Bay to Breakers, the iconic San Francisco foot race that starts on the San Francisco Bay and finishes on the Pacific Ocean, celebrates 100 years today! While only serious athletes rose early this morning to run the 12 kilometers going through town for the medals and make an actual run for the finish, the real party was on the streets with tens of thousands of dressed-up participants.
Pacman gets thirsty. Photo by Frog Mom
Clearly San Francisco's response to the mid-year Halloween-deficit-disorder, the event was a relatively G-rated gig thanks to the no-alcohol policy. "Why are there so many men dressed in girls?" asked my 5-year old pointing to a dude in pink tutu. "This is Bay to Breakers sweetie, that's why you're dressed as a unicorn."
Biking along Ocean Beach. Photo by Frog Mom
This was my first Bay to Breakers (B2B) and after the skies cleared up this morning, I decided to take my girls. After all, it's not every year B2B celebrates 100 years and I'd read alarming reports of will-there-be-another-B2B-after-2011? I told my girls to find a costume. Quick! We pulled the costume box out of the basement and hustled.
Fifteen minutes later, my 7-year old was a pink bunny, my 5-year old a unicorn and both my girls suggested I do not wear my Wonder Woman costume. So I went for a casual bell-bottoms faux fur outfit. I packed our bikes in the car, parked by the zoo and we biked our way along the beach to the finish line at Great Highway and Lincoln.
Bridesmaids - not the movie. Photo by Frog Mom
At first my girls didn't see to many people in costumes. "Why are we dressed up mom?" they asked. Just you wait little girls, it shouldn't take long. Sure enough, we stumbled upon a party of bridesmaids being photographed at the free photo booths, still wearing their race bibs. Surely, they can't have run the 12K in poufy dresses. Can they? What do I know, maybe they did.
Baywatch B2B-style. Photo by Frog Mom
The guy who was dressed as Pamela Anderson in his sexy red life guard outfit with overblown boobs was better suited to run for sure. Good running shoes he had.
I was on the lookout for two different types of animals who, from what I'd seen from previous B2B editions, were the trademark of the race and something that made it so San Francisco-specific: groups in coordinated costumes and people in their birthday suit. I guess because some groups naturally dissolve (in alcohol) or disperse along the course, there are fewer groups to be found at the finish line but we still found a few.
Freedom, man. Photo by Frog Mom
However it's the dudes in the nude that really got my girls' attention. "Mom, this man's naked!" Why, you're right, and this other guy too.
Ah, Bay to Breakers. What would we be without its free-to-be-you-and-me attitude? For those wondering if there were any children there besides mine, the answer is yes. We saw lots of kids being rolled away in strollers, others enjoying the show on their parents' shoulders or walking in costumes alongside their folks.
It's super family-friendly and since it's a day-event, I applaud the organizers for the no-booze policy. Geez, some participants are so inhibited naturally that with drinks on top of it, it must be a real riot.
The Muppet Show gang. Photo by Frog Mom
In the kid-friendly category, we saw a man dressed as a banana and his gorilla friend ("Fifth banana walks the finish line!" announced the race commentators on the speakers as he made his way through), a giant Cookie Monster, a Muppet Show quartet consisting of Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Animal and - blank - gosh, who's that last muppet?
We also admired Batman and Robin, a few princesses, a Wizard of Oz ensemble (with a very good and green Witch of the East), the full Adams Family (minus the Thing) and a group of gnomes (straight out of Gnomeo & Juliet).
Birthday cake hat alert! Photo by Frog Mom
In the creative category, a few costumed groups totally stole the cake. First were those who were literally carrying cakes on their heads, thus celebrating the race's 100th anniversary. We spotted two ladies by Ocean Beach with sparkly birthday cake hats and a giant cake with a candle at Speedway Meadows.
Lying on the grass at Speedway Meadows was a group of Borat fans dressed in the highly graphic pink bunny costume. By then my girls were totally jaded and didn't even notice them.
No reservations taken. Photo by Frog Mom
The group that everybody was stopping for group photos was a bunch of dinner tables walking around with signs on their back saying "No reservations taken" or "Happy birthday." They were pretty funny and I imagine extremely relieved to be near the end of their ordeal because carrying a fake dinner table on your shoulders for 12 kilometers can't be that comfortable.
We biked up to Speedway Meadows to see the costume contest announced by the speakers at Ocean Beach. On the way, my girls were appalled at the amount of plastic trash littering the road. Thanks to plastic-wrapped drinks, snacks and what-nots, the Golden Gate Park was a giant trash can for the masses. Eeeew!
Speedway Meadows. Photo by Frog Mom
By the time we got above Speedway Meadows, locked up our bikes and found a dirt trail down to the meadow, a band was playing on the stage (I believe it was either Geographer or Loquat). Obviously, we had missed the costume contest. Boohoo, will I ever know the winner?
