We are not talking about salad dressing!

Nestled at the top of Log Cabin Ranch Road, past the juvenile detention facilities for both San Mateo and San Francisco Counties (Camp Glenwood & Log Cabin Ranch), is a former minimum security prison – Hidden Valley Ranch…

For several years I’ve been thinking, “Wouldn’t it be great to turn a prison into a school!” Part of my Open Space Academy idea involves Hidden Valley Ranch (Check out: http://openspaceacademy.weebly.com/facilities.html and explore the rest of that website!).

Of course, after approximately 20 years of being out of commission, it’s a formidable fixer-upper. But that process could represent myriad training opportunities for the folks who used to live here, or for the young men who live down the road.

The location is outstanding! Remove the fence and it doesn’t look like a prison. And what happens after it’s renovated? How about an Open Space Academy? How about Outdoor Education for high school and college kids? How about an Environmental Field Studies station (similar to the Gazos Creek Field Research station)?

And how about some wild flowers…?

You see, I hiked a surreptitious route along a clandestine quasi-trail to get to Hidden Valley Ranch. Support the cause, and I’ll leak the secret!