My Mountain Trail

Fog Lines

Thursday, September 24th, 2009

Today the sun rise was punctuated by the us being in the fog line, and the sunset was about the same. Here’s a diptych showing the view (the sunrise is on top).

And here is a picture from the end of Cookie’s and my run this evening. Muir Woods is under all that fog. The temperature dropped 20 degrees (to about 55 degrees) between the spot where I took this picture and the one above in the fog line (in the space of about .5 miles and 150′ of elevation change).

Foggy, Even for Bolinas Ridge

Thursday, August 20th, 2009

On Monday, while riding down the mountain from the lookout, I crashed my mountain bike.  There is a gate at the top of the fire road leading down to our house (Railroad Grade) with a small chicane on the side for bike passage.  I had about 30 pounds of binoculars, camera, clothes, books, computer, etc. in my backpack, and underestimated the distance needed to slow down. 

My hot entry into the chicane started out okay, but then my handlebar clipped the post on the left, and my back tire slipped out.  From there, I was all arms, legs, and backpack going everywhere; mostly though, going into the big rock on the right.  While all this was in progress, I was thinking how there hadn’t been a bike accident call on the emergency radio all day.  Just as I thought I would hit my head, I even thought “Maybe I will get a ride in a helicopter” since they always launch a helicopter for head injury bike crashes. 

Turns out I didn’t hit my head and I could even stand up.  Though I had abrasions, contusions, and a severe injury to me ego, I seemed to be okay.  The bike wasn’t even damaged (sorry for taking so long to tell you).  So, I got back on and painfully, slowly rode my way down to the Throckmorton fire station to drop off the lookout key.  They hadn’t had a single call all day and I was happy they hadn’t had to come up and rescue me.  That just wouldn’t have looked good for the lookouts.

Anway, that made Tuesday a day off from exercise.  Yesterday I briefly thought about riding to work, but was still pretty sore and it was windy, cold, and very foggy.  I decided I would ride when I got home from work when the fog had cleared and it was a warm, sunny evening. 

No dice though.  As you can see, the fog stuck to Bolinas Ridge for the day (it is usually clear by 11 a.m.) and I got to ride in the wet and cold after all.  I was still a bit sore, but actually felt pretty good by the end of the ride.  I even had thoughts about OKFree next year — probably still a bit adled from the crash.

These thistles were along Ridgcrest on the Bolinas Ridge.  I’ve been trying to get myself to stop and photograph them for a month or so, and yesterday was the day.  They actually look kind of interesting in the fog.  I’m glad they aren’t in my yard though.

That’s my sad story for the day.  I do have some good news though:  Lori is back on the bike.  She rode on Saturday for the first time and is cleared to start riding and running as her body allows.  She was a bit rusty, and maybe a little scared, but she did great.  Then, on Sunday she got out and rode w/ the Pacific Bicycle team for a couple of hours.  She was very tired after that, but still recovered pretty well.  She is on the road back, for sure.  Here is a picture from our ride on Saturday near Stinson Beach.

It’s better for me to ride behind her like this.  It’s harder to knock her down…  Right after I took this picture she took off and hammered back to the Jeep.  ‘Bout killed me.

Recessions

Tuesday, August 18th, 2009

I’ll start w/ a rockin’ picture of Lori from our vacation.  She has just finished a swim in very cold Silver Lake.  Snow melt doesn’t respect the typical triathlete’s wet suit.  You know those ice-cream headaches that make you cringe?  A wet suit helps some w/ the cold water, but what about your head?  Triathletes wear swim caps!  This water laughs at a mere pink swim-cap and gives you a headache worth remembering.  Lori says you get numb to it.  I wouldn’t know.  My canoe hasn’t turned over in a lake like this, and I can roll a kayak.  Anyway, doesn’t she look awesome after demonstrating all that commitment to her sport?

So, what about this recession business? Well, I haven’t been on the road for business since May. Yep, two plus months cooling my heels. There is no doubt that I needed a break. Now, though, I’m ready to get back to work. There is work lurking in the wings, but we can’t seem to bring it in right now. Without work, I spend my time doing marketing stuff. I also get the opportunity to work the Mt. Tamalpais Lookout.

As you might expect, working the lookout is all about seeing.  But it is also all about communicating.  My last two days in the lookout have been uneventful for me.  No actual fires in the county on one day, and the best we could do the other day was a campfire and a fire in a planter box.  Anyway, that means I spend all day watching and listening to the radio.  We did have a small aircraft crash, and an accident or two.  Otherwise, I was left with enjoying the view.  I’m good with that.  And, if there had been a fire on our beloved mountain and wild-lands, I would have been there to see it.

Just a reminder of what I have learned about our fire fighting infrastructure in Marin County since I have started this:  The folks working the fire and EMS jobs here are dedicated and very competent.  When I listen to the response to every incident (no matter how unlikely it is to be real, and especially when it IS real), I am amazed and very impressed.  We are well cared for, and I had no idea about that until I became a lookout.  “Thank you!” to all those that serve for our safety. 

Anyway, here is a picture of our radio (and link to the emergency response world) in the lookout: 

This View Still Rocks!

Thursday, July 23rd, 2009

The above picture is from my run yesterday.  It is the top of Old Mine trail.  My favorite.  Hey, if I don’t come up w/ a creative shot, at least I get my favorite shots!   

This is the view from the lookout today.  I tried to post a video of the view, but it didn’t quite work right.  I’ll have to experiment a bit to see if I can get it to work better.  It was a very nice day on the mountain, and only a little busy at times as the lookout.