Subscriber Comments for
Riviera Loop

Comments in order of when they were received | (reverse order)

COMMENT 173146	2011-05-14 12:49 PM
Perfect reading for a Saturday afternoon. Love your stuff, thank you : )
EL BARBARENO	2011-05-14 02:27 PM
Wonderful hike and great photos! You even hit some "secret paths" that I've never seen. "Submarine races" - har!!! While Dr. Franceschi introduced a great variety of plants to our area, the sycamore, being native to the area, was not one of them. By the way...how many pairs of shoes have you gone through so far?
COMMENT 173342P	2011-05-15 10:02 AM
Urban hiker Peter here-We hate having those proof reading errors like the sycamore in this article. I guess our minds were still on the Sailor's Sycamore of the Milpas story. Having said that, corrections and additions are always appreciated. I am now on pair four of my walking shoes.....
COMMENT 173353	2011-05-15 10:39 AM
I LOVE the frog shrine! One of my freinds took me up there at night once and I could not believe my eyes! Soooo cool! Great for kids too.
SEEDLADY	2011-05-15 10:45 AM
Platanus acerilfolia (London Plane Tree) is indeed a European species, more 'demure' and neat in growth habit than the rangy native Plantanus racemosa . There are hybrids and selections available at specialty nurseries and growing grounds that perform even better than the species in suburban settings. Our native California sycamore is best left to rural or open park stream-side settings where it can grow to it's full 60' height, and where its roots can range at will for plentiful water, instead of finding the nearest residential water or sewer line.
RONNIEB	2011-05-15 11:00 AM
Love those Urban Hikes! Thanks for sharing your experiences. Keep 'em coming! In 1952 when I was in 8th grade m parents built a home on Mira Vista just below and to the West of Franceschi Park. (Re. your map--isn't Franceschi Park still above, not below, Mission Ridge Rd.?) After about 4 years on Mira Vista we moved up to the top of the Riviera on another dead-end street, Las Tunas Road. At both locations the views of the city, harbor, channel and islands were spectacular. Often when the fog came in we would be enjoying full sun looking down on a sea of fog covering the city. Thanks to Dr. Franceschi others who brought in all those exotic plants and trees Santa Barbara became the botanical paradise they envisioned. While the non-native eucalyptus is getting a bad rap these days, those huge ones up on the Riviera smell wonderful and when in flower provide apis mellifera (honey bees) with nectar that produces wonderful honey. What would SB be like without all the "exotic" plants and trees that thrive here?
COMMENT 173377	2011-05-15 11:58 AM
Re: Franceschi Park and Mission Ridge Rd: I looked up a map of City parks, and several other versions of city maps, and they all show Franceschi Park lying entirely below Mission Ridge. Which is totally weird, because anyone who's been there knows you go up from Mission Ridge to enter by car. I did a Google Earth search and you can clearly see the entrance road, and the parking area, and the house and all its grounds, up above Mission Ridge and below Franceschi Road, just where they've always been :-) I never knew the park extended below Mission Ridge Rd. I think that will be a Sunday hike for the family today.
ESL TEACHER	2011-05-15 12:06 PM
RonnieB is right. Unfortunately your map is misleading. Most of Franceschi Park lies between Mission Ridge Road and Franceschi Road. That said, this is a great hike and anyone who wants to explore more of this part of the Riviera should look out for the urban hike conducted by the Sierra Club periodically on a weekend morning. It begins on Pedregosa Street and climbs some of the hidden stairways leading uphill mentioned in this article. It's steep but rewarding.
SBJULES	2011-05-15 08:23 PM
A wonderful article as always! Think of Franceschi when you drive or walkl on Anapamu: link

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