Vindication 34 years later

On a beautiful spring day in 1981 I was out riding my bike around McKenzie Reservoir (also called Lake Ranch Reservoir) when I come upon some motorcycle sheriffs ticketing kids for fishing in the lake. Of course, I had to wait for my trespassing ticket as well.

Today I rode there and didn’t break any laws as I joined dozens of other cyclists and hikers to enjoy John Nicholas Trail, which wraps around the lake starting at Black Road and heads up to Skyline Boulevard.

My trespassing ticket from 1981. I’m sure the cops had fun riding their dirt bikes.

Back when I was riding, the San Jose Water Company didn’t take kindly to renegade cyclists traipsing across their land, even though Jobst Brandt and friends had been doing so for years undetected. I wrote a letter to the judge and my ticket was dismissed for “good cause appearing.” A year or two later through a land deal the reservoir became part of Sanborn County Park, but that wasn’t the end of the story.

The reservoir, built between 1875-79 and named after the water company’s founder Donald McKenzie, remained off limits to cyclists until 2014. It took a lot of effort on the part of cyclists to reassure the county parks department that everything would be all right.

John Nicholas Trail amazes

Thanks to some forward-thinking parks people working for Santa Clara County, they went one step further and not only opened the road around the reservoir, but teamed with local bike groups (SVMTB) to build a magnificent trail linking Skyline Trail and now part of the Bay Area Ridge Trail.

The four-mile trail climbs steadily but not too steeply from the lake, with many switchbacks to keep the grade fairly constant. There’s one breathtaking view of Santa Clara Valley that adds to the enjoyment of a well designed multi-use trail.

John Nicholas Trail overview.

When I rode downhill today I saw dozens of cyclists going up and down and just as many hikers, everyone on their best behavior. The key here is multi-use. When the expectation is set that you’ll see all types of users, people watch out for other trail users. Equestrians can also use the trail, but with the crush of other trail users here on the weekend, it’s probably more realistic to ride here on a week day. Still, it can be done.

Alpine Road depression

Compare this “Kumbaya” moment to what I experienced the same day on Alpine Road, the poster child for agency neglect in San Mateo County. As I rode uphill, eight of nine riders coming down were time-trialing. Having already been hit head-on once and knocked unconscious by a downhill rider, I made it known they were out of line.

I lay the blame on MROSD and San Mateo County for dropping the ball and allowing the road to become a downhill free-for-all. This road was at one time a beautiful route from Palo Alto to Page Mill Road. It’s present condition is so depressing it’s hard to think about it.

Some agencies better than others

After following local trail developments for more than three decades, I’ve come to the conclusion that some agencies are better than others. I rank Santa Clara County parks highly, with San Mateo County and Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (MROSD) lagging behind, but still well ahead of the regional water departments. I would characterize the local California state parks as benign. Not good, but not bad.

It all comes down to a mindset. Santa Clara County officials seem to genuinely care about letting people use their parks and they go out of their way to accommodate all users. San Mateo County, in my opinion, is much less accommodating. While it’s not the only reason, there’s a strong contingent of equestrians who put up roadblocks at every opportunity against multi-use trails.

MROSD is another story. Their issue is that their charter was dedicated to purchasing land for open space and they have done great work in fulfilling that mission. However, because that was their primary focus, public access has lagged. Had the agency’s bond measure not passed in 2014, they would have been facing insolvency, so it’s no wonder they spend as little as possible on public access.

MROSD made a concerted effort to be all-inclusive in their recent vision process, but in my opinion they need to re-think how they work as an agency. They should stick to what they do best — buy land for open space — and let other agencies with more experience handle the rest. In other words, they should turn over acquired land to state, county or city agencies for public access and enforcement. That’s how other land preservationists like Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST), Sempervirens Fund, Save the Redwoods, etc., operate and there’s no reason why MROSD can’t do the same.