Saturday, May 30, 2009

Lake Tahoe-Memorial Day Weekend

Not too far out of San Francisco lie the Sierra Nevada Mountains, a burl of gnarled rocks and an inland ocean. A place void of concrete, taco stands, crowds and the city's deafening din. Big blue Lake Tahoe is a vast and majestic bowl of water surrounded by high snow capped peaks, lakes, vistas and unrivaled natural beauty.

A memorial weekend Saturday morning hike brought us to our North Canyon/ Marlette Lake base camp. Surrounded by pine filled air, cold as all hell mountain mornings and bone dry California tinder, we roughed it for a couple days. Over the long weekend we wandered around the 8,000+ highlands of the Tahoe Rim Trail, Marlette Peak, Snow Valley Peak and the Flume Trail.

This area of melting snow fields, nostril cutting high dry plains, leg clawing wiry brambles and serene lakeside trails offered a primitive juxtaposition to the day in, day out city life.

Hope you enjoy a couple pics....























































Thursday, May 21, 2009

San Fracisco's Bay to Breakers

San Francisco's Bay to Breakers celebration started out as a foot race from the SF Bay to the Pacific Ocean in 1912 to raise the spirits of San Fran residents after the disastrous earthquake of 1906. Over the past century the race has changed quite a bit.
It's still a foot race from one side of the city to the next, but it's much more of a giant sinuous monster of a party. I've been to a few parties in my day, but i've never seen anything like this. There are seven miles from the San Francisco Bay to the Breakers of the Pacific Ocean and I can vouch that all seven of those miles was alive with a over the top antic filled block party. Costumes, floats, masks, beer, kegs, bands, nudity and thousands of people having a good time.

What a Sunday! Here's a couple pics.