charlie dancing

Spring Has Arrived

My favorite time of year has come to the Bay Area, and with one of the best winters for rainfall in a while, it is really shaping up to be a green and floral one this year. So Sunday I set off with my friend Sarah to the backroads between Petaluma and Tomales Bay on a 55mi journey, with the big camera on my back (my excuse for needing to be towed in by much more poweful legs to the finish line). First big ride of the year. Hoping to find vistas of orange poppies, which have yet to awaken, it was all about the mustard blooms as you can see below...

10th Mountain Hut Trip - Colorado

Wow what a trip...an idea hatched by two buddies to gather a dozen close friends from UVa to get together in a pristine alpine wonderland, ski like nordic champions up steep rugged mountains, and convene in a hut cooking gourmet dinners and sharing the wisdom that our 40 yrs on the planet has brought over a glass or three of fine bourbon. And in truth some of this went as planned - it was breathtakingly beautiful, really good to see everyone, and wisdom was rampant.....like the decision to load our packs up to their 50lb capacity with copious jugs of Costco pesto, 20lb logs of salami, and nausiating green apple schnaps - weight which combined with the rental boots removed every bit of flesh off our ankles. But we of course emerged out of the wild as renjuvenated renaissance men, ready to change the world when we got back to our office desks on Monday.

It really was a great trip...to a totally impressive hut system - ours was fully appointed with fuel, stoves, utensils, stoves, and even solar power. I totally recommend this trip...just BYOB (boots) when you do it.

I stayed an extra day in Aspen and had by far the best powder day ever at Aspen Highlands...here's the link to the huts.
http://www.huts.org/hut_details/betty_bear_hut_details.html

Spooner Lake

Paid a visit in Feb to Spooner Lake XC... http://www.spoonerlake.com/tahoeskimaps.htm Spooner is probably the best looking of the XC venues in No. California, with amazing views of the Tahoe Rim and the Lake...but on skis at least, enjoying its beauty requires mega lung power. Its has major climbs and long loops (longest is 70km). So only when i feel particularly fit do i venture out there. This time she kicked my tail though...but in between gasps of air, i had the presence to pull out the camera. The last shot shows how much snow we have been graced with...18 ft in Jan alone. It's been a banner year. T

Xmas 2007

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all!

Here's wishing everyone all my best and happiness in 2008.
After two weeks of relaxation with friends and family, it's time to get back to reality. Xmas in California is top notch, we lack our 4 seasons here, but few other places can you be skiing one day and trail running in shorts the next. I had 8 days on the slopes either on xc or downhill skis, and with 10 ft of new snow in parts of the Sierra, it's time to head back up this weekend.

Squaw was the venue for downhill, and most of the xc was at the very formidable terrain at Tahoe Donner. Click on the two video's on this link...both under the theme of "who needs a lift when you have skinny frictionless skis to get you up there?" TD has a 1200 ft ascent/descent.

http://www.tahoedonner.com/tahoe/SITE/top/listing.cfm/activity/9176/7.75703.12820565/direct?c=1

Click on the photos to enlarge..

Hope to be back soon with some more winterscapes/ T

Squaw, off Shirley Lake

The dock at Chinquapin

Mike hauling up Lakeview trail

my first Old La Honda

of the season

Sunset over the Pacific after the major storm of Jan 4.

Moonlight over Squaw 12/28...200mm