# Los Gatos Creek Commute



## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

My commute is short, at 5.75 miles, but over 4 miles of it is done on the Los Gatos Creek Trail, a creekside MUT. It’s calm, scenic, and blissfully car free! It's a nice trail, heavily used at certain hours, which I manage to avoid. It’s downright crazy on the weekends! It's a great way to get to work. On an average day, it takes me about 20-22 minutes to get to work.

I live in Willow Glen, an old neighborhood of San Jose. My house was built in 1931. I live about a block from the creek. That's it at the end of the street. Sadly, the MUT doesn't extend here for reasons I've never fully understood. Probably private property issues and the fact that it's kind of tight through here. I have to ride through my neighborhood and down another street to get to a trail head.

It's 6:50 AM. The temperature is 42 degrees. That's 5 celsius for you metric folks.


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## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

Yum Yum Donuts! Tempting. Who doesn't love donuts? I sit here almost every morning, waiting for the only stop light on my commute, because it's a long one. It can be more than two minutes for a green light in the direction I go. And even though it has a bike lane, there is no bike sensor! 

I could push the button on the crosswalk, but that only gets you a WALK sign, not a green light. There are too many right turners to hang out there, so if there is no thru traffic to trip the light, I go to the opposite corner and push the button. It’s far safer.


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## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

The next section is still on the street, but there is rarely any traffic here. The street ends at a school, which is also the trailhead. I’m sure there is plenty of traffic later, when school starts. That explains the radar speed thing. Not a bad speed for sitting up, no-hands, taking a picture!

(By the way, I NEVER stop at that stop sign. I figure if they wanted me to stop, they would have painted the limit line through the bike lane, too.)


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## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

Finally, the trailhead. It's tricky to navigate the chicane at the start, and I crashed there one day, so now I go into the parking lot and through a gap in the fence. Right off the bat is the first descent and climb.


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## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

Probably the biggest danger I face on my ride!


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## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

If I worked at eBay, I would take the left path and go about 100 yards. Instead, I go under Bascom Avenue, where a homeless guy has taken to sleeping on the MUT in the opposite lane. He’s the dark thing on the trail under the bridge. I guess he doesn't get up until later.


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## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

This section of the MUT is kind of ugly, with all the concrete walls. There's a flock of feral cats that hangs out near the end of this section. They are well fed by an old man who lives in the nearby apartments. 

You can see the black Pruneyard towers not too far away. We love to name things after whatever we destroyed to build there. This valley used to be covered with prune trees and cherry orchards, which came to the canneries that were not too far from where I live in Willow Glen. They are now knocking those down to build houses, and ironically, naming the development after the canneries!


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## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

The underpass for Hwy 17 is probably the scariest part of my ride. As you emerge on the other side, there is a 120 degree turn, mostly blind, into a steep climb. I fully expect to be creamed there one day by someone flying down the hill, into the blind curve, thrust into the darkness of the tunnel.


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## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

After the little climb, the trail goes through the parking lot of the Campbell Inn, then goes down another underpass under Campbell Avenue. The bridge was built in 1940, when nobody cared about an MUT. So when they built the MUT around 1980, they literally bolted it on! Unfortunately, they built in a blind curve near the end.

This section used to be covered with sheets of plywood, which inevitably would decay and turn into hazards. They would close the trail for weeks or months, and you had to make the death defying dash across Campbell Ave. Finally they replaced the plywood with railroad ties, which seemingly last forever.


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## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

At this point, I can choose the path on either side of the creek. I usually choose to cross over and ride the west side, because it's a little easier. The bridge here is also railroad ties. They love railroad ties. The problem is that after a few days of rain in winter, it can get cold enough to freeze, and it gets slick. I crashed here back in January and ended up partially off the bridge, wedged into the railing.


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## Pablo (Jul 7, 2004)

"Los gatos" commute and not a single cat. WTF?


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## Pablo (Jul 7, 2004)

"Los gatos" commute and not a single cat. WTF?


