San Bruno Mountain and Brisbane

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Posted: January 12, 2026

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I decided to go a little farther away from home today, and drove up to San Bruno Mountain for a hike. That mountain has interesting geology, and since it’s not part of the Santa Cruz Mountains, it stands pretty much on its own, with 360 degree views from the top.

Near the top are radio towers, which is my usual destination when I’m on the bike. Today, I took a looping trail to the towers, then continued along the ridge towards the southeast. I then descended what turned out to be a treacherously steep trail down towards the city of Brisbane. The gradient was often over 40%, and I had to pick my way slowly down until I reached the city streets.

I walked around the streets, and then towards a trailhead that would hopefully take me back to the ridge, and not be as steep as the one I descended. As it turns out, I crossed paths with a nice lady I had seen on the ridge, and she told me that the trail that I was heading towards was very much less steep, with switchbacks and a milder gradient. She had just descended on that trail, and it was nice of her to make sure I was on the right track.

I continued back along the ridge, the way I came, then down a more direct route to my car, which took me through a grove of Eucalyptus trees. It was a good route with good weather, so all-in-all, a very pleasant trek.

A clear view to the Marin headlands
Coastal view, with the cemeteries in Colma closest to the mountain
Looking towards the coast, Lake Merced is to the right of center
Another view of San Francisco, and the Marin headlands, from near the radio towers
Captured a plane flying between the radio towers
The ridge on San Bruno Mountain, of which I would walk almost to the end, near the far peak
A lone poppy is a lovely sight
Looking south, with some haze in the distance, and SFO at about center
The town of Brisbane, nestled on the northeast side of the mountain
Christmas stars are a point of pride in Brisbane, as noted on the street signs
One of the many unique houses I saw as I walked the streets
OK, I guess this is the way I should go
Cute sunflower sculpture
The trail back up was nicely wooded for a good portion
Looking down at Brisbane as I continued to climb
Cuckoo flower, also known as Lady’s Smock
Not sure, but likely Sea Pink/California Thrift
A good clear view of Brisbane, San Francisco, and the Bay Bridge
Scenic Panorama
As I got closer to the end, I passed a grove of Eucalyptus

Creek Survey

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Posted: January 4, 2026

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It rained quite a bit last night, so I headed out at the tail end of the showers to check out the creek levels. Only 8 feet at the Pope/Chaucer bridge, far below the flood levels of 24 feet that we saw 3 years ago. The sun came out at the end, so it turned into a very nice day for a walk.

I think this was the peak high water mark, which I saw at the beginning of my walk, just as the showers were tapering.
The ducks were hanging around the banks of the creek, where the water was not flowing as fast.
Upstream, at the bridge near Stanford Shopping Center
Winds must have been strong enough during the storm to blow this tree over
At the Bryant Street bridge
Some cool graffiti at the Middlefield Rd bridge. Not a good time to be adding to the artwork.
Some of the ducks enjoying hanging out near the banks of the creek.
At the end of my walk. The water level has receded a bit, and the sun is out.
Me, checking my phone, instead of enjoying the outdoors

Tour of San Francisco

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Posted: January 2, 2026

New Years Day was a bust as far as riding was concerned, but today was forecast to be a break in the rain, so I wanted to get out.

The “traditional” start to the New Year is Mt Hamilton, and some of my friends were planning on doing that. I wasn’t in the mood, plus I woke up late and knew that I wouldn’t make it to the meeting spot in San Jose.

So I decided to head north. The initial plan was San Bruno Mountain, which would count as a climb of some kind. However, as I rode north I changed my mind and continued into San Francisco.

Before I reached the city, I dropped down to Pacifica to see the coast. From there I saw clouds gathering, but no rain that I could see. If it started raining, I figured I could hop on the train.

My route through San Francisco took me along the Great Highway, most of which is now closed to cars, which made for a pleasant part of the ride.

I headed toward the Golden Gate Bridge, where I dodged a lot of people who were out enjoying the day before the rain. This was the theme of my ride as I continued east along the Bay before I got on the Embarcadero. Before I left the pathway, I enjoyed a very tasty but expensive hot dog ($10!!) from a street vendor at the pier for the Alcatraz ferry.