Mean and masked. Photo by Frog Mom
Down at the meadow, people let their hair down, raided the beer garden and enjoyed an unusually sunny day on the grass. It was peace and love and yet more freebies of the single-use kind. Sensing the end of our excursion, I looked for more stunning B2B costumes and got lucky like this group of masked avengers or a triplet of totally funky girls in pastel tutus and striped tights. I wish I could publish all the photos I took but this is already getting too long so I'll cut it short.
Funky girls. Photo by Frog Mom
On the photo aspect, there's something I noted and that's pretty cool for people like me out for a good shot: most people to be very gracious about having their pictures taken and more than willing to strike a pose. Sure, part of the fun is to be seen and photographed, hoping to end up in the slideshow of SFGate. But above that, people looked jovial. Grumps were definitely the minority.
Vote for who? Photo by Frog Mom
My two girls got a few comments on their outfit (the unicorn was popular) and we had an odd moment when a group of Asian girls approached us for a photo. They said they found the girls' costume cute and asked if they could take a photo with a banner for their school. Apparently they were running to be president of their school (or class?). I'm nice so I said yes. Initially my girls refused to hold the sign but I told them it'd be over quick. That's where it got weird.
A man was filming the teens and at his signal they started jumping up and down while screaming "Vote! Vote! Vote! Vote!" around my girls who were not amused. They gave me the look that said "Mom what did you get us into?" Hmm, did I just say yes to that? Sorry girls, that was unexpected.
Never go out without rain protection. Photo by Frog Mom
After the "Vote!" episode, we hurried back to our bikes. My girls were tired and they'd seen their share of costumes for the half-year. We unlocked the bikes, clipped our helmets and inched our way back against a strong wind on Great Highway. Boy were we glad to find the car.
In hindsight, B2B lived up to my expectations except I expected to find more outrageous groups. Really? Yes, really. I guess you have find them closer to the start line before the steep part on Hayes Street. Overall it was the best excuse to go out with our bikes today even if I know that my family in France will be reinforced in their belief that we live amongst crazy hippies.
The picture above show a French mom's dream breakfast for kids: fresh fruit, whole grains and a touch of indulgence. You got your vitamins, proteins, fibers and lipids too. Since we go camping a lot, breakfast is always a meal I like to get right. After all, isn't breakfast the most important meal of the day? That's what I learned as a kid anyway. After years of trial and error, I've decided to share our biggest successes and our most glaring mistakes in the breakfast department. May this inspire families to get over the breakfast block on their next camping trip!
Pancakes
Pancakes are an obvious go-to breakfast item for camping trips. Open the stove, heat up the griddle, whip out a spatula and pancake mix and you're good to go. We've tried pancakes a few ways and here are my thoughts.
Our favorite pancake mix. Photo
courtesy of Stonewall Kitchen
Hands down our favorite pancake mix, the Stonewall Kitchen Farmhouse Pancake Mix has a lot going for it. The pancakes turn out crisp, puffy, not overly sweet, and they don't stick to the pan. My husband, who never eats for breakfast, actually asked seconds of pancakes made with this mix. It's that good! My girls eat it with good ol' maple syrup or drizzled with honey. Definitely worth the extra $$, I'd get some more in a heartbeat.
Our least pancake mix, so far, is the Arrowhead Mills Multigrain Pancake and Waffle Mix. I bought a pound in bulk at Rainbow Grocery and it turned out bland and caky. I thought I was being a good mom by squeezing multigrain into our breakfast menu but the experiment was a disaster. My kindergartner - who's our family pancake ogre - didn't even ask for seconds. Out with Arrowhead Mills. Too bad, I usually love their stuff.
Batter Blaster flavors. Photo courtesy of Batter Blaster
In the gimmicky category, we tried the Batter Blaster last year for the July 4th weekend. By the looks of it, it's the ultimate junk food item a health-conscious mom would avoid. Our friend Matt kept calling it cancake, the pancake that comes out of a can - which it pretty much is. It's pancake batter you spray out of a pressurized can. That is says "Organic" on the can did not alleviate my health concerns a bit. However I got a complementary can for an article I was writing on camping with kids so I took a chance. The result was interesting.
The Batter Blaster experiment. Photo by Frog Mom
If you look closely at the photo, you'll see that the pancakes are frumpy-looking. Because they came out squeezed out of a tiny hole, the resulting pancakes had no body at all. They were hard to flip and I couldn't get the perfect round shape. They came out thin too - not puffy and crisp. Tastewise, kids liked them - I didn't. However ... all kids got a giant kick out of the experiment and kept asking for more.
When I started squeezing on the can and batter shot out like whipping cream on the hot griddle, all eight kids let out a yelp of excitement and gathered around me as if I were pulling a rabbit out of a hat. It was breakfast magic - or so they thought. My conclusion is: Batter Blaster is fun for the kids, OK if you're in a bind, but don't expect much more.
Oatmeal
Second to pancakes, oatmeal is the perfect way to cheer up a child when you're out camping, particularly if the morning is crisp and you haven't built a campfire.
