Hiking around waterfalls and lakes

California presents many opportunities what you can do on a weekend. One of the most famous ones is probably Yosemite.

Filling two cars with international folks, we organized a couple of tents and tried to leave not to late Friday evening last week. With a planned departure time of 3pm, we should have enough time to go there, but there was also a meeting scheduled from 2 to 3. It worked out well and the first few minutes of the meeting were used to discuss what to do and what not to do in Yosemite.

Somehow we managed to get started and being in the first car, we had the task to claim the campsite and build our tents, with the following result:

After setting up the tents, we waited for the second car with the food and rest of the luggage to arrive, which gave us the possibility to gaze at the stars.

Everybody arrived and after a quick planning for the next day we went to sleep on more or less comfortable ground.

Because not everybody was sure about how long a hike they could do, we chose a route, where it was possible to split up. The plan was to hike on John Muir trail up to Nevada falls and then around the back of the valley to Glacier point.
It was a very beautiful hike up to the waterfall. We had been warned by a colleague from the lab, that the valley will be crowded and you have to stand in line to get up the stairs next to the waterfalls. It was not quite as bad as he described it, but still lots of people were climbing up the stairs. Yet the landscape and everything was worth it.

Even though there were waring signs regarding bears everywhere, we didn't see that many wild animals. There were lots of squirrels, many blue jays and other birds, insects and things. I have to admit, that I was amazed by the nature and didn't really look for animals. The forests, the cliffs, rocks and waterfalls were amazing enough.
Going downhill the four mile trail we concluded the first day after a nine hour hike and more than 27 kilometers.

A well earned BBQ back at the camping, with the obligatory bonfire, we got a good nights rest and all slept better than the first night.

The next morning, our most experienced hiker found another little hike in the meadows. It would lead to a lake high in the mountains and was a 12km round trip.
The landscape was different than the day before, but as beautiful and amazing.

We even found snow on the way. And somebody was stupid enough to carry the swimming suit all the way and jump into the lake.

Before driving back to Berkeley, we stopped at another lake to take a little swim.
Taking back many good memories, Yosemite is definitely an amazing place, where I don't mind at all going back. And naturally the group picture can't be missing.

Driving down on Highway 1

Last weekend was extended thanks to Memorial Day. So we took the opportunity to get away and visit some other place. It's not something really special anymore and now we start to know it very well, nevertheless we had a great weekend in Santa Cruz and surroundings.

Just to mention first, at the Thursday afterwork we ended up in a place where there were some political posters from Switzerland on the restrooms. Anyway, back to the weekend.
After somehow not quite sure how to drive down there, we ended up on two different roads leading to a first stop in Half-Moon bay. We encountered one problem when everybody has a phone. You don't really define where to meet and so it took us a while until we got back together. In the meantime we watch the Mavericks.

At the end we found everybody and had a late lunch in probably the best Chinese restaurant there.
Again splitting into two cars, one staying to surf at Half-Moon bay, while the other continued directly to Santa Cruz for shopping at the sales. The waves were quite strong and wild. Also for quite a while we were the only two in the water. It's nice to be alone, but it's still assuring to have somebody else around. But the waves were very strong and it was possible to just stand next to the board, and once the white water arrives jump on it and stand up without even paddling. It was a lot of fun, very hard to get out and at several points I felt like being in a washing machine.
Well washed we continued the drive to Santa Cruz on Highway 1 and took some stops to enjoy the coastline and later the sunset. For the Sunset we looked for some beach and thanks to the new technology we found a very quite space, that isn't really known. There is only one way to the beach, hidden between some bushes and you have to cross the railway. It was more than worth it!

Next day was surfing day and we got more familiar with the board and I made quite some progress. Standing up gets easier and also the arms don't hurt anymore after being in the water for several hours and paddling like an maniac to catch a wave. Everybody was surfing, so there aren't pictures for proof and you just have to take my word for it. It was a beautiful day and lot of sun. Almost too much, so that even the hands got slightly red.

The last day of the weekend, we drove further south to visit something else. At Pebble beach we found another nice beach and relaxed there a little before the long drive home.

Learning to surf

This is the story how I got to stand on a surfboard by loosing my badge.

It all started more than a month ago. I took the shuttle bus towards downtown Berkeley and had my LBL badge still attached to my pocket. I got off the bus and the next time I checked, my badge was gone and only the clip remained on the pocket. Well, this wasn't the best thing and I got worried what to do next. And I don't recommend to do this if you want to learn how to surf.

