Mount Diablo

Another weekend...another mountain to climb.  This time it was Mount Diablo.

One can drive to the top, but Onions and I parked at the Diablo Valley Overlook and took a one hour hike to the top.

Looking East towards the Central Valley

Northwest towards the Carquinez Strait with Clayton in the foreground.

Northeast towards Sacramento (and the wind turbines)

Southwest towards Danville and the San Ramon Valley

Southeast and more of the Central Valley

My favorite part of the day was on our way down, we took a spur along Moss Ridge.  Right before this picture, Onions and I discussed the difference between the traditional and Roth IRA.

End of the day selfie!

Mission Peak

Another weekend, another hike.  This time down to Fremont to climb Mission Peak.

That's Mission Peak in the distance.  We started the climb from Ohlone College.  It's a relentless uphill climb.  One foot in front of the other.

Cows!

As we climbed up, although a bit hazy, the Bay came into view.

After an hour, the peak came into view.  As you see, the trail is pretty much a wide gravel road.

From the top, a view of the East Bay hills.

Happy Ernie!  And after the hike, we ate some Chinese food in Milpitas, then to IKEA (where Onions knows that it's best to let me hang out in the cafe while he shops) and then to meet his friend who had just flown in from Beijing!

The "Props" Party

So, we San Francisco voters have a lot of decisions to make this November 8th.  We have the presidential race, a US Senate race and all that.  But we have some 40+ ballot propositions and initiatives to vote on.

A neighborhood friend has,  for many years, hosted a get together where friends/acquaintances learn about the issues and then as a group vote on whether or not we will support a proposition or initiative.

This year, it was in his backyard.  Spread out on the green tarp is one voters display of all the mailings she has received up until this point.

My friend John (in the rear) keeps time.  Since we had so many things to discuss, we tried to limit our discussion to 3 minutes for each proposition or initiative.  His former roommate, Jenn, who now lives in Seattle, starts by summarizing the issue and then stating what a YES vote would do.

Then we vote.....

Here's the summary of the San Francisco City/County Propositions.  You'll see that Jen has color coded things.  Green are taxes.  Red is any "earmark" or set aside of the General Fund.  Orange is any proposition that is essentially trying to redistribute power between the Board of Supervisors and the Mayor.  Blue is just anything else.

After a break, it was time to get back to the voting and talk about the state propositions.  These actually were easier!

You'll see that the majority of state initiatives were unanimous.

Post game wrapup!

A Camping Opportunity.....Not Taken

My friend Mary reserved a campsite at Doran State Beach (that spit of land) at Bodega Bay.  Onions and I were going to go camping, but, alas, he decided "No Camping."

However, I did get to pass on the campsite to my colleague Y and her family and they spent the night!

Onions and I went up on Sunday to hang out at the beach with them for a couple hours.  Here he is attempting a head stand!  I slept for a few hours on the beach.

We all went to lunch and then Onions and I went for a short, easy walk around Bodega Head.  Loud seals on the beach.

Point Reyes and Tomales Bay in the distance.

Bodega Head from the East!  A beautiful Northern California day...

Cloud's Rest

Onions managed to schedule a Saturday off and after our first choice of a weekend in Seattle turned out to cost $450 a round trip ticket, we decided to head to Yosemite.  Our plan of getting up early at 6AM (after staying the night halfway on Friday night) and getting an early start ended when I drove the wrong way for a half hour.  Oops. These days climbing up Half Dome requires a permit (lottery) so my colleague mentioned another trail that doesn't require a permit, called Cloud's Rest which is accessed off Tioga Pass Road, which is only open from May to November.  So....off we went!

The hike is reported to be 13.1 miles round trip, although the signage along the trail makes it seem like it might be more. After a gentle first mile, the hike climbs the side of a mountain.

Stopping to catch one's breath, looking Northeast, here's the view of Northern Yosemite Park.

After the climb up the mountain and a couple miles of easy hiking, you get your first look at Cloud's Rest.

Here's looking up at the spine of the mountain.....and the last 500 feet!

Looking back at the final stretch....Tioga Pass in the distance.

This is what we all come to see.......looking at the back of Half Dome and into the valley!

LUNCH!!!  I bet this might be the first time that pigs ear, pigs tongue and chicken feet have been consumed at the top of Cloud's Rest.

Starting the trek back down......

After the hike, we spent some time just enjoying not moving at Tenaya Lake.

Then, because we could, we drove up another couple miles to the famed Tuolumne Meadows.

A little throwback for me.  Back in 2000, a couple friends and I commenced our a week long trip right here down the John Muir Trail.

That's Lyell Canyon and Donohue Pass (the sixth highest of the JMT....which almost killed me on that second day of the hike).

Half Dome at Sunset from Olmstead Point.

Cloud's Rest on the Left....Half Dome on the Right.