SF - Stinson Beach

When you are retired and you see that there will be beautiful weather at Stinson Beach on a Monday, you just have to go.  That's what my parents did and I may or may not have tagged along.

SF - insignia on the San Francisco Fire Department Fire Truck-Haight Ashbury division

enough said

SF - Mount Diablo

Mount Diablo is the highest mountain in the Bay Area and was the meridian point for all the surveying that was done in California's early days.  Before that, it was a home to the Miwok people as well as a spiritual point for all the tribes of the region (who were brutally and sadly the victims of colonial genocide when they were forced off their land and subject to disease and privation such that most of them died).

We had a team-building weekend planned there, which meant basically a night of camping.  It was beautiful weather, hot but not too hot.  We did a long 3.5 hour hike in the afternoon on Saturday around the front and up the side and then I did a shorter hike on my own from the summit to the shorter north peak, where I lost my watch.

It's beautiful, desert-like hills with turkey vultures catching thermals and little gophers running around.  Glad I had the opportunity to go.

SF- Claremont Canyone plus Goats!

This hike is right behind my parents house.  It was my brother-in-law in his constant need to run and run and run who found it.  He was looking for the famous fire trail, which was cut into the hill following the big fire in the Berkeley and Oakland hills and is now a great, nearly flat place to run on.  The one big problem with this hike was that I couldn't figure out how to make a loop of it and ended up having to walk for about 20 minutes on Grizzly Peak boulevard, which has no sidewalk and lots of blind corners, so not very pleasant.  Checking on the map, it kind of looks like it's not really possible.  Oh well.  Among all the other beautiful moments of the outdoors of Northern California, the big highlight was that the goats were out.  I guess the parks department hires them from time to time to come and graze and the bottom part of this trail goes right by their hangout.  They were pretty awesome to see, but boy they didn't look like they had much to graze upon.  I threw them some greener stuff and they chomped it down quickly.  Goats are awesome.

You can see them here, dotting the steep hillside.

I forgot to say that the highlight of this hike is a spectacular view of the entire bay.

Same view from a slightly different angle coming back down.

A little memorial for peoples dogs that have died.  There are dog tags attached to it.

Okay, that's enough goats for one day.

SF - Wave warning!

This should appeal to those in Quebec protesting the new Hydro-Quebec wireless meters!

SF - another trike!

What is the deal?  Should I be getting one of these?

SF - Portrero Recreation Center

Check out this awesome old gymnasium I found walking around upper Portrero Hill:

And this is the building that houses it.