Morning oatmeal. Photo by C.G.
Once they're out of the tent, kids can get cold and a steaming bowl of oatmeal goes a long way into warming up their bodies. Personally, I go for Bob's Red Mill Steel Cut Oats. It's my favorite type of oatmeal and since it takes centuries to cook, I soak it overnight to cut on cooking time in the morning. When I'm up and running, it doesn't take more than 5 to 10 minutes depending on the stove. My girls like it straight up with sugar and milk, I like mine with Trader Joe's orange-flavored cranberries and raw pecans. It's delish.
Steel cut oats. Photo
courtesy of Bob's
Red Mill
By far our least favorite now that we've gotten used to steel cut oats, is the Quaker Oats Instant Oatmeal. To my girls, it tastes no better than cardboard and I'm with them. Two years ago I bought a selection of instant Quaker Oats oatmeal packets, thinking they'd come in handy on a camping trip. Sure, it was easy to prepare but once the moment of truth came, I had to whip up a Plan B breakfast pronto because they were not going to eat this.
Crêpes
So, we're French. And crêpes are a staple of family breakfasts in France. So I decided to make crêpes while camping. The problem was, we didn't really know of a good crêpes mix so I opted for the crêpes from scratch strategy. Boy has it paid off.
It all came out of this great book, The Usborne First Cookbook illustrated by Stephen Cartwright. I got it for my girls when they were toddlers and it's become part of our camping kitchen box.
Open it on page 46 for the crêpes recipe. It's devilishly simple, illustrated in 9 simple steps and I'll give you the gist here.
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
a pinch of salt
2 eggs
Flippin' fantastic, mom! Photo by C.G.
2 1/2 cups milk and water (I use milk only)
1 Tbsp melted butter
Basically, I just mix everything up (sometimes I premix the day before in a plastic bottle and refrigerate overnight in the cooler) and use it without waiting. The recipe does say it's got to be thick enough to coat a spoon. However it shouldn't be thicker. This is not a pancake. Go and flip away!
Eggs and Bacon
Clearly, this is not my girls' favorite breakfast. At a time they used to love eggs anything-style but now they've become fearful of anything eggy. So unless someone in our group cooks eggs and bacon, I just don't bring any in the cooler. If it's bacon, the applewood smoked bacon at Guerra Quality Meats on Taraval is as good as the one at WholeFoods.
Granola
How I wish my girls liked granola. How I wish. I am blessed with two kids who like neither raisins nor dried cranberries, forget about dried apricots and dates too. It's not even a "no no", dried fruits are on their "never never" list. So I bake batches of the New York Times' fantastic Olive Oil Granola with Dried Apricots and Pistachios and eat it all by myself.
The Food Tray Trick
Here comes the food tray. Photo courtesy of
lachaiselongue.fr
Last but not least, breakfast in style. We camped in the Yosemite National Park for Mother's Day this year and I finally found the answer to my kids' breakfast conundrum: the melamine food tray! Durable - it takes a million years to bio-degrade - versatile - great for carrots, peas and sausages too - portionable - obviously - the preformed melamine food tray is the answer to your breakfast prayers!
I got cheap ones at Safeway courtesy of the Easter sales but there are swanky ones like this one or that one. Two camping trips later, I can safely say it's a success! I think it's the little holes that get my girls excited. I loved my first food tray as a kid too. It made any type of food so much more fun.
How are Ocean View Farms, Marylin Monroe and a forest troll connected? You will find the answer at Rancho Corral de Tierra, a 4,000-acre undeveloped plot of land in El Granada, a 2011 addition to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. On a sunny Saturday morning in March 2011, we joined two families on this 2-mile walk through coastal hills and farming history entitled "Rancho Corral de Tierra: A Short Walk Through a Long Story." Though the Artichoke Wars is not your everyday bedtime story, the kids had fun learning about artichokes, native plants and even petted a horse on this hike led by park ranger George Durgerian.
Got ocean views, will walk. Photo by Frog Mom
We met at the end of Le Conte Avenue and hit the trails. A couple hundred yards into coastal meadows, Ranger George stopped and told us about the farming history of the land. Formerly grazing ground for the cattle of Mission Dolores, Rancho Corral de Tierra got its name "earthen corral" in a Mexican land grant in 1839. The name referred to the fact that the shape of the rancho formed a natural enclosure for cattle. Back then, the rancho encompassed more than 7,000 acres stretching from Montara to Half Moon Bay. With hills swarming with grizzly bears and mountain lions, the area was virtually inhabited.
Plat of Rancho Corral de Tierra, confirmed to Tiburcio
Vasquez. 1859. Photo from the Bancroft Library, Berkeley.
Now, imagine 1839 California for a second. The Spanish mission system had been dismantled, the Russians occupied the north coast, the United States were preparing for war with Mexico. San Francisco was a risky place to be and that was where Jose Tiburcio Vasquez and Francisco Guerrero lived, having served the Mexican Californian interests.
