic chalk and said something like: "You see this? This is smoke. Apparently there's a big fire in the Oakland hills." I switched to another channel for news coverage, then ran outside to see for myself when I found out how big it already was.

photo by Richard Misrach at OMCA

It was a hot, dry, windy day and the fire spread quickly and burned for days. The firestorm changed Oakland in a lot of ways. Short-term of course, it literally changed the landscape, making the north hills look more like a moonscape. Thousands of people lost their homes and possessions, and dozens lost their lives. But longer term, it changed fire fighting in the Bay Area, building codes and how people think about living in the urban / wild interface.

There are a variety of events to commemorate the 20th anniversary, starting Saturday at 9am at Rockridge BART. See the city website for more info.

There's an exhibit at the Oakland Museum of photographs by Richard Misrach taken in the aftermath of the fire. There's also a special exhibit at the Oakland History Room. Read Annalee Allen's article for more.

Given the huge impact of the fire, there's a lot of press coverage leading up to the anniversary:

MacArthur Metro:
Oakland Remembers the 1991 Firestorm

Oakland Local:
call for photos and stories

Oakland North:
Local firefighters reenact the Hills Fire response
After fire, residents build off-the-wall homes
McClouds, Pulaskis, and brush hooks?

Oakland Tribune:
Events, exhibits commemorate 20th anniversary
Oakland hills fire: 20 years later
Voices from Oakland Hills Fire
She never thought the fire would jump the freeway
Wind, overgrown trees and brush still a hazard in the hills
By the numbers
After the inferno
Just the first wave of pain for survivors

CBS 5:
Families Still Struggling With Loss

books: Secret Stairs East Bay

Shop Indie Bookstores

I'm excited to be reviewing a new book, Secret Stairs East Bay: A Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of Berkeley and Oakland. I first heard about it through Oakland Urban Paths. The author, Charles Fleming, wrote a book about walks on historic staircases in Los Angeles, and was looking for people to test his walks in Oakland and Berkeley for a similar book on the East Bay. I happily tested a couple of walks, and K gamely joined me. But I only got to read the rough drafts of those walks, so I was happy when the completed book arrived.

The book isn't just a bunch of maps showing where to walk, it's got bits of history, architecture and local color as well. It was inspired by "pub walk" books in England and Ireland, where each tour begins and ends with a meal or drink. True to form, Fleming points out places to eat or drink on many of the walks.

Secret Stairs includes walks in Oakland and Berkeley, and a few in Albany, El Cerrito and Kensington. Each walk is designed to be between 30 and 90 minutes, is rated for difficulty from 1 (casual) to 5 (rigorous) and includes a stair count.

lovely stairs

And a feature I love, it also includes bus and BART info, so you can do walking tours outside your neighborhood without driving to them. There are tons of paved paths and stairways (over 400 in Oakland and Berkeley), so the book isn't meant to be an exhaustive guide. Besides some history and architecture, the walks also includes detailed directions and a map. The directions are very useful -- some of the stairways can be hard to find without them.

Walking urban paths and staircases can be a great way to explore an area. Although I know our area fairly well, walk #32 (Montclair) showed me a couple of new stairways, and #33 (Merriewood) was almost all new to me, and caused me to notice some interesting houses I hadn't seen before.

To review the finished book, I took one of the walks I didn't know. I selected #30 (Upper Rockridge West) because I had some errands to run in Rockridge. Secret Stairs lists it as 1 hour, 30 minutes, 3.2 miles, 593 steps, and a difficulty of 4, so I knew I had a pretty good hike ahead of me.

gate to Upper Rockridge

The walk starts near Rockridge BART, then heads east towards Upper Rockridge. All along the way, the book points out things to notice: a Craftsman home here, an interesting concrete stamp there. Interspersed with the sights, Fleming gives some history of the area. In the case of Upper Rockridge, it's known for losing a lot of houses in the 1991 Oakland hills firestorm. The architecture reflects that, as some of the houses are old, while others are very clearly newer.

The walk winds its way around the streets and stairways in Upper Rockridge. It makes no attempt to be efficient, but does its best to explore the area. As a result, it includes such gems as:

Then climb a sharp 48 steps, under a giant palm tree, to land on Margarido again. Did we walk down just to walk up? Yes, we did. This a stair book! That's why we're here!

I faithfully followed the directions, and stopped and took lots of pictures along the way. And to test the complete experience, I stopped and Ben 'n Nicks along College at the end of my walk for a cold pint.

