A digital travel diary. · WP v1.08 · Updated
After almost a year of being unable to dirt bike, I finally got to ride my Yamaha WR250F at Hollister Hills SVRA on Saturday, November 21, 2020. . On Friday, before my planned ride, I loaded my off-road gear into my Sienna minivan and attached the bike carrier. On Saturday morning, I strapped my Yamaha to my van and prepared a couple of sandwiches to…
Read More: Returning to Hollister Hills SVRA
The last time I mountain biked on the John Nicholas Trail was May 3, 2020. I had a fantastic time; this is one of my favorite bike trails in Los Gatos.. . . . I really enjoy biking on the John Nicholas Trail in the fall. The leaves are turning yellow, red, and all the shades of the rainbow. The temperature is cool - in…
Read More: Biking John Nicholas Trail
Covid-19 Halloween 2020!. With so many people working from home (due to COVID-19), this year's Halloween decorations were more elaborate and perhaps a bit more macabre than in previous years. In addition to beautifully carved pumpkins. We saw many skeletons, graves, witches, zombies, and other ghastly creatures. . . . . Walking around our regular workout route, we marveled at people's effort to set up…
Read More: Trick-or-Treating during Covid Halloween
After surfing for many weeks at famous surfing spots in Laguna Beach: Thalia Street, Rockpile Beach, Newport Beach, San Clemente, and Trestles, I realized that my surf paddling could use improvement. . I discovered Rob, a local surf trainer, teaches proper surf paddling techniques. He runs a website called surfpaddling.com. He is based in the San Francisco Bay Area and offers online and private lessons..…
Read More: Improving Surf Paddling
Having last hiked the Dipsea Trail in September 2016, I was eager to experience the raw beauty of untouched wilderness again. I was especially keen to revisit the rainforest, with its lush vegetation and moss-covered trees. . . Although the Dipsea Trail has multiple entrances, I decided to start the hike from the intersection of Highway 1 and Arenal Avenue in Stinson Beach. The trail…
Read More: Hiking Dipsea Trail
For our 19th wedding anniversary, Inna initially booked two nights at the Timber Cove Resort (a bit North of Bodega Bay). However, a few days before our arrival, when she inquired about the weather and activities, she learned that ping-pong and a few others were discontinued due to COVID-19. . . Since the drive to Timber Cove would require 3+ hours, we explored other alternatives.…
Read More: Enjoying Sausalito
Inna purchased the 4/3 mm Dawn Patrol wetsuit in medium-tall (MT) size for Alex from Ripcurl in Santa Cruz on September 2, 2020. Alex grew so much that he was no longer fitting in his medium Ripcurl wetsuit. . After surfing for about a year (60 sessions), the seams in the back of the wetsuit started to come apart. We decided to drop it off…
Read More: Repairing Ripcurl Wetsuit
With the California wildfires raging and the air quality in San Jose in the 150+ (unhealthy range), according to PurpleAir, Inna and I decided to escape the smoke and haze by hiking in Pacifica.. . . . The drive from San Jose to Pacifica was uneventful, taking about 45 minutes. We parked at Mori Point (the parking lot there was closed). From there, we hiked…
Read More: Hiking Pacifica
With the end of summer in sight, I would like to enjoy a few more windsurfing sessions. When iwindsurf.com forecasted favorable winds at Coyote Point, I decided to try windsurfing for the 12th time in the season. . . When I arrived at Coyote Point, I saw signs that the Coyote Point Park was closed. Although disappointed, I decided to try my luck at the…
Read More: Windsurfing 3rd Ave
With waves in Santa Cruz non-existent, I took Alex for miniature golf at Emerald Hills Golfland in San Jose. Alex would have preferred to surf in Capitola instead.. . . . . . I teed off first, followed by Alex. By luck or skill, I gained an early lead. I sunk the ball in two strokes on the first hole while Alex took five. .…
Read More: Golfing at Emerald Hills
