Today Melissa and I hiked in Chautauqua in Boulder up to two of the Flatirons. We didn't exactly plan to do it; we decided on our way up to simply take the steepest choice whenever trails intersected. According to the GPS (which had difficulty with accuracy due to the trees and the terrain) we climbed over total 1700 feet to above 7000 feet.

Part of the way up the trail was a large rock fall, pictured above. There is no doubt that it is left over from the process that created the Flatirons. The trail crossed the rock fall twice, and each time I found it very remarkable just how fluid-like it looked. Smaller rocks were piled up behind larger rocks, like water in a stream. The view down to Boulder was good, of course, but it was a bit hazy today.

From behind the Flatiron at the top we could see farther west into the Rockies, where the peaks are covered in snow. I'm not strong on the local peaks yet, but this photo was taken looking perhaps a bit North of West, if you'd like to take a stab at it.

We won't be having a white Christmas in Boulder, but I think being able to go for a hike like this on the Eve is a fair trade.

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Today we went to the Cal-Washington football game. This was the last game held at Memorial Stadium before it is torn down and rebuilt. It's about time - the bleachers are falling apart, the concrete is deteriorated, and it's seismically unsafe. The outcome of the game was not a good one: Cal lost 16-13 on the last play of the game, where Washington scored a touchdown. It rained (and even hailed) for much of the game, which I suppose is kind of poetic.

We ran into Paul (pictured above), an old Cal Cycling friend of mine. Unlike me, he's been to Cal games all season. I've only witnessed their futility on the TV until now. Washington had the ball on 4th down, with half a yard to the end zone, with one second on the clock. If Washington had been stopped, Cal would have won the game and gone to a bowl game. As turned out, Cal could not stop Washington, and finished the season with a losing record, and no bowl game.

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Yesterday I hiked in Eldorado Canyon State Park with Melissa, Megan and Megan's significant other Chris. This park is just south of Boulder and like much of the front range offers spectacular views. This time of year the trees are well into changing color and dropping leaves. The occasion warranting a hike is that today is my birthday, and since I am all done with graduate school, I have free time to do this sort of thing.

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I saw this on my walk to school this morning. I don't know if the scoop is operational, or if the exhaust really runs through the pipe below the door. The color isn't doing it any favors. I do like the white-wall tires, which are a nice and subtle touch (but they could use a wash).

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This was taken on Flagstaff Rd above Boulder looking to the East.

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Now that Melissa works at home, she can see what goes on during the day at the Mesa apartments. A few days ago she saw a whole flock of these birds above come through and decided to take some photos of them. However she (and I cannot) identify them. She thinks it's a transient, on it's way somewhere else because it wasn't in the San Diego bird book.

I've named the bird "Polly", and I bet it wants a cracker.

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I just got back from Boulder, Colorado. Although I was there for less than 48 hours, I happened to arrive just as a big spring snow storm arrived. Above is the view from my hotel room in the morning after the storm. Even though it is already late March, this storm was heavy enough to create quite a mess. Roads were closed and fallen tree branches knocked out power. The change from what I'm used to in San Diego was quite startling.

Oh - and this is my first post since November!

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Turkey sandwiches with heirloom tomatoes and country bread, and homemade french fries. For two.

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We didn't go to the Miramar Air Show this year. I've lived long enough in Mesa apartments to know the routine for the Navy's Blue Angels and that they they pass overhead several times. When I heard them pass the first time I went out with my camera to see what I could capture. This is the best picture I got. I see (and hear!) F-18s flying overhead daily, but never in such close formation so low to the ground, nor turning so sharply as when the Blue Angels are in town.

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It's Tour time again, and I've posted the team rankings after today's prologue in Monaco. You may remember this from last year, when I didn't do very well. I hope to do better this year. For once I actually put some thought into my choices.

I'll update the rankings every day after the stage as quickly as I can!

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It's been a while since I posted here.

• A month ago Melissa's parents came down to visit, and on one of the days we went to the USS Midway Museum. Here are some highlights.

• Today on an errand I saw this egregious example of bad brodozer behavior. I saw the able-bodied owner and his able-bodied elementary school-aged son get out. I didn't bother to check if there was a placard in the windshield because I didn't have my climbing gear nor my binoculars.

• I've watched more college basketball games in the last four days than I have since, well, last March. I miss watching the games in person at Haas, and I am disappointed by the mens flame-out in the first round of the tournament on Thursday. The women have already done better. C'est la vie of a Bear fan. For those of you who care, here is current my bracket which I put together in about 5 minutes, and it shows.

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Yesterday, Melissa and I visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We were met there by my brother Adam and his lady friend Shinji, who not coincidentally decided to also see the aquarium on the same day. The aquarium has expanded since my last visit. There is now a northern wing that has fresh water otters, an "outer bay" tank and a seahorse exhibit (that was under construction, sadly). More than the last time I was there (or maybe I was too young to pay attention to things not cute), the aquarium really pushes conservation and ethical seafood consumption. They have a [set of cards](https://www.seafoodwatch.org) you can carry to help guide seafood and sushi purchases in stores and restaurants.

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The Hearst Castle is ridiculous. The architecture and the history of the people who visited it are quite a spectacle. And of course I think it would have been grand fun to have visited it when William Randolph Hearst was alive and the place was hip and hopping. I was wondering with Melissa over dinner if I became silly rich could I invite movie stars and political leaders over to my remote ranch? Probably not. We did both agree that if we were to build on that site we would have had more of the buildings and common areas facing the grand view. As it is, many of the rooms, like the dining room, have no view.

Before we went to the castle we looked at some tide pools. Melissa even found a hermit crab wandering in between the rocks.

Tomorrow we will see the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

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Melissa and I are taking the slow route up to the Bay Area for the holidays. Tonight we're staying in Santa Barbara, and we'll visit the Hearst Castle tomorrow. For dinner we ate at a decent Mexican restaurant on State Street. Afterwards we walked down State Street looking at all the shops and restaurants. It's clear that the economy has started to hit Main, err... State Street America. Despite the Christmas decorations, and the huge tree in a left-turn lane, there are quite a few empty stores and others going out of business. I guess now is the time to start a new business cheaply in Santa Barbara - as long as you can weather the current economic storm.

More tomorrow!

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It's been really rainy and a bit cold here in San Diego so far this week. Here are some pictures I took today of the rain, and a couple of our xmas decorations.

Yes, that's a bike work stand in the foreground.

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