I love the book, but it's not perfect. The area map in the introduction has some of the numbered marks in the wrong place, for example. #30 (Upper Rockridge West) is shown near #29 (Upper Piedmont Park), when it should over by highway 24 and #31 (Upper Rockridge East). And this is matter of choice, but how could walk #20 (Broadway and Oak Glen Park) not start and end at Commonwealth Cafe and Pub? Since the book is inspired by pub walks, what better place to start and end than an English-style pub? It would add less than a half mile of level walking.

But the flaws are minor; the detailed directions are accurate and the descriptions are fun to read, and overall it's a wonderful book. It would make a great gift for a friend or neighbor who's into walking, or into Oakland or Berkeley history.

Lots more photos from the walk:

secret stairs: upper Rockridge west

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Although Charles Fleming is based in LA, he'll be in town for a book launch party, Friday, August 5, at Pegasus Books on Solano, in Berkeley. If you want to buy the book ahead of time, get it from your local independent book seller.

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I received no compensation for this review (other than the review copy.) If you purchase the book through the above link, I get an affiliate fee. Regardless of whether you use the link or not, buy your copy from a local, independent bookstore. Shop local!

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Update:
The book event at Pegasus Books was a lot of fun, and there was a huge turnout. This morning Charles led us on walk #1, Claremont: the Uplands, in Berkeley. Some pictures here:

secret stairs

exploring the Sausal Creek watershed

Sometimes I think I've explored other parts of Oakland better than I've explored the hills where K and I live. When I'm elsewhere in Oakland, I tend to try new routes, go through different neighborhoods, seek out new things. Closer to home, we tend to stick to the same places—I don't know how many times we've hiked the same trails in Huckleberry and Redwood regional parks, or taken the same routes to Montclair Village. So yesterday, K and I decided to hike someplace new.

Many Oaklanders are probably more familiar with the middle stretch of Sausal Creek, where it passes through the Dimond and the topographically named Sausal Creek neighborhood, roughly parallel to Fruitvale Ave. The Dimond has some awesome wayfinding mosaics (featured on Oaktown Art) to point people towards it. But the upper part is fed by Shepherd Creek and Palo Seco Creek, then cuts the Dimond Canyon through Oakmore, draining a large section of the Oakland hills.

We headed to the western part of Joaquin Miller Park, just off highway 13, to one of the upper parts of the Sausal Creek watershed. Looking at some very helpful maps from the Friends of Sausal Creek, it turns out we're actually in the watershed at home. We're on the Shepherd Canyon side of a largish ridge, and Shepherd Creek feeds into Sausal Creek. (Also check out great info on the geology of the area on Oakland Geology.) We started with a short, steep hike up to Visionary Ridge, to a viewpoint favored by Joaquin Miller himself. We hung out there for a while, admiring the sweeping view of Oakland.

redwoods

Then we headed further up Palo Seco creek. There are gorgeous redwoods, which while not as old as the ones in Muir Woods, are every bit as beautiful. The area was heavily logged in Oakland's history, with redwoods being used for ship's masts and building construction, but new trees have grown up since then. We crossed the creek and walked down a narrow trail on the other side.

Eventually we reached highway 13, where the creek temporarily dives underground and under the freeway, and so did we -- there's a pedestrian underpass linking Mountain Blvd. and Monterey Blvd. A short walk took us back into redwoods and a trail following the creek. Near the Montclair Golf Course, Palo Seco Creek joins with Shepherd Creek to form Sausal Creek. From there it flows down Dimond Canyon. We ended our exploration at the Liemert Bridge over Dimond Canyon, but the creek continues through Oakmore, the Dimond and along Fruitvale Ave., with various parks providing access to it.

Sausal Creek joins the estuary

The lower part of the Sausal Creek watershed is considerably less glamorous than the upper part. Just before the creek reaches International Blvd., it goes underground, resurfacing where it drains into the estuary. There's a very small park near the Fruitvale Bridge, and a marker embedded in the concrete to note it's Sausal Creek.

More pictures in my Sausal Creek watershed album:

Sausal Creek watershed

winter wonderland

yep, made a sound

Not quite as wondrous as the great weather we had a couple weeks ago, the weather last week was at least interesting. Besides the much-needed rain, there were reports of hail in downtown and elsewhere. There was lots of wind several nights, which is probably when this tree fell in Huckleberry. We had lots of small branches down, and the power went out a few times, though fortunately not for long.

snow on Mt. Diablo

California's water comes from rain and snow, and we got some of the latter, too. Not just in the Sierra Nevada, but on nearby Mt. Diablo. On Saturday, we even got some in Montclair! It was mixed with rain and didn't last long or stick anywhere, but it was definitely snow. I've seen hail a number of times in my 17 years in the hills, but snow is a rare sight here around the 1300' elevation mark. Which is a good thing, because most of the streets are steep and windy enough that they'd be lethal with even a small amount of snow or ice.

