A Walk in the Park II

With the remnants of the latest winter storm inching to the East and another one the horizon I grab my satchel, a peanut butter sandwich and my camera to wander off into the park to escape the mind numbing computer hum of my studio and inside itchiness an outdoor person gets when confined indoors for too long.  It hasn't completely stopped raining, which makes me unabashedly smile for I need a good rain soaking.  Today I decide to head North into the Presidio Park, a 1500 acre park founded by the Spanish in 1776.  The only rule, and I use that loosely, I have when I go wandering is to always take the smallest, muddiest path possible and in a city park this size those trails abound at all corners.  This past year they finished a wonderful trail that skirts the Western edge of the park, with sweeping views of the Pacific and the Headlands. 

And with the rain there is not a sole out here.  I take my time, stopping often to sit and watch.  Sometimes it's enjoyable to not participate, to simply watch nature around you and not interfere, even with camera.  In these moments my mind wanders to a past time where this existed before we came.  John Mcphee, in his book Assembling California, talks about this area extensively.  Several thousand years ago the western coast, at this spot, extended several miles further West from where it exists today.  The San Francisco Bay, famously called The Gate, was a lowland river valley, and underneath the present day Golden Gate Bridge was a canyon of sorts with a large river meandering under it on it's way to the ocean.  Geologic time scales fascinate me.  In Zion NP a few years back I listened to a Geologist describe the geology of the park and at one point he said that the park, at this very moment, is geologically evolving at the same rate it always has.  I like that.  To me, it makes it a bit more real than mistakingly visualizing the processes as some distant single event, rather than a constant progression.  The rain starts to let up and the sun peaks out, so I gather my satchel and half eaten sandwich and continue on.  This park has a duality that is instantly apparent, for within the natural setting lies the very real history of human occupation for this place.  The name Presidio meaning a fortified military base.  After California's annexation, the U.S. Army took up station, expanded operations and after they officially left in 1994 had left behind a myriad of buildings, coastal fortifications and parade grounds that showcase a hundred plus years of changing architectural styles.  At the end of this coastal trail is one of those coastal concrete batteries.  And that's the oddity of this park, for every back forest trail there is another ancient building that speaks of a time long forgotten. 

I find it fascinating.  I much prefer the untouched High Sierra, or deep desert, but this is a different fascination.  It shows a history that is tangible and without direct explanation.  As I wander through this varied landscape I'm left to wonder why a particular building was placed where it is, or what function it served.  It's full sunshine now and I wander to the parks interior, a mass jungle of Eucalyptus forests, which by the way were planted by the Army.  Naturally, most of this area was large sand dunes with scrub grasses and a few hearty trees.  After traversing the park I head back towards home, back to the hum of productivity.  On the horizon dark clouds are forming, the next storm.  I smile, I think I'll come back out tomorrow and get my proper soaking.