We took Bryson on a walk today at the Albany Bulb (see this earlier post for an explanation of its name), all was nice and pleasant until some fellow dog-owners alerted us of this giant semi-rotten carcass laying on the beach mere feet from where we stood:
The picture doesn't do this thing justice, it's HUGE!!! It was the size of a person, at least 5-6 feet in length (not kidding). And it just lay there in plain sight in all its putrid glory. You just couldn't resist that morbid curiosity to get a closer look but also feel repulsed with every step taken towards it. For some reason we just felt the urge to stand there with our dogs and stare and debate with fellow onlookers what this is (or was) in the midst of the thick stench. After some lively debate (a seal? an alien??), we finally came to the conclusion that this must be the carcass of a sturgeon, given that this is sturgeon fishing season in the Bay Area, and it looks like, well, a big fish. Everyone nodded solemnly at the conclusion, and somehow we all felt better having rationalized in our minds what this rotten mess must have been. It seems like not knowing what it was was bothering us more so than the sight and smell of a giant rotten fish. Thanks to our over-developed frontal cortex, that all we could think of. Bryson and his fellow dog-mates were probably just thinking: fish! yum!
If not for the discovery of the giant fish carcass, a visit to the weird "Mad Mark's Castle" would have been the highlight on this trail. I'll remind you that the trail along the Albany Bulb was a landfill full of construction debris, historically home to the homeless (ha ha, get it?) and artist communities, now a popular dog-walking trail with awesome SF bay views. Mad Mark built this castle by hand to commemorate what he calls the Global Resolve Theory (don't ask me...). Here's our first visit w/ Bryson to the castle:
An ominous sky hovering above the Castle
Bryson visiting the "front yard" of the castle
View of SF from inside the castle
Here are some more pictures on the interesting trail through cement blocks and random art work amongst tranquil natural beauty:
