Matthew's web log

(South Kona Coast and Historical Parks; posted January 2nd from San Jose)

Today we explored the Kona Coast.  Heading south, we took the winding road to the sea to Kealakekua Bay.  From the Bay, we can see the Captain Cook Monument on the other side (about a mile across the water).  This is where the natives killed Cook in 1779 and then the English built a monument to him in 1878.  We opt not to kayak over to it.  The remains of a Hawaiian Temple next to the beach are unspectacular.  We wander down the road away from the tourist scene and find a small park and path along the beach.  It’s pretty and after we’re done exploring, we head back to the car.

We take a one lane road along the coast to another historical Park, Pu’uhonua o Honaunau (more pronouncably known as the "Place of Refuge").  In the ancient Hawaiian customs, if you broke the code of conduct, you were sentenced to death; however, if you made it to the Place of Refuge and spent a night there, you were pardoned.  This is sacred Hawaiian ground.  There are reproductions of wood statues here.  After visiting the main sites, we find the 1871 Trail which leads along the coast passing lava tubes, old structures, and lots of plants. 

On the way back, we stop at the ocean after a tip that a pair of humpbacks are out.   We spot some distant water spots and a few minutes later see a tail come out of the water.  Very cool.  Then they were gone.  Where’s Spock when you need him?  We watch for a little while, but after not seeing them again, we hike back to the car to.  It’s time for showers, dinner, and sleep.

Jump to the Day 5 photos.

(Volcano to Green Sands Beach to Kona; published January 1st, 2009 from Redwood City, California)

After yesterday’s washout, we are glad that so far it is only misting out.  Following our final breakfast in Volcano, we pack up and head into the park.  We go to the Jagger Museum (no relation to Mick as far as I know) mainly for its view of the caldera.  In the daylight, the caldera is huge.  Inside the caldera is a smaller crater that is currently active.  We can only see steam rising from it.  While we got rained on yesterday, the two big mountains here (Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea) got snow.  We can see the snow on the gently sloping peak of Mauna Loa (13,000+ feet at the top). 

After looking through the museum, we head down Chain of Craters road again to do a short hike on the Devastation Trail.  The trail is named because the eruption in 1959 destroyed much of the vegetation near here.  At the end of the hike is a great view of the Kilauea crater that we hiked on Day 2.

Returning to the car, we begin the drive westward en route to Kona.  Our first stop is a black sand beach.  It’s a small beach, but being on the beach and (finally) in the bright sun is great.  We browse around and look for the turtles that supposedly feed at the coast.  We spot one and it’s much bigger than I was expecting-more than a foot across.  We watch the turtles for a bit then make some sandwiches for lunch.

Back in the car, I’m glad to continue driving in the sun.  Our next stop is South Point Road which takes us (you guessed it) south towards the southern most point in the 50 states.  We get down there and the beach is pretty, but it’s mainly good to be out in the sun.

Slightly up the road is the parking area for the green sand beach.  Lonely Planet cautions there may be some sketchy locals trying to charge you to park (even though it is free).  We decide to check it out and if we’re uncomfortable we’ll head back (we are also concerned since our clown car (a.k.a. Chrysler P.T. Cruiser) does not have a trunk and all of our stuff is in the back).  Fortunately, there are plenty of cars already parked and no sketchy characters waiting around.

We load up our backpacks and begin the 2.5 mile hike to the green sand beach.  The coastline along the way is very pretty and we’re walking along the mud “road” which is drivable in a high clearance 4-wheel drive vehicle which our clown car is very much not.  I’ll also note that others have commented that the "road" eats 4×4’s for breakfast.  This is not a problem for us since we like hiking. 

After little more than an hour, we get to the beach.  It’s an olive green color as promised.  We relax on the beach where there are a handful of other people.  We start back hiking up and at the top there are some people who just drove up in a 4×4 and they ask “did you guys hike here?”, which seemed remarkable to them.   They had driven from the other direction and wanted to know where the road went.  We explained the situation and continued on our way back to the car.  At a brisk pace, we made it to the car in less than an hour.

I had a few well deserved pieces of chocolate and then we drove the rest of the way to Kona.  It took longer than I had anticipated, but we made it to the hotel safe and sound. We checked in, took much needed showers, and promptly collapsed after dinner.

Jump to the Day 4 photos.

(Hilo, Rainbow & Akaka  Falls; posted from Kona on December 30)

After another night of pouring rain, it continues to rain in the morning.  Opting for an indoor activity, we head to Hilo and stop at the ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center.  This couple year old center is on the site of the University of Hawaii – Hilo campus.  The museum is interesting with exhibits on the Universe, Mauna Kea, and how people made it to the Hawaiian Islands from Polynesia 1500 years ago.  We take in the planetarium show during which I take a wonderful ten minute nap.

Unimpressed with the museum cafeteria, we venture to Aloha Luigi’s which is recommended by Lonely Planet.  The NY style pizza is quite good (and my Bay Area readers know that I am quite the critic of pizza).  It even stops raining on our return to the car after lunch.  Optimistically, we head to Rainbow Falls which is only five minutes down the road.  In the morning when the sun is out, there can be rainbows in front of the falls.   With the sun nowhere to be found, the falls are neat to see, but no rainbow.

Next up we head to the Akaka Falls that we skipped on Day 1.  We’re hoping that it is not pouring rain when we get there.  A few miles from the Falls, the gas light on the car starts beeping.  We had an eighth of tank before we left, but now the paranoid part of me is worried (and we haven’t passed a gas station since we left Hilo ten miles ago).  We get to the falls and it’s only a slight mist out.  We walk down to the falls, which are great.  They are tall, wide and surrounded by green vegetation and a couple small side waterfalls.  I take a bunch of photos then we go to the other side of the park (a short walk) to see the Kahuna Falls.  These are not nearly as impressive as Akaka Falls, but still a pretty sight to see.

Back in the car, I’m glad that return drive is mostly down hill.  We make it to the gas station back in Hilo and fill up.  We stop at the store for some snacks and return to the room for a much needed nap.  We go into the town of Volcano again for dinner and the food is very good. 

Hoping to catch another night viewing of the lava flow, we head into the Volcano National Park.  The volcano is currently erupting in two places- into the ocean which we saw last night and inside the caldera.  We drive on the deserted road to the Jagger Museum (which is closed, but it has a viewing area).  With no cars in the parking lot, it’s not looking promising.  We walk to the viewing area, look out and see absolutely nothing but complete darkness.  After a couple minutes of letting our eyes adjust and still seeing nothing, we had back to the car.  We stop at Volcano House to try for another view, but still nothing.  We then return to our room and go to sleep.

Jump to the Day 3 photos.

Volcano National Park (posted Sunday December 28th from Kona).

The main reason to stay on the Eastern side of the island in the aptly named town of Volcano is to visit Volcano National Park.  We’re staying just minutes away from the park entrance.  After a hearty breakfast, we head to the visitor center of the park.  Here we get a local update on the volcanic activity, road closures, and recommendations.

Our first stop is the Thurston Lava tube.  We go here first since it gets very crowded later in the day.  It’s a giant lava tube that we can walk through- with plenty of room to spare.  Because the lava rock is porous, it’s still dripping wet inside.  The first part of the tube is lit by light bulbs, but you can continue on in the unlit portion.  We explore a bit with our headlamps on.  It’s neat to see, and with the lights off, completely dark.

Returning to the tube entrance, we join up with the Kilauea Iki trail.  “Iki” in Hawaiian means small so this small Kilauea, the small crater of the volcano.  We descend through the tropical rain forest, emerging after about a mile on the floor of the crater.  We’re now standing in an area that 50 years ago was full of molten lava when the volcano erupted.  We can see steam rising in various places.   This is from water seeping down a few hundred fit and coming in contact with hot rocks. 

We continue through the crater taking in the sites on the informative parks hiking guide.  We take note of the main source of the eruption from which lava shot over a thousand feet into the air during the eruption.  I’ll note also that it is now raining substantially, but we’re okay in our full rain gear.  We make it to the other side of the crater and start ascending back through the tropical forest.  Because of the winds during the last eruption, this forest survived.  Continuing on the trail we loop back to the car after a total of 4 miles.