Unsure about San Francisco's future, both men looked for a safe place to live and thought of the coastal hills south of the city. As the former supervisor of Mission Dolores’ livestock at the Corral de Tierra, then stretching from Montara to Half Moon Bay, Vasquez knew the secret route into isolated Half Moon Bay. Both men applied for a land grant as reward for their services.
Riders on the trail. Photo by Frog Mom
The governor of San Francisco granted the southern part of Corral de Tierra to Vasquez and the northern part to his friend Francisco Guerrero. Neither man enjoyed their rancho very long as they were both murdered - Guerrero in 1850 at the corner of Mission and 12th Street in San Francisco, Velasquez in 1863 sitting in a Half Moon Bay saloon.
The marsh "mallow" plant. Photo by C.G.
After this roaring start, we progressed through the chaparral following an unofficial trail. Indeed, Corral de Tierra is in the process of being developed, which means that it has neither trails nor facilities, neither brochure nor parking lot. When you go there, you will find a few trails created by passing horses or wandering locals, but nothing official.
Ranger George decided to grab the kids attention by showing them local plants. Douglas Irises were starting to bloom, California poppies too, and the kids got to meet the common mallow, as in "marsh mallow". Yes! But wait. The current marshmallow in stores doesn't include sap from this plant - it's all sugar and chemicals you know. However in Ancient Egypt, the sap of the mallow plant was boiled and reduced to a paste sweetened with honey to form a cough drop. Fun, hey?
Yarrow. Photo by Frog Mom
Next to the mallow flower were carpets of yarrow, a plant with strong medicinal properties. Actually, legend has it that yarrow (Achillea millefolium) was named after Achilles, the Greek mythical figure who used it to stop the bleeding wounds of his soldiers.
We continued our way, crossed a wide service road, walked under rows of tall eucalyptus trees, and arrived at a horse ranch. That got us a gleeful smile from the kids. "Can we pet them?" they asked
Horse ranch. Photo by Frog Mom
Ranger George. With the prior agreement of the ranch's owner, Ranger George let the kids gently stroke the nose of the horse that was closest to us. If you go there without a guide, ask the owner if it's OK to do so. It's always a safe precaution with big animals and the ranch is private property so you're only technically "invited" to walk through the corrals.
Heading north after the stables, we got on a bridge above Martini Creek and that's where we found the forest troll. Look for it on the eastern side of the bridge. There's a geocache on the bridge if you hike with a geocaching device. As the saying goes, touch the troll and get good luck!
Troll on bridge. Photo by C.G.
We turned around and retraced our steps to a promontory right over the white fence that encircles Ocean View Farms. This is where you learn about the Marylin Monroe connection. You may or may not know it, but Marylin Monroe was crowned Miss California Artichoke Queen in 1947. As it turns out, Rancho Corral de Tierra was planted exclusively in artichokes in the 1920s.
Back then, Ciro Terranova "Whitey" (1889-1938), a member of the mafia and known as the "Artichoke King," began his monopoly of the artichoke market by purchasing all the produce shipped to New York from California at $6 a crate. He created a produce company and resold the artichokes at 30 to 40 percent profit. Not only did he terrorize distributors and produce merchants, he even launched an attack on the artichoke fields from Montara to Pescadero, hacking down the plants with machetes in the dead of night. Yes, artichoke organized crime at its meanest.
Ranger George and the kids. Photo by Frog Mom
The Artichoke Wars led the Mayor or New York, Fiorello La Guardia, to declare "the sale, display, and possession" of artichokes in New York illegal in 1935. Thus fell the Artichoke King. Honestly, who knew there ever was an artichoke mafia on the San Mateo coast? Weirder than Prohibition I say. Ironically, the San Mateo county is still a big producer of artichokes.
This pretty much closed our exploration of Rancho Corral de Tierra, a surprisingly m ysterious slice of coastal land. Just head there fast enough and you may see this without the crowds - to best enjoy the trolls and the ghosts of Spanish rancheros and artichoke thieves.
Waiting for the stars to align on Borel Hill. Photo by Frog Mom
Can hiking be any more fun for a kid than a Harry
Potter-themed twilight stroll on the spine of the Santa Cruz Mountains with mysterious great horned owls perched high up in trees? I think not. Last Saturday my 7-year old and I attended a night hike organized at Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve by the Midpeninsula Open Space District, joined by my friend Inga and her 8-year old boy. It was, simply put, fantastic. The description read "What do Draco, Sirius, Regulus, and Bellatrix have in common? Find out on this relaxed 2.5 mile walk where you'll experience the magic of daylight to dusk to darkness with docents." I wasn't sure what to expect but sure hoped for some fun stargazing. After 3.5 hours of trail wandering, we had discovered a whole new side to Harry Potter, one studded with Greek mythology, faraway constellations and dragons thrown in the sky by angry goddesses, sharing names with Harry's dreaded Draco Malfoy schoolmate at Hogwarts. Who knew?
