Just returned from a President’s Day weekend in Las Vegas.
Actually, it’s more like a weekend on the road - I drove from San Jose to Las Vegas, a 550-mile journey that takes about 10-11 hours to complete. It’s the longest solo-drive that I’ve ever attempted, and with God’s grace I managed to stay safe. […]
It’s been five years since I last did any skiing - it was probably Hoch Ybrig in Switzerland in 2001. It was such a long time ago that when FC invited me to follow him and his friends to Sugar Bowl today, I hesitated. I did not know if my body was up […]
Winter in California is wet! It rained nearly every day since I arrived last week, but today the skies cleared a little. I took the opportunity to visit the Donner Canyon Falls. Given the recent wet weather, I felt assured that the falls will be gushing with water.
Donner Canyon lies on the […]
In my last trip to the Bay Area in October, I somehow did not manage to get any hiking done. It was disappointing for me, because I’ve always loved the outdoor opportunities that California offers. It was a sign of my growing familiarity with Silicon Valley that I let my weekends escape me […]
On Saturday, my colleagues brought me visiting some of the lesser known wineries in the California. Right at the doorstep of Silicon Valley lie the Santa Cruz mountains. Until this weekend, I was unaware of the numerous wineries that dot these hills. Find out more at the Santa Cruz Mountain Winegrowers Association
At […]
Last weekend was Fleet Week, where the US Navy’s finest visited the city of San Francisco. They arrived in force, as part of a recruitment cum publicity exercise that featured white uniforms and blue jets.
Had I known this event was so popular, I would have taken a train into the city. Of course, […]
Today, I planned to visit MH at Toronto at their invitation to join them for the Canadian Thanksgiving. I had purchased my flight tickets and applied for leave from work. I was looking forward to seeing my dear friends and their newborn baby boy.
I drove to the airport and joined the queue to […]
Last weekend, I hiked at the Los Padres National Forest. This stretch of wilderness lies off the Pacific Coast between San Francisco and Los Angeles. It is filled with lush forests and rugged mountains between 1000-1400 metres in height.
The trek to Pine Valley Camp was about 5 1/2 miles, which wasn’t too bad […]
Yesterday, I hiked on San Bruno mountain. It’s a 400m (1317 feet) high mountain at the northern tip of the Peninsula. It was a rather strange climb because the western half of the summit was enveloped in sea fog coming out of the Pacific, and the eastern half was all sunshine. It […]
On Friday, I went out to the Sierra’s to do a bit of camping. After Yosemite, I was looking forward to a deeper experience of the California outdoors.
Lake Huntington lies 61 miles to the east of Fresno, about 7000 feet above sea level. It is nested in the middle of the Sierra […]