Stopping for lunch at Volcano House, we can now see the Kilauea caldera.  It’s huge.  Visibility is not great because of the weather, but the caldera is enormous compared with the crater.   The road around the caldera continues from here looping back to the entrance; however, about half of it is closed because of toxic gases coming from the volcano.  Since the visitor center informed us of this, we knew we needed to head back the way we came.

After lunch we head down Chain of Craters road towards the ocean.  It’s raining a bunch so we only make a quick stop to view a lava pit from a previous eruption.  We take the road until it ends.  It ends because lava went over the road and it’s impassable.  From here we can see steam at the ocean a few miles away where the volcano is currently spewing lava into the ocean.  Finally, we are in sunny weather which is a nice change for the day.  It’s also considerably warmer. 

After viewing the lava on the old road, we return to the car and drive back up the road to stop at the petroglyphs.  The Hawaiians have carved over 25,000 petroglyphs into the volcanic rock.  We hike in the 0.7miles to the raised boardwalk trail that does a short circle around some of the petroglyphs. 

It’s now getting late in the day, but we decide to press on to try and catch the lava viewing.  Underestimating the drive, we get to the lava viewing site an hour or so later, right around sunset (which is actually perfect timing).  The current eruption is not in the park, but there is a road and marked hike to get you there.  There are reflectors on the lava rocks we’re hiking on to indicate where to go.  It’s all pretty tame and there are plenty of people here.   Even from the start of the walk, you can see a faint red glow in the steam that is coming up from the ocean.  As it gets darker and you get closer, it only gets brighter.

We reach the closest point they will let us get to.  Since our eyes have now adjusted to the darkness, we can see the eruption.  Mostly we see the red reflected in the steam, but every once in a while a little spurt of red shoots up and falls down which we can only assume is actual lava.  While we’re still a safe distance away, it’s an impressive site.  We watch the volcano for awhile, and then I attempt to setup the camera and tripod to get a few pics.  I know I’m not going to win an award with National Geographic, but a few of the several second long exposures did at least come out.

As we’re contemplating returning back to the car, the weather goes from comfortable to a torrential down pour.  We don our rain gear as best we can, head back to the car, and return back to the room exhausted from our 12 hour day of tourism.

Jump to the Day 2 photos.

Jump to the Day 1 photos.

While we’ve done a little hiking in the last couple months, it has not been as frequent as earlier this year.  As some of you know, we’ve had other things going on (to be updated on this blog later).  I’ve got some other pictures in the queue, but for now here are some from a couple weeks ago. 

After a day of rain, Sunday cleared out for a beautiful day.  We took advantage and went hiking in around the Stevens Creek Reservoir.  It was pretty, but not spectacular.  The highlights are online:

http://www.sanjoseabrams.com/photos/StevensCreekNov2008/

Additionally, there is a great new panorama stitching program available from Microsoft.  While I’m normally not a fan of Microsoft programs, this one is great.  It’s called the Image Composite Editor, or ICE for short.  You can download ICE for free.  It is much better at making panoramas than even Photoshop Elements which is what I usually use.  It’s almost magical.   You just throw at it your pictures hit the button and presto, you’ve got a panorama.  Here’s one that I made from this hike.  Note, you’ll need to download a plugin to view it, if you haven’t already done so:

 http://www.sanjoseabrams.com/photos/StevensCreekNov2008/pano/stevenscreek11_stitch.html

Last weekend we went up to Seattle.  I had not been up there in a few years and in that time, my friends there have changed jobs, moved, and had a kid.  While I had seen them last year when they were in California, it was good to go up there and catch up.  I figured the trip would be a little different than the last time since L’ was coming with me and now the kid was almost three.  The weather was typical winter weather for Seattle, only it was still September.  Because of the rain and gloom, we stuck to indoor activities and the occasional walk outside. 