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## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

Over the bridge on the west side is Campbell Park, starting point for a lot people who use the trail. This segment of the trail is called the Par Course, because along the trail, on both sides of the creek, are stations with exercise apparatus. Distance is also measured, if you know where to look. It’s just like the gym, only it’s outside!

In one of the pictures, you can see a winery across Hwy 17. It's Pindar Vineyards, although the only grapes over there come in those crates you can see.


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## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

This section ends at a small but steep climb to the top of a dam. It's called a dam, but it's kind of a waterfall, too. There is a bridge here to cross over to the east side of the creek. It was put in about two years ago to replace a much smaller bridge that was here. You can see the concrete pads where it used to be. You had to go down switchbacks to get there, so it was a pain. You can see Hwy 17, which parallels the trail for most of my ride.


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## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

After the dam, you have to get under San Tomas Expressway. They put in another chicane section here which hardly slows any real cyclists down. It's dark under the bridge.


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## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

On the other side there is a dog park that was built about two years ago. It's pretty cool if you have dogs. There's a big dog section and a small dog section, and the dogs love it. There's never anyone here this early.

Next to the dog park are casting ponds, so you can practice your fly fishing. I rarely see anyone using these, but there are plenty of people who come out here to fish in the creek and the ponds. Some even bring inflatable boats.


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## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

This section has a lot of channels and a bunch of ponds. Believe it or not, one of the ponds here is dedicated to remote control boats! The ponds are usually calm in the morning, but in the afternoon, on the way home, the wind can howl through here because
it is wide open. 

Oh, did I say my commute on the MUT was blissfully car free? It usually is...


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## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

There are lots of ducks here, as well as duck type birds called coots. There are also a lot of Canadian geese, who come down here and never go back. I can't blame them, but man, there are a lot of geese, and they create a LOT of crap. It's nasty sometimes.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

Now that is a sweet commute, your tax dollars at work (and well worth it I say!)!


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## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

Just a little more riding and finally, inside the boundaries of Los Gatos, I reach my turnoff. It's not much of a turnoff! I ride through this parking lot and then up the sidewalk, because I don't like riding on the road here and I'm only going a couple of hundred feet.


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## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

I park my bike in an empty cubicle. The building management won't let me leave it in the lobby, although I wouldn't leave this bike out there anyway. I used to ride a dedicated commuter bike with fenders and a big pack, but these days, I'd rather ride my road bike.

The CEO also rode in today. His bike is a little better than mine.


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## snapdragen (Jan 28, 2004)

How fun to see all the familiar places. The bridge by the school/trailhead is Chloe's nemisis. I used to start an after-work ride at the park with the geese - have you seen them practicing their tai chi?  

Is there still a tent pitched under the Bascom ave bridge?


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## superjohnny (May 16, 2006)

That's a sweet ride report. Nice work! I like that photo of the bridge with all the sun flare.


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## thinkcooper (Jan 5, 2005)

Great ride. I really like how secluded the path is. It's so quiet, you could catch a goose and cook it up. The coots don't look as tasty.


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## DrRoebuck (May 10, 2004)

Wow. I have to say I couldn't think of a better commute, both in distance and topography.

I think you need to do some urban riding with us in L.A. Mix it up with all the road-raging lunatics. I'm not saying you don't already appreciate the quietness of your commute, but still ...


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## Sledgehammer03 (Mar 7, 2006)

Sweet Commute. Looks like the possiblity for lots of distractions. How often do you get to ride that?


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## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

Pablo said:


> "Los gatos" commute and not a single cat. WTF?


I was hoping to catch a shot of the feral cats, but they wouldn't cooperate. There is an apartment complex along the route where I'll see non-feral cats, but they haven't been out lately. The truth is, most of this ride is in the cities of San Jose and Campbell, and the street where my work is located is literally the northern boundary of Los Gatos.

The trail goes about another 7-8 miles, unbroken and still car free, through Los Gatos and up into the hills to the Lexington Reservoir. I used to live about 3 miles up the trail in the other direction. In fact, that's how I found this job. I wanted a job where I could ride to work, so I got on my bike, rode down the creek trail, and jotted down the names of all the companies along the trail. One of them hired me, and the rest is history. Moving from Los Gatos to Willow Glen just put me at the other end of the trail.

