Beautiful hike on a beautiful day.
Stinson Beach to Mt Tam
Reply
Category Archives: trips
Back to Rancho San Antonio
Today, we went back to Rancho San Antonio for a longer hike this time. Our ongoing goal is to reach the top of Black Mountain and come back(over 16 miles round trip) but this did not happen today as we had a late start. Still, we covered 12 miles in 5 hours.
We really like this trail and the further we get from the parking lot, the more serene and tranquil it becomes. We had the opportunity to spot some animals including a beautiful squirrel eating a nut avidly and several deers like the one in the following picture.
Next time, for sure, we will get to the top of Black Mountain…
Rancho San Antonio Pasture Area
The park closest to home is also our favorite. Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve is part of the regional Open Space district and connects to another preserve I mentioned here before: The Monte Bello Open Space Preserve.
While we usually hike the Wildcat loop trail, today, we decided to explore a bit and see how far we could get towards the summit of Black Mountain, where Monte Bello starts. So we got on the Chamise trail and hiked for a while. We ended up in a a beautiful pasture area like we love them before turning around so we would get down to the parking lot before sunset.
We are planning on exploring this preserve a lot more so you will hear more about it soon.
Gorgeous Views from the top of Mt Tamalpais
Alicia read that the Mt Tamalpais watershed waterfalls were in full swing after the heavy rain we have been getting (wet runs anyone?) so we decide to go and check it out since we have not been to Marin since last year.
The waterfall were roaring for sure and it was nice to see. Still, the whole place was packed, a lot of people having read the same article, and the trail was looking more like a highway during rush hour than a quaint trail in the wood. Not exactly my favorite kind of hiking.
On the way there, we had drove past some beautiful rolling hills close to the top of the mount with gorgeous views of the Pacific Ocean so we drove back there. Nobody around, lush green grass and the fresh air of the ocean. We ended up exploring a bit and taking some cool pictures.
We will be back soon for more.
Death Valley
Alicia and I got the great idea to visit Death Valley for the holidays. Seemed like the perfect time to visit the lowest, driest and hottest place in the US.
We thought it would be warmer than home during the day but nowhere near the scorching 120F of the summer days. And we were right!
People told us it would be cold at night but we thought it should be manageable and even maybe enjoyable. And we were wrong!
Still, we enjoyed many of the sights and we had a great time exploring.
Definitely worth another trip. Maybe during the late Spring or early Fall though.
Cafe Gratitude
Friday night, we found our way (by luck) to a restaurant I had been wanting to try since some friends had mentioned it: Cafe Gratitude.
We visited their Healdsburg location on our way North to the Redwood National Parks that we visited over Memorial day weekend.
Cafe Gratitude is the kind of restaurant chain that gets traction easily in Northern California because it is healthy, somewhat alternative, and has an attitude. They serve mostly raw and live food.
In their own words:
Cafe Gratitude is our expression of a world of plenty. Our food and people are a celebration of our aliveness. We select the finest organic ingredients to honor the earth and ourselves, as we are one and the same. We support local farmers, sustainable agriculture, and environmentally-friendly products. Our food is prepared with love. We invite you to step inside and enjoy being someone who chooses: loving your life, adoring yourself, accepting the world, being generous and grateful every day, and experiencing being provided for. Have fun and enjoy being nourished.
Alicia and I loved our meal: I am luscious, present and accepting ;). The ambiance was nice and the food was very tasty. And the best of all, you do feel good after eating there. It might be because of the ambiant vibe, the super nice waiting staff or the positive words/sentences spread all over the place. Highly recommended.
Big Sur
Today we wanted to hike the Ewoldsen trail in Big Sur but a series of events did not see it that way.
A late start, a wrong turn, a stubborn driver (that would be me!), and to prove that sometimes, it is not worth fretting over the little things: a closed trail!
Yeah, the Ewoldsen trail is closed because of last year’s fires. Even if everything had gone as planned, we would not have been able to do the hike we planned.
We still had a great time though and got to enjoy the famous Julia Pfeiffer’s fall on a gorgeous day.
A Long Weekend in London
Last weekend was my long time friend Rav (Saravjit)’s wedding in London. And since he had finally decided to marry MC, his long time French sweetheart, I could not anything but be there to watch a Brits give up his freedom to a Frenchie :-p.
Rav and I met while working at Intalio in 2000 or 2001. He joined our little football games soon after he joined the company and our little group of mostly Frenchies adopted him even though he insisted on sporting that tacky white jersey and making bad British jokes ( excuse the pleonasm).
Over the years, we have kept in touch through emails but we also had the opportunity to meet several times in California or when I visited London first in 2003 and then in 2006.
To sum up the long festivities, the wedding was a resounding success and I think everybody had a great time. We had events on Thursday night, Friday night and all day on Saturday. I wish I had seen MC and Rav a bit more but with so many guests and family, they surely did not have much time to spend with anybody really.
Of course, I had plenty of time to go back to my favorite London location: The British Museum and its wonderful collections. As usual, I spent most of the time in the Enlightenment gallery and did a tour of the ancient civilisation galleries. I also got the opportunity to visit the new British National Library that has a great collection of precious books and documents including one of the copies of the Magna Carta. I really liked the new building. Definitely better looking than the French National Library… I have become fond of national libraries lately. I guess books and the knowledge they represent just make me happy!
The Library had also a small exposition on Darwin. That was definitely the highlight of the visit and got me very interested in reading more about the personage himself as well as some of his biggest supporters like Thomas Henry Huxley.
All in all, a nice trip and a great wedding.
And best wishes to the newlywed couple!