Day 10 - Monte Bello Open Space Preserve

Today's hike: Monte Bello OSP - Black Mountain & Stevens Creek Loop
Length: 6.0 miles
Elevation Gain: 1,300'
Thoughts: Good length with a great place for a picnic with a view at the top, plus some varied terrain to keep it interesting.

For those of you who are really paying attention and hanging on my every word...I'll bet you are wondering "Wait.  Day 10 already?  What happened to Day 9?  Did I miss Day 9??  What did you do on Day 9???"  OK, ok, don't freak out.  The answer is, not much.  Mostly shopping for my trip, plus a little strength training at the gym.  But I do have one little nugget for you from Day 9.  Here it is: Costco has those massive Costco-sized (1.75L) bottles of Grey Goose vodka on sale this week for only $39.99.  That little surprise had me dancing in the aisle when I saw it.  I bought two bottles, but stopped myself from buying more.  With my love of Cosmopolitans and Vodka Martinis, hopefully two bottles will be enough to get me through the four month sabbatical.  :-)

Day 9 shopping meant that I was back on the hiking trail for Day 10.  Today I drove up to Monte Bello OSP in the hills above Palo Alto.  There are lots of great parks and hiking trails in this immediate vicinity, but I've somehow managed to miss this park in the years I've lived here.  My mistake!  I liked this one - it has a great spot near the top to spread out a blanket and have a picnic, so I will probably come back on a mild day for a leisurely out-and-back hike to enjoy that.  Here are a few pics (reminder: click on the pic for a larger view):

View from the start of the hike towards Mt. Umunhum in the distance on the left and Loma Prieta (epicenter of the 1989 earthquake) in the distance in the middle:

Pretty view:

Spot near the top ideal for a picnic lunch, with views of SF in the distance:

Herd of of about 11 deer were grazing at the top.  They get dinner with a view every day.  So lucky!

The second half of the hike meandered down to and through the heavily-forested canyon along Stevens Creek, which has its source in this park then runs through Mountain View where it empties into the Bay.  Here's a little tributary into it:

This was a nice hike which included a sporty little creek crossing.  Thankfully I picked a day when the creek wasn't running too high, so I was able to hop across on some large rocks without having to test whether my hiking boots are waterproof.  There are also some pretty cool places on the trail where you can see the tracks of wildlife that come down out of the meadows to drink at the creek and head back out.  Unfortunately, by the end of the hike I could tell I was coming down with a cold, and was struggling to get up and out of the canyon and back to the car.  Heading to Walgreens for some Zicam and Emergen-C, stat!
  

Day 8 - Henry W. Coe State Park

Today's hike: Henry W. Coe SP - Flat Frog, Middle Ridge and Fish Tail Loop
Length: 8.1 miles
Elevation gain: 1,280'
Thoughts: Beautiful single-track hike with stunning views and varied terrain to mix it up and keep it interesting

In keeping with my goal to branch out and try some new trails, today I decided to venture down to Henry W. Coe State Park just east of Morgan Hill.  And this one was DEFINITELY worth the drive.  What a hidden gem this place is!  The park sits at the top of the hills just east of the valley, and it's a bit of a white-knuckle drive getting there on a windy road that narrows to maybe 1.5 car widths with no guardrails, but even the views from the parking lot are amazing:

 
Not a bad place for a picnic, huh? :-)  Don't let these pics fool you though - it was sunny, but a brisk 45 degrees up there when I started my hike.  But the cold weather and the fact that it was a Monday also meant I had the entire 86,000 sq. ft. park to myself.  SERIOUSLY!  Other than the park ranger manning the visitor center (who I checked in with so he knew which hike I was doing for safety reasons), I did not see one single other person the entire day.  Unreal.