They have been extending the trail northward from Willow Glen to downtown San Jose, which isn't very far. They built another 1/2 mile or so that opened recently that goes up to where the new canneries used to be, and the new housing development is doing the next leg. It's a slow process, but one day I'll be able to ride to downtown San Jose in relative safety. Then I'll have to get a job at Adobe.


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## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

snapdragen said:


> Is there still a tent pitched under the Bascom ave bridge?


The tent has been gone for a few months. They found a dead guy there back in January. It was a transient who apparently died of natural causes. You probably remember how cold it was here around that time. Maybe that was the tent guy. Or maybe the guy sleeping on the trail is the tent guy and he lost his tent. 

For a few days last year, there was another tent set up almost under Hamilton, below the delta queen car wash. It came and went quickly--must have been someone just passing through.


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## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

thinkcooper said:


> Great ride. I really like how secluded the path is. It's so quiet, you could catch a goose and cook it up. The coots don't look as tasty.


I have developed a strong hatred of geese. They crap EVERYWHERE, and it's full of nitrates that get in the water. I was reading how there is a layer of goose crap on the bottom of Lake Tahoe now, because the geese won't go back to Canada. I think it's time to catch all of them, and either cook them, or ship them back to Canada. If they won't go, we'll have to take them there.


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## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

DrRoebuck said:


> I think you need to do some urban riding with us in L.A. Mix it up with all the road-raging lunatics. I'm not saying you don't already appreciate the quietness of your commute, but still ...


I used to commute from Venice to Santa Monica, on 23rd past the airport, then over Cloverfield and up to Broadway. My office was across from Helen's Cycles. Early enough, it's manageable, but it's not fun. And going home was always kind of hairy.


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## DrRoebuck (May 10, 2004)

mohair_chair said:


> I used to commute from Venice to Santa Monica, on 23rd past the airport, then over Cloverfield and up to Broadway. Early enough, it's manageable, but it's not fun. And going home was always kind of hairy.


Yeah, 23rd becomes Walgrove and that's one of my least favorite streets to ride on. One lane, narrow, angry drivers looking for a shortcut.


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## Fr Ted Crilly (Feb 7, 2002)

mohair_chair said:


> Yum Yum Donuts! Tempting. Who doesn't love donuts? I sit here almost every morning, waiting for the only stop light on my commute, because it's a long one. It can be more than two minutes for a green light in the direction I go. And even though it has a bike lane, there is no bike sensor!
> 
> I could push the button on the crosswalk, but that only gets you a WALK sign, not a green light. There are too many right turners to hang out there, so if there is no thru traffic to trip the light, I go to the opposite corner and push the button. It’s far safer.


Couldn't you turn right onto Meridian and join the trail a little further north and therefore avoid the temptation of staring at donuts for 2 minutes? Maybe the thought of a donut is the highlight of your commute  
Nice report, you must have covered just about every turn on the trail. I'm commuting from (the SE extremity of) Willow Gen as well but it's far less scenic than that - Hwy 87 bike path south onto Santa Teresa. At least there's a bike path for a 1.5 miles, but after that I'm far more likely to come across a huge semi-truck than a goose.


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## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

MB1 said:


> Now that is a sweet commute, your tax dollars at work (and well worth it I say!)!


Definitely well worth it. The creek trail is very heavily used by all kinds of people, especially on the weekends, when any serious cyclist would avoid most of it. On a summer weekend, forget about getting anywhere quickly. 

There was even a company that rented Segways that wanted to run "tours" on the trail, but the cities of Campbell and Los Gatos wouldn't let them use the trail that they controlled. The last section I ride, with all the ponds, is a county park, and the Segways are allowed there. I used to see them occasionally, ridden by clueless people moving randomly. I think the company went out of business, or at least stopped running "tours."


