Volcano with the Schmidts!

https://www.yelp.com/biz/black-chasm-cavern-volcano

Had a great weekend getaway with the Schmidts to a historic little town in the foothills.  We stayed at the Volcano Union Inn, went to Black Chasm Cavern, saw a play at the Cobblestone Theatre, and checked out Grinding Rock SHP.  I rode up there (mostly) with Sigman on Fri.

Nikko the superhero... getting ready for the day.  

Had a lovely breakfast downstairs at the bar.

Coulter pine!

the old brewery

The Volcano Union Inn from the outside.  

Kai sitting in the old jail

we stopped here during the Kingdom of Heaven 1000k.  Mmmm, one of the reasons to come back to Volcano.  

Lunch inside the bakery

after lunch, we went to Black Chasm Cavern right outside of town... where you can pann for jewels from a bag you buy from them.  The kids love this...  

love Nikko's face here... 

this is the oldest running theatre in California.

We saw "A Charlie Brown Christmas"... 

Back at the hotel, they had made our room for us... 

with the 2 hours of daylight left, I went on a quick ride.  The roads around here are awesome for road biking.

2 real deers, one fake... 

Nikko had passed out from the day's activities

and Kai was busy playing games with Mama Margie

Check out this gem of a fireplace... 

more games.. 

The next day we went to Grinding Stone State Historic Park.  

More pics here

Pano: Albany Bulb with Kai and Ellie

Took Kai and Ellie on a playdate out to Albany Bulb.  Love that place.  Here they are at Mad Mark's Castle...

We had a ski movie showing at Toro's later that night.  That was fun.

Bolinas for Smitty's B-day x2

I love Bolinas.  Such a quirky, funky spot.  And Smitty has been celebrating his B-days there the last few years in a sweet house.  I get to go on a sweet trail run in the morning, hang out with friends on the beach, maybe catch a few waves on my SUP, then

Smitty hooking it up for Dinner!

You could see the Farallons from the run in the morning... not sure if you'll see it in this pic... 

Just ran out to Bass Lake and back.  No rope swing for me this time... 

But what a sweet trail.  

Big drops all the way down to the ocean.  

Funky Eucalyptus trees.  

Back at the house, Smitty was ready to party!

Love this outdoor shower... 

Soon we were on the beach (a block away) chillaxin'... you can see me out on the SUP on this pic.  

not exactly sure what this says... 

MUNI in Berkeley

David from Germany was in town with the circus, so Tom organized a weekday Muni ride at Whipsnake (Claremont).  Good times.  

Tahoe with the Dufours (Nov 25, 2017)

Alexis and I went on a short run Sat morning.  We ended up at the top of Soda Springs... which wasn't gonna open anytime soon... 

Spent another fun shoulder season weekend up in Tahoe with the Dufours and Mi-Suk's brother and sister in law.  Stopped by Knee Deep Brewery in Auburn on the way up (highly recommended), hiked Shirley Canyon then went to Tahoe City to the Tahoe Mountain Brewery for lunch.  Kimbo watched the Auburn game on her phone at the beach, while the kids played at the playground.  Then checked out the Truckee Bike Park (which was amazing).  Sunday was raining, so we went to the train tunnels and hiked around there for some photogenic shots. 

Knee deep.  Pour as you like.  High tec brew co with amazing beers.  

Shirley Canyon hike!  

very stinky

Love this pic of Kai checking out the Meijos while Nikko has the 22 designs NTNs

Kimbo was very stressed out watching the football game.... in this serene environment.

future climbers of america...

Then we cruised over to the Truckee Bike Park!  This place rocks!

The next day, it was raining so we opted for the tunnels.  Few options... 

Mi-Suk feeding chicks...

Soon we were back in the bay, having dinner with the Hoefts!

The boys have their night time routines down...

Cool shots of Truckee... drone style.  

EBMUD-xploring...

Well, I've signed up for MiWok again this year.  Hopefully I'll be able to do it.  Last year, I went to Cam's wedding, so that was a good reason to bail. 

Been running, exploring, and having a lot of fun on the local trails.  Gathering some like minded friends to go check out some new areas is always an adventure. 

Sam, Kevin (in from Seattle), and Josh... cursing up the EB mud firetrails.  

Newt?  Salamander!

One of the many obstacles on our route...

Looking at more potentials

fun trails egh?

Diablo

Cat?  

https://www.strava.com/activities/1286294145