This hike really lays out in 3 distinct sections: the Flat Frog trail through a very pretty wooded area ending at Frog Lake, Middle Ridge trail where a massive wildfire swept through a few years ago, and finally Fish Tail trail which is through a canyon and so is more wooded with streams.  Each section is roughly equal in length.  I definitely like this in a hike - I think it keeps it interesting.  The only unfortunate part is that the uphill on this one comes mostly at the end.  That usually makes me cranky, because by that point on an 8 mile hike I'm jonesing for a bathroom, my couch and a cocktail (in that order).  At least I'll know for next time to drink a little less water along the way and to take some booze with me for the ascent.  Here are some pics from the hike:

Flat Frog portion of the hike:

These trees were really cool - smooth, reddish-brown bark.  Anyone know what kind of trees they are? I was very intrigued (get it??? hint: say "intrigued" out loud.  Yes, I'm very punny).

Frog Lake:

Back in 2007, a massive wildfire swept through portions of this park.  The scars from that were very evident along the Middle Ridge trail: 

But I also thought it was cool to see the new growth around the old dead trees, like this one: 

At the end of a long hike, these cute little guys were around to say "Great to see you!  Hope you had a great hike.  Come again soon!"

After the hike I was starving, so I decided to get something I've been wanting to try for a while - a Doritos Locos Supreme Taco from Taco Bell.  I was disappointed in only one thing - that I purchased just one.  That is some true culinary genius right there.  Bravo, Taco Bell, bravo!!

Day 7 - Gotta do SOMETHING other than the Pro Bowl on the Sunday before the Superbowl!

Today's hike: Stevens Creek Trail
Length: ~ 4.0 miles
Elevation gain: ~ 20'
Thoughts: Yup, it's a lazy Sunday.

So when you don't have kids, Sundays are good for a couple of things: 1) sleeping in, 2) yummy brunch, and 3) a leisurely walk in the neighborhood.  Check, check and check!  After yesterday's long hike, I was somehow able to fight the couch's seductive invitation during the afternoon today, thanks in large part to a non-football Sunday and an almost-empty TiVo.  I feel like I'm doing something right when my version of fighting boredom includes a 4 mile walk, right?  Of course I probably shouldn't mention the multiple margaritas that I rewarded myself with after the walk.  I'm sure that effectively negated all the walk's healthy effects.  :-)

All told, not bad for a first week.  Walked a total of about 28.5 miles and gained about 5,460' of elevation.  I'm feeling pretty good about the distances on the NZ hikes, but really need to focus on finding more middle-distance hikes with meaningful elevation gain in the next few weeks.

Day 6 - Rancho San Antonio

Today's hike:  Rancho San Antonio - PG&E trail
Length: 9.7 miles
Elevation gain: ~1,750'
Thoughts:  Hello again, old friend.  It's been a little while, but I'm back!!!  Did you miss me?

After the yummy dinner last night I wanted to get a really long hike in today, so I went back to a familiar friend - the PG&E trail at Rancho San Antonio.  This is a hike I've been doing almost every weekend for 3+ years.  I like the length and elevation gain for that one really good workout each week.  The elevation gain all comes in the first 4 miles of the hike, where you are rewarded with sweeping views of the Bay:

The thing this trail has going for it is that it is very convenient for what you get, and it has definitely helped keep me in shape and keep the weight off over the past few years, but it's getting old.  Really, really old.  Definitely time to switch it up, which is one of the many reasons I'm so thankful for the opportunity to try out more hiking trails during this time off.  Next week?  Venturing further afield.

Day 5 - My very own Julie/Julia experiment

One of the things I hope to do more of during my time off is cooking.  I generally like to cook and try out new recipes, but only when I have 1) both the time and patience to tackle it, and 2) someone else to share the fruits of my labor with.  Today was another non-hiking day so that solved #1, and K (my SO) has very bravely volunteered to be a guinea pig for my culinary experiments, which solves #2.

For my first test, I figured why not start with some tried-and-true classic comfort food - Julia Child's boeuf bourguignon.  After searching online for her recipe I found one that appeared a bit daunting at four pages of instructions and 5 hours of cook time, but decided to take it on anyway.  So glad I did!  Served it with some fresh crusty bread, buttered noodles, and a truly fabulous 2005 J Vineyards "Nicole's Vineyard" Pinot Noir.  It was a lot of work, but soooo delicious!!  Both K and I will be enjoying some yummy leftovers for the next few days.

