Saturday, October 26, 2019

Sawyer Camp Trail, San Mateo, Thursday, October 24, 2019

Sawyer Camp Trail is a six mile paved trail along Crystal Springs Reservoir, a very beautiful body of water lying in a rift valley of the San Andreas Fault. We were painting from the trail on top of the North American Plate and looking across the water to the handsome trees and ridges on the Pacific Plate. The reservoir was created back in the 1880's when a dam was built across San Mateo Creek.  After the 1906 earthquake, San Francisco reached beyond the Bay Area to use Yosemite NP's Hetch Hetchy Valley as a reservoir to increase its municipal water supply.  Spring snowmelt from the Sierra Mountains now fills the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and it is piped by gravity to the Bay Area where it is used by San Francisco and by customers in Alameda, Santa Clara, San Mateo Counties.  The location where Hetch Hetchy water flows into Crystal Springs Reservoir at its most southern tip is marked by the Greek-styled Pulgas Water Temple which some of our artists visited at the end of our paintsite.

It was easier to drive to the Sawyer Camp Trail because the bridge over the renovated Crystal Springs Dam finally opened in 2019 after having been closed since 2010. The Sawyer Camp Trail does not have much shade which we noticed because it was a very warm day with very little breeze.  Some of us picked the best lookout and just sat in the sun, others started out in the shade with a good viewpoint and stuck it out as the earth turned and the shade disappeared, others picked a shady spot despite not having the best view.  Instead of walking the entire six mile trail, we just headed up the trail until we found our painting spot.

For more information on the Sawyer Camp Trail along Crystal Springs Reservoir see:
https://parks.smcgov.org/sawyer-camp-segment

 For more photos from our paintsite, see Edward Rooks's Flickr album:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/edwardrooks/sets/72157711487250966/

Upcoming paintsites:  See the SCVWS website or the October and November Newsletters for details.
  • Thursday, Oct 31, Triton Museum Grounds, Santa Clara
  • Thursday, Nov 7, Bear Creek Redwoods Preserve, Los Gatos
  • Thursday, Nov 14, To be announced
  • Saturday, Nov 16, Folger Estate, Woodside
  • Thursday, Nov 21, View of Hayes Mansion from Edenvale Gardens Regional Park, San Jose

Artists and their artwork:

Sawyer Camp Trail and Lower Crystal Springs Reservoir

Looking south over the Crystal Springs reservoir

A view of the reservoir looking northwest

Kaaren 

Kaaren's watercolor of hikers on the Sawyer Camp Trail 

Elaine

Elaine's painting of pampas grass bordering the reservoir

Carol taking advantage of one of the few shady spots on the trail

Carol's painting of the view looking northwest

Linda and Edward

Edward's painting of the Crystal Springs Reservoir
Linda's painting of the Crystal Springs Reservoir

Indira

Indira's painting of the reservoir

John

John's watercolor of Crystal Springs Reservoir 

Jane

Joe

Joe's watercolor painted on the lower path leading the newlookout

Lauren


Lauren's watercolor of the reservoir

Lora's watercolor looking southwest
Broncha's watercolor of the reservoir

Lorraine

Lorraine's watercolor capturing the light reflecting off  the reservoir

Mary

Marilyn
Marilyn's painting of one of the trees along the trail
which provided very welcome shade
Linda's painting of the trees along the trail
with Marilyn sitting in the shade and painting

Mindy

Mindy's painting of a headland and the west shore of the reservoir

Sham

Sham's watercolor also looking west across the reservoir

Susan B-G

Susan's B-G's view of the reservoir and  headland  

Pam's painting of a view across the reservoir 

Tanvi

Wanda's painting of deer on the edge of the reservoir

Cindy's watercolor of the trees on the edge of the new trail
Paintsites artists take a break for lunch

 Paintsites artists at lunch

Display of paintsites artwork

Artists share their artwork
Paintsite artists admiring artwork

Crystal Springs Reservoir Dam Bridge

It took from Oct 2010 until Jan 2019 to complete the Crystal Springs Dam Bridge rebuild because the dam under the bridge was first improved,  raising the dam and doubling the width of the spillway.  Several of the artists had to check out the bridge and they liked it with its one roadway for vehicles and another for pedestrians and bicycles.  It gives a great view of the Reservoir, the I-280 bridge, and the "Flintstone House", but no view of the dam underneath it.  This wikipedia article about the dam contains some photos of the dam showing that is very large and impressive:


Marilyn and Mindy are admiring the new pedestrian
walkway of the Crystal Springs Dam Bridge


Pulgas Water Temple

Now that the bridge over the Crystal Springs Dam is complete, it is an easy and extremely scenic drive from our paintsite to the Pulgas Water Temple, 5 miles following the east shore of Lower and Upper Crystal Springs Reservoir.  Some of the artists visited the temple on their way home, and three even took time to do a quick sketch.  The temple was built in 1938 at the terminus of the Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct to commemorate the completion of the Aqueduct.  It is modeled after temples which were erected near canals and waterways by the ancient Greeks.

