Central Coast, CA

Leaving the Bay Area my first stop heading south was the ocean town of Santa Cruz. I spent half the day mountain biking in Wilder Ranch State Park and the other half checking out the restaurants and shops in downtown Santa Cruz. At the state park I started by riding along a series of bluffs overlooking the ocean. After completing this section I crossed Highway 1 and rode up along some of the mountain trails where it was 20-25 degrees warmer than at the ocean.


The following day I made a quick stop to check out Monterey and Carmel. Here's a recognizable albeit hazy shot of Pebble Beach for all the golf fans out there.


The rest of the day was spent winding along highway 1 right along the ocean. It was a slow and sometimes foggy drive but was well worth it. My first stop was Point Lobos State Preserve. The oceanfront was filled with a variety of spectacular geological formations and plant life.

I stopped for a hike to the beach at Andrew Molera State Park and then proceeded on to Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. I'd been looking forward to this State Park to see yet another unique waterfall. McWay Falls was a dramatic site with water falling 80 ft. directly onto the sand beach.

I continued on with another couple of hours making it to San Luis Obispo by nightfall. I made the hostel in San Luis Obispo my home base for the week. This was one of the best hostels I stayed at for both its comfortable accomodations and interesting mix of hosts and travelers. Highlights included biking and trail running at Irish Hills, hiking up Bishop's Peak, Mtn. biking and coastal rock formations in Montana de Oro State Park, and the Shine Cafe in nearby Morro Bay. I hiked up Bishops's Peak one morning with Arend from Denmark and Andres from Sweden. An interesting discussion of our different cultures and travel experiences added to the great view overlooking SLO.

The day at Montana de Oro was highlighted by more amazing geological formations, eucalyptus groves, and stunning views of the surrounding mountains and ocean.


Friday I traveled further south to Santa Barbara. Along the way I stopped at La Purisma Mission near Lompoc. Spanish Missions can be found up and down the coast of California. La Purisma was particularly interesting because the of the 1820's style that has been maintained. The city of Lompoc is also known for it's more than 60 painted wall murals. Works of art like this one can be found all over their downtown area.


I also made stops in the wine country towns of Solvang and Los Olivos, hiked up Gaviota Peak for a great view of the ocean & Channel Islands, and payed a visit to the Mtn. Biking trails of Pt. Mugu State Park. I was fortunate to see one beautiful place after another over the course of 7 days along the central coast.

San Francisco Bay Area

On Labor Day my brother and I drove to Marin County to hike and sightsee in the area. After spending a night at the Marin Headlands Hostel we hiked up to the top of Mt. Tamalpais and through Muir Woods. From the top of Mt. Tam we could see a low cloud cover below the city skyline.


In Muir Woods we saw an amazing array of trees the most impressive of which were the coastal redwood sequoias.


After a night at the San Francisco Ft. Mason hostel and Fisherman's Warf I dropped Tom off at the airport. I then headed down to Saratoga to visit my old friend John Gilligan, his wife Lisa, and their two kids Ryan and Casey.


Inbetween saturday morning soccer, shooting hoops in the front yard, and coloring at the kitchen table John and I managed to squeeze in 3 bike rides. The first was a 57-mile road ride from Saratoga to Boulder Creek and back. I thought I had done some tough rides on my trip but 6000 ft. of climbing on this sunny thursday afternoon really pushed my limits. John does these types of hillclimbing rides all the time so he'd typically push ahead and then patiently wait for me to catch up. Saturday and sunday we did 2-3 hours of mtn. biking enjoying some great trails and views in the area. At the end of my visit I left my road bike in the garage and am now travleling with the mtn. bike John generously loaned me.


Next stop was my Aunt Sue's in Hayward. I joined Sue for a visit to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, to see the Richard Avedon exhibit. We also saw the Giants take on the Colorado Rockies in AT&T Park.

On my final night my Aunt's friend Karel joined us for dinner at Souley Vegan in downtown Oakland. We enjoyed some friday night live blues and a huge sample platter of delicous vegan soul food. Here we are pictured with the owner. If you make it to Souley Vegan you must try the yams!

Lotus/Yosemite, CA

I left Oregon back on August August 30th and headed for Lotus, CA home of mom and step-dad, Harry. After 52 days of travel it was a good feeling to unpack the car, sleep in a familiar bed, and eat a home cooked meal. Already visiting were my step-brother Rob and my nephew Parker. The five of us spent a day at the California State Expo enjoyeing various exhibits, motorcycle jumping, fireating jugglers, and interesting food. Parker and Harry downed the heralded zuchcini weenie. This culinary creation is a hollowed out zuchini filled with a hot dog and deep fried in batter similar to a corn dog.


On sunday I took a long bike ride on the American River Trail Bike Path. This trail was probably the best urban trail I've been on the entire trip. The bikepath is smooth, scenic, and doesn't have any car traffic whatsoever. The trail fed me into Old Sacramento and the area near the California State Capitol Building. Tuesday night I made a stop at my Aunt Sue's and had delicious vegetarian dinner with her and a couple of her friends Carol and David in Berkley.


After picking my brother Tom at the airport we headed to Yosemite National Park along with my mom and Harry. The sights were amazing to say the least. The park is filled with glacier carved rock, waterfalls, valleys, giant sequoias, and meadows. We visited for a couple of days with the highlight being the 8-mile hike on the Panorma Trail from Glacier Point back to the valley floor. Pictured below is the signature formation associated with Yosemite, Half Dome.


The picture below was taken from Glacier Point where we started our hike. Nevada Fall and Vernal Fall can both be seen in the picture. We eventually hiked our way to both falls.


Near the end of the hike we were rewarded with a spectacular view of Vernal Fall. Because the water level is low this time of year we saw dozens of smaller waterfalls as opposed to one huge waterfall seen most of the rest of the year.


After returning to Lotus and resting our weary hiking muscles Tom and I ventured out onto the south fork of the American River which runs past my parents property. On a summer weekend day a couple thousand rafters will pass by their home on the river.


Tom headed down the river in a raft while I floated on an innertube. Although this river is fairly tame, there were a few rapid sections along the way and at one point I was tossed off my float into the cold water. Good Fun!



Here's a picture on the back deck of myself, Mom, Harry, and Tom. The next 7 weeks will be spent visiting various parts of California. Updates may be a little less frequent but hopefully just as exciting as the first two months of the trip.