This week we're getting another break. Sunday after lunch we walked up to Huckleberry EBRP to take advantage of the weather and get some exercise. We even saw Sutter, first dog of California, outside enjoying the drier weather and waiting for Jerry to get home. Enjoy the weather while you can -- the current forecast shows the possibility of rain towards the end of the week.

definitely made a sound

update: I saw this on my ride home today off Shepherd Canyon. This definitely made a sound when it fell. Interesting timing, too -- our neighbor called today saying her tree guy said one of the big Monterey pines in her yard needs to come down. It's about the size of this one, but hangs over our house.

stargazing in Oakland

Sunday was another Spare the Air day, so we tried to minimize travel as much as possible. Fortunately, Chabot Space & Science Center is not far from our house, as we'd already made plans to visit there again. This trip was to hear a talk on exoplanets by Dr. Alex Filippenko, an astronomy professor at Cal. You may have seen him quoted in various astronomy articles, or on the PBS science show Nova. We found the talk extremely interesting and well-presented (he's won numerous teaching awards, including 'best professor' at Cal.)

One of the few upsides to the recent weather is that the hills weren't socked in with fog like they've been much of the summer. So after hors d'oeuvres from local favorite Italian Colors and then the talk, we got to enjoy viewing the heavens through the Chabot telescopes as well as various smaller ones belonging to volunteers. Besides a clear view of Jupiter and the Galilean moons, we got to see the Ring Nebula; a globular cluster (i.e., a big cloud of stars); and a couple of binary star pairs.

Then this morning I read about Chabot in a nice Oakland article in New York magazine. Besides Chabot and various other local favorites from the Fox Theater to Bakesale Betty's, it also mentioned local blogs The Oakbook and 38th Notes.

if a tree falls...

timberrrr...

I'm pretty sure this one made a sound. If no one else, this friendly squirrel doubtless heard it. He or she probably smelled the bag of cat food on the back of my bike, and kept running up to me looking for a handout while I was taking pictures. I had just started riding up the trail behind the village when a woman coming the other way warned my about the tree. So of course I went to have a closer look.

squirrel!

Huckleberry Botanic Regional Preserve

After getting home and watching some football, K and I walked up to Huckleberry. The weather was overcast, with a chance of rain in the forecast, but nothing too heavy expected. We love the park, regardless of the weather. Under overcast skies, the light is softer and you can see the undergrowth more easily. While I walked, K ran out the trail a couple of times. On the way back, a light drizzle turned into a heavier drizzle.

Sorry for the low quality of the pictures. I only had the cellphone with me, and it doesn't do well in low light situations.

too many fun things!

Lake Merritt

There's always a lot going on in and around Oakland, so much that sometimes it piles up and you have to choose. I want it all! Well, or at least some. Doubtless there's something in this list you'll enjoy.

• Rowing Races - the Lake Merritt Rowing Club hosts the SW Master Regional on Sunday. Take a picnic and enjoy the day, or simply join the many people who walk around the lake any given day.
• Children's Fairyland - Looking for something younger kids will enjoy? Take them to Children's Fairyland at Lake Merritt. Or relive your childhood visits with these great 1960's videos of Fairyland that were posted on BoingBoing.
• Lake Temescal - Need to cool off? Head over to Temescal Park. OaktownArt has some lovely pictures from around the lake and the scoop on things.
• Walkway and Streetcar Heritage - To get some exercise and maybe learn a thing or three, join the Oakland Heritage Alliance for a long walk that highlights the old streetcar routes and the pathways designed to connect to them.
• Jack London Square - Meet your new four-legged family member at an animal adopt-a-thon at JLS. Or pick up some new artwork at the Oakland Artisan Marketplace at JLS. Then get your fruits and veggies at the JLS Farmers' Market.
• Butterflies! - Take your budding naturalists over to Tilden Park in Berkeley to learn more about butterflies. I haven't been over there in a month or so, but we've had plenty flitting about here in the Oakland hills on sunny days.

Or just check out one of the many great restaurants in Oakland. There are even more events on Friday and Saturday, like Dancing Under the Stars at JLS. This Friday is free dance lessons for Merengue. No, it's not a fluffy egg white dessert, but a Latin American dance to a two-step beat.

butterfly

Me? Sunday is the finals of the 2010 World Cup. Whether I'm at the Heart and Dagger to watch with a crowd, or at home, that's what I'll be doing Sunday morning. It's the first trip to the finals for Spain, and the third for the Netherlands but they've never won, so there's going to be a first-time champ regardless of who wins. It should be a great match.

If there's nothing in the list above for you, what do you plan to do Sunday?

politics and stuff

I don't blog about politics very often (I noticed I didn't even have a tag for it until this post), but lots has been happening around Oakland and California of note. In no particular order...

Rebecca Kaplan is running for mayor. It comes as no great surprise (like Ron Dellums deciding to run again would be), but it's finally official. Amongst other things, that means the blog FutureOakland is going to be on hiatus until November as they're going to be working on the Kaplan campaign.

It turns out that former Oakland mayor and gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown is sort of a neighbor. Back when he was mayor, he lived in a loft downtown. These days as AG of California he's in Sacramento much of the time, but his official residence is in a house along Skyline here in the Oakland hills. (To be clear, although it's less than a mile from our house, it's way out of our price range. Heck, our house is out of our price range these days, but I was fortunate to buy it 15 years ago.) Anyways, Jerry is getting some heat because the 3 bedroom home isn't in line with his message of 'frugality' that's part of his campaign. While price-wise the house is out of most people's range, if they can afford it and it's not some energy-gobbling monster house, I say why not? Particularly if they can pay the property taxes.

"Were we getting a no-down payment loan and buying a house that you can't afford, that would be a reflection on how the candidate spends money," he said Tuesday in response to a reporter's question.

"But when a couple buy their dream house with their life savings, I think that's the American dream and I'm very proud that I can do that," Brown said

Further afield, Guvenator Schwarzenegger is calling for an $11 billion water bond to be pulled from the November ballot so they can focus on the budget. That's a strong suggestion it wouldn't pass in the coming election. I'm happy it might be off the ballot because it calls for $3 billion for new dams in California, never mind the huge amount it would add to the state's already staggering debt.

In a move that surprised many, the NAACP came out in support of Prop 19 which would tax and regulate marijuana...er...cannabis. I've never used the stuff myself, but I think a far better use of money would be to collect taxes on it instead of filling the prisons with people for having it. The fact black people in California are arrested at two to four times the rate as white people for possession just means it needs to happen sooner rather than later.

Back home in Oakland, we move on to the 'stuff' category. The Oakland City Center complex was sold for $360 million. That still doesn't mean it would be easy to find a buyer for the Kaiser Convention Center, though.

Finally, the trial of former BART cop Johannes Mehserle is approaching the end. The defense has rested their case, and the judge has ruled that first-degree murder is not a possible verdict. Which seems a good thing, because if the choice for the jury was first-degree murder or acquittal, it's not clear there's enough evidence to prove the former beyond a reasonable doubt (first-degree stupidity, yes). Oscar Grant's uncle said he was pleased with the judge's ruling and asked supporters to remain calm regardless of the final outcome of the trial. Speaking of staying calm, amidst the fear-mongering about possible rioting is a well-written piece by the Tribune's Tammerlin Drummond calling for calm in not just the aftermath, but in the reporting about it, too.

where's the money?

Besides high unemployment and budget woes for the city, Oakland and Alameda County are facing other money problems. The Oakland Tribune reports that the property tax base is likely to be down another 2% this year. That's bad news especially for schools, as approximately 42 cents of each dollar of property tax goes to support public schools.

Meanwhile, Oakland Seen reports that Oakland participation in the 2010 census so far is geographically divided. Above 580, 73 to 78% have returned their forms. Below 580, the rate is closer to 50%. The East Bay Express reports even lower numbers for West and East Oakland, 32% and 37% respectively. Low participation in the last census is estimated to have cost Alameda County $43 million in federal funding since 2002. While only a some of that would have gone to Oakland, given the current budget, every little bit helps.

rain barrels for Oakland

Civicorps loading rain barrels

Part of my home improvement efforts have been to make our house more resource efficient, not just a bit bigger and nicer. As part of that, I added a 60 gallon rain barrel to use for watering plants in our yard. As you know, the rain patterns in California mean that wouldn't get filled from roughly May until November, so 60 gallons won't last the whole dry season.

