tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953008377950396317.post6538606271350543329..comments2024-03-28T18:39:59.184-07:00Comments on SearchReSearch: Wednesday Search Challenge (12/5/12): Why is this blank spot so special? Dan Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13603209997260423532noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953008377950396317.post-74773334707199355642012-12-06T18:44:20.542-08:002012-12-06T18:44:20.542-08:00Is this not the same location? From EPA SITE
http:...Is this not the same location? From EPA SITE<br />http://yosemite.epa.gov/r9/sfund/r9sfdocw.nsf/ce6c60ee7382a473882571af007af70d/1368bf2b217e29e288257007005e9462!OpenDocument<br /><br /><br /><br />369 and 441 North Whisman Road (Former Buildings 13, 19, 23)In 1986, Fairchild installed an approximately 40-foot-deep slurry wall along the boundaries of the 369 North Whisman Road property, keyed into the A/B aquitard. Groundwater extraction began in 1982 at this property, and was expanded to include seven A Aquifer source control extraction wells within the slurry wall enclosure; two A Aquifer source control extraction wells downgradient of the slurry wall to the north; three source control extraction wells in the B1 Aquifer; and two source control extraction wells in the B2 Aquifer. Groundwater extracted from these wells is piped to System 19, located at 369 North Whisman Road, for treatment. System 19 has treated over 800,000 gallons of groundwater and removed over 10,000 pounds of VOCs from the groundwater through December 2006.Rosemary Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12291661159622665464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953008377950396317.post-11960359812726675572012-12-06T14:34:10.639-08:002012-12-06T14:34:10.639-08:00It took me close to 5 minutes to find all of the a...It took me close to 5 minutes to find all of the answers this week. 20 minutes to assemble the info into the format below.<br /><br />This blank spot is located at 455 N Whisman Rd in Mountain View California. It is blank b/c beneath the ground here runs the Hetch Hetchy aquaduct, which carries water from the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National park to communities in the Bay Area. <br /><br />How: First, I dragged the image into google image search to try and find a better resolution version. Then I squinted really hard to read the trail sign, then googled ”Hetch Hetchy trail”. The first result led me to a City of Mountain View website which had a map showing the trail crossing Walker Rd and Easy St. So I googled easy street in Mountain View, and zoomed in to locate the blank spot. I also searched nearby for “google” offices to help narrow down my search area.<br /><br />http://www.mountainview.gov/city_hall/comm_services/shoreline_regional_wildlife_area/wildlife_habitats/hetch_hetchy_trail.asp<br /><br />Next I zoomed out and searched Hetch Hetchy again on the map. On the map it highlighted highlighted the Reservoir and linked me to http://www.savehetchhetchy.org/. <br /><br />Googling Hetch Hetchy Reservoir linked to Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hetch_Hetchy_Valley<br />where I found the term Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct and a Wikipedia link. The Wikipedia article on the Aqueduct had an image of where the aqueduct runs. I searched for more images like it and gleaned that the Aqueduct must run beneath 455 N Whisman Rd in Mountain View California.<br /><br />For extra credit...<br /><br />San Francisco built Pulgas Water Temple at this location as a monument to the engineering marvel that brought Hetch Hetchy water more than 160 miles across California from the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the Bay Area. It’s a monument to the aqueduct that runs under 455 N Whisman Rd in Mountain View California.<br /><br />How: I google searched the coordinates, then clicked on the one photo that appeared on the left pane. It revealed that Pulgas Water Temple was here. I googled that and selected the following link for San Franciso Water ( http://www.sfwater.org/index.aspx?page=93 ) which provided the blurb above. <br /><br /><br />And....for the gold: <br />In 1906, after a major earthquake, San Francisco applied to the United States Department of the Interior to gain water rights to Hetch Hetchy. This provoked a seven-year environmental struggle with the environmental group Sierra Club, led by John Muir. <br /><br />How: This part was easy. I just googled Muir and Hetch Hetchy, and put my faith in Wikipedia once more for the info above. <br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05525483128614418069noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953008377950396317.post-26607534240663644852012-12-06T12:54:47.465-08:002012-12-06T12:54:47.465-08:00Step One - check exif. Oh well worth a try but D.R...Step One - check exif. Oh well worth a try but D.R. too clever.