Bay Area Active & Social - 20s, 30s & 40s

Fire Circle -- Group Camping Volunteering, Mt. Madonna Park, V-O-CAL

Fri, Apr 17 · 5:00 PM PDT

Mt. Madonna County Park, 7850 Pole Line Rd, Watsonville, CA, US

Do you want to make friends with a large group of people deep and fast? Do you want to bond with people while doing some thing meaningful side by side?

Come go camping with about 100 others that volunteer in state/county parks, repairing trails by the day, sit by the camp fire, chat, drink and socialize during the evening, free camping, free food. The friendship is bonded by the sweat on trails, by the share of life story beside the bonfire. Each of such trip is unique and will be part of your memory. Think of the possibilities. This is what Volunteer Outdoors for California (VOCAL) has been doing for the past 20 years, all around bay.

We attended VOCAL's season kick off party this spring, and some of us attended their first event of the year at China Camp state park. The feedbacks are overwhelmingly positive, said the event is very well organized, and people plan to return for a second time.

So we present you our organized first camping volunteering event of the year, at south bay, with VOCAL, at the Manzanita Group Camp, Mt. Madonna county Park. Watsonville, CA. South of San Jose, east of Santa Cruz.

Registration and info:
https://www.v-o-cal.org/project/mt-madonna-county-park-2026
(You must sign up with VOCAL)

A rough schedule is listed below. Notice these are all optional, you can join part of the schedule. No, you don't even need to camp if you prefer. You must sign up with VOCAL to make the trip, and Friday's dinner isn't provided. Yes, you need to prepare your own tent gears and camp chair, and utensils etc.. Plz check the link above for dressing recommendations etc..

## Project Schedule

Friday
5:00pm - Registration and camping open. DINNER IS NOT PROVIDED.

Saturday‍
7:30am - Registration, light breakfast, and lunch packing begin at Center Camp.
8:30 am – Morning greeting, announcements, stretching and safety talk.
9:00 am – Project begins.
12:30pm - Break for lunch on trail.
3:30 pm – Stop work and return to camp. Clean and store tools.
4:00 pm – Drinks, appetizers and socializing.
6:00 pm – Dinner.

Sunday
‍7:30am - Registration and lunch packing begin. Hot breakfast is served.
8:30 am – Morning greeting, announcements, stretching and safety talk.
9:00 am – Project begins.
11:30 am – Break for lunch on trail.
1:30pm - Stop work, clean tools, load tools into boxes and return to camp.

Date: April 17 - 19th
Location: Manzanita Group Camp,
Mt. Madonna county Park.
7850 Pole Line Rd, Watsonville, CA 95076

Note that some of us are staying first half of the event, then attend the Cherry Blossom Festival in SF on April 19th.
You must sign up with VOCAL.

TownFlame: Community & Connections.

Liability Waiver: Participation in TownFlame events is voluntary and involves social interaction in public spaces. Activities are designed to be inclusive and respectful. Participants assume all risks and release TownFlame, its organizers, volunteers, and affiliates from liability for injury, illness, or damages, except in cases of gross negligence or intentional misconduct.

By attending, participants acknowledge that photographs, audio, and video recordings may be taken during events, and grant TownFlame the right to use such media for promotional and marketing purposes, in any format or platform, without further consent or compensation.

Audiobook Walk - Palo Alto Baylands trail (1.5 hours, ~4 mi)

Sun, Apr 19 · 10:00 AM PDT

Palo Alto Baylands Nature Preserve Trail, Palo Alto, CA, US

Come listen to an audiobook or podcast while we walk together through Palo Alto Baylands Nature Preserve Trail. This trail is an easy walk over mostly flat terrain, and it can be windy.

Notes:

• Wear comfortable clothes & shoes.
• Bring a pair of headphones
• Bring water to stay hydrated
• Bring a hat (that won't blow away in the wind!)
• Wear sunscreen, as there is no shade
• Pets are okay to bring on this part of the trail!
• This is a low pressure event. You may listen to whatever you like or socialize as well!

Schedule:

• 10:00AM Gather and introductions at meeting point (Near Restrooms)
• 10:10AM Start walk (Est Duration: 1hr 22min)
• 12:00PM: Optional lunch/coffee in downtown Mountain View

Note: Schedule times are estimates

Meeting Spot: At the trail entrance across from the restrooms
Meeting point link: CWM2+H3, Palo Alto, CA
Route: Start from The Terminal Blvd entrance and walk to "The Bowl" landmark. We may walk a little past "The Bowl" as it was shorter than expected last time.
Route Link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/8uQJGWaGchmfmWNd7
Terrain: Flat, mostly gravel and dirt path
Parking: Parking is available along Terminal Blvd, but may become busy. Carpool is recommended.
Optional: Lunch/coffee in Downtown Mountain View after walk

If you are late, please follow the route link and meet us when we turn around.
If there is inclement weather, we may reschedule as needed.

