A curious monument.

Drive a mile or so North of the entrance to the magnificent country estate that is Filoli and your eye will be caught by a curious Greek revival temple of improbable proportions, seemingly stuck in the middle of nowhere. The Pulgas Temple is actually nothing more or less than a tribute to the great civil and mechanical engineers who make it possible to deliver drinking water to millions in the Bay Area of San Francisco.

At the entrance.

The temple itself surrounds a large grate which looks like a ventilator for the water flowing below:

The Pulgas Temple.

The whole thing terminates in a large rectangular pool, inviting to swim in, if not permitted:

The pool and cypresses.

The water rushing down the aqueduct to the large reservoir west of the 280 freeway is shown here:

Aqueduct.

And here’s the whole story:

Commemorative plaque.

Worth a side trip should you be visiting Filoli.

All snapped on the iPhone 4S.