At the end it was less problematic than I imagined and a friendly finder, working a the lab as well, wrote me an email so I could pick it up the next day. Said and done, we met and soon after we met again for a after work drink with more colleagues from the lab. Almost all of them international students and eager to explore California. That's more like what you want to do.

And this is the result:

I know, not really impressive. But it was my first day surfing. And thanks to the very good help of Goncalo, I was able to stand on the board after trying something like one and half hour.
The first time we were a group of five people from Brazil, Portugal, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Quite international and we had a such great time, that we went again the next weekend with more people. Goncalo was the most expertized and showed us how to do it.
First we had to look for a good spot with nice waves. Not really big ones, but some with lots of white water. A wave that breaks not too close to the shore and has lots of foam, which has enough force to grab the board and carry you along. After wet-suiting up, we took the boards and went into the water. Getting familiar with the board, paddling around and waiting for waves.

Then once you see a wave coming, you paddle hard to get speed and hope to be fast enough to catch the wave.

It was not always a success and sometimes I didn't get up or was flipped over or worse.

It can be that you have to wait some time until a good looking waves comes into your direction. Or you try to move around to the best spot. But there were many other surfers, and I didn't wanted to get to much into their way. And paddling is quite exhausting, so one important point is to keep your energy for the time when a wave comes.

I call standing on the board on the first day a success and I didn't mind that my arms and back hurt for the next days. Many bruises collected and more important many good new experiences made.

Running, BBQ and more running

It's been a while and the weeks start to pass by too fast. From listening to more Nobel laureates on Cal day over trying fish from the Japanese consulates personal chief to a 13 hour Jazz session. And as the title suggest, lots of running.

I found a great running club. Motivated students from freshmen to such almost at the end of the studies, super fast runners to ambitious starters run all together 6 times a week. Everybody is welcome to come and free to run at it's on pace. A quite unique question, like "What is your favorite citation?" or "Which is the best or worst memory from a birthday?" at the start and then the run usually between around 6 miles starts. So the last two weeks I've been running six times with them so far and discovered many new nice routes. One of my favorite is Redwood Regional Park or the fire trail. So after doing a lousy 6-10 miles each week the first one and a half months, I increased my mileage to the slightly better rate of ~26 miles this last two weeks. The peak was a nice run around lake Merritt with 16 miles.

So after this Saturday morning half-marathon there was the big Jazz marathon at Birdland. After talking to the other folks, visiting and volunteering for the afternoon, I took the post behind the grill in the evening and grilled more chicken, sausage and ribs than I've done ever before. The Jazzistas are used to eat a lot and depending on the crowd, they almost look like animals waiting for the next load of chicken or ribs fresh from the grill. It was exhausting, but fun to stand behind the grill from 7pm to almost midnight, talk with the folks and listening to the music pouring out through the red curtain.

There aren't that many pictures this time, with the simple explanation that I haven't taken that many. Maybe after clicking more than 250 times in the botanical garden I had a little overdose of my camera. There is one though, that I want to show. I took it just a couple hours ago, right after dinner.

Dragons and Flowers

After an unusual thunderstorm the warm weather cam back. But first something of topic:

All kind of people are working in the Lab, where I also do from time to time something related with electronics and physics. What can happen is that you cross a Nobel prize laureate here and there. One of them, Steven Chu, former director of the Berkeley Lab gave a talk on a stormy Monday afternoon.
With a fellow student I went to listen to him in a well filled auditorium. Most important things from his talk: Chu doesn't like blue laser pointers, they are too fancy and he doesn't like at all set top boxes.
Jokes beside, he had an fascinating talk about microscopy in biology and energy consumption.

Anyway, the past weekend I visited the botanical garden of UC Berkeley. Well actually there is not much more to tell, but lots to show. It's a huge garden with all kind of plants from around the world. Thanks to the microclimates present in the Strawberry Canyon the plants grow well and the whole garden gives a wild feeling. The paths merge well in but some seem to lead just nowhere.

There is also a herbal garden and we can play a little game called: Do you know this plant?

And one for those who like a particular tasty beverage that exists in all kinds of flavors.

And of course not to forget the dragons I saw. Or what would you say? Doesn't this look like a dragons paw? Or The scales of a canon proof dragon skin?

Be assured, those pictures were really taken in the garden and the dragons are alive. On the other hand, if they'd breathe fire it would probably only be enough to light a cigarette. But as everybody knows, light for a cigarette can cause many things.