<br />Download image - Oh there's a clue, Hetch Hetchy Trail HHT<br />Run image through Goggles, using Tablet, no results<br />Google search wiki HHT -Reservoir details and mention John Muir<br />John Muir Co founder Sierra Club, fought building dam on Tuolumne River<br />Confirm location in Mountain View. Get street view from.com across the street, using Tablet so need to use icon details from Cancer community. Yes at North Whisman Rd and Whisman CT 300-400 block.<br />Lat. long. At Pulgas water temple, terminus of HHT aqueduct. To commemorate completion of O'Shaughnessy Dam in 1913.<br />Location check EPA and discover its Superfund Site ie contaminated by Fairchild Semiconductor Corp.<br />John Muir is an American hero who was one of the first preservationist and father of the 'atonal Parks. He was a draft dodge who came to Canada and living at the base of Rockies I like to think he was inspiring our incredible mountains and Banff National Park.Rosemary Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12291661159622665464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953008377950396317.post-1256774499300513732012-12-06T12:12:33.081-08:002012-12-06T12:12:33.081-08:00GRayR - if your search didn't take you past th...GRayR - if your search didn't take you past this, you might be interested, given your engineering interests -<br /><a href="http://www.shimmick.com/projects/?i=54" rel="nofollow">Shimmick BDP #3&4</a><br /><a href="http://www.shimmick.com/about/?i=5" rel="nofollow">John Shimmick profile</a><br /><br /><a href="http://wsipcrossovers.blogspot.com/2011/11/valve-work-begins-on-bay-division.html" rel="nofollow">BDP</a><br /><a href="http://216.119.104.145/bids/projectDetail.aspx?prj_id=252" rel="nofollow">SFWPS</a><br /><br />there seems to be some concern about this part of the HH/Bay Division Pipeline crossing the Hayward Fault -<br />see this link - the upgrades and seismic preemptive construction seems to be a positive move for the Bay area...<br />only time and the inevitable disaster/quake will tell.<br /><a href="http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080320213621AABXEFt" rel="nofollow">HH</a>remmijhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17985809654574916217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953008377950396317.post-75649761577030999182012-12-06T10:13:21.587-08:002012-12-06T10:13:21.587-08:00I live in Tennessee and know very little about the...I live in Tennessee and know very little about the area or its history. So I knew this would be a good challenge. I started with the sign. I couldn’t quite make out the words to the sign so I tried used Google for help. I was counting on Google to give me a suggestion when I got close. I could tell that the first letters of each word were either H or M. My first guess at the name on the sign was ‘hutch hutchey trail’. Google asked “Did you mean: hutch hutch trail”. That wasn’t it. Then I searched for ‘hutch hatchey trail’. Then I saw the first link for the Hetch Hetchy Trail in Mountain View, Ca.<br /><br />http://www.mountainview.gov/city_hall/comm_services/shoreline_regional_wildlife_area/wildlife_habitats/hetch_hetchy_trail.asp<br /><br />This page had a map of the trail. So I was quickly able to find the spot in Street View. I couldn’t find the exact address so I assume there is not one for this lot. Using Google maps and Real Estate listings I found the house to the left was 456 North Whisman Road.<br /><br />http://www.trulia.com/homes/California/Mountain_View/sold/7550229-456-N-Whisman-Rd-Mountain-View-CA-94043<br /><br />I found that 458 North Whisman was further left, so I can assume the address for this lot would be 454 North Whisman Road Mountain View, Ca.<br /><br />Now I had to find out why it was blank. The web page for the Hetch Hetchy Trail wasn’t any help. So I went back to my search results where I searched for ‘hutch hatchey trail’. The second link was to a National Parks page for Day Hikes in Hetch Hetchy. On that page there is a link to a PDF describing the area. In the first paragraph I see the name John Muir. I knew I was on the right trail (No pun intended). I now know that John Muir was an activist against the Hetch Hetchy dam project. Going back to the search results I looked at the third page in the search results:<br /><br />http://www.traillink.com/trail/hetch-hetchy-trail.aspx<br /><br />Ahhhh! In the overview on this page I see the trail is on the right-a-way of the Hetch-Hetchy water pipeline. A quick search for ‘Hetch-hetchy water pipeline’ gives me the Wikipedia page for the Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct.<br /><br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hetch_Hetchy_Aqueduct<br /><br />I add the GPS coordinates (37.48309, -122.31522) into Google Maps and find this is the location of The Pulgas Water Temple. I turned on the Wikipedia layer in Google maps and it tells that this is also the terminus for the Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct.<br /><br />So, here are my final answers:<br /><br />Question for today:<br />--The address for this blank spot is 454 North Whisman Road Mountain View, Ca.