I noticed the time and realized it was likely going to be dark before I got home. Hindering my progress was a nice strong headwind, which was opposite of the usual direction.

My route took me past Oracle Field (baseball) and Chase Center (basketball), and I ended up staying close to the bay, where I followed my usual plan of just pointing my bike in the general direction (south) that I needed to go.

Eventually, I ended up at Candlestick Point, where the old stadium used to be, and I took more familiar roads home.

Sure enough, it started to get dark, but I had two front lights, so I was unbothered and was able to see my way quite well. However, the rain started as I passed the Facebook campus. Fortunately, I didn’t have to endure it for very long, plus I had my fenders on, which is good practice for my upcoming trip to Great Britain in May.

Over, it was a nice long ride, and a great way to start the year.

Those clouds don’t look ominous at all. Not in the slightest.
The art installation here makes this highway great
Obligatory picture of a bridge
This is the scale model those prisoners built to plan their escape
This is where they play the baseball
This is where they play the basketball

South Bay Loop

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Posted: December 29, 2025

I did a bike ride that looped around the South Bay, via the Dumbarton Bridge. It ended up being a late start, but it turned out to be a very nice day. It was clear enough to see to San Francisco, and beyond.

I did a tour of the famous South Bay landmarks:

  • Levi’s Stadium, home of the NFL’s 49ers and one of the venues for next year’s World Cup of Soccer. (If you can afford the tickets!)
  • Mission San Jose, one of the several missions built by the Spanish missionaries in the late 1700s
  • The office building that housed the world famous Motion Factory, the startup I worked at in the late 1990s
It was very clear today, and I was able to see San Francisco, with Mt. Tam in the background
Levi’s Stadium
Mission San Jose
The office building where I worked at Motion Factory in the late 1990s. We were on the 2nd floor here, and my cube’s window was about 2/3rds of the way from the left.

Escape from The Great White North

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Posted: December 27, 2025

Some pictures of my trip back from Canada, where it had been cold and snowy

There was a airplane change for the leg to Vancouver, and I ended up on one with prop engines.
The wind-swept prairie. You can see the change in the texture of the snow where the trees and buildings shielded the wind.
The snow-capped Rockies, on the way to Vancouver
I resisted the urge to purchase this whisky
The views of San Francisco were crystal clear as I descended to the airport
Fancy Holiday lights on the SFO control tower

Scenes from a Very White Christmas

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Posted: December 27, 2025

I went to Canada to visit my brother and his family for the Christmas break. They live near Edmonton and the forecast was snow and cold. And the forecast delivered exactly that.

I had an enjoyable time, albeit with most of it spent indoors, where it was warm and cozy. I enjoyed some tasty turkey for our Christmas dinner and then spending time playing games (Exploding Kittens!!!), solving puzzles and hanging out. A very relaxing and merry Christmas.

I had a long layover in Vancouver, due to a delay in my flight to Edmonton. So, I was definitely not this guy.
If was cold, but clear, on the first morning, so I took a short walk in the snow
The maintenance crew took the opportunity to flood the outdoor rink, where the water was sure to quickly freeze
You can see a mule deer hanging out behind the bushes, while nibbling on them, hoping to forage for as much food as possible
It started snowing Christmas Eve, making the Christmas even whiter
The accumulation of snow was impressive
Christmas morning with the new snow covering the old snow
Gerald (aka Sir Gerald T Fuzzington III) enjoyed his new toy
Gerald also tried to fit into the box the toy came in
Ron (aka Captain Ron) was satisfied mostly with lounging around
I got some lap snuggles from Apollo, whose daddy is my nephew Nick
I’m practicing my words for the next game of Scrabble
I helped put together this 1000 piece puzzle, along with my two nieces (Erynn and Kelsie), my brother Steve and his partner, Leah. The combined effort took us about three and a half hours. Yay, us.
Cats and boxes, amiright?
Gerald enjoys playing with his new toy
Leah letting me know where she was
Canada was saying, “Hold my beer, I don’t think you’ve had enough winter weather,” as my brother drove me to the airport in a blizzard

KCSM Open House

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Posted: December 18, 2025

I enjoy listening to jazz, especially on KCSM radio. They are one of the only 24 hour a day stations in the country and have an extensive collection and a crew of knowledgeable hosts.