On the trails. Photo by Frog Mom
We started in broad daylight at the parking lot of Russian Ridge. In case we weren't familiar with the Harry Potter (HP) characters, the docents conducted a mini-quiz on the houses at Hogwarts, the names of the main students and professors, the game played by witches and sorcerers, and more HP folklore. Good news, we passed!
Our group included 5 children (from 7 to 12) and 7 adults. Suffice to say that the younger crew was on top of the HP game and we adults, scrambled behind. These kids sure can remember a good story and turn it inside out to answer any question.
Luna = Moon. Photo by Frog Mom
We set out on the trails as the light of the sun turned from bright white to golden. Walking on the dirt-packed path, I saw our shadows get longer and longer and darker and darker.
At the first stop, Karen brandished a folder and pulled out carefully crafted posters on Luna Lovegood, the witch girl who took part in the second wizarding war. She explained to the kids that Luna means moon and proceeded to talk about the faces and phases of the moon. Looking at her watch she said "The moon should be up by now." We looked in the sky but couldn't find it until someone shouted "Moon!" There it was, our moonrise.
At our second stop, Karen's backpack revealed a blue felt panel with cut out silhouettes of local owls so we could talk about Hedwig, Harry's personal owl. As it turns out, Hedwig is a snowy owl, an owl unlikely to be ever spotted in California - this species calls the arctic tundra home. However common Northern California owls include the barn owl, the great horned owl, the burrowing owl, the western screech owl, amongst others.
With so many owls, how do you identify them? To everybody's surprise, Karen extracted a CD player out of her backpack, set it on the ground and played sound recording of various owl calls. Neat! I could tell the kids enjoyed that part, particularly the harsh cat-like screech of the barn owl.
Sunset. Photo by Frog Mom
On our way to our next stop, Cathy called out "Coyotes!" On the opposite ridge, two coyotes were tracing their way through the grasses. Exciting! She adjusted her binoculars and passed them around so we could see them before they disappeared.
With the sun setting within minutes, it was time to sit down and have dinner. We all made ourselves comfortable on the gravelly dirt road and admired the views as the fog wrapped its fluffy clouds around redwood forests while the sun was saying goodbye. At last the sun dropped below the horizon and dusk settled in. We had dutifully eaten our sandwiches and treats and were eager to get moving. It was crazy how much colder it got after the sun set. We needed to warm up!
Hiking at dusk. Photo by Frog Mom
Karen advised us not to use our flashlights just yet. She explained that our eyesight adjusts to night conditions in a matter of minutes and our eyesight after a minute in the dark is 100 times better than right after we switch off the lights. Indeed we didn't need lights to guide our footsteps. If anything, the surrounding darkness sharpened another sense - our hearing.
Great horned owl on tree. Photo by Frog Mom
Nature was quiet where we were. Very quiet. Nothing seemed to move, or did it? Kay and Cathy pulled out their binoculars and showed us a pointy shape on top of a leafless tree. Sitting on top of the highest branch was ... a great horned owl.
Cathy showed us the typical Batman-shaped ear tufts on the head. Though we weren't exactly discrete, the owl didn't fly away. It stood there and pivoted its head a few times. Was it sizing us up by sound? Possibly. Great horned owls are known to have the most acute sense of hearing in the animal world.
They can also spot a prey from 100 yards away with 5% of the night vision we'd need so clearly, that owl knew where we were. Regardless, we were enthralled and I kept setting my camera stand up the hill to capture a steady shot. I didn't even end up with a sharp photo but I was happy enough with the result.
Night vision talk. Photo by Frog Mom
Kids took turns at showing their enthusiasm, pointing us to the big bird as if we hadn't seen it. We could have stood on that hill a long time but the clock was ticking. We continued on the trail.
In a dark wooded grove under the thick canopy of oak trees, we listened as Karen and Kay talked to us about night vision. Ironically all the kids in the group - who had great eyesight - had switched on their flashlight or headlamp whereas the adults refrained. Guess we were trying to be "authentic," understand the physics of night vision. I liked it better without the lights anyway.
The next trail segment was going to be an interesting challenge. Karen asked us to walk single file, separated by 3 to 5 feet from others, in complete silence, until we reached an open meadow. We were to sense the sounds of the forest and differences in temperature. Softly we started to walk, all wrapped up in darkness.
"Who switched on such a bright light?!" I thought loudly as a ray of white light shone on my face. It was the moon! Just two days shy of being full, its silvery glow was piercing through the trees and startled us all. Ah, the moon. A gentle swooshing sound passed over our heads in the forest. Bats. Of course, nocturnal animals. We all reached the open meadow, one by one, and dared not utter a word for fear of breaking our silence vow.