<br />--The lot is blank because it is along the right-a-way of the Hetch-Hetchy water pipeline.<br />Extra Credit:<br />--The physical connection is the Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct.<br />For the Gold:<br />--John Muir was an activist against the Hetch-Hetchy reservoir and the aquaduct.<br /><br />This took me about a total of 20 minutes to get everything. Thanks for this, I really enjoyed the challenge.<br />1jonkinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03738059105209380580noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953008377950396317.post-6053297910460434052012-12-06T06:31:17.468-08:002012-12-06T06:31:17.468-08:00I like the clever connection too. (But it's n...I like the clever connection too. (But it's not what I was thinking of. However, Remmij gets extra credit for the most creative solution!) Dan Russellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13603209997260423532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953008377950396317.post-41085292381843452152012-12-06T03:45:20.309-08:002012-12-06T03:45:20.309-08:00Sorry forgot this. Time spent around 90 minutes. Sorry forgot this. Time spent around 90 minutes. krossbowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07877826327758153784noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953008377950396317.post-17417686160103728812012-12-06T03:41:36.272-08:002012-12-06T03:41:36.272-08:00Zoomed in on the photo to see the trailhead for th...Zoomed in on the photo to see the trailhead for the Hetch Hetchy Trail in Mountain View. <br /><br />Searching for numerous iterations of something like [Hetch Hetchy Trail] I got numerous planning documents from Mountain View. <br /><br />The trail runs along the side of a spot that was once occupied by Pacific Nursery. Pacific Nursery had leased that spot for 30 years as of 2001 when they were planning the Hetch Hetchy Trail. <br /><br />The trail is on part of the Hetch Hetchy Right-of-Way. This is an underground aquaduct of sorts providing water from the Sierras (your logitude and latitude points) to San Francisco. <br /><br />The Hetch Hetchy trail is named for the Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite. John Muir worked to stop the damming of the valley. <br /><br />Documents and sites used:<br /><br />http://www.mountainview.gov/civica/filebank/blobdload.asp?BlobID=5460<br /><br />http://laserfiche.mountainview.gov/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=10325&page=1&dbid=0<br /><br />https://maps.google.com/maps?safe=active&q=37.48309,+-122.31522&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x808fa0341466c8f1:0x35aaf9caca753a32,%2B37%C2%B0+28'+59.10%22,+-122%C2%B0+18'+54.74%22&gl=us&ei=63_AUI7SMqeo0AGg3IGYBQ&ved=0CDEQ8gEwAA<br /><br />krossbowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07877826327758153784noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953008377950396317.post-608039444734711682012-12-05T23:54:03.866-08:002012-12-05T23:54:03.866-08:00Based on the rather blurry sign, I decided it had ...Based on the rather blurry sign, I decided it had to be the Hetch Hetchy Trail, which I looked for on Google maps. I then scrolled along it in Street View and saw that the picture was from 37.400524, -122.058465 (N. Whisman Road). The trail is probably above the pipeline that brings water from the Hetch Hetchy reservoir, whose creation John Muir opposed because of the flooding of the beautiful valley. I did not bother looking up the actual pipeline routing nor the location of the Hetch Hetchy reservoir—the problem just wasn't interesting enough to take the time, and I knew all I cared to about Hetch Hetchy already..Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953008377950396317.post-53586023683106300042012-12-05T21:59:09.363-08:002012-12-05T21:59:09.363-08:00Other than the specific street address I only had ...Other than the specific street address I only had to search my brain. But, I live in south Palo Alto about a mile from the Google Plex, and I work at Belle Haven School on Ivy Drive in eastern Menlo Park, where we suffered through the replacement of the Hetch Hetchy pipe last year. It runs down the middle of the street in front of the school, and that 'middle' is a large swath of lawn with not even a tree in the way. No major landscaping allowed on top of the pipe. There is now (still?) a group trying to get San Francisco to take out the Hetch Hetchy dam and restore the valley to it's original spendor, so that's in the news here now and then. The original objection of John Muir and others is a common theme. So, my search time was under 5 seconds. :o)Sue Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02859436000011467811noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953008377950396317.post-58197832595341884092012-12-05T18:31:56.578-08:002012-12-05T18:31:56.578-08:00I won't answer the questions because they'...I won't answer the questions because they've already been answered but I'll answer how I searched for it. <br /><br />I initially d/led the picture hoping there was exif data in there. I didn't see any but then I zoomed in and saw the Hetch Hetchy trail sign.