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Berry Creek Falls Hike
The Berry Creek Falls loop has been on our “to hike” list for a while now, pretty much ever since the first time we went to Big Basin State Park last June. It’s rated as a strenuous, 11-mile hike with about 2,000 feet of total elevation, and we’ve overheard park rangers telling others to set aside 6-8 hours to complete the full hike. If you’re curious, you can read a lot about this hike at the following links: http://www.redwoodhikes.com/BigBasin/BerryCreek.html (beautiful photos) http://www.bahiker.com/southbayhikes/bigbasin/waterfallloop.html (bahiker.com is the bible of Bay Area hikes) http://www.everytrail.com/guide/berry-creek-falls-loop-at-big-basin-redwoods-state-park (detailed walkthrough with step-by-step instructions) We finally decided to embark on the hike this weekend. We had a huge breakfast…
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Angel Island Hike
Angel Island is a small island in San Francisco Bay (Wikipedia article) with beautiful views and a ton of history. [googlemaps https://maps.google.com/maps?q=angel+island&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Angel+Island&t=m&ll=37.86076,-122.432327&spn=0.260213,0.439453&z=11&iwloc=A&output=embed&w=640&h=480] A couple of weeks ago, Nick and I decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather we’ve been having in the Bay Area and go for a long hike on Angel Island. You can get there on a ferry from Tiburon or San Francisco for about $13 a person. We opted for Tiburon as we thought the parking would be cheaper and more plentiful. Knowing that the weather around SF can be a little unpredictable, especially on an island, we brought toques (known as “beanies” here in the…
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Some recent hikes
Since moving to California, Nick and I have instituted a policy of doing something active every weekend. The weather is so gorgeous and there are so many hikes and bike rides around here that there’s no reason for us to not get outside and enjoy it. I also really value the time spent with him when I am not worrying about what needs to get done around the house or what’s on my to-do list or what will be waiting for me at work on Monday. It’s just us, and nature, and usually no cell phone service, and great conversations to go along with the beautiful views. Nick also goes…
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New Zealand sabbatical
My employer has an amazing benefit – after 5 years of employment with them, they offer a 4-week sabbatical (and after 10 years, 5 weeks; 15 years, 6 weeks!). I have to say looking forward to my sabbatical definitely kept me going during rough times over the past 7 years (I’m overdue taking mine) – I wonder how much it affects retention for them. And now I’ve only got 3 & 1/2 years til my next one! Most people seem to use their sabbatical to travel, and I was no exception. I opted to spent three weeks in New Zealand with my grandmother (my dad’s mom). She’s very special to…