Looking down on Palo Alto. Photo by Frog Mom
All gathered, we reclaimed our voices and talked about the experience. None of the kids found it scary but everybody agreed it was cool. For our last stop, we climbed the ridge to Borel Hill, the highest point in the park. Sitting around big rocks, we listened to the theme of Hedwig on a Harry Potter soundtrack, a most magical music at night outside. My 7-year old loved it and asked Karen twice what the song was so I could get it for her later.
It was star time, constellation time, time to spot the big dipper, learn about the bright star Sirius, the Orion star Bellatrix, the story of Draco the Dragon constellation and Hercules in the garden of the golden apples, the three-headed dog Cerberus who guarded a door. It was my favorite part of the hike, listening to stories about stars under the stars, and loosely connecting the dots of the Harry Potter mythology. Wow. That was incredible and the end of our hike.
Harry Potter and his pet owl Hedwig.
When I told my 5-year old about the evening on the next day, she begged me to take her along next time. Will there be a next time? I hope so. Actually, here's an idea.
Would you like to see more programs like that? Make your parent voice heard and email your local park. In the case of Russian Ridge, the email would be info@openspace.org. Tell your park authorities that you would like fun programs like that to encourage your kids to get outdoors. Give them ideas, tell them how old your child is, write about your child's interest and how that could be turned into a fun day outdoors.
If you can, volunteer to help organize an outing. Not saying it'll happen in all cases but I know that parks are trying hard to reach out to parents and they would like to hear more from them. Last but not least, let's hope there are enough Karens, Kays and Cathys in this world to helm night hikes with Hedwig's theme on top of Mindego Hill. Thanks to them three for a magical night on Russian Ridge.
The Mount Tamalpais' West Point Inn was one of my dreams for a long time - the historic stopover for passengers on the gravity car that snaked on the trails of the crookedest railroad in the world to the top of Mt Tam is a must on every hiker's to-do list. It may be called an inn, but you have to backpack in. You can't drive up to the inn - it's part of the tradition. The 1904 lodging provides shelter to visitors either as tiny rooms in the main building or as rustic cabins with cold showers outside on the deck. You bring your sleeping bag, food, clothes, toiletries and good spirits.
Follow the signs. Photo by Frog Mom
Last Friday, I was floored to find we were outnumbered by kids. For a backpack-in lodge, it's amazingly kid-friendly. That night, 20 cub scouts, 7 9-year-old boys, and our 3 girls from age 5 to 7 were more than a match for the handful of adults trying to cope with the noise and testosterone level. What a scene!
It was my second backpacking experience with my girls, the first trip having been two years ago when they were 5 and 3. Let me tellya, the Mount Tam experience is indefinitely easier than the sierras - no bear containers to store food, no tent to carry, and if you forgot your goose down winter jacket, you can warm up by the fireplace. It's by far the gentlest way to backpack with kids in the Bay Area. Even the trail is easy: 2 straight miles on a wide fire road. My friend Becky, who swam from Alcatraz with me last year, joined me with her 7-year old daughter.
Gummy cougar! Photo by Frog Mom
The plan was to leave San Francisco around 4 pm and hope to be at the inn around 6pm. In reality we didn't reach the trailhead at Pantoll before 5pm and we got to the inn at 6.45pm. By then the sun was low on the horizon and the girls' stomach was grumbling. Almost.
To spice up the hike, Becky created a game to boost the stamina of our girls. She called it the "gummy cougar" and before knowing the rules, the kids had her attention with the name.
She hid big star-shaped gummy stars along the trail and the girls went on a gummy scavenger hunt to find them. Rocks, stumps, trail posts, were all good hiding places. To be completely fair to the 5-year old who wasn't as fast as her 7-year old counterparts, I hid a couple in my pants' pocket so she could partake in the sugary revelries.
Kids hiking. Photo by Frog Mom
Realizing that the girls were slowing down to look for more candy, we stopped the gummy cougar game and let them take the lead on the trail. I always find that kids walk better if they're not trailing behind. Somehow they forget that they're with adults and engage in lively conversations, moving along without effort.
In terms of backpacks, here is how we had shared the load with my girls. I carried 2 sleeping bags, our clothes, food (we shared dinner and breakfast duties with Becky), two water bottles, 3 headlamps and 3 battery-operated glow sticks, a book and toiletries.
On the trail. Photo by my 2nd grader!
My 7-year old was carrying her sleeping bag, a thermos and her jacket. My 5-year old was carrying her jacket, a water bottle and snacks. It seemed to work pretty well for everybody. Since I knew the trail would be easy, the kids were just wearing good walking shoes but they didn't need hiking boots.
Once at the West Point Inn, Pat, the guardian of the inn, greeted us, led us to the cabin #4 and gave us the spiel. "The cabins get a little cold at night. Feel free to use the extra blankets." At this point, he opened the plain wood double doors opening on the deck.
West Point Inn. Photo by Frog Mom
The dark cabin welcomed some sun light in and I looked at the floor . "Look! A mouse!" The cutest field mouse was crossing the space between two beds and scurried away quickly. We tried to find it later but it was gone. My girls love little rodents.
