Tag

Silicon Valley
Yesterday I hiked the 1 ½ mile San Andreas Earthquake Trail in the Los Trancos Open Space Preserve. To reach the Preserve from Highway 280, you must drive 7 miles up a long and winding road, a drive of about 30 minutes. The Preserve is located on Montebello Ridge 2,000 feet above Palo Alto in...
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Last week I visited Moffett Field and its Museum. Located in Mountain View beside the Bay, the airfield has served as a military presence in Silicon Valley since the 1930’s. Moffett Field began as a Naval Air Station in 1931, became an army base (1935-42), the headquarters for early space research (NACA in 1939 and...
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Sigurd and Russell Varian were born in Ireland near the turn of the century, and grew up in Northern California. Their father was a poet and a masseur, who lectured in a theosophist community and encouraged his boys’ creativity. Both boys were interested in electricity and its properties. Russell attended Stanford but struggled to find...
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To get to Ridge Winery from Cupertino you must travel 4.5 miles uphill, along a narrow switchback road, past vineyards and open space, to an elevation of 2300 feet. Reaching the top and looking east, you have a grand view of expansive “Silicon Valley”. The Santa Cruz Mountains and the Pacific Ocean lie to the...
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The Google Headquarters, aka “Googleplex”, is a required and favorite destination for all visitors to Silicon Valley. For groups without access inside, there are some outdoor destinations to enjoy, including the T-Rex in the courtyard of Building 43, the onsite garden, and the Android life-sized characters at Building 44. An interesting aside, the main building...
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  I was driving on Stevens Canyon Road in Cupertino last week when an unusual sight caught my eye. I was already past the white bicycle when I decided to turn around and take a closer look. What I found surprised me and offered me a glimpse at a new kind of monument. The item...
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What better image is there for a tour guide than a “Heart”?  A tour guide shares what he “loves” about his city or site with others, and they, in turn, gain some love for the area themselves. Hearts are a particularly apt image for a San Francisco tour guide. The city prides itself on its...
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