Weekly Pano: San Bruno

On my way to picking up Becca from SFO, I decided to go check out San Bruno.  And turns out it's a great stop for anyone going to SFO and finds out the flight is delayed.  It's mostly wide open fire roads at the top.  The main loop is fun singletrack (it'd be fun on a mtn bike if it were bike-legal), and the trails leading up to the main fire road on the eastern side of the park are all very faint and skratchy.  You'll have to keep checking your gps.  Here's my strava track.  http://app.strava.com/activities/102189681

Sundog!

Monthly Pano: Wavecrest Beach

near Half Moon Bay.  It's a pretty sweet spot if you want a dog-friendly, sandy, uncrowded, kid-friendly beach...
http://www.weekendsherpa.com/stories/wavecrest-beach-in-half-moon-bay/

Kayak Commute with George

Got to share another enjoyable kayak commute with a partner.  This time with George, a unicycling buddy who lives really close by.  He's got a folding feathercraft kayak... and has a bike trailer attachment for it as well.  So when or if I get my kayak trailer working, we could bike/kayak commute to SF together.  That'd be awesome.  I picked George up after I dropped Kai off at day care, then drove to Signal Beach and put in.  There was a surprising east wind in the morning, which probably helped push us for some of the way.  As soon as we got around Treasure Island, the wind died down and we had to shed a layer, and it was smooth paddling to SF.

On the way back, no wind, not much current, and it was quite an enjoyable paddle back, just chatting away and not really paying attention...

Soon, we were back at Signal Beach...

Got goodgirl loaded up and made it on time to pick up Kai from Day Care.

And here's the track back...

Weekly (Monthly) Pano: Lake Del Valle... is low

Check out this 360 pano of Lake Del Valle... Kai should be underwater!  

The East Bay Hills Duatholon with Stefan.

Well, after a bit of a break, I'm back to full health, adventuring, and loving our newest addition to the family.  Nikko Steven Kuwabara was born on Jan 4th, 2014 and has been a bundle of joy from day 1.  The next week, Kai came home with Hand, Foot & Mouth disease... then later that week I came down with Strep, and Kimbo got it too the next day.  Those first two weeks were a bit rough...

what a pumpkin!

But I got to go on a fine excursion with Stefan to enjoy this dry, polluted... but very sunny weather.

Stefan Cruising up Fish Ranch....

Our Uni route...

After Cruising down Claremont Canyon.... we locked up the bikes and started running up Claremont, which has been my favorite spot recently.

Our run

Kayaking to the Ashby Shoal...

A few weeks back I got to join John Boeschen and his crew, who usually head out on Thurs evenings for a paddle somewhere in the bay.  Usually marin.  He's been going out on most Thurs for more than 10+ years and he must know the bay better than anyone.
http://www.thurseve.com/Thurseve/Home/Home.html

Anyway, Mi-Suk and I joined him out for a quick paddle to the Ashby Shoal.  Here's his report.
http://www.thurseve.com/Thurseve/Home/Entries/2013/12/3_Entry_1.html\
And comic entry.
https://picasaweb.google.com/103349765524242949326/12313?noredirect=1

Ashby Shoal?  It's a little island that appears between Emeryville and Berkeley Marinas when the tide is quite low.  One of the sailors there told us that he had heard the shoal was created back in the day when they were getting fill from Treasure Island.  They were piping in fill from Treasure Island to where the freeway lies in Berkeley (where it's always congested)... and they noticed that the mass balance wasn't working out.  They discovered a hole in the pipe... which birthed Ashby Shoal.  Not sure if I believe it, but I couldn't find a better story.  I mean why would they get fill from an island?  Wouldn't it be easier to just use fill from land?  Anyway... here's an article I found on the Ashby Shoal..
http://www.berkeleyside.com/2012/12/14/low-tides-at-berkeley-marina-leads-to-impromptu-clam-bake/

And more of John's Cartoon Reports here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/103349765524242949326

Including the 15 island gonzo paddle:

Emeryville Sunset

Got some nice pics the other day on my Sony NEX 5n.  The sunset is beautiful this time of the year...