Pat grabbed the opportunity of the mouse to switch to another topic. "Talking about wildlife, there are two local animals that are dangerous and that you should be aware of: rattlesnakes and scorpions."
Cabin #4. Photo by Frog Mom
Rattlesnakes, we weren't going to see because the temps were too cold. It had snowed on Mount Tam that afternoon. Scorpions too but Pat said something that stuck with the girls until the next day: scorpions like to hide in shoes because they're warm. "Shake your shoes in the morning," he said, adding that the only scorpion he had ever heard of was seen in cabin #4 last year. It was on the ground. It looked like a leaf. A lady bent over to pick it up and OUCH!
Right then, my girls looked like they were going to melt down or cry or both. My second grader got close to me, looking upset. I thought she just wanted to cuddle up. In fact, she was afraid. Pat admitted later he should have saved that information for us adults. I agree, that would have been better.
Waiting for dinner. Photo by Frog Mom
Needless to say, the girls were eager to leave the cabin so we could prepare dinner in the main building. I vaguely unpacked my backpack to get the food and headlamps out, and we all headed over. The inn's kitchen is not small but it's not big either. Built in 1904, it has remarkably resisted to the passage of time and the cream color of the walls, the wood cabinets, the wall sconces and the heavy six-fire stove flanked by giant griddles lend it a certain period charm.
However with 6 to 8 parents preparing dinner to feed armies of ravenous young boys, space to navigate was sparse and we had to wait for our turn. The only smart thing Becky and I could do was ... uncork a bottle of wine - which we did! While our girls watched the boys play a game of cards, we squeezed our way in the kitchen and managed to warm up our dinner of roasted chicken and Thai sticky rice in the giant oven, next to the boys' lasagnas and pizzas.
Dinner time! Photo by Frog Mom
Finally dinner was ready and we all sat down. With the fire crackling in the hearth against the back wall, the room felt terribly cozy and warm. We secretly wished we wouldn't have to get out to go sleep in probably cold and damp cabin but hey, that'll be for next time.
After dinner we brushed our teeth in the kitchen - the restrooms were outside and we felt entitled to more "warm" time before bedtime, and cleaned up the plates. Staying at the West Point Inn is like staying at a youth hostel - you need to clean up after yourself and do a share of the daily chores. It's only after one of the girls fell asleep in front of the fire that we realized it was time to head out. We dashed back to our cabin, quickly changed in our PJs and tucked ourselves tight in our sleeping bags. Of course, we hung all shoes 5 feet off the floor and the backpacks too. Pegs, hooks and nails sticking out of the walls - we used them all! That night we all slept like logs. All of us people and one extra item. The next morning my 5-year old's first words were: "Mom, why is the chocolate bar all squishy?" She had slept with it, holding it against her as her lovey.
To spend the night
You can reserve by emailing reservations@westpointinn.org or calling the reservation line 415-646-0702.
Rates:
High season: Children: Age 2 to 18 - one half of the Adult Rate. Babies under 2, Free.Non-Members : $50 per adult/night. ( Except Low Season Tuesday-Thursday : $35 per person/night ).
Low Season ~ Tuesday-Thursday: Rates are $700 up to 20 persons. Member Whole Inn Rentals on Premium Holidays*: Rates are $1000.00 up to 20 persons.
The Mongolians are here! Not barbecues, you silly, we're talking about yurts here. The good news is, you don't have to trek all the way to the Treebones Resort in San Simeon to discover the big buzz about yurts anymore. Mount Madonna County Park in Gilroy has everything a family needs to kick back in the redwoods, starting with 5 yurts built in 2010. These round tents with canvas sides are similar to those used by nomads in the Mongolian steppe - only you get a wooden floor, beds, table and nearby restrooms. Plus, at Mount Madonna, kids can unleash their inner Robin Hood at the archery range, follow a nature trail through the ruins of a big estate, and see rare exotic deer - after which you can go om and eat vegetarian at a nearby spiritual retreat. Savvy?
Yurts
Tada! It's round inside too. Photo by C.G.
Much like your favorite morning java cup, yurts come in three sizes: small ($50/night), medium ($70) and large ($90). For our party of two families (4 adults, 3 kids), we reserved the small yurt and even had space to spread our luggage and move around. The wood lattice frame was a really cool touch, as well as the mosquito net windows that gave me a full view on tree tops as I awoke on the futon bed in the morning.
Surprise, the yurt even had a ceiling lamp, a useful feature as we pulled in at night and struggled to find our flashlights. Since only kids age 6 and over are allowed in the upper bunk beds, we had the 5-year old stay below and the 7-year old stay on top. Just like we do at home! The only downside of the yurt, IMHO, is how noisy it can get at night. The faintest sleeping bag ruffle, the slightest toss, are echoed through the structure. God forbid somebody snores or is suffering from allergies and sneezes! Then you end up like my husband buying ear plugs the next day and spending a jolly good uninterrupted night.