DISCLAIMER: The organizer in this group is not a professional guide. The function of the organizer is only to organize the trip. Each person who signs up for a trip, meetup, or outing is responsible for his or her own safety and the safety of his or her guests. By signing up for a hike, you are acknowledging that you are aware and have made your guests aware of the risks, dangers and hazards associated with any outdoor activity and freely accept and fully assume all such risks, dangers and hazards, and further agree to release and discharge the organizer, assistant organizers, event organizers and event hosts of this Meetup group from and against any and all liability arising from your and your guest's participation in the group activities. Our hike organizers are not responsible for your safety, these are always “Hike at your Own Risk” events.
By RSVPING you acknowledge you have fully read, understand, and agree to the above.

Viva CalleSJ: walk/bike/skate the streets

Sun, Apr 19 · 10:00 AM PDT

Cimarron park, Orange Street, San Jose 95127, San Jose, CA, US

Here's the official page: https://www.vivacallesj.org/ and here's the map of activities/stops: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1lIFW7SqX_ePbsjJjM3w2GK1N9IURmLc&femb=1&ll=37.36517514639243%2C-121.82555414999999&z=14

Here are highlights from the previous events:
September 2025: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tK3rfbkJZzg
June 2025: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNRCoEQgrUY
April 2025: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMd9S6Fp73Q
Last Meetup event

As a heads up, I'll be there for the event but probably not for the entire 5 hours, and there's going to be thousands of people here moving around the entire time, sooo you're probably not going to be able to find anyone. Think of this as an informational post and less of a traditional meetup where you meet specific people from our group :)

ABOUT THE EVENT
Choose your own quest as you bike, skate, walk, or roll from Mexican Heritage Plaza to Alum Rock Village or from Cimaron Park to Fernish Park, there are plenty of side quests to explore along this adventurous route.

Viva CalleSJ is not just a bicycle event, it is an open streets event! Feel free to walk, bike, skate or just come play in the streets! (See the official page at https://www.vivacallesj.org/the-event/featured-event)
The San Jose Parks Department puts on this event a couple times a year, and Sunday, April 19 is the first Viva CalleSJ of 2026.

NOTE that this event will likely have thousands of people!
Good news: You'll find at least a couple interesting people.
Not so good news: You'll have a hard time finding specific people (including other people from this meetup event) among the thousands of other people.

My goal is to visit all the hubs, so I'll (probably) have a bike, but having a scooter/skateboard/roller skates (or an electric version) should be fine. Walking is probably going to be too slow if you want to visit all the hubs though. If you do want to walk around, there's plenty of stuff to do so you won't get bored. If you want to go to all the hubs but don't have any alternative modes of transportation, get a Bay Wheels bike (see the HOW TO GET THERE section below)

HOW TO GET THERE
I'd suggest taking VTA, since that'll get you pretty close to the activity hubs and you won't need to worry about parking/closed streets. You can look at this map to see all the routes.

If you're further away/don't have VTA nearby but can take Bart, I'd recommend taking BART down to the Berryessa station, then with a bike/skateboard/e-bike/whatever, it'll take ~15 minutes to get to the Cimarron Park hub. Otherwise, you can hop on a Lyft bike - there are 2 Bay Wheels/Lyft Bike stations next to the Berryessa BART station at Newbury Park Dr @ King Rd and Berryessa BART (https://www.lyft.com/bikes/bay-wheels/explore). The day pass includes unlimited 30-min classic bike rides within a 24-hour period with any ride longer than 30 min costing an extra $0.19/min (see the plans here).

If you want to drive, there are a bunch of parking lots in downtown SJ that are within 3 miles of the event: https://parksj.org/ - keep in mind roads might be closed for the event if you want to park closer.

ACTIVITIES
Address for the main hubs:
Mexican Heritage Plaza: 1700 Alum Rock Ave, San Jose, CA 95116 Link
Cimarrón Park: Orange St, San Jose, CA 95127 Link
Alum Rock Business District: Stewart Ave & Alum Rock Ave Intersection Link
Fernish Park: 3470 Rubion Dr, San Jose, CA 95148 Link

LIVE EVENTS
I added flyers from the official page below, but take a look at https://www.vivacallesj.org/ for the latest updates.

OTHER EVENT INFO
- Maintain a safe speed! Stay in control, go with the flow of traffic, pass on the left, slower traffic please keep to the right.
- Be aware of your surroundings! Never Stop in the middle of the route and keep your eyes sharp to avoid accidents and obstacles.
- Wear a helmet! We care about your safety and so does the law! Participants under the age of 18 must wear a helmet and everyone is encouraged to wear one.
- Viva CalleSJ staff, volunteers, and public safety officers can be found on route and in activity hubs, ask for help!
- Take public transportation. Parking will be difficult in the areas around the route, avoid the hassle by taking VTA!

SAFETY DISCLAIMER
The organizers of this meet-up are unpaid volunteers and not expert guides. All participants agree to assume 100% responsibility for their own safety, conduct, and well-being and recognize that possible hazards exist while participating in outdoor (or any other) activities, and agree to participate solely at their own risk. If you RSVP “Yes” and/or attend any of our events, it shall be conclusively presumed that you understand and agree to this policy.