|
Stanford Dish Loop Hike Palo Alto, California 5th Hike: Foothill College Day Hike Instructor: Thomas McCarthy Friday, November 1, 2013 By Peter Y. Chou WisdomPortal.com |
| Preface: This is the fifth hike in Thomas McCarthy's Day Hike Class (PHED 23B) at Foothill College. A friend gave me a ride to today's hike at The Stanford Dish on Foothill Expressway & Stanford Avenue. Saw the instructor Tom McCarthy chatting with Ivan on Stanford Avenue around 1 pm. However, street-side parking on Stanford Avenue was all full, and we finally found a space at Lucille M. Nixon Elementary School (1711 Stanford Ave), approximately three blocks away. By the time, we got to the Stanford Dish Entrance, the class had already gone, and it's the first time I didn't sign in on the Day Hike class. The Stanford Dish Hike is a scenic 4-mile loop on steep, paved trails with great views of Stanford University and the San Francisco Bay. The instructor had told us to go to the right, down to the cattle pasture and complete the 360o course. When we asked the Park Ranger where are the cattles, he said that none were there now, and they'll be back in a few months. I recall seeing many cows when hiking here in 2000 with two friends, and even spotted a snowy egret. One class member came late and joined us on the hike. When we got near the Stanford Dish (2:27 pm), saw the instructor Tom with Robin, and waved to them as they were heading back. Some of the wildlife encountered today include a chipmunk at its burrow, a lizard and a giant black beetle on the trail, as well as a hawk soaring under a blazing sun. There were many white oaks on the loop trail, and some interesting Victorian and Italian Houses seen near the end of the trail. We finished the 4-mile loop hike at 4:25 pm in three hours. Below are 63 photos from the Stanford Dish Loop hike. |
 Found Parking at Nixon Elementary School |
 Oak Trees by Stanford Avenue |
 Stanford Ave & Foothill Expressway |
 Stanford Dish Hike Entrance |
 Stanford Dish Loop Trailhead |
 Stanford Dish Hike Signpost |
 Hiking Up Stanford Dish Loop |
 View to Left of Loop Trail |
 View to Right of Loop Trail |
 View of Hoover Tower from Trail |
 "Sleeping Branch" White Oak Tree |
 White Oak on the Hill |
 Vista of Palo Alto Page Mill Road |
 Vista of Stanford's Hoover Tower |
 Vista View of Distant Hills |
 Vista View of Stanford Dish |
 600 Reservoir Road: Cow Pasture Barn |
 Gnarly California Live Oak |
 Small Stanford Dish on Trail |
 540 Reservoir Road: Small Stanford Dish |
 "Monster-Shape" Dead Trunk |
 Hoover Tower through Dead Oak |
 Gnarly Old White Oak |
 Stanford Dish on Trail |
 Y-Shape Black Oak |
 Hikers to Stanford Dish |
 Almost Leafless Live Oak |
 400 Reservoir Rd: Stanford Dish |
 Moth on White Oak Leaf |
 Approaching Stanford Dish |
 Chipmunk at Burrow on Trail (1) |
 Stanford Dish between Two Oaks |
 Stanford Dish Closeup |
 Sunflare through Stanford Dish |
 White Oak on Hill |
 Fruits of White Oak (Quercus alba) |
 Expansive White Oak |
 Scattered Rocks by Trail |
 Rocks & Stanford Dish |
 Dark Green Tanoak (Lithocarpus) |
 301 Reservoir Road Signpost |
 "Two Battling Crocodiles" Trunks |
 Vista of Golf Course Hills |
 Sunflare and Hawk |
 Sunflare & Blurry Landscape |
 Giant Black Beetle on Trail |
 Young Lithe White Oak |
 Dead Trunk "Crying for Help" |
 Fruits on Buckeye Tree |
 Yellow Thistle (Asteraceae) |
 Lizard Wandering on Trail |
 Buckeye Tree (Aesculus glabra) |
 Victorian House by Trail |
 Cypress & Tiled Roof House (Left) |
 Cypress & Tiled Roof House (Center) |
 Cypress & Tiled Roof House (Right) |
 White Oak (Quercus alba) |
 Gerona Gate Signpost |
 Stanford Gate Signpost |
 Stanford Dish Gate Clock |
| Top of Page
| Picchetti Ranch 2013
| Wunderlich Park
| Edgewood Park
| Shoreline Park
| Cowell Ranch Beach
| Skyline Trail |
| Purisima-Hwy 1-Windy Hill
| Purisima 7-14-2013
| Cowell-Purisima
| Purisima 7-4-13
| Windy Hill 2013
| Matadero Creek Trail |
| Picchetti Ranch 2011
| Nature Walks 2013
| Walks 2012
| Walks 2011
| Walks 2010
| Walks 2009
| Walks 2008
| Haikus 2013 |
| Haikus 2012
| Haikus 2011
| Haikus 2010
| Haikus 2009
| Haikus 2008
| Haikus 2007
| Poems 2013
| Poems 2012
| Poems 2011 |
| Poems 2010
| Poems 2009
| Poems 2008
| Poems 2007
| Poems Index
| CPITS
| Interesting News
| Books
| A-Z Portals
| Home |
| © Peter Y. Chou,
Wisdom Portal P.O. Box 390707, Mountain View, CA 94039 email:  (11-4-2013) |
 |