Category Archives: oakland hills

Oakland Running Festival!

Did you know there’s a marathon in Oakland this weekend?!? It seems like big news, as this is the first marathon being held in our city in over 25 years, but I’m surprised by how many people have no idea this is happening.

So here’s a little plug for what is surely to be an amazing event…

Oakland Running Festival

There was a great article in the East Bay Express about this history of this event (and other marathons) called Can Oakland Go the Distance? by Dan Schoenholz.

Some highlights…

“Long time Oakland runners and race organizers… see the Oakland Running Festival as an opportunity to promote both Oakland and running, and as a way to unify a community that is often divided by racial, economic, and geographic differences.  Marathons are big events in many cities – New York and Boston, famously, but also Baltimore, Cincinnati, Houston, and countless others – and serve as a source of civic pride and unity.  Why not Oakland?”

The festival is based on a more modern, all-inclusive model, not just for hardcore athletes, but one in which a variety of races are provided so that folks can participate at any level they choose.  It’s designed to be runner-friendly, walker-friendly, family-friendly, and most definitely, celebratory. There’s the marathon (26 miles!), half-marathon, a 5k, a kids fun run (two age categories & distances), and a four-person relay.

Strikingly different from the marathon course run in 1981 which was fast, flat, and through heavy industrial areas, this year’s course is designed to be scenic and show people what “Oakland has to offer.” The course starts at City Hall… the first high-rise government building in the U.S. and the tallest building West of the Mississippi at the time it was built.  Runners then progress through the newly redeveloped Uptown section through to Temescal, and Rockridge.  Then the route parallels the BART tracks heading up Keith & Broadway to Lake Temescal Park, and continues through the lovely hills of Montclair before entering the Dimond  District to head back down towards the flats.  Runners will then head down Fruitvale Avenue into the melting-pot district of Fruitvale, and continue along International Boulevard through the Arts district of Jingletown, and on to Jack London Square.  Tired yet? There’s still much more.  After Jack London, runners will pass the West Oakland BART station and through West Oakland, rich with African-American history.  Then they’ll make their way up the lovely redeveloped greenway of the Mandela Parkway, just up to the border of Emeryville, where they’ll hang a right and head through my neighborhood of Ghosttown.  This is so cool! They’re almost in the home stretch.  Then on to 27th Street to hit Lake Merritt and make their way almost the full circumference around, branching off at 19th street to head back to City Hall… the finish line!

Here’s a link to the marathon map, and another link for the half-marathon map.

Here’s the schedule of various events:

  • Saturday 6:00pm – Kick Off Party at Lake Merritt
  • Saturday 6:30pm – Twilight 5K at Lake Merritt (starts at Lakeview Branch Library)
  • Saturday 8:00pm – Twilight 5K Awards Ceremony
  • Saturday 6 – 9pm – Celebration Village at Frank Ogawa Plaza (live music, merchandise, food & drinks, etc.)
  • Sunday 7:15am – Opening Remarks and National Anthem at City Hall
  • Sunday 7:30am – Marathon and Team Relay Races Start (14th & Broadway)
  • Sunday 8:30am – Kids Fun Run Starts (Frank Ogawa Plaza)
  • Sunday 9:00am – Half Marathon Start (14th & Broadway)
  • Sunday 12:00pm – Awards Ceremonies (Frank Ogawa Plaza)
  • Sunday 9 – 3pm – Celebration Village at Frank Ogawa Plaza (live music, merchandise, food & drinks, etc.)

I know I’ll be out both days.  While picking up my Press Pass this morning I nearly bumped into the Mayor, the downtown unbelievably abuzz with activity.  This weekend is a great moment to show the world what a beautiful and vibrant city Oakland truly is.

Please come out to support the runners and support our city!

city hall, us first skyscraper, oakland marathon finish line, oakland marathon starting point

City Hall - the starting point & finish line for the marathon & half-marathon

More reading…

Oakland Marathon a step in the right direction by Chip Johnson

Oakland marathon builds steam with charity donations by Sean Maher

Spring has sprung…

To celebrate the gorgeous weather this weekend, friends and I went hiking in the hills of Oakland at the Huckleberry Botanic Regional Preserve. For those who don’t know it, this is one of the smaller parks in East Bay Regional Park system, consisting of approximately 240 acres (compare that with Redwood Regional Park’s more than 1800 acres)… but what it lacks in size, it makes up for in distinctive character.

As you may have guessed from its name – Botanic Preserve – the park hosts a unique native plant community found nowhere else in the East Bay.

oakland hiking, huckleberry botanic preserve

sword fern, huckleberry nature path

The main hiking trail through Huckleberry is called the Self-Guided Nature Path, which is a well-marked 1.7 mile loop through a variety of terrain displaying the various stages of plant succession that contribute to California’s landscape. The trails are narrow single-track and because of the fragile nature of the preserve, dogs, bicycles, and horses are all prohibited, which makes for a very peaceful hike. Remember to pick up the Self-Guided Nature Path pamphlet at the trailhead if you want to read about the various plants and stages of ecological development at each numbered marker.