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## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

Fr Ted Crilly said:


> Couldn't you turn right onto Meridian and join the trail a little further north and therefore avoid the temptation of staring at donuts for 2 minutes? Maybe the thought of a donut is the highlight of your commute
> Nice report, you must have covered just about every turn on the trail. I'm commuting from (the SE extremity of) Willow Gen as well but it's far less scenic than that - Hwy 87 bike path south onto Santa Teresa. At least there's a bike path for a 1.5 miles, but after that I'm far more likely to come across a huge semi-truck than a goose.


I could, but Meridian gets a ton of traffic in the morning, and it can be pretty difficult to cross there. Plus, it's a lot more dangerous. If I got lucky and found a break in traffic, I could save some time, but it's more likely that I won't gain anything while putting myself more in harm's way.


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## Fr Ted Crilly (Feb 7, 2002)

mohair_chair said:


> I was hoping to catch a shot of the feral cats, but they wouldn't cooperate. There is an apartment complex along the route where I'll see non-feral cats, but they haven't been out lately. The truth is, most of this ride is in the cities of San Jose and Campbell, and the street where my work is located is literally the northern boundary of Los Gatos.
> 
> The trail goes about another 7-8 miles, unbroken and still car free, through Los Gatos and up into the hills to the Lexington Reservoir. I used to live about 3 miles up the trail in the other direction. In fact, that's how I found this job. I wanted a job where I could ride to work, so I got on my bike, rode down the creek trail, and jotted down the names of all the companies along the trail. One of them hired me, and the rest is history. Moving from Los Gatos to Willow Glen just put me at the other end of the trail.
> 
> They have been extending the trail northward from Willow Glen to downtown San Jose, which isn't very far. They built another 1/2 mile or so that opened recently that goes up to where the new canneries used to be, and the new housing development is doing the next leg. It's a slow process, but one day I'll be able to ride to downtown San Jose in relative safety. Then I'll have to get a job at Adobe.


I'm grateful for what we do have, but I wonder if bike trails in other big cities are as disjointed as those in San Jose. While better than nothing they are in many cases obviously an afterthought. Case in point the 1.5 mile gap in the Los Gatos Creek trail between Meridian Ave and Lonus St. Even after that new section beside the Cannery opens later this year, there will still be another 0.75 miles of street riding along beautiful West San Carlos St before Guadeloupe Creek Trail. Knowing the speed of these projects it might be your kids cycling to work in Adode rather than you!


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## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

Sledgehammer03 said:


> Sweet Commute. Looks like the possiblity for lots of distractions. How often do you get to ride that?


There are definitely distractions! I try to ride to work 4 days a week, as long as it's not raining. After I crashed on some ice, I won't ride if it is really cold the day after rain. I usually end up driving in to work at least once a week for some reason or another, so I rarely get in five days of commuting.


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## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

Yep, it takes forever. If I had won the big lottery recently, I would have donated a chunk of change so they could build and finish all the trails in six months rather than the years they project. But that's not enough. There are sections of the Guadalupe trail that are built, but not open for some reason. I don't understand that at all!


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## Fr Ted Crilly (Feb 7, 2002)

mohair_chair said:


> There are sections of the Guadalupe trail that are built, but not open for some reason. I don't understand that at all!


What sections are you referring to?


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## Ridgetop (Mar 1, 2005)

Great report. My wife's family lives in San Jose, but in a much scarier area (although over the past few years I've been amazed at how much nicer it has become). We like to come down and ride around the South and East Bay areas. I wish my commute was that nice. I've been avoiding it because of all the debris from the snow and the first six miles or so is four lane freeway stuff (although supposedly the bike route). What I wouldn't give for them to connect up Reno to Carson City with such a nice MUT.


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## robwh9 (Sep 2, 2004)

Pablo said:


> "Los gatos" commute and not a single cat. WTF?


They shot it recently (I kid you not).


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## robwh9 (Sep 2, 2004)

mohair_chair said:


> There are also a lot of Canadian geese, who come down here and never go back.


Probably because of the strength of the Canadian vs. US dollar.


