With the Indian Summer drawing to a close, Allegra and I opted to strap on our hiking boots / flip-flops, walk out the back door, and head for the summit of Twin Peaks. One of those little to-dos that has been on my list since I arrived, we could have not have chosen a better day to do it – music from the Bluegrass festival floating up through the trees and the golden light flirting with us through the trees of Mt Sutro Open Space Preserve … a place that you can actually mountain bike inside the city limits!
Sutro Tower basks in the sunshine (for once)The view down to downtownSutro catches the last of the rays
Point Reyes has the strange ability to make me feel like I am ‘home’ – there is something deeply primal about it, and in a vaguely spiritual way reminds me of the East Angle coast, Wales and Scotland. It’s a little gem of solitude, just an hour north of the city, and here are a few portraits of it while it’s in a mildly grumpy mood.
No holiday back to the UK would be complete without some nice walks through some mud, on the way to some well-earned pints and packets of crisps. It’s one thing I really do miss in the USA; the hiking here is amazing, obviously, but it lacks the wander-off-on-you-own freedom of just sauntering across the fields in search of a destination. Here, it’s strap the backpack on and prepare for a couple of days in stunning, un-touched wilderness.
Anyway, we had some great little hikes off on the south coast, and around Cambridge – just what the doctor ordered.
Mum catches up on our annual Boxing Day hike … to the pub!Now to the South Coast: Various stiles and other gate mechanisms a continious source of geeky amusement for me and the family.Looking out down the coastVery windy!Mum makes the climbDad and I in conversationCorfe Castle off in the distance, where we were staying for a couple of days.Obligatory wallsTo Anglesey Abbey – one of the local stately homes… and I was fascinated with this: it seems to fade in colour.Interesting textures on some of the Winter Garden treesFading to yellowReflections of winter
The perks of living in San Francisco and working Cupertino continue to unfold. The amount of quality riding within twenty minutes drive is astounding, and we are often lucky enough to hit it at quite the most beautiful time of day. This one, Saratoga Gap, really took the biscuit – I get to do this after work!
I am quickly learning that, while the US does not have the extensive, endless path and trail network of the UK (and no doubt the rest of Europe), linking towns, cities and villages past and present, it does have an astonishing array of state, regional and national parks, preserves, wildernesses, forests and coasts. Private properties butted against total wilderness, rather than the UK’s funny mixture of farms, pubs and little lanes. I don’t think it’s better or worse per-se, but it is taking some getting used to, knowing it’s usually impossible to actually go anywhere on the trails; just drive in, enjoy it, and drive home (sometimes stopping for In-n-Out Burger).
Grinding upMarc and Dominic head enjoy the downhillThe view northAscending at sunsetThe most astonishing scene
It was easy to imagine the Three Amigos strolling through town (and into Starbucks – it was bloody hot!)
Palm Springs, located just over one hundred miles from LA, is a traditional playground for the stars of Hollywood. Offering seclusion and a balmy winter climate, it became fashionable after the war, and the well-healed commissions allowed architectural modernists to flourish in the desert.
I was invited by a set of old Glasgow University friends, one of which was getting married at the impossibly cool Parker. Combined with the July 4th weekend, it made for a great get-away for a few days, and a chance to catch up with some of my old mates; plus of course setting up some sofas in LA to crash on when I make the trip down.
I have never been anywhere quite like it. As if air-lifted from space, lush vegetation, palm trees and swimming pools are set against a backdrop of a brutal, arid landscape. The place is entirely unnatural, and feels very much like being on a film set – I found myself tapping rocks and walls to see if they were fibreglass. I felt a touch guilty, thinking of the madness of spraying water mist into the pedestrian areas, the unimaginable volume of water needed to maintain perfect green golf courses, and the energy requirements to keep everyone happily air-conditioned. It was the polar opposite of attitudes in San Francisco (at least on the surface), but accompany the sun setting against the mountains with margaritas sipped by the pool and I can begin to understand the charm.