With Andy Brandt's ABK Clinic canceled due to COVID-19, I took some time off work to enjoy the best season winds at Sherman Island. July is usually the most consistent time for strong winds.. . . Sunday, July 26, 2020. . . My week of windsurfing began on Sunday, July 26. After waking up at 05:45, I drove early to Sherman Island, arriving at the…
Read More: Windsurfing at Sherman Island
Waddell Beach (aka Creek) is one of the premier windsurfing spots in the San Francisco Bay area. With strong winds in the summer months and large waves in the fall & spring, it's a famous location where competitions are frequently held.. . . . I haven't windsurfed at Waddell for a long time. It's a difficult place to sail due to a powerful beach break…
Read More: Windsurfing Waddell Creek
In anticipation of a windy day at Sherman Island, I prepacked my minivan with Windsurfing gear, including my Goya 84-liter Quad Custom Pro and 2018 Fanatic 105-liter Freewave STB.. . I woke up at 5:40 and checked the wind forecast at Sherman Island. According to iWindsurf, the wind was already 26 knots! With the ebbing tide running until noon, my best shot would be to…
Read More: Nuking Winds at Sherman Island
After many months of closure due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Coyote Point Park in San Mateo (my default windsurfing destination) re-opened on June 15th.. . As Coyote Point is much closer to my home (usually a 45-minute car ride vs a 90-minute ride to Sherman Island), I was eager to reclaim at least a small part of my rapidly fading windsurfing season.. . With…
Read More: Windsurfing at Coyote PointWith strong gusty, 25+ knot winds promised by the iWindsurf forecast, I rushed to Sherman Island in Rio Vista.. . . . I arrived at about 4:15pm, parked my minivan near the Sherman Island County park (as parking in the actual park was completely full), and rigged my Ezzy Elite 4.0m sail. I selected the 85-liter Goya Custom quad fin for my board of choice,…
Read More: Windsurfing at Sherman Island
Having difficulty catching waves on my Firewire Spitfire, 6'6", I decided to try my luck at stand-up paddleboarding from my last experience at Sayulita. It might make it easier for me to catch slow waves in Mexico.. . . . After some research, I settled on an F.One Madeiro 8'5" wave sup on Craigslist. I also needed a new paddle (Cruz carbon) and a board…
Read More: Learning to SUP surf at Capitola
Over the past two years, I have been using primarily two surfboards for surfing:. Wavestorm 8'0" soft-top surfboard (Costco $99) . Firewire Spitfire 6'6" FST epoxy (purchased used for $525 from Rodney/Craigslist) . As I started progressing on the Wavestorm, I switched to the Firewire Spitfire 6'6 FST, but my progress slowed dramatically. I could no longer catch any waves despite a lot of hard…
Read More: Wavestorm 5’8″ Fish
With the coronavirus raging in San Jose (and across the United States), I resumed exercise. I thought that Almaden Quicksilver County Park would be closed, but I learned it was still open on closer inspection.. . . . . On April 17th, I rode my Specialized FSR S-Works mountain bike on my standard 10.5-mile trail. According to Strava, my ride took me 87 minutes. With…
Read More: Back to Almaden Quicksilver
On Friday, March 6, I started to feel flu symptoms, with an intense headache persisting through Saturday, March 7, and Sunday, Mach 8. I had trouble sleeping and a persistent dry cough. I decided to work from home to avoid infecting anyone at work. I had the usual flu symptoms, which decreased after about a week of home rest (I also had a runny nose)..…
Read More: Coronovirus Chonicles
For Inna's Birthday dinner, I made reservations at Evvia - one of our favorite Palo Alto restaurants.. . . . Our dinner started with two glasses of sparkling wine and "Tzatziki & Pita.". . . . We also ordered some freshly picked crimini mushrooms.. . . . The mushrooms were incredibly delicious and one of our all-time favorites. Being conservative, I ordered "Moussaka" as my…
Read More: Inna’s Birthday Dinner at Evvia