We visited the Experience Music Project on Saturday.  I had been there before, but it’s a fun place.  There was a new Sci-Fi Hall of Fame next door which appeals to everyone’s inner geekdom.  It was well done and worth checking out, even for casual Sci-Fi fans.  With Sam not feeling well later in the day, we just brought in dinner and watched Talladega Nights.  More accurately, Charles and I watched it and cried from laughter during a few scenes.  Simultaneously, L’ read her book, Elena played with Sam, and both of them periodically shook their heads in disbelief that we actually found the movie funny.

On Sunday it was cloudy, but not rainy.  Shockingly, we found a Starbucks within walking distance of the house for L’ to get her coffee fix.   A local chocolate factory had tours, but they were already booked.  Instead, we went to the Red Hook factory for a tour.  Having lunch there, we then went on the "tour" which is really just a viewing of the fermentation tanks and a beer sampling.  Nothing great, but after all the excitement, I took a nap back at the house while L’ and Elena went for a walk and Charles played with Sam.  Soon it was time for us to go to the airport to catch our flight back. 

Here are a few photos from the visit:

http://www.sanjoseabrams.com/photos/SeattleSep2008

It was finally time to meet the parents of L’, so we went to Washington, DC (1/2 a state).  It had been awhile since I was there so there were several new places to visit.

The first couple days of the trip we had time to explore DC.  DC is just a short metro ride from the house in Virginia (state #1).  We went to the International Spy Museum.  It was fun and had some neat things to play with and a lot to learn about as far as espionage.  I’m sure their admission list goes straight to real spies (fortunately, L’ bought the tickets with her credit card so I’m still incognito).  After a few hours at the museum, we made it to the Mall for some dinner and then monument hopping.  We walked by the Washington Monument, the World War II Memorial (which I had not seen before), the Korean War Memorial, and down to the Lincoln Memorial.  As it was getting dark, we returned to the stage near the Washington Monument to hear the President’s Marine Corp Jazz Band playing. After a busy day of sightseeing, we took the metro back to the house and slept late the following morning.

On day two of the adventure, we went to Georgetown. Lonely Planet had an interesting walking tour of the area.  We explored the old houses, the gothic building at the university, and generally just enjoyed this old, historic, and ritzy part of town.  We returned back in time for showers and dinner.

With family activities occupying us on Saturday, we had a breather from sightseeing; Sunday then resumed the touring with a full day of exploring.  This time we went to Great Falls National Park in Virginia.  We saw the waterfalls and hiked around.  I now saw where L’ gets her hiking prowess as her parents climbed  and scampered along the rocky trail.  

After ice cream, we went home to clean up and take naps. We’re no longer used to the humidity and it knocks out us California weather wimps.

With our time in DC coming to a close, we packed up our stuff.   On Monday, L’ picked up the rental car and we drove to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia (state #2).  As Maverick likes to ask, why do we need two Virginias?  As our middle school American History taught us, it all comes down to the Civil War.  Harpers Ferry played a prominent roll with John Brown’s raid on the armory back in 1859.  Consult your favorite sources or smart middle school kids for more info.   I was looking forward also to staying at a Bed & Breakfast in the same room where General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson supposedly stayed.   The weather was unseasonably cool which made for a much nicer stay.  We were able to walk around the historical area, check out the sites, get me some excellent fudge, and walk across the river to the Maryland side (state #3 for those of you still counting). After the day of touring, our B&B suggested we head to Shepherdstown, WVa (you know you’ve heard of it).  We found a surprisingly good restaurant and enjoyed the dining experience.  I was not expecting fine dining in West Virginia.

Tuesday was our final day and we had a little time to kill before going to the airport.  We asked our B&B hosts for suggestions and they mentioned Oatlands.  I had seen it on the map and in the AAA book and it fit our driving route and time commitments.  It is a plantation that dates from about 1800.  We made it in time for the guided tour which was information overload about the owners of the plantation.  Still, the house was neat to see and the gardens were pretty.  We then returned to Leesburg for lunch on our way to the airport.  I had now survived camping and L”s parents.

