Uncanny Valley

Back in the day when a large public works project was undergone, people expected it to look nice afterwards. People still do in pockets like New Mexico, but in many places Bauhaus has taken over. Fortunately some places like this survive, and remind us how things don’t have to look good, but they should.

This is one of two water temples, the other one in Sunol rumoured to be the more beauteous of the two. This one has slightly less-restrictive hours of access, with just the parking lot and not the whole place being closed on weekends. Supposedly parking on the road is a no-no, but I wasn’t hassled and I wasn’t the only one. On certain Sundays, the road is closed to cars, so you’d have to walk 3.5 km extra then.

The red tape here is annoying. My theory is that it’s some misguided 911 paranoia. Especially since drinking water does not go through here anymore, since the plant was built across the road. Still, I suppose I should be grateful somewhat as the temple was entirely inaccessible to the public until 25 October 2004. Baby steps, I guess.

What else can I say about this place but that it’s pretty and peaceful? I did see a small herd of Mule deer outside the fence, a few of which motionlessly kept watch of my progress to the portable toilets.