Adventure #5 - Albany Bulb Urban Art Scavenger Hunt
Updated: Jan 29, 2021
Objective Reflection:
I was super excited about this scavenger hunt because Albany Bulb is one of the coolest places for views of the city and finding unique treasures. I waited out the weather this past week until the rain finally broke and gave me just enough time to head over to Albany and enjoy some sun and urban art. I also timed my visit to hit low tide in the afternoon, because I knew some of the items on the list would be covered by the tide otherwise, but it meant the park was pretty crowded. The blue rope swing even had a line. Since I went solo on this trip there were also some partner activities like the teeter totter I missed out on but it was nice to see other people enjoying and using the art. I found most of the items on the scavenger hunt, but it was honestly harder than I thought it would be! I really enjoyed exploring the park and it was easy to get distracted and forget what I was looking for during this Urban Art Challenge. Some of my favorite pieces were the labyrinths, the car parts and license plate fence, and the fishing scene, which is a newer addition. It was also pretty rad to walk the yellow brick road, which I had never seen before since it can only be taken at low tide. One of my other favorite things to do at Albany Bulb is find the spray painted herb identification pieces. While I did my own scavenger hunt and searched for those, I decided to take in the unique natural beauty of the park at the same time and do the Botanicals Challenge. I used Seek by iNaturalist, an app which identifies species and adds them to a citizen science database, to track my finds. It was nice to appreciate the man-made beauty and art of the Bulb, while also admiring the botanical beauty. Absolutely recommend this hike to any individual, couple, group, or family, since it's an easy walk with so much to discover and talk about.
Personal Reflection:
Although I've been to Albany Bulb a couple times in the last few months, this time I really had the time to explore new parts of the park. I've never taken the low trail fully around the Bulb and I even found some new niches on my way back through the higher trail. Although it seems like a small loop, I decided to use Alltrails to track my path, so I made sure to hit as many turn offs as possible without overlapping too much. I also trekked up a little hill and wound up next to a wedding or similar ceremony, which looked beautiful and and I thought the park was a super fun atmosphere for that. The last time I was at Albany Bulb, my friend and I had found an interactive art piece which included small glass bottles to put messages inside. I decided this time I would pass on that experience, so I brought a few of my own and left some paper in the same spot for the next adventurers. This type of art has a special place in my heart because it reminded me of the social art class I took studying abroad, and how we focused on art in public spaces, art involving strangers, and even how nature influences art. This place gives me those same vibes and it was extremely cool to see how many different types of people get to interact and make additions to this ever changing park. I thought this adventure was fun and different, and I'm glad that on top of my super dirty nature adventures, I got to explore a more urban park with the same mindset and adventure planning.
Botanicals Challenge:
#1 Australian Blackwood - Acacia melanoxylon - Native to southeast Australia, this tree blooms between July and December producing pale yellow inflorescences, clusters of tiny flowers on one stem.
#2 Coast Live Oak - Quercus agrifolia - A shrubby evergreen oak tree native to the California Floristic Province, which may reach ages for 1000 years old.
#3 Chilean Sea Fig - Carpobrotus chilensis - An edible succulent plant, this species has become an invasive species along the West Coast.
#4 Silverleaf Cotoneaster - Cotoneaster pannosus - This woody shrub is native to south central China which produces red-orange fruits that are very attractive to birds.
#5 Bermuda Buttercup - Oxalis pes-caprae - This yellow flower is native to South Africa and considered an invasive species and noxious weed along the California coast.
#6 Cootamundra Wattle - Acacia baileyana - Indigenous to a small island in New South Wales, this yellow flowering shrub is used for food production in honey bees.
#7 Cheeseweed Mallow - Malva parviflora - This white or pink flowering plant is an annual or perennial herb whose leaf extracts possess anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
#8 Pride of Madeira - Echium candicans - This herbaceous perennial is invasive in California and produces huge purple flowers visited by bees and butterflies for nectar.
#9 Ribwort Plantain - Plantago lanceolata - This rosette budding common weed is native to Eurasia and its leaves are often used in medicinal teas and other herbal remedies like cough reducer.
#10 Panic Veldtgrass - Ehrharta erecta - This perennial grass is native to South Africa, flowers repeatedly throughout the year and is used in dune restoration and for birdseed.
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