Bol Park (Alternate Site)

In case of fog up on the ridge, which would make Russian Ridge less than ideal, we have planned an alternate site: Bol Park. Bol Park is located in Palo Alto, north of the buildings of the Department of Veteran Affairs (the VA). The simple version of these directions is: drive southeast on Alameda de las Pulgas to the VA, circle around the ring road of the VA to the parking lot, park and walk to the site. This will suffice for most, since there will be a carpool caravan from the house to the site, led by someone who knows the way.

In case anybody is late, or gets separated from the pack, though, more detail is probably needed:

Here's the high-level overview. 235 Belmont Ave is roughly where the "y" in "Menlo Country Club" is, on the left about midway down. Bol park is where the red star is, in the lower right of the map. You will get onto Alameda de las Pulgas, the major road just south of 235 Belmont Ave., and take it southeast until it turns into the Foothill Expressway, the big yellow line in the lower right of the map. You will get off of the Foothill expressway when you reach the VA.

This is a blow-up of the last half of the route. Note that Alameda de las Pulgas has become Junipero Serra, and then becomes Foothill Expressway. You can see the VA in the lower right on this map.

This shows the route at the end of the journey. You turn left off of Foothill Expressway onto Hillview Ave, immediately right onto Miranda Ave., left into the VA, circle clockwise around the edge of the VA to where you turn left into the parking lot, and park. The blue line then shows the route you will walk to get to the park. This is all covered in more detail below in the driving directions.

Distances for each leg of this journey (measured from 235 Belmont Ave in all cases) are:

0.0 miles: start out going southeast on Belmont Ave., away from Highway 84.

0.2 miles: you reach a T at Selby Lane. Turn right.

0.4 miles: you reach a T at Santa Clara Ave. Turn left.

0.6 miles: you reach a T at Stockbridge Ave. Turn right.

0.9 miles: you reach a stop sign at Alamedas de las Pulgas. Turn left (note cross traffic does not stop).

1.5, 2.2, 2.5, 2.7 miles: stoplights and/or stop signs. Continue straight on Alameda.

2.9 miles: due to a merge in from your left, Alameda becomes Santa Cruz Ave. Continue straight.

3.1 miles: stoplight at Sand Hill Road. Continue straight, but prepare to turn left.

3.3 miles: turn left onto Junipero Serra, following the signs for Los Altos. In terms of compass directions you continue going in the same direction, in the end, but it is a left turn at a light.

3.8, 4.2, 5.3 miles: stoplights. Continue straight on Junipero Serra.

5.7 miles: stoplight at Page Mill Road. Continue straight; the road will become divided, and will change name to Foothill Expressway. Get in the left-hand lane.

6.3 miles: turn left at the light for Hillview, then immediately right onto Miranda, then stop at the stop sign and continue straight on Miranda. All this happens with one-tenth of a mile.

6.6 miles: turn left into the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), under the huge US flag. Turn left at the first stop sign you encounter, onto the ring road that circles the VA.

7.2 miles: after much winding and curving, you turn left into a parkling lot designated with a sign as "Lot H1". Drive straight across the width of the lot (just a few rows) until you reach a T at a chain-link fence. Turn left. You will almost immediately see a sign that says "Authorized Vehicles only". Do not go into that area, but park as close to that sign as possible.

Walking: walk past that same sign, as if you were an authorized vehicle, down the hill. Before you enter the gates at the bottom of the hill, turn right and go through the gap in the fence. A short dirt path will lead you down to a paved bicycle path. Turn left onto the bicycle path. Walk about 100 paces and you will come to a small bridge spanning a creek. Walk another 100 paces and you will come to Bol Park, on your right. It is currently somewhat fenced off, but you can skirt between the fence and a bench there and enter the park. (The legality of all this is questionable, but it's really a very nice park). The wedding party will be immediately obvious somewhere in the park; it's not very big.