Oakland Urban Paths: Oakmore Highlands

Saturday we had perfect weather for the largest ever turnout for an Oakland Urban Paths walk. There were 70+ people and at least 6 dogs who joined us to explore Oakmore Highlands and Sausal Creek.

streetcar crossing the bridge
photo from Oakmore Homes Association

We started by crossing the Leimert Bridge. It was built in 1926 by developers Harry and Walter Leimert so they could develop Oakmore Highlands. It originally had Key System streetcars running over it as well as cars and pedestrians. In 1947 the poles used for supporting the streetcar power lines were converted to street lighting. The 117-foot high concrete arch bridge was designed by engineer George Posey, who also designed the tube to Alameda.

Back across the bridge, we headed up the Bridgeview Path stairs. The stairs were built when the original development was, but had fallen into disrepair. After some resistance from the city, they finally agreed to fix them up, with the proviso that the homeowners keep them clean. In 2005 there was a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the reopening of the stairs. Compared with many stairs around Oakland, these ones are now in great shape, with repaired concrete and new railings.

We walked up and down more stairways, and I pointed out the WPA stamps in one set that date them to 1939. I also pointed out some sidewalk stamps, and mentioned Andrew Alden's method of estimating the age of a neighborhood. Up several streets, passing lots of beautiful homes and some lovely views, we made it to the high point of our journey. The house there is marked by a mailbox labeled "Hilltop House". We even saw a red-tailed hawk soaring overhead. Past more houses (including that of Mayor Jean Quan) we came to a dirt path at the end of a cul-de-sac. That led us to some wooden stairs, which led us to the back of the Mormon Temple property.

Mormon Temple

Before touring the grounds, we talked a bit about the temple. The temple was built in 1964, and a NY Times article a few years ago said it has an approximately $35,000 per month electric bill. If you've ever seen the temple at night, it's not hard to see why—the brightly-lit temple is visible from all over the Bay Area at night. One of our walkers who lives not far away related two things: (1) the light from the temple is bright enough to light up her house (2) back during the rolling brownouts, the temple complied with requests to power down to ease the demand on the electrical grid. The FAA quickly requested they turn the lights back on, because the temple is used as a landmark for pilots flying under visual flight rules (VFR). We walked across the immaculately maintained grounds, and then to the base of the temple to take in the views.

Then we headed to Monterey Blvd. which parallels highway 13. A short, unexpected tunnel led us under the freeway to the corner of Joaquin Miller Park, and the former site of Camp Dimond. It was a Boy Scout camp from 1919 until 1948, and along with cabins and other permanent structures, it featured a 300,000 gallon pool with a special sand filtration system.

We headed back under the freeway and down to the trail head for the Bridgeview Trail. There, volunteers with Friends of Sausal Creek were finishing up a morning of working to restore and protect the watershed. The trail descends to the creek and back up the other side of the canyon, then is relatively flat, running almost down to the bridge where we'd started. But it was quite a change from the streets and stairs we'd been on up to that point.

Thanks to everyone and everywoof who came out for the walk. I hope you had as much fun on the walk as I did leading it! Special thanks to area resident John Tuttle who told us about the history of the Leimert Bridge and Oakmore Highlands, and to Megan from Friends of Sausal Creek who told us about the work that FOSC does to restore and protect the watershed.

The next Oakland Urban Paths walk will be Saturday, April 13th. We'll be exploring Oakland's parklets.

Lots more pictures from the walk:

upcoming Oakland events

There are a couple of art shows opening Friday night, and Oakland Urban Paths will be exploring Oakmore Highlands. Let me know about other events by leaving a comment.

Wednesday

What I Hear, I Keep: Stories from Oakland's Griots - Wednesday-Saturday, 2:30-5:30pm. Visual and audio art installation at Peralta Hacienda based on African American stories of modern-day Oakland, with local residents telling about their lives and exploring their identities. (with $5 admission)

Vintage porcelain at the Pardee Home - Wednesdays, 2nd Saturdays, 2nd Sundays. View the historic Pardee Home and the collection of porcelain collected by the globe-trotting Mrs. Pardee. You can take the tour for $5 or have the tour and tea for $25. Read more at World of Mailman. Read about the tea service on the East Bay Express. ($5/$25)

Friday

Off the Grid at OMCA - Friday, 5-9pm. The Off the Grid food truck pod comes to the Oakland Museum for an evening of food and fun.

Paintings by Robert Akeley - A Retrospective - Friday, March 8, 6-9pm. See an exhibition of paintings by long-time resident Robert Akeley at a show opening at the Rise Above Gallery. There will be food, drink and music Robert's extended Temescal community: Todd & Jordan Champagne, Happy Girl Kitchen; Matt & Mike, Barn Beer; Lena & Brian, Corner Taco.