Eventually I'd like to have a larger tank to collect rain water and gray water from the washing machine, but that's a long ways down the line. So I was delighted when I heard that the city of Oakland was going to be selling rain barrels to residents for only $45. Saturday I header over to Kaiser Elementary in Hiller Highlands to get some. I don't know if they're planning on selling more in the future, but if so, it's a great deal. The barrels hold 65 gallons, are made from recycled plastic, and come with all the necessary fittings for a faucet and the overflow.

blog pulse: bike routes in Google Maps!

showing bike paths and lanes

Sure, there's some local discussion about street cars in Oakland. I'd love to see it happen and agree with 21st Century Urban Solutions that streetcars would help revitalize Oakland, but I'm not expecting it anytime soon.

No, the big news that's not just in Oakland but all over the blogosphere is that Google Maps at long last has bike routes and mapping. You can read the official pronouncement at the Official Google Blog. It's still in development, but it looks like they've got a good start, with maps in over 150 cities. The routes give priority to bike paths and lanes, and attempt to avoid steep routes. For example, coming back from Kaiser, the first suggestion was coming up Moraga. At the cost of an additional 0.9 miles, the second suggestion was to go up Broadway and around past Lake Temescal which is less steep. On the other hand, it didn't suggest going up the Shepherd Canyon Trail behind Montclair Village, but instead riding up Colton Blvd. Using the trail adds 0.8 miles, but Colton is hecka busy and hecka steep. The trail keeps you off the street for much of the way (and on less busy and steep streets for the rest), so is well worth the added mileage.

Additional reading:

• Official Google Blog
• Google LatLong blog
• BoingBoing
• TreeHugger

unequal parking enforcement

There's an article on SF Gate about unequal parking enforcement in different areas of Oakland. A memo from senior parking enforcement supervisor Ronald Abernathy tells parking officers to give "courtesy notices" for parking on the sidewalk and parking in the wrong direction in Montclair and Broadway Terrace (AKA Upper Rockridge). Residents of East Oakland get a $40 to $100 ticket instead.

While there are some narrow streets in the hills that can require creative parking to keep the roads clear, other parts of Oakland have them, too (the article mentions Outlook Avenue which runs through Millsmont and Eastmont Hills.) Unequal enforcement of the parking regs is just wrong. Now that some parking officers have brought this to public attention, hopefully it'll get fixed quickly.

Brrr!

I hope you're staying warm in this unusually cold weather. Some frost in winter isn't unusual here in the hills, nor is a bit of snow every once in a while. But this has been cold and not warmed up much during the day. Our birdbath froze solid over night, and only thawed around 2PM or so. It's on its way to freezing again tonight, so spare a thought and more if you can for those who have less shelter than you.

Apparently (but alas, not surprisingly) it's cold in Oakland's classrooms, too.

And City Homestead has some good info for caring for your plants and house in cold weather. Frozen pipes are not out of the realm of possibility if this cold sticks around. It should warm up some when the next storm comes through...I hope!

fire in the hills

looking west towards the Caldecott

Fire crews are close to containing a fire in the hills between Oakland and Orinda. As you can see in this frame from KPIX, it's on the hillside immediately south of highway 24 on the Orinda side of the tunnel. According to KPIX, the fire is mostly contained, and no homes or other structures have been threatened.

I was riding past Lake Temescal on way home from the Red Cross, and heard lots of fire engines, then saw several aircraft over the hills. There was a larger plane dropping retardant, and a smaller plane that I'm guessing was a spotter. And there was a helicopter that came and filled its bucket in Lake Temescal. I saw it just after it had gotten a load and was heading back for another water drop.

firefighting helicopter
over Lake Temescal

unique hills architecture

home of Steamboat Willie?

On my ride home from the Red Cross today, I went past some interesting architecture in the hills. The first I'd seen before on past rides. It's...interesting. Besides the trumpet / organ pipe towers, and the saxophone-shaped chimney, the railings are supported by modified treble clefs. Definitely not my taste, but better than the cheese house (no, really -- it looked like pieces of cheese; one part had small round windows like Swiss cheese) that used to be nearby.

Baker Millennium House

The other was a work in progress, the Baker Millennium House. According to an old article on SFGate, it's been under construction at least since 2006. It doesn't look so different now, but there were workers there (plus the helpful safety guy on the roof), so I guess it's still moving forward. Also not my taste, and not the greenest way to build, but given the history of fires and earthquakes in the area, I can understand the desire to build a house that will last. I can't fathom spending that much on a home, though.

(electric) biking Oakland, part 3

plus 48 lbs.