<br />A quick google of that brings up info about the trail.<br />Then a click over to google maps brings a did you mean for the trail which zooms in pretty close to the start of the trail.<br />From there, just looking at the top down view, there's a spot where it looks like the trail start. <br />A street view of that spot confirms it and then google suggests the 455 N Whisman Road address.<br /><br />It took about 5 mins to get to that point. <br /><br /><br />Aaronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16342298104477542926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953008377950396317.post-15892088503346038812012-12-05T16:27:49.525-08:002012-12-05T16:27:49.525-08:00Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct (aka Bay Division Pipelines ...Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct (aka Bay Division Pipelines 3&4) is beneath this spot / 450 North Whisman Road, Mountain View, CA / Tuolumne River / Muir STRONGLY opposed the dam -- All that's well and good as far as it goes. But it doesn't answer why this spot is vacant. It's owned by the San Francisco Public Utility Commission, but that doesn't answer the question. The pipelines run right up the SF Peninsula to Crystal Springs Reservoirs, and the pipes generally are covered by buildings, roads, etc., everywhere else. (For example, look at the aerial maps showing residential development at the west end of the strip and commercial buildings and the Google at the east end.) <br /><br />I can't figure out why this stretch of the pipeline is vacant at the surface.Topham Beauclerkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05052690498201202246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953008377950396317.post-68004721182182456652012-12-05T15:45:03.065-08:002012-12-05T15:45:03.065-08:00I like this answer. I was not absolutely sure tha...I like this answer. I was not absolutely sure that you could not build on the aqueduct, but it seems they can. And the wagon wheel connection is fascinating. Now I want to see if all my walking around in street view to get what seems like the address is OK. It seems not. <br /><br />I really like when people explain what they are thinking to do a search. It is the process of searching that is fun and helps me to learn. Good work to Remmij and to Ramon, and to all of you. <br /><br />I started these searching exercises trying to do it fast. Now I enjoy the trip and reading about how others research. GRayRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11355369343845540787noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953008377950396317.post-74216068538808136462012-12-05T14:41:50.332-08:002012-12-05T14:41:50.332-08:001)455 North Whisman Road, Mountain View, United St...1)455 North Whisman Road, Mountain View, United States<br />2)The Hetchy-Hetchy water pipeline connects the two points, supplying water to the city of San Francisco<br /><br />I zoomed in on the picture to get the name of the trail, "hetch hetchy trail". This lead me to a google search, which took me to the City of Mountain View page on the trail, as well as a "trail link" website describing the right of way on which the trail was built. I input the hetch hetchy trail into google maps, which took me to the address listed above.<br /><br />This took me roughly five minutes to sort out.aggie_weshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13165275526564515702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953008377950396317.post-41642300890999985912012-12-05T14:26:06.666-08:002012-12-05T14:26:06.666-08:00This was a pretty fun search. In all it took me ab...This was a pretty fun search. In all it took me about 15 minutes, but that includes writing this comment.<br /><br />1) I did a Google Maps search for "Hetch Hetchy Trail", and looked at the intersection with road that runs along the Googleplex. Street view confirms that this is the correct location and gives an approximate address: 455 North Whisman Rd. The aerial view shows a fairly long field with what appears to be an old circular paved road of some kind.<br /><br />2) USGS Topos are far more informative for details like these so I checked the location on hillmap.com, which shows that this is the path of an aqueduct, this field might provide some sort of access. Given the name of the trail, this is likely an aqueduct from the Hetch Hetchy Reservior in the Sierras (I already knew this). The coordinates are the location of the Pulgas Water Temple (Google Maps), which was built to commemorate the completion of the Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct.<br /><br />3) John Muir fought to oppose the construction of the dam that flooded Hetch Hetchy valley and created the reservoir (I knew this already).Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14037027179728287229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953008377950396317.post-36225982096558954772012-12-05T13:31:17.546-08:002012-12-05T13:31:17.546-08:00This was a great fun. About half an hour to suss ...This was a great fun. About half an hour to suss all the answers and more to read up because it was so interesting.