SUNDAY DRIVE
Inland Coast: On the hot days of summer across the West and with the inevitable fog on the coast, one answer is to go to California’s “Inland Coast,” as some call it, the SacramentoSan Joaquin River Delta. Some of the best access in the delta for boating, kayaking, hiking, biking and bird-watching is out of the Big Break Regional Shoreline in Oakley.
Location: Big Break is on the delta in Oakley, near where Middle River enters the San Joaquin.
Boats and kayaks: Transform your world in seconds from any boat or with a few paddle strokes in a kayak. A boat ramp and kayak launch areas provide a portal to a mosaic of waterways. On Middle River, a sprinkling of small islands are within paddle range. This provides a payoff destination for birdwatching, with good numbers of resident and migrant shorebirds.
Bird-watch: Songbirds, shorebirds and raptors are year-round residents at the tidal wetlands, both along the shore of Middle River as well as in the vicinity of the sprinkling of nearby small islands. Migratory shorebirds and waterfowl start to trickle in every summer, pick up in early autumn and then peak later in the fall.
Fish: A 100-foot pier extends into Middle River and into the migratory pathway of striped bass, with sturgeon and striped bass present less frequently. Most of the striped bass this month have been on the small side, below the 18-inch minimum size limit. By boat, there is an underwater ledge at Big Break where anglers can anchor along the slope at incoming and high tides for the best chance at keeper-sized stripers.
Walk/bike: The Big Break Regional
Trail is a multiuse recreation trail with a series of pretty water views. This primarily gets used by locals as a backyard recreation trail, but it can work for anybody as an easy out and back. Cyclists can ride the trail to the north end of the Marsh Creek Trail, then continue for miles to several towns and parks. Delta Discovery Experience: One of the most distinctive interpretive exhibits is a giant 1,200-square-foot scale map of the delta that shows how water flows through the matrix of rivers, sloughs and cuts. Cost: Free parking, access.
Now you know: Some have wondered what the delta would look like if a large earthquake hit the area simultaneously with high tides and high freshwater outflow through the delta from storms or snowmelt. You can find out here. A levee broke in 1928, the “Big Break,” and water flooded miles of farmland.
Map/brochure: In a box at the parking area (most visitors recycle after use); PDF at www. ebparks.org or by mail at (888) 327-2757, option 5, then ext. 2 and leave message.
Contacts: Big Break Regional Shoreline, Oakley, (510) 5443050; East Bay Regional Park District, (888) 327-2757, www. ebparks.org.