Rinko Tour 2 - SF, Devil's Slide and More

The new bike and pedestrian trail at Devil's Slide recently opened.  I don't need much of an excuse to bike down the California coast so this was an excellent opportunity to do another Rinko Tour (train/bike) to one of my favorite hostels in Montara.

Frank Gerace and I packed our panniers and headed out on a five day tour booking two nights apiece at the Montara Lighthouse and SF Fort Mason Hostels respectively.

We took the Capital Corridor train from Sacramento to Oakland, the ferry across the Bay to SF, and rode down the coast to the Montara Lighthouse, truly one of the gem lodging facilities of the AYH chain.  The setting of this tiny lighthouse out on a point is beyond spectacular. It even has a coffee bar.

We rode the new Devil's Slide Trail enroute to the lighthouse.  The 1 1/2 mile section of old Hwy 1 has been refurbished into a first-class exclusive bike and pedestrian pathway with viewpoint amenities.  This pathway is closed to auto traffic and is an absolute delight to either bike or hike.

On the layover day, we rode to Pillar Point to check out the famous surfing venue, Maverick's Beach, and returned to Montara to hike some of the trails of McNee Ranch State Park.

On the return trip to SF, we decided to ride Old Pedro Mountain Road to Pacifica.  It is a gnarly one lane partially paved and dirt pathway over Montara Mountain.  Taking this option bypassed the narrow sections of Hwy 1 which is heavily trafficked but it is a true adventure and not for the faint of heart.

During our two days in SF, we biked along the bay front to China Basin and ATT Park and over the Golden Gate Bridge to the Marin Headlands and Sausalito.  Heavy fog thwarted the ride into the Headlands.

Over four days, we experienced some incredible sights and places.  To view the album of this tour, click on "Rinko Tour 2 - SF, Devil's Slide and More" below photo:

From Rinko Tour 2 - SF, Devils Slide and More

Mt. Diablo Hike

On September 8, 2013, a fire ignited on a private ranch in Perkins Canyon on the east slope of Mt. Diablo.  It raged out of control for four days burning approximately 3,100 acres on the east and south facing sides of the mountain.  The fire came within a 100' of the summit where the Visitor Center and two communication towers are located.

Remarkably, no dwellings or people were lost.  The Perkins Canyon Fire was the biggest fire on the mountain since 1977.

Rich Blackmarr, leader of the Sac. County Hikers, organized today's hike to view the aftermath of this fire on the mountain vegetation.  Being the month of April, the wildflowers were in peak bloom and the hillsides verdant from the recent February rains.  And with sunny blue skies, it was the ideal time to visit Mt. Diablo.

The hike, about a 5 mile out and back, took the North Peak Trail from the Summit Parking Lot near the top of Mt. Diablo to a turn-around point on the Prospector Gap Trail.  The trail dropped and gained approximately 2,000'.

To view the album, click on "Mt. Diablo Hike" below photo:

From Mt. Diablo Hike

Wendy Murayama Ex. Order 9066 Tag Exhibit and San Jose Japan Town

An extraordinary art exhibit entitled "The Tag Project" was taking place at the San Jose Contemporary Art Institute.  Artist Wendy Murayama recruited hundreds of assistants to write names on ID tags of over 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry, mostly US citizens, who were shipped off to internment camps at the beginning of WWII.

The 120,000 tags were strung together into ten towering bundles hung from the Institute ceiling.  The internee tags were segregated by the ten relocation camps scattered across the US during WWII.

My two sisters, Yuki and Emi, at ages 10 and 5 respectively were two of those internees.  I asked them if they would be interested in seeing the exhibit.

In the back of my mind, I thought it would be interesting if we could find their tags and other family members amongst the 120,000 tags on exhibit.

You never know, we could get lucky.

After seeing the Tag Exhibit, we drove over to Japan Town to visit the Japanese-Ameican Museum and tour around J-Town, which I haven't seen since my college days, nearly 40 years ago.  It was a literal trip down Memory Lane.

Fortunately, Japan-Town has flourished over the decades and still intact.  This neighborhood consists of museums, shops and art galleries, restaurants, residential, and the San Jose Buddhist Church.

