The Treasure of Elings Park

Now and then, I just want to enjoy the view when I go outside, and since I logged a whopping 8 mile run yesterday, today’s an optimum day to go easy on the kneesies & take it down a peg or 6. Something I’ll accomplish by going up, oddly enough, but not that far up, so if you’re in the mood for a walk in Elings park, grab your webby ,waffle stompers and pretend trail mix, and tread read on, chickens.

Elings Park

easy–but not THAT easy!

In keeping with the minimal effort & maximum reward of lite exercise, instead of driving the time-consuming 10 minutes to 7 Falls or even putting a “GH” in the word “lite” for that matter, we’ll be trailing around the city today, and above it, too, and wait’ll you see what hidden treasure lies this quicker 5 minutes away—from anybody in the quaint berg of SB.

You read right. The treasure of the Sierra Club Trail Madre (artistic license) is found just above the picnic tables, soccer fields and softball diamonds of Elings, and in addition to the privately funded, public park’s BMX track, war memorial and amphitheater. Sure, the temperatures are in the 80’s today & the air’s pretty darn still, too, but the entire looping trail is just 1.5 miles long, and entirely bandit free.

Happy Trails

In seconds, literally seconds, this is the view of the park.

Same view, several minutes & switchbacks later…

No stinking badges required either, and since the summit beckons with its golden promise of higher altitude breeze, dribble of benches studding the mesa’s top, and another goody, besides, it’s time to play King of the Hill!

…and I, took the one less traveled by…

so did they! Dogs allowed off leash here.

Blog Days of Summer….

Or King of the Still. In a few steps & equal amount of minutes, the melody of parkgoer banter fades as cymbal-soft winds riffle the withered fern-like fronds & tall grasses that flank the trail in soothing, natural hum, along with buzzing dragonflies & intermittent bird calls, and just enough crackle of unseen critters in the underbrush to keep most chickens stepping quickly along.

Up…up…up!

…to the bench for a quick 5.

Extreme close up of downtown behind me…

…but what’s this to my left?

And wishing for more wieldy wings. The hollow, fabric type comprising the canopy portion of the free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure—that is a paraglider. The unexpected visual treat that awaits us cardio birds proves a far greater temptation than mere scenic vistas, & the happy discovery of Eagle Paragliding School in full flutter at the hill’s apex sets my little chicken brain to thinking. Could I ever do something so daring? Or am I…too…chicken?
 

 
My chicken “feet” click as I think, though I suppose I can’t be shutterbug, chicken, and a good writer simultaneously, so I’ll hang up my pretty much useless feathers at this juncture, and get buggy with it. Get bloggy with it…Just look at the view! Even from terra firma it’s impressive.

Hendry’s Beach

Las Positas Road far below…

So imagine what it might be like from the air! After chatting briefly with USHPA certified paragliding instructors: Maggie and Michelle, I leave the mesa behind, but take along the notion I might like to give the sky a try. With first-timers ranging from teens through the 80’s, full instruction & tandem flights available 7 days a week, why, I’d fit in somewhere! Chicken Little fears aside, why not?

Chicken Little

Who knew a walk in the park could fuel such lofty dreams?