Once again the Captain set out on a mythical voyage to reunite with the Commander. Our goal was the Bay Bridge, where we would walk the new bike/ped trail that runs parallel to the new bridge so we could see what was left of the old one. After the initial adventure of finding the trail head we embarked on to the trail itself, along with another comrade in exploration!

Ahoy!

     The trail itself was slightly uphill and we were walking into the wind for the first half of our trip, but we would not be turned back. We originally wanted to walk all the way to Treasure Island, a destination for any true pirate, but alas, the trail does not extend that far-yet. We walked 6.2 miles, that's ten kilometers for everyone outside the United States, and regaled in the vistas of the old bridge in it's post apocalyptic state.

Apocalypse Now!

     After we hit the open road again our next stop was for some good old fashioned gruel. We were all slightly famished and in the mood for burgers. We ate at the local Smash Burger and I was surprised at how much better the food was here than the one in Folsom. the Commander clued me into the fact it's because if you serve shitty food in SF you quickly go out of business, you have to be better. Afterwards we promptly retired to the Commander's Lair where much hilarity ensued. We imbibed the routines of Patton Oswalt and Jim Jefferies, with a side of the new season of Archer. The Commander cooked up a devilishly delicious dinner consisting of basil and tomato pizza with homemade garlic bread topped with freshly shredded parmesan cheese. There's only one more thing to say about an excursion like this:

     Now, for what no one's been waiting for! This week's selfie! Taken on the new Bay Bridge Trail, juxtaposing two eras, or some such thing that makes blatant vanity appear to be highly philosophical and insightful. 

Selfie #4

That's all for this week, so until next time I leave you with some words of wisdom I heard this weekend,

     Once again I decided to head to Echo Lakes for some snowshoeing. It was a gloriously beautiful day. I headed up the trail toward the lakes, my first destination was the spillway where I would stop for lunch and figure out the plan for the rest of my excursion. I was playing it by ear, following whatever whim that may come my way. After I chowed down and took in the spectacular view I went up to the vista point that overlooks Lake Tahoe. From there I turned back toward Echo Lakes and looked out into the distance to the opposite end of Lower Echo Lake. I decided then and there that I would circumnavigate it. The south facing slopes of the mountains had scarce amounts of snow so I ended up taking off my snowshoes and hiking part of the way instead. In a few places I ventured cross country and ended up bush shoeing instead of snowshoeing, walking along the tops of thick robust bushes that had only a dusting of snow on them. I eventually reached the inlet that connects Upper and Lower Echo Lake and crossed a shallow spot with no problems. Once I was on the north facing slopes it was like a different world. The temperature dropped by more than a few degrees and I was plunged into shadows. The snow was several feet deep. I followed tracks others had left, a few times I found myself on steep slopes hoping they didn't give way and send me sliding toward the mostly frozen lake. As I neared the end of the lake where I started I saw a few people ice fishing and decided to drop down to the lake and walk it's icy surface. I listened intently for the dreaded crack indicating a chilly unwanted swim may be in store. On the final leg of my journey back to the trail head I spotted a snowman someone had made, complete with a bright orange road cone for a hat. I laughed and reminded myself that we should always look for the humorous in life and not take things too seriously.

Lower Echo Lake

     After over a month on dry land I took the Bold Venture out, with a hearty band of adventurers. It was South Fork winter rafting at it's best! Granted, it's a lot colder than it is during the normal rafting season, but the payoff is almost no one else is on the water. It's a lot quieter, more serene, and there's no lines to get into the rapids. It gives everything more of a sense of being in the wild and allows me to enjoy my surroundings a bit more. We weren't in any particular hurry and decided to stop for a bit on a small beach and enjoy the sun when it showed up miraculously from behind the clouds. We piled back into the boat and descended into The Gorge. We flowed smoothly through every rapid, hitting every wave just right. An apt metaphor for the day, everything was just right.

The crew of the Bold Venture entering Lost Hat

     Onto this week's installment of the worlds most annoying photo project. That's right! It's time for a selfie! This one was taken at Lower Echo Lake, during the aforementioned adventure. I hope you enjoy this latest irksome segment of my ongoing photographic enterprise!