The earliest stages of plant succession have their roots (pun intended) in the rocky nutritionally poor soil found in portions of this park. These areas were laid down as part of the ocean floor millions of years ago, comprised of bands of shale interspersed with the skeletal remains of early marine creatures. Eventually uplifted and exposed due to erosion, the soil has a gravelly texture, poor water holding capacity, and low nutrient values. Sounds bleak, right? Not really. The fractured bedrock below the service holds water for deeper roots while the top layers provide excellent drainage, which happens to be the perfect environment for our shrubby chaparral species such as manzanita, including the rare and endangered Alameda Manzanita.

spring has sprung, oakland hiking trail

Additional moisture is obtained from winter rains and summer fog (as the park is located due east of the Golden Gate), and the north facing slopes are shaded from late afternoon sun. These cool moist conditions contribute to the evolutionary process of succession, where “plant species thrive for a time, but are gradually replaced by other species. In this way, the manzanitas eventually surrender and succumb to other species such as huckleberry, silktassel, and chinquapin. All this time, leaf and branch litter is deposited in greater quantities, soil development becomes richer and deeper, and each succeeding species’ leaf canopy continues to develop upward, eventually shading over and killing the previous species. Over a long period of time, this successional development will inevitably progress toward oak/bay forest [see picture below, right side]” (Huckleberry Self-Guided Nature Path brochure)

Pink flowering currant, huckleberry botanic regional preserve

Another unique feature of this park is its year-round display of plants in bloom. Right now you can see the pink flowering currants (pictured above), among others.

Mt. Diablo, Huckleberry Park

And the small side trail to markers 8-9-10 offers a lovely lookout on Mt. Diablo (pictured above). Did you know there was an effort underway to rename it Mt. Reagan? I am happy to report, however, that the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors recently decided against it (article here). Despite the fact that a Christian zealot thought it profane to refer to it as “the devil,” a large number of supporters, including residents and community organizations, voiced their opinions to keep the name intact. Thank God. 😉

Forest Graf

Here are a couple quick picks from my post Christmas hike in the woods in Montclair. Who knew there were graffiti elves in the forest?

I’ve been taking some vacation time over the holidays… hoping to get back on my game in the New Year… postings will likely be sporadic till then.

forest graffit

Mountain View Cemetery…

One of my favorite things to do, and an appropriately spooky outing for this Halloween, is to visit Mountain View Cemetery at the end of Piedmont Avenue. It’s a gorgeous piece of prime Oakland real estate, nestled against and stretching into the hills with stunning views of the entire Bay Area… nevermind that it’s full of dead people.

Because it’s also chock full of incredible art & architecture, not to mention a ton of local history.  It’s here that you can read about the Merritts (former mayor of Oakland Samuel Merritt, after whom Lake Merritt was named) and the Crockers (railroad builder Charles Crocker, namesake to Crocker Highlands) and a slew of other politicians, philanthropists, shipmasters, and businesspersons who helped shape this city.

The cemetery comprises over 220 acres containing, chapels, columbariums, crematoriums, mausoleums, and traditional graves, all amidst a breathtaking park-like setting that frequently draws hikers, bikers, a picnickers alike.  It always makes me smile to see a family stretched out, enjoying an afternoon lunch in the midst of the graves.

Founded in 1863, the park was designed by renowned landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, known as the father of American landscape design, and designer of many urban parks including Central Park in New York City. Part of what makes Mountain View unique from other cemeteries is this park-like design, which grew out of his integrated “vision of man and nature and their relationship to each other.”

Mountain View Cemetery Statues

Mountain View Cemetery Sculpture

There are fantastic examples of sculptural work in stone, concrete, and metal. I love this bronze angel…

Bronze Angel

Mountain View Cemetery

Bronze Sculpture

These next two crypts are from “Millionaires’ Row”… The one on the right is the Crocker crypt – I like to call it the giant penis. I’m sure he didn’t have a complex… um, right.

Millionaires' Row

Mountain View Cemetery Sphynx

Mountain View Cemetery

Mountain View Cemetery Lambs

Lots of angels…

Mountain View Cemetery Angels

Mountain View Cemetery Angel

Gravestones at Sunset

Mountain View Cemetery

Below is the view of San Francisco from the top…

View of San Francisco

The cemetery is open to the public everyday during daylight hours. Run by a nonsectarian, non-profit association, free docent tours are available the second and fourth Saturdays of each month starting at 10am.