Hi All,

Sometimes selecting a field trip location can be difficult when you have so many choices and that's one of the problems in the San Francisco Bay Area, we have so many places. Don originally suggested we go to Mt. Diablo today, but I told him it was to cold and by golly it was. So our alternative choice was The Olompali State Park, just down the road near Novato, CA.

I'm sure you're asking why Olompali? Well, this is because this is the place where Jim Berkland discovered Blue Schist in the Bay Area. Frankly, I thought it was a place that had something to do with our Native American past, but that's not all that's there.

Just a few yards off of Highway 101 we entered a parking lot which was surrounded by a variety of trees and noticed a few buildings off the trail to our left. Walking every few feet we found some well placed signs describing the features of the flora and fauna of the area. It seems Olompali was once land used by the Miwok Indian Tribe, but the tribal land is up the hill from the main parking lot. Lower and just a few yards away we found several buildings, from an oddly shaped stucco exterior structure to several wood frame homes. As we walked toward the buildings, we noticed some water fountains which were made out of very large lava rocks and one towered at least one story high, which was shaped like a volcano, and had a huge circular water receptacle around it. There was an old stone staircase leading down into a forested area with many trees and one could imagine being there on a bright, warm, sunny day for a picnic.

After viewing the garden area we began to read the signs surrounding the buildings and were rather surprised to find that the stucco home, which was originally made of adobe bricks and covered with lathe and plaster, was severely damaged. Oddly enough, today February 2nd was the anniversary of the destruction of the east wing of the house when it caught fire in 1969. The home belonged to the Burdell Family and nearby Mt. Burdell is named after them. Three generations of the family resided in the home until 1943. A string of residents followed including the Grateful Dead. Today the home is in such a state of decay the Park Ranger told us the only thing holding the house together is the exterior stucco.

As soon as the Park Ranger arrived, Don wandered over and struck up a conversation with him while I meandered around the house. I had this sense that the woman who owned the home and spent thousands of hours creating the once marvelous gardens was looking over the property and wished someone like herself would renew its past grandeur.

I had to ask the Park Ranger if he ever experienced any ghostly sightings in his eleven year term and he said he had not, but that many people who visited the park said they sensed it to be an energy center. One woman reported seeing a woman dressed in a white gown walk across Highway 101 at least sixty times. When she described the woman to the ranger, he showed a picture of Mary Burdell and it was the same person. In the 1800's the edge of the property ran where Highway 101 is today and on the eastern side is where San Pablo Bay met the property line. This is interesting because today on the eastern side of the freeway a marshy land exists and houses a small landing strip. This landing strip is known as Gnoss Field and was used in the movie, American Graffiti near the end of the picture.

As Don continued chatting up the Ranger, I decided to take a walk around the former formal garden area. There was a very peaceful feeling there and being an avid gardener myself I caught the feeling of how Mary Burdell would have felt as she saw her garden come to life. As I stood on the eastern side of the towering volcanic fountain I suddenly felt a cold tingling sensation and it was as though a spirit had walked right into my person. I recognized the spirit as that of Mary Burdell. She doesn't haunt this place, but she watches over it and longs to see a restoration. Unfortunately, as it is now a State Park it will never be restored. No doubt the next moderate quake, in this area will bring the rest of the house down if some other source doesn't in the interim.

As to the geology of Olompali it does possess an outcropping of blue schist and many volcanic rocks with granite running through them, along with other native volcanic rocks and serpentine which is always in an abundance in this area.

Ah, the field trip with a little something extra, it made a perfect outing for us today.

Petra & Don

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