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Sports

Sunny Days Mock Winter

Bel Marin Key residents enjoy the sunny days and so can you.

Loving the warm sunny days! Are you? Will we have winter or has climate change quickly descended on Northern California transforming our weather to a balmy 60 degrees in January?

It is about this time of year that I crave to head back to my Florida roots and bask in the warm waters and sunshine. This year, I don’t have to far to satisfy this craving. A short trip across town to walk or bike along the Bel Marin Keys Unit V Trail allows me to enjoy the sunshine and and view the tranquil lagoon’s water. Last weekend, we even saw residents in all forms of marine transportation.

Don’t know about this escape? I didn’t either till I stumbled upon it during a recent bike ride.

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The trail starts at the unmarked parking lot on the right side of the road just after the and the Bel Marin Keys entrance sign.  Proceed past the Coastal Conservancy gate and travel down the flat hard-packed dirt levee trail. The trail meanders along the lagoon for about three miles, one way, until it reaches the waters of the San Pablo Bay.

The Bel Marin Keys Unit V comprises nearly 1,610 acres and was originally designated to double the size of Bel Marin Keys, with 1,700 homes. The property was purchased in 2001 from Bel Marin Keys by the State Coastal Conservancy. This project is connected to the making it one of the largest restoration project s in the nation. The parched land from the 1900 farming days will be restored to tidal and seasonal wetlands.

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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is working in conjunction with the SCC to restore the wetlands and is now removing power lines that run along the levee between the old Hamilton Airfield and Bel Marin Keys Unit V, along with the two electricity substations.   

Enjoy the trail and let me know if you think this is a perfect coastal get away!

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