Dim Sum Outing

Dim Sum outing with brothers, sisters-in-law, uncles, aunt, and Kay. It sure was good, but too noisy for good conversation.

Small Wheel Beast of Burden

Getting ready for a 40-day fully loaded bike tour of the United Kingdom. Pictured here is my Small Wheel Beast of Burden, a Bike Friday. Although I'm impressed with the Bike Friday's ride quality, handling and durability, I still have some apprehension about the little bike despite knowing friends who have toured with them. Guess that's natural 'cause it's so small and it'll be loaded with more than 40 pounds of gear. The Bike Friday is a foldable bike with 20" wheels that fits into a standard size check-in luggage for airlines. This means I can avoid special handling for the bike when flying and its exorbitant fees.

The impetus for this loaded tour is Shirl, whom I met during a loaded ACA bike tour across the U.S. in 2008 along their Southern Tier route. That being said, much Thanks goes to Shirl, who lives in the UK, for organizing this trip and putting together the itinerary. I remember her saying that we should consider bike touring the UK when we were riding across the U.S. and now it's coming to fruition. For me, the opportunity to bike tour in the picturesque countryside of England, Wales and Scotland was not to be missed, rain or shine. I've got my raingear and my fenders so I'm ready to go. This tour will also be a reunion for 8 out of the 17 that rode across the U.S. in 2008.

Old Pictures Never Die

What a surprise! Here's a 2005 picture of Geno, Jim and I touring the Sonoma Coast which ended up on the cover of the June 2010 Adventure Cyclist Publication. We're riding on Coleman Valley Road. Picture was taken by Chuck Haney.

Havasu Canyon

During the last week of May, Keith, Jay, Ralph, Harvey, Brandon and I spent 5 days in the Havasu Canyon area west of the Grand Canyon's South Rim. Havasu Canyon and its well known Havasu Fall is located within the Havasupai Indian Reservation 3,000 feet below the Hualapai Hilltop Trailhead at the rim. There were no services at the trailhead and the closest town is Peach Springs, 70 miles away. We backpacked down the 10-mile trail to the campground and spent 3 days exploring the waterfalls, sparkling blue-green pools, narrow canyons, and caves before returning to the trailhead. Although it was cold and windy at the rim when we started, the temperatures within the canyon were warm, perfect for camping and swimming. Besides the series of larger waterfalls, Havasu Canyon contains numerous cascading blue-green pools created by the natural travertine all along Havasu Creek. Travertine is a form of limestone and comes from the mineral springs that feed the creek. The unusual limestone formations can be seen in the pictures beside the falls and creeks. This is truly a unique place and one of my top ten natural wonders. Click on photo below to view a PICASA slideshow.

Grand Canyon on my Mind

Here I am hiking the Cool trail in the Auburn Canyon area with a 40 lb pack in preparation for my backpacking trip into the Grand Canyon later this month. Hiking with such weight is not my favorite activity, but the opportunity to visit the Havasu Falls area of the Grand Canyon with friends was not to be missed. Should be a great trip with the gang from the central coast. Hmmm! Now what else might I need and where else can I drop some weight! It's a constant quandary. Click on the picture below to see an overall map of our destination within the Grand Canyon as well as a trail map.

Tour of Yosemite

This year, I joined the Sac Bike Hikers on their Tour of Yosemite organized by long time members Hazi and Steve. The tour starts with a train ride to Merced early in the morning followed by a 48-mile bike ride to Mariposa where we spend the first night. From there it's 25 miles to the Cedar Lodge where we spent the next three nights. The Cedar Lodge is located along the Merced River 8 miles from the entrance of Yosemite National Park. Participants were free to visit Yosemite by bike, bus or feet over next two days. Riding to Yosemite means climbing 2,000 feet plus to the park while a bus ride cost $7 for a roundtrip fare. I cycled to Yosemite on the second day, and rode the bus into the park for hiking the following two days. Others did various activities from riding, hiking, sightseeing, and just relaxing. Some even did a century ride of 105 miles with 11,000 feet of climbing. Awesome! In conclusion, Yosemite National Park is a scenic wonderland of shear granite and waterfalls, and a great destination for a bike tour. This is the earliest I've visited Yosemite after winter and the thunderous waterfalls were impressive. Thanks Hazi and Steve for a great tour. Click on link below to view all the pictures.

From Yosemite Tour 2010

Bear Valley in the Spring

But, it's a rainy Spring. Good time to post some pictures. These are from our mountain bike ride through Bear Valley 60 miles northwest of Sactown. We did a 37-mile loop over Walker Ridge and down into Bear Valley starting from the junction of Highways 20 and 16. We missed the peak of the wildflowers and the leading edge of the next storm kept the skies cloudy throughout the day. But I still enjoyed the ride. Click on the link below to view all my pictures in PICASA.

From Bear Valley 2010