Pulgas Water Temple
Elaine and Tanvi sketching, Edward photographing

Elaine's quick watercolor sketch of the Pulgas Water Temple


Saturday, October 19, 2019

Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve, Morgan Hill, October 17, 2019

We had a magnificent day to enjoy the vast vistas visible from Coyote Valley OSP, located at the western edge of the Coyote Valley only 20 miles south of downtown San Jose.  Most of the artists hiked the 4-mile long Arrowhead Loop Trail which offers stunning views of Mount Hamilton, Mount Umunhum, and the entire Coyote Valley.  Thank you, Edward Rooks, for leading the hike and giving a nature tour as well.  Three artists painted near the parking lot where they enjoyed the view of Mount Hamilton and the Diablo Range.  A small storm front had come through the night before which dropped only a trace of rain but cleared out the air leading to superb visibility.  The puffy white clouds at paintsite start time gave way to brilliant blue sky, and it was a delight to sit and watch the clouds change shape and disappear.  As is usual after a storm front passes through, the excellent visibility was accompanied by a brisk wind.

For more information on the Coyote Valley Open Space see:
https://www.openspaceauthority.org/visitors/preserves/coyotevalley.html

For more photos from our paintsite, see Edward Rook's Flickr album:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/edwardrooks/sets/72157711384849526/

Upcoming paintsites:  See the SCVWS website or the October and November Newsletters for details.

  • Thursday, Oct 24, Sawyer Camp Trail at Crystal Springs Reservoir, San Mateo County
  • Thursday, Oct 31, Triton Museum Grounds, Santa Clara
  • Thursday, Nov 7, Bear Creek Redwoods Preserve, Los Gatos
  • Thursday, Nov 14, Charleston Slough, Palo Alto
  • Saturday, Nov 16, Folger Estate, Woodside
  • Thursday, Nov 21, View of Hayes Mansion from Edenvale Gardens Regional Park, San Jose

Artists and their artwork:

The hikers on Arrowhead Loop Trail:


Hikers sketching at the first overlook on the Arrowhead Trail
Photo by Edward Rooks
Annie sketching at the first overlook
Photo by Edward Rooks

Annie's watercolor of an oak snag 

Carol
Photo by Edward Rooks

Carol's watercolor of a serpentine rock outcrop surrounded by blue oak savannah

Edward at the first overlook of the Arrowhead Trail
Photo by Elaine

Edward's painting of the southeast view from the first rest stop

Edward's second watercolor from the Arrowhead Trail hike

Elaine, at the first lookout at 500' elevation
Photo by Edward Rooks

Elaine's pen and watercolor of the view from the Arrowhead Trail looking southeast
towards the valley, and Diablo Range beyond

Elaine's second pen and watercolor

Artists sketching under the shade a large blue oak

Lauren and Leslie
Photo by Edward Rooks

Lauren's watercolor sketch of oak savannah landscape

Lauren's second sketch 

Leslie's pen and ink sketch painted at the first Arrowhead Trail overlook 

Leslie's sketch of a weathered storage shed painted on the second leg of the trail

Salinda
Photo by Edward Rooks

Salinda's watercolor sketch of Carol and her view of the Coyote Valley beyond

Salinda's second sketch done on the second leg of  the trail

Carol, looking northeast over the Coyote Valley and the Diablo Range
Photo by Salinda

Jane's watercolor sketch of the southeast view from the first overlook

Jane's sketch of a farm shed

Paintsites' hikers climbing up towards the first lookout
Photo by Salinda

Artists taking a break near the second sketch stop. Edward is pointing out the
sightings of  a red tailed hawk and a red shouldered hawk
Photo by Salinda

Hikers heading back on the second half of the loop trail
Photo by Edward Rooks

Annie, Jane, Carol and Salinda
Photo by Edward Rooks

View of the savannah oak landscape
Photo by Edward Rooks 

Young gopher snake crossing the trail
Photo by Edward Rooks

Grazing deer spotted from the Arrowhead Trail
Photo by Edward Rooks


American kestrel spotted perched in an oak on the Arrowhead Trail
Photo by Edward Rooks


Yellow billed magpie spotted on the Heart's Delight TrailPhoto by Edward Rooks

Meanwhile back at the preserve entrance:

Dick, foregoing painting for a more exciting day riding
the local roads

Bill painting under the shade of a magnificent oak tree

Bill's painting of the ranch with the Diablo Range in the distance

Helen was very clever and found protection from the
wind right next to Bill's vehicle

Helen's painting of the ranch with the Diablo Range
and dramatic clouds in the background
Marilyn's painting of the ranch with the flag blowing briskly in the breeze.

It was so windy that the non-hikers shared their paintings in the
wind protected area by Bill's vehicle

The hikers and non-hikers gathered for a group photo just before the start of the hike.