Destination: Almaden, San Jose
Hike Almaden’s Quicksilver Park, Visit The Mining Museum, And Summit Mt. Umunhum
This is part of a series of family-oriented day trip outings around the San Francisco Bay Area I look forward to enjoying with my kids once social distancing and shelter in place isn’t the norm any longer.
Social Isolation — Day 23
Today was the first day I was out where masks were highly suggested. Many people have already been wearing them, but a few days ago government officials suggested it as a way to lessen our curve. I went to Trader Joes to pick up a few extra food items for the week. Most people were fairly blase about the requirement, but one guy in line ahead of me was acting really paranoid. He had his umbrella up even though it wasn’t raining, and was using it as a shield as people passed him (even with proper distance), and awkwardly took up two slots on the sidewalk (they have 6-foot segments marked for convenience). To each their own I guess.
Getting home, I’m enjoying seeing some sprouts in my little garden, getting bigger every day. Tomorrow, I think I’ll try to make some breakfast bread with the kids, maybe a cinnamon swirl.
Destination: Almaden, San Jose
Hike Almaden’s Quicksilver Park
Visit the Mining Museum
Summit Mt. Umunhum
Hike Almaden’s Quicksilver Park
By Eugene Zelenko — Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3587896
Hiking here has been on my to-hike list for a while. We’ve made it to the mining museum (listed below), but not out on the trail. Quicksilver is a reference to Mercury found in the cinnabar located in the mountains here. Quicksilver was used in thermometers and switches, but it was also used in extracting gold from ore mined during the California Gold Rush. The unfortunate thing is that Mercury is very poisonous and as it’s liquid at room temperature, it’s vaporizing unless it’s contained. The mines here are one of the reasons the bay became so polluted, rains washing mercury down to the bay. The mines are all sealed off now and no longer an ecological problem.
The hikes look beautiful, and it’s someplace I’d love to try out soon.
Visit the Mining Museum
Almaden Quicksilver Mining Museum by Cody Tolmasoff
What a cool little museum. They have some great exhibits on how they mined mercury, why it was important, and what it was used for. Without mercury, the gold rush would not have been nearly as successful as it was, and the Bay Area would be very different.
Located in the former Casa Grande, this mining home would host wealthy mining investors and later become a resort. Tour the historic house and learn all about mining with their hands-on exhibits.
Summit Mt. Umunhum
From 1957 to 1980 Mt. Umunhum was an early warning radar station off-limits to only military personnel. The mysterious tower up on the mountain intrigued locals for years. A few years back Mid-Peninsula Open Space gained ownership of the property and set it up for the public to visit. The cement tower is sealed off awaiting funds for improvements, but you can hike around the summit enjoying views of silicon valley. This one has been on my to-hike list for a while too, I hope to visit it soon.
Cody Tolmasoff is an author and publisher for Adventuring.in. He is a recovering programmer and a San Francisco native, raising two daughters, and regularly finding new adventures around the SF Bay Area. This article is an excerpt from an upcoming book, 52 San Francisco Bay Area Weekend Adventures, Day Trips With Your Kids!
Find him on Twitter @codyo, and read his most recent title Adventures in Getting Out on Amazon, filled with advice on successfully getting your family out for day trip adventures.
Originally published on Medium on 5 April 2020