10/24/2006

Glen Canyon Park

Most people I know call this place Glen Park Canyon. It's in a neighborhood called Glen Park. I used to call it Glen Park Park and I thought that was funny. But people I know say Glen Park Canyon when they speak of it now, so it's odd to learn its correct name is Glen Canyon Park. I will have to adjust. (This is what it looks like from above during the summer.)

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I haven't visited Glen Canyon Park in over a decade. Probably almost two decades. I'm not sure what time of year it was when I last visited, but this has never been a particularly beautiful place to me. A major investment of volunteer labor to remove the Hedera canariensis (Algerian Ivy) and Rubus discolor (Himalayan Blackberry) could go a long way toward turning that around. I think the western fence lizard and meadow mouse might appreciate it too, but I can't say for sure.

The canyon floor is dark and swampy with low limbs and fallen trees that make hiking it a chore. Which is fine in some respects. (The overall situation is much worse than what you see in this picture.)

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Is this what San Francisco looked like before the Spanish arrived, minus the vines? (California--including the Bay Area--has only a few native vines; some Clematis and an Aristolochia.)

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I like it better along the canyon walls and ridgeline.

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This park suffers more urban damage than a lot of other parks too, which is a surprise because it's in a decent neighborhood. Some OCD patient must have visited here. This made me laugh out loud. WTF?

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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

It's near a school. People don't raise descent children any more. As soon as you pop one out, kindly move to the suburbs.