See the photos from the trip here:

 http://www.sanjoseabrams.com/photos/WashingtonDCAug2008/

 This entry is likely one of my most anticipated entries since it’s about finally going camping with L’.  It’s also a bit longer than my usual posts, but I’m sure my loyal fan club has built up their stamina.  Feel free to pace yourself.  If you want to skip to the photo album, scroll to the bottom of this entry.

Saying that L’ enjoys camping is like me saying that The Simpsons is just a tv show- it’s a gross understatement.  While L’ has a shirt titled "Bed & Breakfast" with a picture of a sleeping bag and a skillet above a campfire, I normally think of camping like my Aunt does: a Holiday Inn without cable tv.  I am definitely out of my element when it comes to camping.

We left the Bay Area Friday afternoon and headed to Strawberry, California.  This gets us most of the way to our destination and breaks up the drive.  Since we wanted to get going fairly quickly the following morning, I didn’t have time to look for any fields.  The Strawberry Inn was a clean and comfortable stop for my last night on a regular mattress for two nights.  After checking out of the hotel, we grabbed some snacks across the street and headed out.

When people asked me where we were going camping, I either replied with "I don’t know", "The middle of nowhere", or "Somewhere in the Eastern Sierras".  While all were correct, I now had a better idea of the destination having consulted the map.  We were heading towards Bridgeport for lunch and then to the trailhead parking area.  En route, we stopped at some scenic overlooks such as the Donnell Overlook, Sonora Pass, and Leavitt Falls.  These were all very scenic and broke up the morning drive.

We stopped for lunch in Bridgeport (a small town off US-395) and then picked up our permits at the ranger station a short distance away.  I learned that if you want to spend the night in the wilderness, you’ve got to sign up because they limit the number of people in the area.  Theoretically, a ranger could ask you for your permit while you’re out in the wilderness, but this didn’t happen for us.  I found it disturbing that the rangers at the station were on a first name basis with L’.  I get food around the corner from home every week and they don’t remember me.  More evidence that L’ is one of a kind (and nuts).

I only had a few concerns about the whole backpacking thing: wearing a heavy pack that strains my back, adjusting to the altitude, sleeping on the hard ground, and pooping without the benefit of 19th century indoor plumbing.  As the story develops, you’ll see how these come into play.

With permits in hand and a photo taken with a bear, we drove to the trail.  Where we parked was at about 8000 feet of elevation.  The area we were heading to to set up camp is at about 9000 feet and 3 miles in from the trailhead.  We unloaded all of our stuff from the car and L’ hid some extra things in a bear can away from the car.  There are these containers that are bear proof for storing anything with a scent.  To avoid a bear ripping the the door of the car, it’s wise to not leave the bear can inside the car or trunk.  It was now early afternoon and we were ready to go.

L’ took care of packing the backpacks.  We borrowed one for me (thanks GG) while L’ chose one for herself from her extensive collection.  As I was unloading them from the trunk, I was amazed at the weight of L”s backpack.  Before going on the trip, I had said to L’ that I’ll go camping, but she gets to carry all the heavy stuff.  I had no idea there was this much stuff and I was impressed she could hike with her pack on.  (Some have commented that letting her carry the heavy stuff is not "macho" or that I should show off my strength and carry lots of stuff.   To those people I say- "What’s wrong with you?" and "Enjoy your hernia. ").  With everything ready to go, we waived goodbye to the car and hit the trail.

We were on our way up.  I could tell that we were not at sea level, but was doing okay.  L’ is much more used to the altitude and carrying a backpack.  After we had gone for a bit, I needed to stop.  My back was uncomfortable and I was getting hot.  L’ took a look at my pack and made some adjustments.  This shifted the weight towards my hips (where it is supposed to be) and off my back.  I was now much more comfortable.  I had some snacks on the way up, but since I was a little stressed about the whole weekend, I wasn’t excessively hungry.  After periodic stops on the hike up and lots of photos, we made it to the area where we wanted to set up the tent.  L’ had been here before and had already selected our spot.   We lucked out that no one else had already taken it.

We proceeded to setup the tent which is pretty easy.  We unloaded some stuff inside that we would not need now.  It was getting later in the day so it was time for dinner.   We pumped water from the lake (the pump filters the water for drinking) and began cooking.  Since as soon as the sun goes behind the mountain it begins to cool off quickly, we wanted to be sure we’d be done with dinner and in the tent as close to sunset as possible.   