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## robwh9 (Sep 2, 2004)

mohair_chair said:


> We love to name things after whatever we destroyed to build there. This valley used to be covered with prune trees and cherry orchards, which came to the canneries that were not too far from where I live in Willow Glen. They are now knocking those down to build houses, and ironically, naming the development after the canneries!


Aint that the truth. In Sunnyvale they bulldozed the Olson cherry orchard to build an apartment complex named, you guessed it, The Cherry Orchard.

Did you see any Eds?


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## Henry Chinaski (Feb 3, 2004)

Great pics! Makes me homesick for the Bay Area.


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## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

Fr Ted Crilly said:


> What sections are you referring to?


There is a section that starts at Grant Street, which is practically under 280, which is all fenced off. I think they closed it when they were working on 87, but as far as I know, it's still closed.


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## Fr Ted Crilly (Feb 7, 2002)

mohair_chair said:


> There is a section that starts at Grant Street, which is practically under 280, which is all fenced off. I think they closed it when they were working on 87, but as far as I know, it's still closed.


There is fencing across the road at Grant and Palm, but there's an opening that allows access north onto the trail and which, as you say, goes right under 280. It's a rather inelegant entrance to the trail but it is clearly open for use.


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## rmsmith (Feb 15, 2007)

I know SJ very well, but the cost of housing there has been simply crazy for the past 10 years. I seriously don't know how any "regular joe" does it.


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## eddy (Jun 5, 2005)

mohair_chair said:


> We love to name things after whatever we destroyed to build there. This valley used to be covered with prune trees and cherry orchards, which came to the canneries that were not too far from where I live in Willow Glen. They are now knocking those down to build houses, and ironically, naming the development after the canneries!


LOL, it is so sad, but true. I remember the (few remaining) orchards in Blossom Valley, Evergreen, and Campbell growing up. I was almost shell-shocked the last time I went to Evergreen--acres of trees gone, and, in their place, mass housing and a new high school.



mohair_chair said:


> Yep, it takes forever. If I had won the big lottery recently, I would have donated a chunk of change so they could build and finish all the trails in six months rather than the years they project.


You'd think being such a car-centric society that they would build the freeways faster than the MUTs. But, no, it took 30 years to build Hwy 85. 



mohair_chair said:


> I wanted a job where I could ride to work, so I got on my bike, rode down the creek trail, and jotted down the names of all the companies along the trail. One of them hired me, and the rest is history.


Sweet! I tried that once, made a list of all the companies along a route in the Santa Teresa/Bernal area, but it didn't work out for me. That is awesome that you did it and got the job!

Very nice commute, pics, and report, mohair!


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## Leopold Porkstacker (Jul 15, 2005)

Hehe, my wife works at Chakshu Research, apparently in the same business complex as your company on Knowles!

I, on the other hand, unfortunately make the ~17 mile journey from Blossom Hill/Almaden Valley to Wolfe/Central Expressway three days per week, so she has the more laid back commute. Naturally I recognise all the photos of your journey (in 2006 I worked at a company at the Water Tower complex on 300 Orchard City Dr. in Campbell) -- it’s always nice to see someone else’s photographic perspective of familiar territory.

Funny, I’ve probably blown by you and Yum-Yum at Meridian/Willow, since once the traffic is moving on Meridian, I am using their wind currents. I’m the guy with the overpoweringly bright (custom made with individual Luxeon LEDs and MOSFET-fed boost circuits) front and rear lights. Yes, like a madman, I ride with the traffic on Meridian, down across San Carlos (to Park and then Monroe and then Kifer). But the traffic on Meridian is mellow as compared to on Bascom.

Cheers fellow Sillycone Valley Psyclist!


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## Leopold Porkstacker (Jul 15, 2005)

rmsmith said:


> I know SJ very well, but the cost of housing there has been simply crazy for the past 10 years. I seriously don't know how any "regular joe" does it.


