Silicon Valley Secret
Palo Alto’s Foothills Park is 1,400-acres of heaven on Earth, and yet I’ve been told by no lesser authority than one of the rangers that three members of the Palo Alto City Council have never so much as bothered to visit. Not even once. I wasn’t overly surprised. I’ve known Palo Alto residents who’ve never been to Foothills, in some cases simply because they don’t know it exists. On weekdays the Park virtually deserted.
There’s no entrance or use fee, however there’s a catch. The rules state that you must be a Palo Alto resident, or the guest of a Palo Alto resident, to enter the park. But as a reward for visiting this website I’m going to let you in on a little secret, one that you won’t find in any of the guide books. On weekdays the booth at the entry gate is unattended and so no one checks identification. If you happen to be an out of town visitor and would like it see the park on a weekday, well let’s just say that no one would be the wiser.
I took this picture through the window of the official HoSV car, a vintage Wagon Queen Family Truckster, on one of my nearly daily drives through the park. It’s great for clearing the mind and you can see lots of wildlife. If you visit Foothills be sure to drive, or walk, up Vista Hill for a wonderful view of the Silicon Valley.
- Aperture: ƒ/5.6
- Camera: LEICA X2
- Flash fired: no
- Focal length: 24mm
- ISO: 100
- Shutter speed: 1/500s