The Big Painting Show - Friday, March 8, 6-9pm. See paintings by 8 established Bay Area artists at the Gray Loft Gallery in Jingletown. The Big Painting Show: Layers of Abstraction features the work of Rick Arnitz, Mark Ashworth, Suzy Barnard, Jamie Brunson, Betty Jo Costanzo, Carol Lefkowitz, Simone Simon, and June Yokell. (free)

Saturday

Oakland Urban Paths - Saturday, March 9, 10am. Join OUP for a walk through Oakland history. We'll be exploring Oakmore Highlands and part of Sausal Creek. (free)

TreeCircus at Wood Park - Saturday, March 9, 9am. Learn about tree care, conservation, our environment and a healthy planet with Timmy Womick's TreeCircus! This energetic stage show is interactive, educational and captivating for all ages. (free)

Oakland Grown Card Crawl - Saturday, March 9, 2:30-6pm. A fun afternoon of shopping, exploring, eating and drinking on Piedmont Avenue! (free)

Tuesday

book talk: Rebecca Miller discusses Jacob’s Folly - Tuesday, March 12, 7pm. Filmmaker and author Rebecca Miller will be discussing her new book Jacob’s Folly. This critically-acclaimed novel takes on a wide range of topics including faith, love, acting, and reincarnation. (free)

ongoing events:

• Art Murmur (1st Friday)
• Saturday Art Stroll (Saturdays)
• Mt. View Cemetery Tours (2nd and 4th Saturdays)
• Off the Grid at OMCA (Fridays)

looking further ahead:

Conversations with Julia Morgan - Thursday, March 14, 1:30–2:30pm. OMCA celebrates Women's History Month and renowned architect Julia Morgan as portrayed by Betty Marvin, a historian and preservation planner. (with admission)

celebrate parklets with WOBO - Saturday, March 23, 11am-2pm. Join Walk Oakland Bike Oakland and Manifesto Bicycles to celebrate parklets in Oakland! Food from El Taco Bike and Fist of Flour Pizza. (free)

Oakland Running Festival - Sunday, March 24. Whether you're a runner, a volunteer or a spectator, it's a great big blast of Oakland love. There's a 5K race, a 1/2 marathon and a full marathon.

more Mountain View Cemetery explorations

The other week after I stopped in Saint Mary's Cemetery I went to nearby Mountain View Cemetery to find the grave of A.K.P. Harmon. Amongst other things, he's known for donating for Cal's first indoor athletic facility, and later, Harmon Gym was named in his honor.

After finding the Harmon grave, I did some more exploring. Mountain View Cemetery is so large that I see new things every time I'm there, even though I've lost track of the number of trips I've made. But I also see things in a new light, sometimes literally. While exploring, I saw the warm afternoon light on the Colton mausoleum. It's the resting place of David Douty Colton, who the town of Colton, California is named for, and probably Colton Boulevard in Oakland, too. He was an interesting sounding man, sometimes referred to as one of "the Big Four and half" because of his association with Crocker, Huntington, Stanford and Hopkins of railroad fame. But other than the possible naming of a street for him and his interment in Mountain View, I don't know of any Oakland connections so I haven't dedicated much time to learning more about him (say, to write an Oakland Wiki entry for him). Regardless, the warm light and the beautiful design made for a lovely image.

More photos from the afternoon:

food+drink: Toast wine bar

The other weekend K and I needed to eat an early dinner before helping at an event, so we decided to try Toast wine bar on College. As you might guess from the name, they have a sizable wine list, and even have two red wines on tap. But they also have a selection of cocktails and beers, including ones from locals Oakland Brewing Company and Trumer Pils.

I had an arugula salad with mushrooms, almonds and a garlic vinaigrette, and a delicious red lentil and sweet pepper soup. K had petrale sole with brussels sprouts and potatoes. Everything was delicious and the service was great. And dessert? Mmm...chocolate. We'll definitely check it out again for a fuller wining and dining experience.

Oakland Running Festival - March 24

Coming up on March 24th is a big blast of Oakland love in the form of the Oakland Running Festival. There's a 5K run, a half marathon, a 4-person relay marathon and a full marathon to compete in. Even if you're not a runner you can come out and cheer the runners on. This event brings more the $4 million in revenue to Oakland.

You can also volunteer to help. I'm told they are in great need of volunteer Course Marshals. "Course Marshals keep the runners safe, traffic clear and most of all support our runners! Please email tsvedock@yahoo.com if interested as we have a lot of locations in the Grand Lake Area that could use assistance."

K ran the 5K race last year, and I volunteered at a water station two years ago. Read about the festival two years ago.