“If you follow your bliss you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life you ought to be living is the one your are living. When you can see that, you begin to meet people who are in your field of bliss, and they open the doors for you”
—Joseph Campbell
Bill and I drove our bikes to the El Camino Trailhead where we entered a series of interlocking pedestrian and bicycle bridges en route to Steven’s Creek Tidal Marsh Trail, Shoreline Lake, the Palo Alto Baylands, also known as the Baylands Nature Preserve. It is the largest undisturbed marshland remaining in the SF Bay.
The kids summer water-sports camp in Mountain View is in session as noted by numerous colorful paddle-boats sailboats, kayaks and paddle boards on the lake. We stopped along the jetty heading in the direction of Palo Alto airport to watch and listen to the awe-inspiring chorus of over 10,000 shorebirds.
As we have done in the past we rode the rutted sand dunes for several miles on our way towards the Palo Alto Baylands to see the new bicycle and pedestrian bridge project over Highway 101 that is nearing its' completion. It will replace the Lefkowitz underpass to provide year-round access.
Just shorty beyond the bridge project is the Bill Bliss Monument called "Bliss in the Moment" by Palo Alto artist, James Moore, that was installed along the Bay Trail in January 2011. The 6-foot-9 brushed stainless-steel sculpture has a Star Wars R2D2 feeling to it. The odometer on the bike reads 20,136, representing the number of miles Bill Bliss rode on his round the globe “Odyssey” during the year 2000 that took 366 days. Sadly, in 2005 a negligent driver ran into him as he was traveling with a touring group of cyclists bringing about his death. In this homage to Bill Bliss, It’s been reported the artist wanted “To pay tribute to his life’s work—I wanted to imply a place of rest,” and the placement of the figure and bike “are focused towards the wetlands in a pose that is relaxed and contemplative."
Since riding trails in the Bay Area I have become grateful to noble citizens like Bill Bliss who have made great contributions to the well-being of cyclists and hiking enthusiasts. Bliss served on the board of the Bay Traill for 15 years and made a significant impact on the development of the 500-mile Bay Trail project, that when complete will encircle San Francisco and San Pablo Bays with continuous trails.
To cap off our biking journey Bill and I had lunch (Bangkok and Golden Gate Salads) at the Crepevine in downtown Mountain View.