<br /><br />First I used Images to try a better image. I think your's was OK. I sharpened it up so I could read the sign. Aha !<br /><br />Then used Maps to get the general location<br /><br />Next MountainView.gov told me the address 450 N Whisman; 6.4 acres owned by San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. Two water lines under it provide water to San Francisco from Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Sierra Nevada. It is currently empty until all the wrangling is done about what will be done there in the way of housing. <br /><br />GPS into Search and it hits Pulgas Water Temple erected in 1934 by San Francisco Water Dept to mark the completion of the Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct.<br /><br />John Muir eloquently and vehemently opposed the Dam project in Hetch Hetchy Valley. http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5720/<br />jonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06450649073262987652noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953008377950396317.post-57162468264266118292012-12-05T13:30:45.090-08:002012-12-05T13:30:45.090-08:001. N Whisman Ave just north of Whisman Ct in Mount...1. N Whisman Ave just north of Whisman Ct in Mountain View. It's undeveloped to maintain access to the Hetch Hetchy aqueduct below the ground.<br /><br />2. The aqueduct starts in the Sierras and terminates at the Crystal springs reservoir by the coordinates.<br /><br />3. John Muir advocated against damning the Hetch Hetchy valley as part of building the aqueduct system.<br /><br />Time: ~2 minutes. I saw the Hetch Hetchy Trail sign and presumed the aqueduct must be nearby. Googling 'Hetch Hetchy Trail undeveloped' yielded results confirming that land above the aqueduct is often undeveloped to maintain access. Map searching for 'hetch hetch trai mountain view' showed the trail and examining the imagery confirmed the photo's location at the east end of the trail. l I already knew the aqueduct originated in the Sierras. I mapped the coordinates and assumed the aqueduct fed Crystal Springs. A quick search for 'hetch hetchy crystal springs" confirmed this (wikipedia). A search for 'john muir hetch hetchy' revealed Muir's opposition.Your friendly neighborhood curmudgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16749786022053780929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953008377950396317.post-67480732901165239152012-12-05T13:15:46.451-08:002012-12-05T13:15:46.451-08:00First noted "Hetch Hetchy Trail in the photo ... First noted "Hetch Hetchy Trail in the photo and located it in Google map of Mountain View. No answer in street view of the lot. Then found this by searching for "The Hetch Hetchy right-of-way is owned by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and runs east-west through the city for 3.57 miles, along the path of the Hetch Hetchy aqueduct. To make servicing the massive underground aqueduct possible, no buildings may be built on top of it." - Mountain View Voice Sept 2007.<br /><br />The location 37.48309, -122.31522 turns out to be the site of the Plugas water temple built to celebrate the completion of the Hetch Hetchy project to bring fresh drinking water 160 miles from Hetch Hetchy flooded valley.<br /><br />Hetch Hetchy Dam was opposed by John Muir - from Wikipedia.Richard Lawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01339914212739970700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953008377950396317.post-76931819487287590982012-12-05T13:03:33.998-08:002012-12-05T13:03:33.998-08:00forgot to mention that, irony of ironies, the Sier...forgot to mention that, irony of ironies, the Sierra Club supported the housing development proposal for that tract which caused dissension in their ranks.<br />and kudos to everyone who was able to read the Hetch sign by zooming the picture - your eyes are better than mine.<br />Impressed that Ramón nailed it - nice job.<br /><br />(from April, 2008)<br /><i>Meanwhile, the project has<br />gained the support of some environmentalists,<br />including the Sierra<br />Club and the Greenbelt Alliance.</i><br /><i>“One resident near the proposed<br />development, who seems otherwise<br />environmentally oriented,<br />told me he quit the Sierra Club<br />over its support of the project —<br />he did not want anyone promoting<br />any development of housing<br />that differed from his own fulllot-<br />sized conventional detached<br />single-family home, preferably<br />single story.”