Selfie #3

     Until next week my loyal readers, get out there and live your life to the fullest. And in case you forgot how:

     It's been a challenging week for me, but it hasn't been without reward. A lot of hard work is paying off and I have managed to level up in my battle against the formidable Debt Overlord. For those keeping track, I am now level three! I know I have a way to go yet before I beat the game and liberate myself, but it feels damn good every time I make progress like this. I've gained experience points and an armor bonus and will continue to journey until my quest is over.

     I've been trail running again. My last several runs have all been 5Ks on the local trails. I realize I'm getting into the 5K rut, but sometimes that's all I really want to do. They're short and, more importantly, fun. The route I run is pretty scenic considering it's right behind my house. As a bonus, there's not may other people that use the trail so I don't have to worry about being crowded out. I just have to make sure to get in those longer distances every now and then so I don't lose my endurance.

     This week's contribution to my latest, sure to be called obnoxious, photo project was taken near a local, but little known, crossing of Weber Creek. Hope you enjoy!

Selfie #2

     I hope you like the blog snack this week, until next time, don't develop any bad habits because

     It’s the start of a new year, and you can't know where you're going unless you know where you've been, so here's a brief recap of 2014, an overall good year for me. I finally quit the gig at the pizza place, got a promotion at my current job, replaced the motor in my truck, took some trips, including a couple overnight bike tours and a backpacking trip, rafted a lot and put in some decent mileage cycling and running, including a couple half marathons. How many miles?  543.8 miles running, which is 24.7 mile less than 2013, but my monthly average was 45.3 miles, only a drop of 2.1 miles a month from 2013. Cycling I totaled 6,276.5 miles. That’s 651.7 miles more than last year. It averages out to 523 miles a month, an increase of 54.3 miles more each month over 2013. I’m pretty happy with that. I'm looking forward to 2015, eagerly confident that it will be even better than 2014. I don't have any resolutions, but I do have a few goals, including moving sometime in April, fixing the power door locks in my truck, and becoming a level 7 Ranger in my quest to slay the villainous Debt Overlord.

     I am recovering from some sort of weird throat injury. One day the inside of my throat just started feeling sore. Not the usual soreness one would associate with a cold though. This felt like someone had punched my throat from  the inside and bruised it. It’s the worst throat pain I have ever felt. At one point, while I was eating, it felt like something snapped and broke. I got so paranoid I actually researched if a vocal cord was capable of breaking. The really strange thing though was that, while my throat felt terrible, my voice was fine. Then my throat started feeling better and my voice got worse. I'm almost back to 100% now and still not entirely sure what caused this calamity, but I have a strong feeling what it may have been.

     In my continued efforts to improve myself through honing my culinary skills I have begun to make a pretty decent omelet. I've been using three eggs, mixing in Swiss cheese, ham, and a bit of onion. And what breakfast would be complete without toast? Sourdough with creamy peanut butter. Oh, yes, that's how I do!

But when I do...IT"S DELICIOUS!

     I went for a trail run near dusk the other day. I did what I usually do, put on my GPS watch to track my distance, stretched briefly, then pressed the start button to begin tracking. Except the watch turned itself off instead of keeping track of my stats. Apparently I didn’t have enough juice left in the battery. I thought, screw it, took the watch off and did something I haven’t done in a long time. I went for a run without any gizmos. No ipod, no GPS, just me and the trail. I knew the distance anyway since I had done this route so many times before. It was a bit liberating, with one less distraction. I think my time was actually better than usual, but I had no way to tell for sure. And I’m okay with that. It’s not about the numbers anyway, at least for me. It’s about seeing and experiencing what’s around me, like the trees that have fallen across the trail from recent storms, the feel of the soft dirt and mud under my shoes, and the sights and sounds of the woodland creatures living their lives.

     I’ve started a new photo project. A selfie a week! Yes, I know selfies are usually pretty lame (I'm sure I'll take at least a few) and over rated but I think this is going to be a fun and inspiring project. This week’s selfie was taken during a short break on a bike ride along the scenic back roads in my area.

Selfie #1

So, my resolute readers, to start this year right, here's the recipe for success in 2015