Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve, California, USA - 02 November 2013

I couldn't think of a better way to spend this beautiful warm, sunny day than to be with a group of children and adult chaperones at Skyline Ridge OSP, off of hwy 35 in the Peninsula. It's so nice to see the young ones having a good time outdoors because you-know-what, nature is cool and fun. :-) The kids were troopers - we hiked a total distance of about 3.5 miles (~5.6 km) and saw animals like deers, centipedes, lime lizards, turkey vultures, and American coots, and touched and smelled plants like the California bay leaves and nuts, manzanitas, blackberry bushes, and lichens ("old man's beard"); some kids were even brave enough to taste raw acorns (a super fruit high in protein, fat, and carbohydrate) and Douglas Fir needles (very high in vitamin C - great for tea!). Their enthusiasm, laughter, and curiosity were definitely uplifting... coupled with gorgeous scenery, what more could I have asked for? :-)

Check out the American Coots in the short clip below:

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Sequoia National Park, California, USA - 28-30 October 2013

Once again, I heard the call of the wild and responded. This time, I headed southeast to Sequoia National Park, the country's second-oldest national park created on September 25, 1890, where I fulfilled a long-time desire to see The General Sherman Tree, the world's largest living tree (by wood volume).

On the 4 1/2 hour drive from the Bay area to the park (on hwys 101S, 152E, 99S and 198E), I passed several towns like Los Banos, Fresno, and Visalia and saw many orchard groves, farms and processing plants for almonds and citrus fruit along the flat valley. The entrance to the park is near the town of Three Rivers, pop. 2,600 at an elevation of 800 ft (or 244 m).

It dawned on me, as I was driving into the park, that autumn season is now upon us. For those who don't know, one of the perks of living in the SF Bay area is its almost-year-round beautiful weather - sometimes we get as much as 10 months of sun a year. During Indian summer (i.e. now), we get warm summer-like weather in autumn in the Bay area. So it was an unexpected treat to be in autumn conditions in the park. Still, I was told that the weather in the Sierras is unpredictable and that pleasant weather can turn hazardous and nasty within a day's range. There was a tire chain advisory for the park when I arrived the evening of October 28. Snow had fallen in the upper elevation during the day (the day before, it was dry and sunny).

34th America's Cup Final Race, San Francisco, California, USA - 25 September 2013

[Here's an update to my previous post on Monday] With Team USA making another excellent comeback to win races 17 and 18 on Tuesday and closing the score to a tie of 8-8, Wednesday's race 19 was going to be THE winner-takes-all final race. The first to win 9 races wins the Cup. Hence, on Wednesday, I returned to the pier and watched the race live as a guest of Oracle. It was pleasantly nice to wine and dine at the Oracle Box and to see the race from an upper elevation perspective at the deck. Noticeably, there were more people at the event Wednesday than Monday - both on water and on land.

This was a fairy-tale win for Team USA. They had previously incurred a penalty imposed by the International Jury for a rule violation in previous events which nullified their first two wins. The team then trailed Team New Zealand by a large margin but managed a dramatic comeback to win the Cup. It's unbelievable to think how close Team New Zealand was to winning - since last Wednesday, they were one victory away from winning the "Auld Mug". I couldn't begin to imagine the mental anguish and pressure for both teams in the past week or two. Team USA seemed to have a better strategy over the Kiwis at the final race. They were able to make incredible turns at the marks and held a good boat speed momentum (averaging at 30+ knots) throughout most of the race.

After all the trials and hurdles, the Cup is now over. There will always be critics and judgments about the event. Whether this Cup was an ego-boost for the Oracle founder or if Team USA had an unfair advantage, as a first-hand witness to the Cup, I have to say that this was a well put-together show for families and sports enthusiasts. Ultimately, in my opinion, this was a competitive sport of team building and working hard with and circumventing the natural elements. It brought together great minds and talents to innovate and build a state-of-the-art sailboat that challenged the status quo. This was not an environment for the faint-hearted prima donna or whiner - it takes humility and courage to step up to the plate. For these reasons, my hats off to the sailors and organizers!

34th America's Cup, San Francisco, California, USA - 21st and 23rd September 2013

An America's Cup right here in the SF Bay Area - this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I could not miss! While I'm not a die-hard fan and must confess that I do not know much about the sport, I have, however, been taken by the sport's interplay of natural elements and physical demands, and the scientific approach to building the AC72 Catamarans.

It's hard to miss the deluge of high-end brands at such a world class event. I suppose one needs the other by association; sailing and luxury seem to go hand-in-hand like milk and cereal, bread and butter, or apple pie and vanilla ice cream. It is my hope that some day, we will have more youths (privileged or otherwise) participate in this sport.

In any case, I found the upbeat and electric atmosphere at the America's Cup Park in Piers 27/29 to be contagiously uplifting. Perhaps it was the appreciation of life and of living that did it for me. I paused to ponder about the men who take up the sport -- their dedication to their passion was deeply inspiring. Despite the physical challenges and high risk demands of the sport, these men worked hard to put on a great show for their team, their sponsors, and the spectators around the world. All in, a class act.

May the better team win the "Auld Mug"!

Below: Race 16 on Sep 23, 2013

Below: Team USA, Winner of Race 16 on Sep 23, 2013

Below: Team New Zealand in Race 16 on Sep 23, 2013

 

Above left: Oracle Team USA; Above right: Emirates Team New Zealand