Yes, I know you have not heard from me in a while. There is a good reason for that…I am on vacation up in Northern California again and I am having a great time. I’ve been to several events and had visits from old and new friends. But not to worry, I have many new photos and stories to tell.
Take for instance this photo: it is the new Levi Stadium in Santa Clara in the heart of Silicon Valley. I was here to help inaugurate the new home of the San Francisco 49ers. This was the first football game played here and let me tell you, as an avid 49er fan since early childhood, this game was a stinker…the Niners lost 34-0 to the Denver Broncos. But at least I got to see Peyton Manning drive his team down the field for a touchdown and the game was preseason anyway.
Forgetting all that, Levi Stadium is terrific…much better than Candlestick Park, the last home of the 49ers…may it rest in peace. I explored the park with my camera before the game and was impressed with all the facilities. My seat was on the 20 yard line about 8 rows up from the field. So I got a good look at a lot of action, including the Peyton Manning touchdown. My seat was like an office chair…nicely padded on the bottom and very comfortable. If you ever go there for a day game, be aware the sun is shining on the entire stadium so bring sun block.
My journey to the stadium was even more interesting than the game. After exploring all the transportation alternatives, I decided to go via Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) to Fremont…then onto a bus provided by Valley Transit (VTA) to the stadium.
The journey started easily enough. From Walnut Creek, I traveled to the MacArthur Street Station in Oakland where I changed trains to the Fremont Line. Then it got interesting…as we travelled along in a tunnel under Oakland, the train came to a stop. Then it started and stopped a few times before the driver came on the PA and announced the train was having mechanical problems.
He then shut down all electrical systems on the train to restart, leaving us passengers in darkness for a few minutes. Apparently the restart didn’t do the job. Finally he got the train started forward then came to a complete stop again. This was repeated over and over until we crawled into another station. The driver then announced the brakes had gone out and we all had to leave the train.
Fortunately, another Fremont train came along in a few minutes and we all hopped on it. From then on, the journey was easy. We made it to Fremont only a little bit late. And as promised, the buses were waiting there to take us to Levi Stadium. For the cost of $1, I boarded the bus and found the driver had provided donuts for all of us. So I grabbed a donut and a seat and waited for the bus to leave for the stadium.
It surprised me that no standing room only passengers were allowed on board. Turns out that is forbidden on a bus when it uses a freeway. Cool! I ate my donut and in only about 25 minutes we arrived a block or so from Levi Stadium.
After the game, the buses were waiting for us across the street from where they left us. I gave them my dollar and sat down. No donuts on the return trip. Traffic was surprisingly light on the freeway, but by the end of the game, most people had left, so no traffic snarls. I stayed till the bitter end to see if the 49ers would score at least one touchdown at the end, but Denver stopped them at the 1 yard line as time expired.
The rest of the trip was a piece of cake. In an hour I was back at the Walnut Creek station. Anyone who drives to the stadium is nuts. A long drive, with the inevitable traffic jam and $40 for parking. Forget it. My way was better.
What a day! But I have had other adventures here including an earthquake, a Giants game, and a weekend of Indy Car racing. Stay tuned for more stories and photos.
(To see a larger version of this image, just click on it)
To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com…or visit my Flickr Page.
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