Author: KQED

How did a cutting edge railroad become crumbling tunnels to nowhere? This week, the story of the Mountain Route, a long lost rail line that once cut through the Santa Cruz Mountains. In it's heyday, the line provided an easy way for Bay Area residents to get to the beaches of Santa Cruz.

Additional Reading:

•  The Story Behind Those Old Train Tunnels in the Santa Cruz Mountains
• The Island Ghost Town in the Middle of San Francisco Bay
• Help us decide what to cover next by casting your vote!

Reported by Peter Arcuni. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Suzie Racho and Katie McMurran. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Carly Severn, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Don Clyde.

We’re answering your questions in a Bay Curious lightning round. We tackle changes you’ve noticed this past year on our bridges, on the water, and in how we consume.

Additional Reading:

•  End of an Era: No More Toll Takers on Bay Area Bridges
• It's Not Just You, There Are More Cargo Ships in the Bay Than Usual
• How the Bay Area Is Using Water, Power and Landfill Space During the Pandemic
• San Francisco Bay Is Filled With Boats, But What Do They Do?

Reported by Katrina Schwartz. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Suzie Racho and Katie McMurran. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Isabeth Mendoza, Paul Lancour, Carly Severn, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Don Clyde.

For years, Bay Curious listeners Julia Thollaug and Phil Montalvo have wondered the same thing: "What's the deal with the cross on Mount Davidson?" This week, how a 103-foot tall concrete cross ended up on the city's highest peak. It's a story that goes back almost 100 years.

Additional Reading:

•  Why There's A Cross on San Francisco's Highest Peak
• Sign up for our newsletter where we answer even more of our questions.

Reported by Suzie Racho. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Suzie Racho and Katie McMurran. Additional support from Brian Watt, Nina Thorsen, Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Carly Severn, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Don Clyde.

Bay Curious listeners Peter Caravalho and Sarah Caravalho Khan live in Cupertino. While wandering around their neighborhood they wondered where the street name "Hoo Hoo Way" came from. Turns out, it's a long story.

Additional Reading:

• This Lumberjack Frat Once Had the Coolest Clubhouse in S.F.
• Sign up for the Bay Curious newsletter!

Reported by Jessica Placzek. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Suzie Racho and Brendan Willard. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Carly Severn, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Don Clyde.

We asked you to send us reflections on how your life has changed in the year since Bay Area leaders first issued a shelter-in-place order —the emotional beginning of the pandemic year for many of us. Amidst the hard stuff, you're finding bright spots and hope moving forward.

Additional Reading:

• The Year of COVID: Your Stories of the Pandemic
• 'In the Heart of the Pandemic': COVID-19 Deaths Loom Large in East San Jose
• Get more answers to your question in our monthly newsletter. Sign up here.

In this episode we answer your questions about Bay Area highways. Herb Masters has noticed what looks like a ghost freeway where 280 and 380 intersect on the Penninsula. He wants to know what's going on there. And Daniel Huertas has noticed more garbage on Bay Area roads recently. He's wondering, why?

Additional Reading:

• Is That a Ghost Freeway on the Peninsula? And Are Our Highways Filthier Than Ever?
• Why Aren't Any Billboards on 280?
• Sign up for our newsletter where we answer even more of our questions.

Reported by Dan Brekke. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Suzie Racho and Katie McMurran. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Carly Severn, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Don Clyde.

The Bay Area is known for great oysters, but the ones grown locally are mostly from up in Marin County. San Francisco Bay used to have a thriving population of native oysters and Bay Curious listener Joseph Fletcher wants to know if they'll ever make a comeback.

Additional Reading:

• The Bay Waters Once Teemed With Oysters. What Happened?
• The Wild Oyster Project

Reported by Chloe Veltman. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Suzie Racho and Katie McMurran. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Carly Severn, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Don Clyde.

The question is a simple but alarming one: If the Lake Chabot dam cracked open in a big earthquake, what kind of flooding should the communities below expect? This week's question asker, Hollyann Vickers Keng, has a vested interest in the answer -- she lives there!

Additional Reading:

• A Potential Flood Threat Is Hidden in the East Bay Hills — Chabot Dam
• Oroville Crisis: Sheriff Called Emergency 'Ugly, Sh**ty Mess'
• Send us your COVID story by recording yourself on your smartphone and emailing baycurious@kqed.org or leave us a voice message at 415-553-3334.

Reported by Dan Brekke. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Suzie Racho and Katie McMurran. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Carly Severn, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Don Clyde.

Our question-asker, Sara Russell, grew up hearing stories from her mother about how Irish Coffee was invented in San Francisco. Now, she wants to know if that story is totally accurate.

Additional Reading:

•  The True History of Irish Coffee and Its San Francisco Origins
• Send us your COVID stories! Record yourself on your smartphone and email: baycurious@kqed.org
• Or, leave us a voicemail: 415-553-3334

Reported by Oliva Allen-Price and Kelly O'Mara. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Suzie Racho and Katie McMurran. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Carly Severn, Ethan Lindsey, and Vinnee Tong. Special thanks this week to voice actors Brian Watt, Paul Lancour and John Dunleavy.

A year into the coronavirus pandemic there's hope on the horizon. It's too soon to know the lasting impacts on the Bay Area, but we asked experts in mental health, transportation and education to try and predict what we might expect in our day-to-day lives as we slowly emerge from this crisis.

Additional Reading:

• How Will A Year of Pandemic Learning Impact Bay Area Schools Long Term?
• As Battle Over Reopening San Francisco Schools Turns Ugly, Equity Emerges as Fault Line
• It Was Hard Already, Then It Got Worse: Resources For Coping Right Now

We want to hear YOUR story for an upcoming episode: How has your life changed under COVID-19?

• Record yourself on your phone and send it to us: baycurious@kqed.org
• Or leave us a voicemail at 415-553-3334

Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Suzie Racho and Katie McMurran. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Carly Severn, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong, and Don Clyde.