Off the Map

"Not all those who wander are lost." - J.R.R. Tolkien

Yesterday I ventured out on an early morning walk with a specific route and destination in mind. I had checked the map on my smart phone, and it indicated there were three large parks within easy walking distance of Lowell's house here in San Carlos. I followed my own blue dot as I made my way towards one of the major streets that would take me to the closest park. After walking about 10 minutes down this very busy road (and checking my blue dot and proximity to the park locations several times), I started looking for signs of the parks, which should be coming up on either side of the road. I could see the leafy, tree-covered tops of some very large hills rising behind rows of very expensive houses, but I could not see anything that matched my expectations of a "park." It slowly dawned on me that those vertical hills might actually be the parks. I climbed up several steep dead-end streets in search of an access point between houses - a glimpse of a trail, a park sign, any indication that the park did in fact exist. I found nothing. The green hilltops beyond the fenced properties eluded all my efforts to reach them. Eventually I turned back towards home, walking the very busy street the whole way back and feeling a bit deflated at my failure. This morning I set out again, this time with a new plan. If the parks were inaccessible, I would just wander and enjoy the spring sights, smells and sounds of the neighborhood. In addition, my phone would stay planted securely in the back pocket of my jeans. No following the blue dot today. My route was simple - any time I came to an intersection, I took the street that climbed further uphill, and I always stayed on the sunniest side of the street. After about 35 minutes of climbing up and up, stopping often to enjoy the houses, architecture, green plants and numerous flowers of this city in full-spring mode, I made one more ascent up a dead-end street before turning back for home. At the end of this street, I saw a fence. And a sign. And a trail. And an entrance. I had arrived at Eaton Park, the primary destination of my walk the day before. Without even trying, I had arrived. Cheers -