Yesterday I started taping and mudding in the dining room, and quickly ran out of paper tape and realized I was getting low on mud, too. Drywall mud is heavy. You can get small buckets (which don't go very far), or larger boxes, which weigh 48 lbs, or 5-gallon buckets which weigh a ton. So I pedaled over to Piedmont Lumber in search of more. I started to lock the e-bike to a railing display, and one of the guys in the yard said I didn't need to lock it. He joked that "He'd just ride it around the yard a bit." I told him that was fine as long as he didn't run over any nails.

I went in to get the tape and mud, and while I was doing that, the guy came in and asked, "Does that thing have a motor?". I replied in the affirmative, and he shouted back out to one of the other yard guys that he was right. So I went back out and told them about it. I went back in and paid, and came out to get my box of mud. Then another customer started asking me about it. He'd gotten two electric bikes at Costco that were on closeout, and found them a bit underpowered (similar to my experience trying electric bikes a couple years ago), but as they were on closeout, he got a good deal. I strapped all 48 lbs. of the box on the back, and off I went. It was definitely noticeable having the extra weight on, but more because of balance than slowing me down very much. Once I got to bigger hills, it did slow me down some, but I still made it up the hill to home.

Firestorm Memorial

Today I donated blood platelets at the Red Cross on Claremont, and I rode the bike again. Getting there is a snap as it's downhill, and it's scenic because I get to go past Lake Temescal for part of the ride. After that I went and exchanged a t-shirt I got at the Art & Soul Festival, (helpful tip, whether you're working in the electronic world or the physical one: security through obscurity doesn't work; putting your address on your website and printing it on credit card receipts is not obscurity), then headed for home. I rode past the Claremont Hotel, and then up old Tunnel Road. I stopped to look at the exhibit for the 1991 Firestorm, then up the hill from there.

I used to ride that way on a regular basis with my late friend Dave. He and I would hop on our bikes at his house in Rockridge after work, ride up old Tunnel Road, then hang out in the hot tub and drank beer. Cancer claimed Dave in 2006, and the Enron-induced energy crisis claimed the hot tub some years before that. So it was a trip down (or up, in this case) memory lane for me. It's by far the easiest way up the Oakland / Berkeley hills. It's also blessedly (almost) free of cars, so it's a great ride. With the e-bike, it was hecka fun, to say the least.

And because I was just asked about them, here's some more technical specs on the bike:

• 7 gears (Shimano shifter)
• front disc brake
• front shocks
  
• rear caliper brake
• 250 watt motor, 36V system
• removable lithium ion battery
• charging takes about 3 hours at 90 watts
• 700-1000 charge cycles

I used a Kill-A-Watt to see how much energy recharging used. The Pacific E-Bike website says 4-6 hours, but the times I've paid attention, it's been closer to 3. The battery is easily removable (though there's a small lock to keep it from being too easy), which makes charging a snap. Just tip the seat up and pull the battery out, and you can carry it inside to charge if you don't have power where you keep your bike.

I'm not sure how much the bike weighs; as I've noted it's more like a cruiser bike, and the battery definitely adds some weight. But it sounds lighter than the ones the guy got at Costco, and has more power and range to boot. And it's not so heavy it can't be ridden as a regular bike with the motor switched off.

Can you tell I like this bike?

Part 2
Part 1

blog pulse: parking II

The storm keeps swirling, and not just in the Oakland blogosphere. There's an op-ed over at The OakBook that's well-reasoned, but doesn't offer any alternatives, just recognizes that some creative thinking is needed. For some good alternatives, again check out City Homestead.

Today's print version of the Montclarion was nothing but parking stuff above the fold:

• New parking fees meet stiff opposition
• Charity flourishes after rate increases - Residents donate unexpired meter receipts to strangers
• Council turns into meter monsters
• Oakland merchants mobilize protest - Business owners consider shutdown

According to Oakland North, only 9 out of 50 businesses took part in the Thursday strike, but Michaan of the Grand Lake Theater apparently had plenty of support at another meeting. The council is listening; the same article says they're considering an emergency meeting instead of waiting until September when they were scheduled to reconvene.

And even Boing Boing is talking about parking today, quoting UCLA urban planning teacher Donald Shoup's book, The High Cost of Free Parking. I haven't read the book yet, but I've seen it quoted numerous times. Ideally parking should be priced high enough to encourage turnover, but not too high. That may mean charging different rates in different places, and/or at different times of the day. But given those shiny new parking machines, that should be easy enough to implement.