Gilroy Garlic Festival 2011 - 31 July

As I have every year for the past 25 or so years, I went to the Gilroy Garlic Festival. I go there almost entirely for the food, and I haven't thought to take pictures of that. I was too intent on the food to get any really good photos, except for the inflatables, the remodeled amphitheater, and a small statue of a bear at the California tourism exhibit. (click any picture to see it at larger size)

Inflated bottle of Scope mouthwash (approx 3 m tall) Large (3 m.) inflated figure with garlic bulb for head, wearing t-shirt jeans, and sneakers. Remodeled amphitheater at Gilroy Garlic Festival. California Bear in shorts, hawaiian shirt, with camera around neck and golf club in hand.

While waiting for some of the food to digest, I left the fair and saw a trail that led behind the park where the festival takes place. There’s a mural painted on an underpass near the end of the trail where it rejoins the main road.

Mural showing “Gilroy through the years” painted on wall of an underpass. Portion of mural showing garlic field Portion of mural; garlic field at left, downtown at right Portion of mural; downtown at left, field with bird flying above at right

But the best pictures were along the trail itself.

Wooded trail behind gilroy garlic festival area Broken-off tree branch exposing orange interior and white exterior. Creek running through grassy area behind Christmas Hill Park in Gilroy Stones in foreground, creek and trees in background