So I was delighted to hear about their open house and quickly signed up. It was a fine event, with food and drinks and a live jazz band. I got to peek into the studios where the hosts chose and play the music. It’s a great operation and one that I happily support.

One of the two studios. This was actually near the end of the late afternoon shift, and the host, Henry Duncan, left while the music was playing so we could get a look.
The host for the early evening show, Greg Bridges, gets ready to start his shift
Part of the large collection of vinyl jazz records
Two walls of the huge collection of jazz CDs
A close up of the Latin Jazz section
The live band gets ready to play their next song

Monday Hike: Monte Bello/Skyline/Russian Ridge

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Posted: December 15, 2025

It was another foggy day down low, but exceedingly pleasant up on Skyline. I decided to take advantage of the warm weather up there, and did another long hike. I’m enjoying exploring trails I haven’t done before, although in an area that I’m very familiar with, at least as far as the roads around the trails are concerned. With some rain predicted in the next day or two, I enjoyed being able to get some warm and sun before then.

No fog on the ridge, but some high clouds, which didn’t impair the warmth in any way
Poison Oak can cause a severe rash? You don’t say.
It was shaded and cool as the trail followed Stevens Creek
Bridge Selfie, as I crossed one of the branches of Stevens Creek
Lots of mushrooms on the shady trail
I crossed Skyline and was soon walking along the edge of Horseshoe Lake
Here I am following the lake shore, if you’re interested in that sort of thing
Lake Selfie. It was nice to be able to strip down to short sleeves on such a nice day.
A view of the Black Mountain summit across Skyline
Nice view out to the ocean
Nice wildflowers along the trail
A couple of ducks enjoying Alpine Pond
Panorama from Borel Hill. Mt Tam on the left, Mt Diablo in the middle, and lots of fog still in the valley.
A closer look at Diablo, above the fog
Another clear look at the ocean from Borel Hill
Wildflowers in the shade on Clouds Rest Road

Bike Ride: Zayante

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Posted: December 13, 2025

The ride for Saturday was set to journey out to Zayante. We started at Lexington Dam, where it was still a bit chilly. However, the temperature starting rising as we climbed up to Summit Road. It was really quite nice up on the ridge, and that continued even down to the Laurel Glen climb. We stopped in Scotts Valley for the usual lunch, and then over to Felton to start our journey up Zayante. I decided to go for the “KOM” points, and took off when the steep section started. I back tracked to the rest of the group and got some extra miles and climbing. All in all, it was an excellent day for a ride.

A couple of old motorcycles were parked out in front of Casalegno’s
Quite the beauty, these bikes were
A cute postcard that I saw inside Casalegno’s
One of the old spice cans I saw on the shelf in Casalegno’s
Hmm, what is mace?
The leaves, they are savory
Flowers enjoying the sun
Bah…
Sure, I’ll let the staff know if the restroom is feeling neglected and ignored

Friday Hike: Coal Mine Ridge

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Posted: December 12, 2025

I did a shortish hike this morning, and it was pleasant, as the fog had dissipated, but still cool on the trail. The trail was reasonably close to my house, so it made for an easy day out, as compared to the epic hike I did on Monday. Some folks with the holiday spirit had even put ornaments on a couple of trees along the trail. I also found a fun swing to play on.

There were many good vista points along the trail
One of the trees that had been decorated
Bridge Selfie. This was a particularly narrow bridge, with a rope to help with balance.
Some colorful berries, which were ornamental in their own way
Fancy Mushroom
The duck pond, which was quite murky
Ducks enjoying the duck pond
I’m enjoying the swing, maybe
A view of Mt. Diablo through the Eucalyptus trees
More ornaments on another tree. Such Holiday spirit!
A very fine looking oak
A deer keeps an eye on me