As I got comfy in my sleeping bag, I was glad that it was not that cold out.  I didn’t even zip up the sleeping bag most of the way until the middle of the night.  It was windy so I popped in ear plugs so I could sleep.  When nature called in the middle of the night, I was surprised how bright it was out from just star light (it was right around a new moon) and how much colder it had gotten from when we went to sleep. 

I slept okay, but as expected, it’s not the most comfortable accommodations for your back.  By mid morning we got up and started breakfast.  I had my usual cheerios while L’ made her coffee and hot cereal.  Today we were planning on doing a day hike to West Lake.  Since L’ didn’t think taking me from sea level to 9000 feet in less than 24 hours was enough, we were going hiking today that would take us to nearly 10,000 feet.  I begin to wonder if, contrary to her claims, maybe she was  trying to kill me?  I was feeling a little better at the altitude but still wasn’t that hungry.  Fortunately, my very slight headache from the previous night was gone. 

After breakfast, we packed up things for the day and headed out.  It was again sunny and pleasant.  I was feeling the altitude a bit more on this hike.  It’s "only one mile" as L’ would say, but uphill and a decent workout for us normal folks.  We figured out that my water pack was the issue behind some of my discomfort since it was limiting how much water I could suck down.  Because the valve was malfunctioning, it was causing me to suck in air a lot of the time which is rather unpleasant.  After fixing that, I downed a whole bunch of water and felt a lot better.  It’s incredibly dry here and you’ve got to drink mind boggling amounts of water. 

We made it to West Lake, coming very close to 10,000 feet in altitude during the hike.  The lake was pretty and we had some lunch, wandered a bit and then headed back to camp to make dinner.  I was feeling much better and we dined on some macaroni and cheese and our secret stash of wine.    We again went to sleep shortly after sunset.

The second night was much cooler, but I was still warm enough in my sleeping bag.  It was again windy, but I slept okay.  It’s not exactly my new plush mattress, but I could still walk upright in the morning so it couldn’t have been too bad on the back.

This morning we had our breakfast and packed everything up.  After taking a few last photos, we started the hike down that would take us back to the car.  While the packs were slightly lighter now since we had less food, going downhill was the main cause of a much easier hike.  We made it down in about an hour and a half (more than twice the pace of our ascent along the same trail).  When we got to the car, we saw a few guys who we saw hiking up a few days ago.   They graciously offered us some beer.  L’ was driving so she declined, but I was happy to accept and surprised that these guys were able to keep beer cold in their car for two days (and proving that L’ has at least one thing to improve on next time).  I figured a celebratory drink was well deserved after two nights in a tent.   We loaded up the car and returned to civilization.

Since I had yet to make it to Yosemite after living in California for 9 years, L’ opted for the return route that would take us through the park.  We made a few stops before getting to Yosemite- the RV park for a bathroom stop (ahh, indoor plumbing!) and a 5 minute timed shower, Mono Lake for a photo op, and the Mobil Station for lunch in Lee Vining.  Yes, the gas station has this great restaurant next to it.  It was good to be clean, sitting down, and eating well.  After lunch, we drove through Yosemite making several stops including Toulumne Meadows and Olmstead Point for a view of Half Dome.  We then headed back home after a fun and adventurous weekend.

I’ve pruned my 300 pictures down to just the most brilliant ones which can be found here:

http://www.sanjoseabrams.com/photos/BackpackingAug2008/

P. S.  (Warning- body function alert; squeamish readers stop now).  Astute readers will now know how my initial concerns about camping came into play during the adventure, with the exception of pooping in the woods.  While not nearly as convenient as the loo, it wasn’t too much of an issue.  And while MW said I should enjoy the great view compared with a normal lavatory, I don’t multitask well enough.   And to Maverick, the bears now have their answer, and it’s a "yes!".

