Hiking Edgewood:Pirate's Cave Mystery - Handley Rock

Trailside, do I see

Pirate's cave across the way?

Handley Rock beckons!

You can't get there from here. 

Handley Rock is a secret treasure discovered for the first time by many, only because they hiked at Edgewood Nature Preserve. Reminiscent of Never Never Land,skull shaped Handley Rock, beckons to local rock-climbers,mystics, romantics, and pirate-loving locals.

When hiking Edgewood's Sylvan Exercise Loop, I begin to look for Handley Rock shortly after I pass the first half mile posting shortly past the Waterfall. As soon as I see gaps in the vegetation  that screens the valley that lies roughly southeast(East is towards the San Francisco Bay. South is San Jose) I begin scanning for this mysterious piratical dome that formed from Whiskey Hill sandstone. 

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Resources

Friends of Edgwood  http://www.friendsofedgewood.org

Handley Rock in 365 days of things to do in Redwood City  (includes map link)  http://redwoodcity365.com/?p=23

La Biblioteca de Redwood City/Redwood City Library

Constructed in 1921, the main branch of
Redwood City Library was once a firehouse

I remember when the Redwood City Main Library was the fire station. You still get that old slide-down-the-pole feeling when you wander in through the great big brass and glass doors.

I meet up with my IOS study buddy on the second floor once a week in one of the second floor study rooms. I often feel that the spacious, relaxed surroundings contribute to our study success. The second floor is dedicated to independent and small group study. Project Read has a lot of dedicated space on that floor. New readers of all ages are a special focus of programs at this beautiful library. I've noticed a lot of the middle school students developing their reading skills with graphic novels.

The library is a part of the county-wide Peninsula Libraries. I often log onto the county library web site, and search for books from all over the Peninsula, that I can then ask to be sent to a library within walking distance of my own home, for just 75 cents. I can also return materials from any library in the system to a local library.Wouldn't the development of the internet have been worth it, just to be able to do that?

Dogged Delight (Field Trip to Stacks for Breakfast)

This Doggie Founder Sign,
on display at the San Carlos Stacks,
gives a hint as to why this restaurant
is my kind of place

My daughter and I are partial to the local breakfast/lunch chain Stacks. We head over there for brunch when she's home for college and reminisce over  long-ago out-to-lunch memories from her younger days. The staff never seems to mind how long we hang out in the big comfy booths. They also know how to decorate for the winter holidays.

Oh yes, their food is pretty durn good too - especially their blueberry wheat germ pancakes and the yogurt sundae (it's a regular meal not a desert).

The main  link (http://www.stacksrestaurant.com )  doesn't currently show the Stacks in San Carlos and Redwood City.

CA Coast Range: Smack Dab in the Middle

Every time I come out of class at Cañada College,
 I get to see this marvelous view of the CA Coast Range.

Chock full of blu schist, serpentinite, and chert rocks these mountains are part of an accretionary wedge of the same ancient volcanic arc from which the Sierra Nevada batholith formed.

Go ahead and click on the illustration above
for a lovely  up close and personal view of
The CA coast range from Cañada College