They finally got hitched! Up in Sebastapol. And the boys got all dolled up. We shared an AirBnB with the Ralstons and Metres. Sure was great hanging with B-ral and GG again.
Upon arrival we decided to check out the neighborhood park.
After settling into the AirBnB we biked/ran over to HopMonk where we drank, and got drunk. I biked home on Kai's bike. That was fun.
Next morning Metres, Bral and I went on a short road ride. Which included a climb of Joy Rd... which was fun section during King Ridge... https://www.strava.com/activities/707302733 https://www.relive.cc/view/707302733
Partially inspired by Leor, the ultrarunning machine... and partially inspired by the fact that I obtained a pair of skate skis this summer at a REI garage sale. A few weeks back, I finally got me a pair of boots that *sorta* fit from ebay, so I've been itching to get out to Glacier Point on skate skis.
So this past weekend, I got B-ral to hop in the Schmienna with the Kuwabara's and we cruised on up to Badger Pass in Yosemite to skate ski.
There are many good reasons to skate ski... a) It hadn't snowed in a while; b) Yosemite is awesome; c) it's cheap, if not free; d) it's a great work out; e) it's pretty fun (going 10 mph on your skate skiing set up feels like going 70 mph on a DH ski set up).
B-ral with punkin at Tunnel View.
There are plenty of trails from Badger Pass to x-country ski, but the groomed trail follows the summer road out to Glacier Point. There's even a race every year going out to Badger Pass and back...
my outfit for the skate... decided last second to wear tights... should've gone with shorts. We passed 30+ folks... most of whom were wearing full down clothing...
At Washburn Pt. We got a pretty late start, but managed to pass most of the folks heading out, and got to enjoy both Washburn Pt. and Glacier Pt by ourselves for a good 30 min. Quite a highlight considering the view and how crowded it can get in the summer time.
B-ral with the Glacier Pt. Hut behind him. You can rent the hut for 120$ per person (self-guided) or 350 $ per person (guided). The cost does include three meals a day, wine, etc. Here's the weekend sherpa link.
And the labeled view...
Can you see the landmarks here?
B-ral taking another pano on his iphone... the site of the old "firefall"
Back at the parking lot. B-ral is fast. Skate skiing is hard. I was pooped.
Thanx to B-ral, who watched Kai, Kimbo and I got to go ice skating together for an hour or so.... going from ski skating to ice skating... very similar muscles... Check out the alpenglow on Half Dome in the background.
Taking advantage of the ice skating rink that sounds like it will be shut down next year...
Soon, we made it to the Bug where Kai made lots of friends, we had a sublime dinner, and slept...
The next morning, Kai woke up pretty early (he never sleeps well the first night)... so Kimbo and I grabbed some coffee, got in the spa, had brekky, and B-ral and Kim jumped back in the spa.
...soon we were back in Oakland. A quick 2.5 hr drive (including a strawberry stop), unload the car, hopped on the Uni and got in an hour ride in the Oakland hills on my way to Lucinda's to watch the 49ers choke in the 4th quarter...
Below is the strava track... although it says there are "no achievements on this nordic ski"... it was still quite an achievement for me. Skiing 20+ miles on my first time skate skiing, skiing topless for three and a half hours, and I also achieved a painful blister on my right foot...
B-ral and I skated & mostly glided our way out to Glacier Pt this past weekend. I'll throw up more details and pics later... but for the time being here are some panos to satiate ya.
Taken on my camera at Washburn Point.
10 min later at Glacier Pt.
B-ral got a new iphone at work... so we tested out his pano mode...
And it gave me a mono-stril. But other than that the cameras on the new iphone kicks some serious butt.
My beautiful shot of Bral at Washburn Pt taken on his iphone...
Had a great week last week. Partly due to the nice weather, partly due to me having extra energy as it was my b-day on the 11th, and partly due to my loving wife who let me go out and do crazy things no matter how sleep deprived I was.
But boy was I tired when Kai decided not to sleep.
8th (sun) - played a soccer game in the senior league, then rode Morgan Territory with Patrick and Jeff (forgot my garmin, but here's Jeff's... which is longer).
11th (wed) - my B-day! - went on a sunrise run up Mission Peak with Sol, Funk & B-ral!
This weekend, Kimbo, Kai & I went up to Lost Trail Lodge, where there was no snow... and the trails turned into luge courses... so I finally got my rest that I've been wanting.
Going into the 30 mile hike we thought... "we got this, let's shoot for 10 hours, I can do 3 miles per hour no problemo.".. Funk compromised with, "I'll be happy with 12."
8 hours into the hike, and having only covered 10 miles or so... we came to a very tough decision to turn around.
Here we are leaving the car at 4:20 am...
And the summit. This building is part of the White Mountain Research Station... we felt OK here, and had no doubt that we'd make it across even though I had to double back to pick up my Spot beacon that had fallen off and lost a good hour or more.
http://www.wmrs.edu/aboutWMRS.htm
Then we encountered the ridge, scree, and things started slowing down drastically... and had to turn around at noon.
And even though we didn't make it, in many respects it was far from a wasted trip. It was quite a learning experience for me. Learning our limits, what we should have done, what we could do next time, etc. Also, we did summit the 3rd highest peak in California... my 8th 14er, putting me over the half way mark in climbing all 15. Previously, I have summited Shasta, Whitney, Thunderbolt, Starlight, Polemonium, North Palisade, and Sill. And the wildlife was super up yonder. Big horn sheep, marmots, red tail hawks, great horned owls, and a bunch of tiny rodents.
After our 16 hour ordeal (4:20 am to 8:20 pm)... we drove through Bishop to grab some food and to soak at some hot springs. This was our second soak the morning after.
... and after brunch at Whoa Nellie Delli... we stopped at Rainbow Pools on the way out... which may have cost us 50$ each.
.jpg)
.jpg)