With another three day weekend on the calendar, we tried to figure out where we should go.  One possibility was to head north to visit some of the parks closer to the Oregon border. There are a bunch up there, but it would be a lot of driving.  After the fires broke out around the state, we felt that driving far only to be inside of a mesquite grill wasn’t the best idea.  Instead, we went much closer to home by visiting Marin, just over the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s a pain to see things around there as a day trip, but staying up there was very convenient.

On Friday, July 4th, we went to the Marin County Fair.   The main interest here was to catch a performance of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.  I’ve missed these guys in New Orleans and when they’ve been in town.  After a lengthy, but quickly moving line to get in the Fair, the PHJB’s set was just beginning.  They were a lot of fun. An added bonus was one of the guest musicians, who they introduced as a director of a popular movie from last year, The Simpsons.  I figured they were joking, but it’s true. The director of the Simpsons Movie plays jazz.

 After the PHJB’s first set, we wandered around the fair checking out the environmental exhibits and relaxing.  We took a brief stroll outside the fairgrounds to get a closer view of the Civic Center, which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.  Unfortunately, tours are only given during the week, but the building was neat. It’s huge and at the top of the hill. I think FLW has a real future ahead of him, except for the fact that he’s dead. The remaining part of the day was spent wandering, listening to music, dinner and fireworks. We then walked back to the hotel for some much needed rest.

On Saturday, we took advantage of one of the area’s state parks and visited China Camp State Park.  Prior to heading out we passed a NY Deli next to the hotel and I spotted the big sign that said they had egg creams.  Those who know what egg creams are know how yummy they are.  Residents of Californa will know that they are an uncommon site in these parts.  Naturally, I told L’ that we should stop or go there for breakfast the next day.  Always thinking ahead, she realized that tomorrow would be Sunday and they might be closed.  To avoid that possible tragedy, we stopped after our breakfast.  While still good, the egg cream was disappointing and not nearly as good as ones that I have made.  Nonetheless, I was now ready for today’s hike.

It was a bit hot, but we still did a short hike. We were glad to again see blue sky after the smoky skies we’ve been having in the Bay Area.  The hike was nothing spectacular but the exercise was good.  Our next stop in the park, the old fishing town, was better than the hike.  It was run by the Chinese where they caught shrimp that they sent back to China.  Today there is even one descendant of the original residents living there.  The walk on the water was cooler and a nice wind down.  While at the hotel for much needed showers, we consulted Zagat’s for dinner recommendations and found a highly rated Italian restaurant in San Anselmo.  The dinner was great and the dessert exceptional.  I highly recommend visiting Cucina Restaurant.

 Sunday was another busy day.  We had some breakfast in the room (getting our morning requirements of cheerios (for me) and coffee (for L’)).  Since we were in San Rafael and had visited two California Missions on our previous weekend adventures, we felt obligated to stop at the one here.  Mission San Rafael is the second most northern and second to last founded. It’s mostly a reconstruction at this point though.   Not a whole lot to see, but worth a quck stop. After grabbing a couple gigantic sandwiches for lunch, we headed to Point Reyes. I had been there once before with my parents and this time we did a completely different part of the park.  It was a lengthy hike, but not too strenuous at about 7.4 miles (which is a one day record for me).  Despite being in a National Seashore, we didn’t make it to the coast.  It would have been a couple miles down hill and we had just come uphill and did not want to add any more elevation change to our day.  We stopped for lunch at our highest point and then took a stroll back down to the car.

 To break up the drive home, we made a brief photo-op stop along the coast for some views of the beautiful California coast.  I even managed to stay awake for most of the car ride as L’ perfectly handled the windy road.  We made it home for another much needed set of showers.  Lacking food in the house, I suggested we get some pizza.  Instead of ordering in, we went to a AAA recommended pizza place in San Carlos.  As my local friends know, I’m the keeper of the Pizza Power Poll and I let Speederia Pizza take a challenge at the undefeated champion, Giovanni’s.  This is the best challenge to date.  To not bias the local jury pool, I won’t unveil my winner, but I let’s just say I impressed L’ by finishing off my half of the pie.  We then went back home for an egg cream and food comas.  Another long weekend was in the record books and it was back to work on Monday.

 View all the photos from the weekend:

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