Beginner’s Ride?

January 26, 2015January 28, 2015Leave a comment

Glenn and Michele came down from Portland this past weekend to try “iFly” with me and Darlene, but on Saturday they joined us for their first taste of mountain biking. They rented some nice, new demo Trek Fuel EX bikes and we set out from the Epicenter bike shop in Santa Cruz to take them on a nice beginner’s course around the middle half of Wilder Ranch.

They took to it so quickly, picking up each new handling skill easily and conquering all the climbing and maneuvering, and always up for more. So much so that we ended up climbing to the top of Wilder and on over to do some UCSC back campus trails before coming back by way of my favorite descent in Wilder. So much for sticking to the beginner’s route! But I think they enjoyed their first time out!

And… bonus!! A video of all of us belly-dancing (sort of) the night before at Menara’s, a Moroccan restaurant in San Jose:

Edwardian Ball 2015

January 25, 2015March 2, 2015Leave a comment

Last weekend, Darlene and I attended both nights of the Edwardian World’s Faire and Ball in San Francisco again:

And then on Sunday we spent the day at the California Academy of Sciences:

Finally Rode Up Mt. Diablo

January 11, 2015February 1, 2015Leave a comment

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

December 30, 2014May 9, 2017Leave a comment

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:

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

Tahoe Skiing

December 29, 2014April 26, 2019Leave a comment

Click through for my gallery of pictures plus a video montage from this past weekend skiing at Squaw and Alpine Meadows with the Outdoor Adventure Club:

Princess Darlene

December 25, 2014December 25, 2014Leave a comment

A Merry Christmas to all from Princess Darlene…

Burning New Moon

December 25, 2014December 25, 2014Leave a comment

Caught a super thin crescent of a new moon chasing the sunset a couple of days ago:

Looked like it was on fire as it set behind the ridge – here’s some video through my telescope
(at 4x normal speed):

Spruce Goose

December 24, 2014November 9, 2017Leave a comment

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.