"For people cooped up inside all day, unable to get to the gym but badly in need of exercise, that beat-up old bicycle in the garage looks extra appealing these days.”
—John Cox, The Bakersfield Californian
“People may not remember this that well, but (on) Super Bowl weekend, in some ways, with apologies to the 49ners’ fans, the gift we may have been given was the 49ners losing”
—Dr. Niraj Sehgal, head of UCSF’s COVID-19 Command Center
Our plan yesterday, Bill Rothenberg and I that is, was to connect with nature along the bike-friendly San Tomas/Saratoga Creek Trail heading toward our designated destination of Levi’s Stadium, home of the 49ers. You would never know it, as we were making our way along some city streets to the bike lane of San Tomas Expressway, usually one of the busiest thoroughfares for commuters going to and from work were it not for the coronavirus pandemic. The traffic, if you want to call it that was so light at around 11 AM that you could almost ride across the lanes to the opposite side unscathed. Bill and I rode a few miles before accessing the eight miles long protected integrated trail system to enjoy nature in an otherwise urban environment. Thanks to The Santa Clara Valley Water District in partnership with municipalities, the County and other organizations that provide public access along streams, riverbanks, corridors which are some of the few remaining natural resources in Santa Clara County.
Runners, hikers, couples, parents and their kids riding their bikes were out enjoying the splendor of this sweet, sunny, Spring day, all respecting physical distancing guidelines. We rode under pedestrian brides under freeways with concrete murals of nature. We passed egrets and herons in their natural habitat. Though we were in no hurry, we finally made it to the vacant Levi’s Stadium with Great America amusement park on one side and the Santa Clara Youth Soccer Park on the other that sat empty as well. Outside of a jogger, and a couple of locals, Bill and I had the iconic stadium grounds all to ourselves. I will let the photos speak for themselves.
To think that had the 49ers not lost the Super Bowl to the Kansas City Chiefs who overcame a 10-point lead, when tens of thousands of fans who would have gathered in San Francisco for a celebratory parade right when the coronavirus was beginning to spread is too much to contemplate. As the 49ners were blowing their lead, a group of Bay Area doctors was too busy worrying about the football game as they tended to the region’s first case of coronavirus. The disappointing loss was a blessing in disguise.
Bill and I retraced our path back home to complete our near 25-mile adventure, with our endorphins running high with a full appreciation for living in a state with such wide-open space to bike ride without violating Gov. Gavin Newsom’s “safer at home” order.
