Berkeley, California Foothills

Today I am visiting my son in Berkeley California. While he is at work I have a chance to explore University of California's campus at Berkeley. It is so beautiful. The small river known as Strawberry Creek runs through the campus and there are many tall, old hardwood trees.

I also found out that the Hayward Fault Zone runs right through the campus too.  In fact it runs straight across California Memorial Stadium.

The Hayward Fault is about 74 miles long, and can cause big earthquakes. I notice that there are signs posted everywhere reminding people to "BE PREPARED" for earthquakes.

Berkeley California is filled with amazing restaurants. We have had Ethiopian,  Japanese, and tonight we are having Indian food. We plan to get 'take-out' and watch the Patriots game at home with some other Nantucket friends. Fun!

Ramen Noodles with Duck

Delicious!

Standing on Top of Two Plates: Plate Tectonics Makes for Great Hiking!

38.0400° N, 122.7400° W: Marin Headlands

We spent the morning hiking in the California county of Marin. Marin is just north of San Francisco, across the Golden Gate Bridge.

Mount Tampalias is a well known and much loved landmark in Marin. They call it the 'sleeping lady' because that's what it looks like.  Look at the photo. Can you see the sleeping lady?

The Golden Gate National Recreational Area has beautiful trails perfect for hiking and biking. The hiking trails are quite hilly. One moment you are hiking up a hill and the next moment you are hiking down a steep slope. These rolling hills were caused by the San Andreas fault.  This fault is the slippery yet sticky boundary between two of Earth's tectonic plates. It is responsible for the biggest earthquakes in California, up to at least magnitude 8.1.

Notice how the hills seem to have been pushed together, like the wrinkles in a blanket. It's the movement of the North American Plate and the Pacific Plate that are doing the pushing. They push the land together to make 'wrinkles' that we hike up and down. The San Andreas fault is the land where these two plates meet. 

Missing my students!

On the Fast Ferry with Elizabeth

I'm on my way to San Francisco for an extended visit.  I was lucky enough to run into Elizabeth, one of my former students,  and her mom on the fast ferry. The fast ferry is becoming a great place to catch up with friends and acquaintances, much like the Madaket dump is on a Sunday morning. You can never predict who you might run into for a visit and 'catching-up' session. It was great to see you Elizabeth!