50 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM DAY TRIP woodside wanderings words by ANDREA GEMMET {due west} PHOTOGRAPHY: ROBB MOST / COURTESY OF SFPENINSULA.COM - ELLA SIGNS rollerbladers. Road signs warn drivers to slow for horse crossings, thanks to Woodside’s extensive network of equestrian trails, and its acres of parks and open space preserves prove irresistible to in-the-know hikers and trail runners. Despite a population of just over 5,000, Woodside boasts an impressive number of great places to eat, from a Michelin Guide darling to a storied stop for motorcyclists. However, there are a few things you won’t find in Woodside: big box stores; office towers; fast-food chains; and (with a few exceptions) streetlights and sidewalks. You might spot bobcats, blacktailed deer and banana slugs while winding among redwoods and oaks at Huddart Park, where the Miramontes Trail connects to the Phleger Estate, part of the In Woodside, hitching posts are not hard to find—and they aren’t just a decorative holdover from a bygone era. On a recent weekend, I passed two saddled horses tied up under the trees by Buck’s Restaurant, swishing their tails and waiting for their riders to finish eating. The verdant town, which tumbles down the eastern foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains west of Redwood City, exudes a distinctive blend of colorful history, Silicon Valley swagger and carefully cultivated rural charm. This former home of hard-drinking lumberjacks—whose watering holes gave Whiskey Hill Road its name—attracts droves of outdoor enthusiasts. On Sundays, one of the main routes through town bans cars and is taken over by exuberant runners, cyclists and
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