WEEKLY

WALKER

By Tom Davids

A Bayside Trail for the Whole Family

The Sun-Micro Trail

"Before supper ,walk a little; after supper ,do the same." Erasmus

Directions: Bayfront Expressway at Marsh Road, Menlo Park. Take 101 to Marsh Road. Go east to Bayfront Expressway. The Sun-Microsystems facility is straight ahead. Turn left and park at the side of the road. Or turn right on Bayfront Expressway to University, make a U-turn and enter the facility. A public lot for park users is on your right.

Grade: Level.

Distance: About two miles round trip.

Time: As long as you like.

Special Conditions: The trail is asphalt. A picnic table, log benches and trash containers are located along the trail. The bay breeze can be brisk, so bring a windbreaker.

I presume that this week's trail is not known to most Peninsula residents. It's all but hidden from view, and it's not mentioned in any of the guide books or trail maps on my shelf. But it's a trail that everyone can enjoy. It is paved, level, has good views and several log benches and large rocks on which to sit and enjoy them. It's good for kids in strollers, on trikes or bicycles. It's a nice, convenient getaway for anyone in need of a break from the daily routine. And it is a park to be enjoyed by seniors and people who are physically limited. This trail is the bayside equivalent of the accessible trails at Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve (Redwood Trail off Skyline Boulevard) and the Bog Trail at San Bruno Mountain.

Since this week's trail has no name, I suppose that we can name it, and I suggest that its name be "Sun-Micro Trail." The name recognizes that the trail was built by Sun Microsystems as part of their large Menlo Park campus. But the name also speaks to the natural attributes ever present for our enjoyment. The "sun" is always with you--fog and clouds permitting, and there are no trees or high objects casting shadows here.

The word "micro" identifies with the microscopic animals--shellfish, worms, and insects that live in the water and mud alongside the trail. It is said that a handful of San Francisco Bay mud may contain more than 40,000 tiny living creatures. Together, the sun and the microbes combine to produce one of the most productive living communities on earth.

On the trail you will find great views in all directions. To the north, the hill in the near distance is Bayfront Park, site of the old Marsh Road dump, and beyond it, you can see all the way to San Francisco and Oakland on a clear day. To the near east (along the Bayfront Expressway leading to the Dumbarton Bridge) is a portion of the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge with the Ravenswood Trail on the levee surrounding the Ravenswood Slough.

The salt evaporation ponds before you are not only a pleasant place for water birds to feed and rest, but they are also the foundation of the salt harvesting industry, which has been an important economic contributor since the 1850s. The curing process to produce salt from bay water requires five years of interaction between sun and wind. The typical yield is one ton of salt for every 10,000 gallons of captured bay water. During the five-year curing process, the water moves from pond to pond through 10 stages of evaporation. As the solution ripens, it changes color due to algae growth until the concentrated brine turns to "pickle." It is then allowed to dry, and the harvest begins.

Enjoy your time on the Sun-Micro Trail, and come back often. It's a great place for the whole family.