</i>remmijhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17985809654574916217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953008377950396317.post-11593892966157569932012-12-05T12:34:05.802-08:002012-12-05T12:34:05.802-08:00I'm going with 450 N. Whisman Road and that th...I'm going with 450 N. Whisman Road and that the connection to the Sierras is that it is next to the Hetch Hetchy bike trail (named after the Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite) btw, nice way to get around the Plex! <br />and I'm getting creative here, for the pyrite - the connection to Muir is the <b>wagon wheel</b><br />... the wagon wheel played a key role in the events that led Muir to Yosemite (& and his failed attempt to save the HH valley), the development of the Silicon Valley - see Walker's Wagon Wheel restaurant and the community group - Wagon Wheel<br />Neighborhood Association - that stopped the development of the area in the photo.<br /><br /><a href="http://discovermagazine.com/2011/may/05-relics-of-science-shipwrecks-dated-gadget-final-spaceflight#.UL-ltEY7N0U" rel="nofollow">Computer History Museum</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mv-voice.com/morguepdf/2008/2008_04_18.mvv.section1.pdf" rel="nofollow">page 10 Wagon Wheel group</a><br /><br />from Wikipedia:<br /><i>Muir returned to the United States in March 1866, winding up in Indianapolis to work as a sawyer in a factory that made <b>wagon wheels;</b> he was paid $22 a week. He proved valuable to his employers because of his inventiveness in improving the machines and processes. In early March 1867, an accident changed the course of his life: a tool he was using slipped and struck him in the eye. He was confined to a darkened room for six weeks, worried whether he’d ever regain his sight. When he did, "he saw the world—and his purpose—in a new light," writes Marquis. Muir later wrote, "This affliction has driven me to the sweet fields. God has to nearly kill us sometimes, to teach us lessons."[11] From that point on, he determined to "be true to myself" and follow his dream of exploration and study of plants</i><br /><br />regarding how & how long - couldn't make the sign out in the photo definitively, but checked the Mountain View trail sites & guessed the name...<br />off to maps for the entry point of the trail, then street view to confirm...<br />then did some random, general searches on Hetch Hetchy trail & Muir.<br />how long - hard to say, this was one I had to leave multiple times and try to come back to with fresh eyes & approaches... the short answer would be too long and just long enough. remmijhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17985809654574916217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953008377950396317.post-62266141314133276342012-12-05T12:22:05.800-08:002012-12-05T12:22:05.800-08:00This search has lots of good hints.
First I loo...This search has lots of good hints. <br />First I looked at the picture and thought that must be close to your office because you rode your bike there. So you are in Mountain View close to the Googleplex.<br />Then I looked at your big hint of: <br />“For extra credit, can you say what physical connection this place has with the Sierras and 37.48309, -122.31522?”<br />So cut and paste those coordinates into Google maps because that looks like latitude and longitude. <br />It is “The Pulgas Water Temple” and looked that up in a regular Google search.<br />From Wiki:<br />“The Pulgas Water Temple is a stone structure in Woodside, California, USA, designed by architect William G. Merchant. It was erected by the San Francisco Water Department to commemorate the 1934 completion of the Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct and is located at the aqueduct's terminus.”<br /><br />I think I have it. Your picture might be of a part of the Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct. That is the major source of drinking water for the San Francisco area; water is taken from the Sierras and flows through a 160 mile aqueduct to supply San Francisco. <br /><br />I went back to the picture to look more carefully and I missed the big clue on the sign to the left of the “odd looking, empty field” that says Hetch Hetchy Trail. <br /><br />Used Google Maps and looked at areas on the satellite map and found the exact place in street view using [Hetch Hetchy Trail and Mountainview]. It is on North Whisman Road about ¼ block from corner of N Whisman and Walker Drive. You want the address. Hmm, I can give you the Lat and Long 37.400600, -122.058422, but the address? If I go to street view I might see something. Maybe 455 North Whisman Road? I then looked at a home on that side of the street I see it is an even number so I think it is 456 North Whisman Road, Mountain View, Ca. Lots of looking with street view to try to narrow down the address. <br /><br />I now think I know where and what it is. It is the Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct, and the address is as above. Why is it an open field? There is an aqueduct under that empty field. <br /><br />The connection to the Pulgas Water Temple is that the temple marks the end of the Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct and the water comes from a large man made lake in the Sierras that was and still is very controversial. <br />John Muir fought to stop the making of this dam. If you Google John Muir and Hetch Hetchy, one of the sites discusses this ( http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5720/ ):<br />“ . . . but he argued against the Hetch Hetchy plan in this excerpt from his 1912 book, The Yosemite.” And one section of his book states,<br />“Sad to say, this most precious and sublime feature of the Yosemite National Park, one of the greatest of all our natural resources for the uplifting joy and peace and health of the people, is in danger of being dammed and made into a reservoir to help supply San Francisco with water and light, thus flooding it from wall to wall and burying its gardens and groves one or two hundred feet deep.”