Sacrifices. Believe me. My wife and I went from renting in Sunnyvale in 2003/2004 to all of a sudden being homeowners (with a kid on the way) in April of 2004. To make it all possible I had to abandon my single malt scotch whiskey habit (I miss the Lagavulin and Ardbeg Uiegedahl), buy Vittoria Diamantes instead of Conti Grand Prix Supersonics, ride more, etc. Lots and lots of sacrifices. I even had to sell a few of my Macs (I still have 8 though). Fortunately my wife works the biotech gigs, whereas I am the underpaid/underappreciated tech/creative slave.


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## Leopold Porkstacker (Jul 15, 2005)

robwh9 said:


> Aint that the truth. In Sunnyvale they bulldozed the Olson cherry orchard to build an apartment complex named, you guessed it, The Cherry Orchard.
> 
> Did you see any Eds?


Being a Sunnyvale native, that brings back memories. I grew up in a neighbourhood near Evelyn/Wolfe/Old San Francisco/Reed, and in the early 1970s we used to go pick strawberries at the orchard that was on the other side of Reed. Man, those were the days. As soon as they started putting a 7-11 on every freakin' corner, suddenly Sunnyvale was attracting loser dirtbags.


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## Chucko (May 15, 2007)

Hey Leo, good to see you over here! I live in S'vale, does that make me a loser dirtbag too?

I too was sorry to see Olson's last orchard go, only to make room for the apts and a new mini-mall full of national chains where you can never find parking.

Nice pics mohair_chair. Isn't the LG Creek trail supposed to tie into the Guadalupe River Trail in the future?


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## Leopold Porkstacker (Jul 15, 2005)

Chucko said:


> Hey Leo, good to see you over here! I live in S'vale, does that make me a loser dirtbag too?
> 
> I too was sorry to see Olson's last orchard go, only to make room for the apts and a new mini-mall full of national chains where you can never find parking.
> 
> Nice pics mohair_chair. Isn't the LG Creek trail supposed to tie into the Guadalupe River Trail in the future?


Wait--- _the_ Chucko?!?! The guy I used to trade/buy/sell Mac parts with?


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## Chucko (May 15, 2007)

Yeah, that same loser dirtbag from Sunnyvale.  Typing this on a Giga-upgraded G4 Digital Audio (with the Quicksilver (?) power supply you sold me) AAMOF. There's a Mac Pro in my future if the IRS cooperates.


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## Killroy (Feb 9, 2006)

I also commute the LGCT, but I start at Campbell park and ride north to north San Jose to Trimble and First St. 

LGCT stops at Meridian, but have you ridden the new part that goes under 280. After LGCT hit the getto streets by Bird and hop on Guadalupe River Trail, ride under the new concrete section under 101 and ride the gravel to Trimble. Its around 11 miles.


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## rmsmith (Feb 15, 2007)

mohair_chair said:


> My commute is short, at 5.75 miles, but over 4 miles of it is done on the Los Gatos Creek Trail, a creekside MUT. It’s calm, scenic, and blissfully car free! It's a nice trail, heavily used at certain hours, which I manage to avoid. It’s downright crazy on the weekends! It's a great way to get to work. On an average day, it takes me about 20-22 minutes to get to work.
> 
> I live in Willow Glen, an old neighborhood of San Jose. My house was built in 1931. I live about a block from the creek. That's it at the end of the street. Sadly, the MUT doesn't extend here for reasons I've never fully understood. Probably private property issues and the fact that it's kind of tight through here. I have to ride through my neighborhood and down another street to get to a trail head.
> 
> It's 6:50 AM. The temperature is 42 degrees. That's 5 celsius for you metric folks.


Gar***** and Caro***, just off Lincoln, and the creek is along Gle* Ey***. Right?

I used to commute up Cher** to Gle* Ey*** on my way downtown. Took my first date to Roundtable there on Lincoln back in the sixties.


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## Leopold Porkstacker (Jul 15, 2005)

rmsmith said:


> Gar***** and Caro***, just off Lincoln, and the creek is along Gle* Ey***. Right?
> 
> I used to commute up Cher** to Gle* Ey*** on my way downtown. Took my first date to Roundtable there on Lincoln back in the sixties.


Amazingly after all these years, Cherry Liquors is still there.


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