[pct-l] Muir Grave Site

[Scott Williams]

Hey Switchback, and anybody else interested in John Muir,

 I visited Muir's grave this morning before hiking Mt. Wanda and can report
that you no longer have to cross private land to visit the site.  The
National Parks has purchased a bit of easement that makes the whole thing
public now.

Directions:  Take Hwy 4 to Martinez CA.  Exit at Alhambra Ave and head South
on Alhambra Ave.  In about 1/2 of a mile you'll come to a Y with a small
park planted with redwoods around a statue of Muir.  Veer right onto
Alhambra Valley Rd. and drive 1/4 mile and turn left onto Sheridan Lane.
 Drive to the end and turn right and park where ever you can.  Walk south 50
feet or so and you'll come to an old pear orchard and a small National Parks
boundary road sign on the edge of the orchard.  It's just like the little
ones on the PCT.  Look across the orchard and you'll see the small family
plot, with an iron fence around it right next to Alhambra Creek.  Just walk
on over.  John and Louie, as well several other family members are buried
there.  When you're done, hike Mt. Wanda which as an entrance a short way
further down and across Alhambra Valley Rd.  That is the Strentzel Meadow
entrance.  Lots of restoration of that is going on with native vegetation
replacing the exotics.

The pears are reported to have been planted by Muir, and the folks I was
hiking with today, members of Friends of Alhambra Creek are grafting and
starting new trees from these old ones.  This group has cleaned up Alhambra
Creek over the past 20 years to such an extent that we've had a family of
beavers building lodges and dams right in the middle of downtown Martinez
for 3 years running now, and steel head have returned.  They've also
restored the marshes where the creek empties into the Carquinez Straits,
which is quite beautiful now.

Shroomer