To view the album of my trip to San Jose, click on "Wendy Murayama Ex. Order 9066 Tag Exhibit and San Jose Japan-Town" below photo:

From Wendy Maruyama Exec. Order 9066 Tag Project and San Jose Japan Town

Palm Springs Modernism Week

The Annual Modernism Week took place in Palm Springs in mid-February.  I attended this unique event with Tom Graham and Lisa Foster who own an Eichler home in Sacramento.  Tom and Lisa are avid members of Sac Mod and are passionate modernist enthusiasts.

Modernism Week actually spans 11 days and is a festival celebrating mid-century (1940-60) modern design, architecture, art, fashion and culture in Palm Springs. The festival attracts architects, designers, collectors and modernism aficionados from around the world.  Last year, approximately 40,000 enthusiasts attended the festival.

More than 150 events - home tours, films, lectures, bus tours, nightly parties, vintage fashion shows, and garden tours - are scheduled during the run of the festival.  In addition, there were a modernist art and furniture sale, vintage period car and RV shows.  Over 9 days, we participated in eight events.

To view complete album, click on "Palm Springs Modernism Week" below photo

From Palm Springs Modernism Week

SF Hike

Another gorgeous day in January and a fantastic day hike by the Sacramento County Hikers in the Golden Gate Heights District of San Francisco.  This very hilly neighborhood lies south of Golden Gate Park and is known for it's network of artistic tiled stair pathways.

About 24 hikers participated in the hike of approximately 6 miles led by our intrepid leader Rich Blackmarr.  Rich plotted a loop route that weaved its way up and down many staircases with stops at some hilltop parks with heady panoramic views of San Francisco, the ocean, and the Marin coastline.

On the drive down to SF, we crossed the new east span of the Bay Bridge.  The slick new approach to downtown SF was a fitting start to an absolutely beautiful day.

To view complete album, click on "SF Hike" below photo:

From SF Hike

Berkeley Hike

During the winter months, the Sacramento County Hikers led by Rich Blackmarr, head to the Bay Area for some urban hiking just in case the weather turns foul.  We can always duck into a coffeehouse or restaurant should it begin raining.

But here it is . . . it's almost Thanksgiving and we're still enjoying an extended Indian Summer.  The day started out cool and windy but by the end of the day, the winds calmed down and the temps were toasty.  A perfect day for a hike.

Rich planned another excellent urban hike tackling the steep stairs and meandering streets of North Berkeley and Kensington neighborhoods.

The approximately 7 mile hike started out near the Solano Boulevard commercial district and meandered via many flights of steps and steep streets over the ridge into Tilden Park where we stopped for lunch.

We climbed back over the ridge on the Memory Trail and down to the starting point stopping at several wonderful neighborhood parks -  Dorothy Bolte, John Hinkel, Indian Rock and Contra Costa Rock Parks.

These urban hikes are very popular and about 30 hikers participated in today's hike

To view complete album, click on "Berkeley Hike" below photo:

From Berkeley Hike

Remembering Mike 1949 - 2013

Mike Broderick led an amazing and improbable life - world traveler, mountain climber, hiker, and most of all, a world-class cycling fanatic.  There aren't many places on this planet he hasn't left his mark.

He had a beautiful home in East Sacramento and a loving and supportive spouse in Barbara who allowed Mike to follow his passion and travel to far away places with his buddies.  He was one very lucky dude.

Our two worlds came together about 4 years ago after he retired from a long and successful career in state government.  Having very similar interests, it didn't take long for us to bond and establish a strong and meaningful friendship.

I am grateful to say that we went on some incredible journeys together both state-side and over-seas before he sadly succumbed to pancreatic cancer on November 6, 2013.

Mike would always ask me, "is this blog worthy?" when taking a photo of him on one of our many ventures and outings.  Having somewhat high standards for the photos I include in my blogs, I would coyly answer, "I'll have to see how it turns out on my computer."

To honor the memory of Mike, I went through my blog archives and selected some of my favorite photos and created this special tribute to Mike.

So Mike, I want to finally answer your quires.

Yes, my friend, you are definitely blog worthy.

Here's a look back at the good times I shared with Mike.

Please click on "Remembering Mike 1949 - 2013" below photo to view album:

From Remembering Mike 1949 - 2013