A 26ft high Marilyn Monroe graces main street, naturally.Heading up on the gondola (a rotating gondola no less) was a refreshing break from the heat in the valley. Strangely, the trees in the glades up in the cool air secrete an oil that smells much like vanilla. Time for ice cream!Joel surveys the sceneBouquetThe trees up there were twisted – literally. Like rope, they had a helical structure I had never seen before. Very interesting, I thought.Cressida cools down.And this is the result of said heat and sun … but Cressida persevered through, editing the wedding movie.The wedding itself was at the impossibly stylish Parker.An impossibly stylish hotel, filled with impossibly stylish people.Steven and James hit the aisle … congratulations, chaps!Job done. Time for drinks!Unreal scenes at every turn.Mountainous desert at the end of every street.The sun sets on a fun long weekend.Sunset Strip
Mum & Dad, having completed their main tour from San Diego back up to San Francisco, now have a couple of weeks with me in the Bay Area. We took the opportunity of having good weather to cross the Golden Gate and spend the weekend in Marin. Day 1: antique shopping in Petaluma, and Day 2: a fantastic walk in the sun, retracing our steps to Alamere Falls. After the manufactured saccharine charms of SoCal, I think it was a breath of fresh air.
Dad navigates the streets of San Francisco, to the accompaniment of the Bullett theme tuneCrossing the bridge never gets old – it's stunning.Objects in the rear view mirror may appear closer than they areHold onto your hats!Dad, clearly enjoying the MustangWhat a team.We retraced the steps we made in the summer hike to Alamera Falls, back in JulyEven though 99% of people make the detour to the beach, the rangers seem to ignore this fact, and mark it unmaintained.View out to Point Reyes – very much need to go there some time soon.Dad negotiates the frankly slightly scary cliff down to the beachUnconventional team photoDon't go chasing waterfallsDad and I, standing above the cliffsOne more for good measureThe trip back … and you are reminded that you are in Marin – the wackiest collection of individuals this side of, well, San FranciscoSunset StripThe breathtaking return through the tunnel back to the city
The pleasures of living in California … while it is a bit of an effort to get up to the slopes, it’s worth it. This time, it’s Squaw; a much larger, almost European resort, and host to the 1960 Winter Olympics. Super amazing (if cold) conditions were marred only by having ski boots that were a size too big … something to add to the shopping list.
Gregg, ruggedly eating a chocolate barSerious weather this time!Nicole, rocking the boardTeam Squaw!Great posse to get lost in the mountains withSadly, a ridiculous 10 hour drive back … we think as a result of a jack-knifed truck. The car did really amazingly well all weekend, outperforming a few 4×4 show-offs on the way.
First ride for my Santa Cruz Blur LT in California today! We took the opportunity of a day off work (Thanksgiving) to head out into the hills. This ride is a solid lung-buster climb, followed by amazing views (sadly not for us though) and a swift descent down sandy fire road. A perfect blast and work out for an overcast morning.
Start of the climb on pretty pleasant roads, following the ocean (amazing waves below us today).Checking the routeFabulous views from the top!Descending back down, and naturally the views start opening up – sadly not quite enough to really enjoy them though. On a good day I think it would be like Mt. Taimoshan in HK. Since it is a quick 20 minute drive from the city, there will be a next time!
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A pretty awesome ride out to Wufen Mountain (五分山: 757m) in the first of the really deeply hot days here in Taiwan. Still, a pretty early start, some strong legs, and some good team mates, meant that I was back in time for lunch. I am, however, completely toasted!
98.7km … I should have gone out to buy some milk to bring it up to a square 100km!
Stopping for a quick rest at the saddle of the first climb coming out of the Taipei basin.PeletonLooking up at Mordor – a pretty beastly climb – and finally approaching the top. I was fairly satisfied with the kick I was able to give around the corners though (the mountain biking doesn't hurt for those explosive bursts!).The guys laying down some rubber on the main climb! This was less a 五分 mountain (5 pieces mountain), and more like a 500!It was a little frustrating to get to the top and not even find any shade.The weather station – I guess for checking Chinese weather.At least some people could find some shade!Looking back down at the technical and devilishly fun descent!This descent is going to be fun.Rollercoaster5 Pieces Mountain … or 500?Stopping to pose after some well-deserved icey treats in Pingxi.It's amazing that the views into this cycling playground are a mere 20 minutes from my house… like a crazy idiot, I added an extra climb into the end of my ride. I was ready for another Zoca pizza!
Hopefully some more photos and GPS information, as the rest of the guys send me their information. More rides to come this summer, for sure!