Day 4 - Gray clouds and rain = Gym

Today's "hike": That fabulous, unique place more commonly known as The Treadmill
Length: 3.38 miles
Elevation Gain: 1,800'
Thoughts:  Yeah, this day of the hike is going to hurt

With yet another rainy day on hand, I decided to head to the gym to train for the most intimidating day of the upcoming NZ hike - 4,000' of elevation gain over only 5 miles.  Unfortunately I have not yet been able to find a hike in the Bay Area which replicates how steep and long this hike is going to be, so it looks like I'll be heading to the gym from time to time to train for it.  Today to get the ball rolling I set the treadmill at a 12% grade for an hour, just to see how the math worked out.  Definitely a good workout, but it was neither steep enough nor long enough.  Looks like I've got some work to do over the next few weeks!

Day 3 - Quince!

Today was a rainy day, and since I logged about 17 miles over the past few days, I took a day off to give my tired legs a rest.  But I did give my taste buds a work out with the chef's tasting menu and wine pairings at Quince:

OMG - so delicious!!!  I can work it off tomorrow, right?  Many thanks for the fabulous dinner, MR!

Day 2 - Windy Hill

Today's hike:  Windy Hill Open Space Preserve - Spring Ridge Trail

Length: 6.8 miles

Elevation gain: 1,390'

Thoughts:  Holy shit, I'm exhausted!

So my to-do list is off to a pretty good start:

Sleep in?  Check!

Avoid checking email compulsively all day?  Check!

Get a long hike in?  Check!

Take an afternoon nap?  Check!

Don't shower until late afternoon?  Check!

Enjoy some wine mid-week because you earned it?  Check!

Yeah, this definitely does not suck.

Today's training hike took me to Windy Hill Open Space Preserve near Portola Valley.  I've done this one before, and it is just like I remembered.  Steep, and it kicks my ass every time.  Today it was a good reminder of exactly how far I have to go before I'm ready for this trip, because the ass-kicking was a worse than ever before.  But the views from the top are incredible - 360 degrees of the bay and the Pacific.  It makes the pain worth it.  I usually see deer and lots of other wildlife here but today I got a special treat: a fox!  Unfortunately he sauntered behind a bush before I could whip out the camera.  Here are some pics from the hike (click on the pic for a larger view):

See those 2 mounds next to each other at the top?  I'm heading for the one on the right.

   

View from the top towards the Pacific:

These 3 shots are a panorama of the Bay:

Poor air quality today.  Spare the Air day tomorrow!  It's also going to be a day off hiking for me, since I've logged about 17 miles over the past 3 days.  We'll see if I've got the fortitude for some strength training at the gym tomorrow.  

And so it begins...

Have you ever wondered what you would do if you could take four months off of work?  I've thought about it often over the past several years, and finally worked up the courage to make it happen.  Of course I have more things I want to do than will fit into four months, but that is a really unfortunate third-world problem to have, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to do this.

Traveling has been one of my passions for a long time, so it's only natural that I spend a good amount of time doing that over the next few months.  When else do you find you have both the time and means to see the world?  So far I've planned a couple of trips - skiing in Aspen/Snowmass, and several weeks in New Zealand.  The NZ trip includes hiking and/or kayaking every day.  I hike and workout regularly now, but need to be able to hike 2-5 hours/day every day with elevation gains of up to 4,000'.   Not something I currently do on a regular basis.  So for the next few weeks I'll be training for that by exploring the many hiking trails the SF Bay Area has to offer, including lots of new ones I haven't explored before.  Bring it on!

Have recommendations for your favorite hiking trails in the SF Bay Area?  Thoughts on other trips I should consider?  Leave 'em for me in the comments section.

Today's hike: Stanford Dish
Length: 3.7 miles
Elevation gain: about 500'
Thoughts: An easy and familiar start on a beautiful sunny and warm day!