Author: Chris

Finally Rode Up Mt. Diablo

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It’s strange but I’ve lived in the Bay Area since 1988 and yet I had never been up Mt. Diablo. Neither had Darlene so, last Friday morning, we dusted off our road bikes and drove to Danville to start up.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t exactly an ideal day to take in the tremendous views: it’s been weeks since we’ve had any sort of wind or rain to clear the air.  There was a smog advisory in effect but also an inversion layer in place holding much of it down to lower elevations.  A late morning Friday made for a nice quiet ride up what is typically a pretty busy road on the weekends and we could still see the Sierras off in the distance.

Click through for pictures:

 

Revisiting the Galapagos Islands

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I originally got to visit the Galapagos Islands five years ago but Darlene has long wanted to go herself.  Of course the Galapagos Islands are well known for their abundant and unique wildlife, their fascinating and beautiful geology, as well as for the inspiration and development of Darwin’s theory of biological evolution.  So, no, I really didn’t mind going back for a second visit!

We were in the Galapagos for twelve days (December 5th through the 16th) and we stayed overnight on the islands of Santa Cruz, Isabela and San Cristobal with day trips out to Santa Fe, Bartolomé, Leon Dormido as well as a few smaller outcroppings.  (Here’s a great map.)  This was a land-based trip (as was my previous trip), but this time I booked the trip through BikeHike.com and extended it with time on our own for four days (and to include San Cristobal).

Our days were filled with hiking, biking, kayaking, snorkeling, and boating as well as with sea lions, iguanas, penguins, giant tortoises, sharks, sea turtles, rays, cormorants, pelicans, frigate birds, crabs and fish!  And great food!  The whole trip was fantastic!  (Thanks again to our guide, Jorgen, and to everyone else who contributed to making this such a fun experience!)

Here’s a little video I put together covering the whole of the trip:

(5:37 minutes, 115 MB download)

And here are my pictures and other video clips from the trip (including some of Darlene’s), separated into four galleries:

Days 1-3: Santa Cruz and Santa Fe

  

Days 4-5: Bartolomé and Santa Cruz

  

Days 6-7: Isabela and Sierra Negre

  

Days 8-12: Santa Cruz and San Cristobal

  

Spruce Goose

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While up in Portland, Oregon this past weekend for my brother’s birthday, Glenn, Michele and I made a day’s excursion to the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum, the current home of the “Spruce Goose” and a huge variety of other aircraft.  All pretty cool and definitely a worthwhile visit, but it’s a little annoying that they charge extra (and separately) for tours inside two of the aircraft: a B-17 bomber (“Flying Fortress”) and the Spruce Goose itself.

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Glenn’s 45th Birthday

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My brother, Glenn, decided to run 45 miles over the week of his birthday, starting with a half-marathon and culminating with the final five miles to an eatery in downtown Portland specializing in fresh-baked pies.  (Mmmm… pies….)

He made this commitment before he came down with a bronchial infection or knew that he’d have some nasty windy and rainy weather to run through during the week. However, with the aid of a mélange of drugs and the hesitant okay from his doctor, he ran the miles anyway and some of us joined him for his final five miles… and pie!!

Here’s his take on the experience…

Click through below for my pictures:

  

We also happened to catch the Portland Lighted Christmas Ship Parade on Sunday night: