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Stanford University, 17 miles Drive, Skyline Boulevard, Parks and Spaces

Stanford University , to me, is a "Club Mediterranean" of Universities. Starting from the entrance at the University Avenue in Palo Alto, the open museum for sculptures by Rodin, impressive Catholic church, and to the Spanish style center court, the University is full of rich traditions.

Stanford Tower looking from the center court.

At the entrance to the center court, the statues by Rodin welcomes you. There used to be the world-famous "The Thinking Man" statue in the University as well.

Tower in sunset from El Camino Real.

In weekends, there are always a few wedding ceremony at this Catholic Church in the center court. The inside is wonderful.

The Dish

Stanford University has a field that is open for public, known as "dish". The name come from a big parabola antenna at the top of a hill. It is most dry grass hills with oak trees. There were numerous unmanaged trails all over the hill. Starting the summer of 2000, the University decided to "manage" the property; there is a designated paved trail, guarded entrance, and a lot less fun.

Near by the "dish", there is an old tower. The myth says that there is a signature of a famous Stanford graduates at the top of the tower. It is said to be one of Hewlett or Packards.

17 Miles Drive

One more good thing about living near San Francisco, a popular tourist destination, is to have many old friend visit me.

My favorite destination is 17 Miles Drive in Monterey peninsula whenever I have a visitor. It is said to be the most scenic and dramatic coast along the West coast, and is only 2 hours driving from the South Bay. Also there are many other nice destinations around it; town of Monterey (and aquarium), famous Pebble Beach golf course, town of Camel, etc.

When I had my old friend from Malaysia, I knew where I was going. It turns out that the best time to visit the west coast is spring or the fall time. Winter time is not bad; the worst is during the summer time, the coast is usually covered with thick fog.

Skyline Boulevard

My favorite drive around my place is the Skyline Boulevard (or CA Highway 35). The highway runs through the Santa Cruz mountain range in the Peninsula of SF Bay area. It lies just 10 miles from my apartment but it is completely isolated from the civilization. The winding and up-down hill drive is pure fun. In the weekends, you see hundreds of motorcycles. There are numerous state parks and open space preserves along the highway for hikes as well.

One day, I took a small side road from the Skyline Boulevard. The road was barely wide enough for one car; a lot of pit-holes, apparently no maintenance. But it kept going deeper into the forest. At the end of the road, I came across a small community. There were 5 or so hand made barracks, a water tank, and a few near-naked guys. They call themselves "nature's son". A surprising fact that such community exist that is merely 10 miles away from the civilization.

Parks and Spaces

A typical landscapes of Open Space Preserves. The space also offers redwoods, meadows, more oak trees, etc.

Along the Skyline Boulevard, tens of open spaces are maintained for public. The official name is, "Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District" but many call it just Open Space Preserves. There are hundreds of trails but most importantly, the parking is FREE.

The popular state parks I've been to are "Big Basin", "Castle Rock", "Alum Rock", etc.

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Stanford University, 17 miles Drive, Skyline Boulevard, Parks and Spaces