<br /><br />Actual time searching was about an hour with most of it spent trying to find the exact address. (I hope) <br />Gary<br />GRayRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11355369343845540787noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953008377950396317.post-44848495510391632832012-12-05T12:12:12.413-08:002012-12-05T12:12:12.413-08:00I found this to be an interesting challenge. I sta...I found this to be an interesting challenge. I started by enlarging the picture to read the trail head sign. I read it as "City of Washington Heights Hetch Hetchy trail" and when I entered that in as a Google search term, I got results for Mountain Heights. I realized this was the correct town, and used found a city hall site (http://www.mountainview.gov/city_hall/comm_services/shoreline_regional_wildlife_area/wildlife_habitats/hetch_hetchy_trail.asp) that included a map of the area. I used the address on the map to switch to Google Maps where I searched for Tyrella Ave. I could see that wasn't right, so I followed the trail, on the map to the next intersection. I found this was the right one- the empty space was on North Whisman Road, somewhere around 455. I then realized I'd spent 15 minutes on this and I needed to get back to my other work, so that's as far as I got.Johannahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12698460995530633278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953008377950396317.post-13303220916949166212012-12-05T11:59:20.523-08:002012-12-05T11:59:20.523-08:00In my first post I forgot to write why the space i...In my first post I forgot to write why the space is blank. The answer: The Neighborhood Association, wants: A maximum height of nearby 2-story homes, a minimum of 25 feet between buildings, and an overall lower density that reflects the buildable land (which is only 55% of the parcel's 6.4 acres.) Ramon Gonzalezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16129830563029534511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953008377950396317.post-31456565902632315422012-12-05T11:46:45.039-08:002012-12-05T11:46:45.039-08:00This lot is across the street from 455 North Whism...This lot is across the street from 455 North Whisman Road, Mountain View, CA 94043. It is an access to a large vacant lot in the midst of Mountain View City. The shape and position oif the lot looks like it might be a reservoir of some sort. There are circles on the ground beside the Hetch Hetchy Trail that look intriguing. Underground is a water storage facility. There was a running track on the land at one time. <br />Water runs from the Pulgas Water Temple channeling the flow from the Sierras to the City.<br />Kevin Higginshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00142992417342256063noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953008377950396317.post-60867219043579683392012-12-05T11:40:20.901-08:002012-12-05T11:40:20.901-08:00231 N Whisman road. I found that the Hetch Hetchy ...231 N Whisman road. I found that the Hetch Hetchy trail runs along the Hetch Hetchy pipeline easement, so I'm assuming that's why it's "blank." Also, the low round thingies are probably access ports for the pipeline.<br /><br />The coordinates you gave are for the Pulgas Water Temple, which was erected to celebrate the completion of the Hetch Hetchy aqueduct, where the water in the pipeline comes from. I believe the water used to flow through the Temple.<br /><br />John Muir opposed the damming project which created the aqueduct.<br /><br />Took about 30 minutes. Had trouble getting started, but once I saw the Hetch Hetchy Trail sign in the picture, it all flowed. First I found the Hetch Hetchy Trail on Google earth and verified the location. I got the address from the City of Mountain View website. Then I searched [Hetch Hetchy Trail Whisman road] and found picture on the Stevens Creek Trail website which mentioned the pipeline access ports and easement. I searched Hetch Hetchy easement to verify this information and found a Wikipedia article about the Hetch Hetchy aqueduct.<br />Next I entered the coordinates you gave into Google earth and found the Pulgas Water Temlple. I searched for that and found the connection in a Wikipedia article. That article linked to an article on the O'Shaughnessy Dam, which linked to a memo by John Muir opposing the project. Marianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12889029897237732376noreply@blogger.com