Archery Range
Archery apprentices. Photo by C.G.
Move over Robin Hood, girls are taking over! I was so glad to discover the beautiful archery range at Mount Madonna because kids can really have fun with minimal gear and still be outdoors. Before going, I called a few archery and sports stores and most offered bows at $60+ for children, which was more than I was ready to spend for a weekend or at least a trial. Online, I bought the Bear Archery First Shot Set ($20) for my 5-year old and the Bear Archery Wizard Bow ($20) for my 7-year old and her 8-year old friend. Turns out they were the highlight of the trip for the girls. They loved it! We went on both days and still they were asking for more. Each bow came with two arrows but after we lost some in the woods, we actually found 4 other ones under trees so our stock multiplied!
Aim and shoot! Photo by C.G.
On a girl-power note, archery is one of the rare outdoors sports with a history a female excellency. My girls like to identify with female role models and asked me if there was a female Robin Hood. I was more than happy to tell them about Queen Susan in The Chronicles of Narnia, the Greek goddess Artemis, also Diana for Romans, goddess of the hunt, and the fierce women archers known as the Amazons. When my girls grow older, I will introduce Katniss Everdeen, heroin and master archer of The Hunger Games. Not only is archery fun, but it can't be all bad to improve a kid's motor skills such as hand-eye coordination.
As far as kid safety is concerned, don't underestimate the usefulness of the finger tab and the arm guard provided with the bow. Young archers can be hit by the string as it is released and it's not fun.
Access to the Mount Madonna Archery Range is public and free except on rare days when it is reserved the Bowmen of Mount Madonna or other events, in which case the whole site is closed. When you go, walk down Ridge Road to find individual archery practice areas tucked in the woods, each with their own bench and pegs to hang bows. Bring a picnic and enjoy!
White Fallow Deer
Bambi dressed in white. Photo by C.G.
A sure hit with the playground set, the herd of white fallow deer is so easy to spot it's almost unfair. They're quietly grazing in a pen behind a metallic fence across from the visitor center. Think of it as an outdoors Victorian zoo item on the decline. In following with the Victorian tradition of offering exotic animals as pets, William Randolph Hearst offered a pair of white fallow deer in 1932 to Henry Miller, owner of the estate that later became Mount Madonna County Park. The pair multiplied and today's deer are the descendants of the original two.
Males are kept apart from females so they can't breed. As exotic animals coming from Eurasia, they have no place in the ecosystem of a California park and the decision of the Santa Clara County Parks is to manage them humanely but not allow them to breed. Go see them while they're alive, they're cute as can be and as they're white, my kids called them "ghost deer."
Nature Trail and Ruins of the Henry Miller Estate
A mansion in state of arrested decay. Photo by Frog Mom
You probably knew Henry Miller the writer (yes, Marylin Monroe's husband) but did you know Henry Miller the cattle baron who became a millionaire in California the 1860s and 1870s? Well if you didn't, you're about to meet the man who called this mountain home and built a lavish compound of villas atop a redwood mountain overlooking orchards, vineyards and the great blue Pacific Ocean.
Now completely overgrown by the forest, the estate includes a few standing walls, house prints, stairs that go down the forest floor, the cement base of a fountain and more tidbits alluding to a comfortable mountain getaway gone green. Pick up the park's Self Guided Tour of Mount Madonna's Miller Estate & Nature Walk to enjoy a mile-long tour of the estate and learn about the local flora.
Spiritual Centers
Mount Madonna Center. Photo by C.G.
Ready for yoga and vegetarian food? Inhale, breathe in and relax. Mount Madonna is home to a few spiritual centers where communities live in serene settings and nurture creative arts and spiritual health. While "serene settings" and "children" don't exactly belong in the same sentence, it can be fun just to walk through the grounds of these centers and show children another side of the mountain.
For an Indian-inspired experience, we visited the Madonna Mountain Center and showed the Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple to our girls. They were transfixed by the burning incense, foreheading blessing ceremony taking place that day, and the story of Hanuman we told them. However as the website points out, "Please keep your children with you and help us preserve our peaceful atmosphere." Meaning, be quiet.
Photo from the Kim Son Monastery website.
For a Vietnamese take on serenity, head to the Kim Son Monastery, a Vietnamese monastery where monks speak Vietnamese, whose website is all in Vietnamese and where Vietnamese Buddhas sit outside surrounded by redwoods. You won't be completely lost in translation though. Some monks speak English and can tell you more about the monastery if you wish.
Kids will enjoy walking through the sculpture garden and the rock cave. The monastery serves free vegetarian meals on certain days but call ahead to confirm that. For a complete family experience, go on major Buddhist events such as the Lunar New Year know as Tet Festival or the Mid Autumn Festival.
Now you know enough about Mount Madonna to consider driving 30 minutes south of San Jose, right? Just know the yurts are very popular and be quick to snatch them!
