I am pleased to say I am making use of the bikes I brought from Taiwan.
Highlights this month are without doubt my pilgrimage to Mt. Tam – spiritual home of mountain biking – and getting a ride in before work. Not just a standard pootle-along … a proper ride. Needless to say, I was a little tired in the office that day.
Mt. Tam
Prepping the bikes. I am pretty lucky to have a couple of others in the office that enjoy riding bikes (and skiing, and general outdoorsy things).Huffing and puffing on the up-hill … I think I pushed a little too hard early on, and struggled to keep up on the upper sections.Fantastic views from the top over to the Bay Area.… and classic down-hilling (though still lacking the seat-of-your-pants thrills of Taipei)
Stepping out early (my rental car and parking space in the background, incidentally)Climbing the not insubstantial hill behind my house.Ready to ride across the Golden Gate for the first time (!)An absurdly beautiful sunset over the Golden Gate … you can see how it got its name.Gulp.The Transamerica looking even more cryptic than usual.
Proper sub-zero conditions, and I had definitely not brought enough clothes – this is California!View from the top, looking down into Cupertino and San JoseI mean really … this is before work?!Lovely descending through single-track woodlands back to the car, shower, coffee (and a meeting).
Given how diligently commercialised the rest of the holidays in America have become, it comes as a pleasant surprise just how innocent and positive Thanksgiving is. Gather with friends and family, eat a little too much, drink until tipsy, and in the case of about thirty other Californians, head to the beach to throw a ball around and enjoy the Autumn sunset.
In that spirit (forgive me if I am getting a little too Californian here), I could not be where I am right now without the love and support of some great family and friends. I am an extremely lucky guy!
Thankyou.
Little Miss SunshineReminds me of a summer with the Scottish guys in LacaneuxWatercoloursRunning home in time for dinner
The day after our kitsch night out, we planned to escape the city and head for the hills. Joining friends from Facebook and Google, we drove over the Golden Gate and into Marin County. It was all very odd with Abe and Armando; we are 30-ish year guys and we have never been in a car with one of the others driving … the same thing with almost all of my Asia-based friends, in fact. Unthinkable in Europe or the USA.
AtmosphericsArachnid
Making a beeline for Alamere Falls in Marin county, we hit Taipei-levels of traffic as people headed out to make the most of the holiday weekend. Our late start then bled into massive delays, and we arrived at the trail head at about 4pm. Since the sun was likely to set at about 8pm, we decided to strap on our shoes and go for it.
We wound our way through majestic redwoods, light pouring through and the sound of the sea filtering through the birdsong: oh how I wish Taiwan had a more temperate climate, otherwise I would be doing this every weekend!
Breaking through the trees, we began the final descent towards the cliffs, a substantial stream picking its way down through the rocks on its way to the ocean. Gathering to take triumphant photos at the base of the waterfall, it was fantastic to be in such a beautiful place with so many good friends.
Stepping out … a little later than we first planned!Big trees demand a big lensPeeking over the horizon and thinking of Taiwan on the other side!The first of the falls heading down towards the beach.Gorgeous!JAZZ HANDS!‘I was young and I needed the money’Yay!Abe art directs the photo of a perfect Californian view. Armando has other plans.As a direct result of our tardy start, we enjoyed some pretty amazing light and views across the trees.Sunshine account in the red.Seeing this photo, I couldn’t help but think of Japanese photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto, who did the last U2 album coverTeam Jazz Hands!
And a note to myself and the people that were there … ‘deaf hands!’