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Dave Nakayama's take on music & more

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Perfect day with clear skies to take a ferry over

Perfect day with clear skies to take a ferry over to the Olympic Peninsula and trek to the end of Dungeness Spit. The 10-mile beach hike is beautiful with views of the Strait and snow capped mountains but the payoff is a pretty lighthouse with picnic tables to enjoy your lunch.

I’d put this hike near the 404 Not Found

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top of my Bay Area fa

I’d put this hike near the top of my Bay Area favorites. I started at the Stinson trailhead for the legendary Dipsea Trail and was astonished by the deep lush green forest that felt like I had been transported into a fairy tale. The Steep Ravine Trail is equally gorgeous as you climb up through a redwood tree-lined Webb Creek in the mist all the way up to Pantoll. Truly incredible. I came down the Matt Davis Trail with a mix of grass hills, forests, and rock formations. I highly recommend this loop. Just be mentally prepared for a lot of stairs!

Started this hike at the 1,000+ yr old Methuselah

Started this hike at the 1,000+ yr old Methuselah tree on Skyline and dipped into a beautiful redwood forest. This loop trail mostly features varied treescapes but it was a crystal clear day for an ocean vista about half way down. You also get a delightful trickling sound of the El Corte de Madera Creek for most of the climb back up. I really enjoyed this one.

Another Bay Area peak to climb, this time it’s M

Another Bay Area peak to climb, this time it’s Mount Umunhum in the Sierra Azul Preserve. I loved this trail with a gradual climb all the way up to the Cube (old radar tower). Some great treescapes on the way up, but the payoff is the view. The air was clearer today, so I could see Mount Hamilton, Mount Diablo, and even Mount Tamalpais from the summit.

My exploration of Bay Area hikes is not complete w

My exploration of Bay Area hikes is not complete without a trek up the East peak of Mount Tam. This one was a doozy, particularly the steep Fern Creek trail under blue skies, but the payoff is gorgeous 360 degree views. Happy to check this one off my list!

Another nearby gem with forests of live oaks, Madr

Another nearby gem with forests of live oaks, Madrones, and massive California Bay trees that perfume the criss-crossing network of trails. The Page Mill trail extends into Foothill Park, and I used it as a cheat code to reach my favorite Bay view bench. This lightly trafficked loop has a little of everything: forests, a running creek, grass meadows, bay and valley views, and even rock formations.

The Peters Creek Loop at Portola Redwoods State Pa

The Peters Creek Loop at Portola Redwoods State Park is incredible. A grove of old growth redwoods surrounding a little creek, and you get to experience it pretty much all by yourself. It’s a challenge to get in and out (probably why the loggers left it alone), but wow, I’m happy I made the trek.

A quick loop through a nearby park. Turned out to

A quick loop through a nearby park. Turned out to be a warmer day than I expected, and even the wild turkeys sought out the shade. Some nice bay views on back side of the loop. Just a short 4.2 mile, 679 ft elevation loop.

Probably one of the densest stands of redwoods nea

Probably one of the densest stands of redwoods near me. The Heritage Grove Trail is a peaceful path through a lovely redwood forest. Above the forest you emerge into a meadow with some pretty valley views, and there’s even a Sierra Club Hikers Hut you can apparently rent. I tried to make this a much longer hike but had to turn it into a shorter loop due with much of the southern portions of the park still closed due to wildfire damage. But that meant spending more time among the redwoods.

Gorgeous sunny day at Big Sur. Fun to start a hik

Gorgeous sunny day at Big Sur. Fun to start a hike wading through a cold river knee deep before a healthy climb up to the ridge with a stately stand of redwoods. The view coming down to the bluff was spectacular, although wind gusts got close to knocking me down a couple times. Even snuck a visit to the beach before heading back to the river.

A delightful loop around Point Lobos takes you to

A delightful loop around Point Lobos takes you to each cove and rocky point. Wildflowers, sea lions, harbor seals, and thousands of nesting cormorants were a beautiful surprise. Well worth the trek down to Carmel.

On a hot Silicon Valley day, I ventured over to Pa

On a hot Silicon Valley day, I ventured over to Pacifica for some marine air conditioning. This was one of the more technically challenging trails I’ve done lately, with a steep ascent to Sweeney Ridge and loose footing on the descent. But it’s pretty cool to see Sutro Tower, the South SF hills sign, SFO, and both the bay and ocean simultaneously from the ridge. The sketchy rock scramble up to Mori point added a bit of adrenaline, but the wildflowers on the coastal hill bluffs next to the crashing waves below is pretty incredible right now.

To see some real waterfalls, I needed to fly up no

To see some real waterfalls, I needed to fly up north where there’s actually some water. Spectacular sight to climb past 3 separate falls, and then I continued on to Wallace Lake for lunch. Looping back on the Greg Bell trail, I descended thru a lush moss covered forest that was only interrupted by an unwelcome bout of hail the last mile or so. Beautiful hike!

One of the top hikes in the Bay Area did not disap

One of the top hikes in the Bay Area did not disappoint. I’ve never seen so many wildflowers in my life, with every color represented. The free roaming Tule Elk are all along the trail, and the spectacular scene at Tomales Point with waves crashing from the ocean on one side and whales breaching in the bay on the other is unmatched. I found a spot to eat my packed sandwich from Ike’s while watching a pod of whales put on a delightful show. I can’t recommend this enough.

This is my favorite local Palo Alto trail loop. A

This is my favorite local Palo Alto trail loop. A serious workout but gives you incredible treescapes throughout and a payoff view up top.

A quick hike to the top of Angel Island in the mid

A quick hike to the top of Angel Island in the middle of SF Bay. One of the few spots you can see the Bay Bridge and Golden Gate simultaneously, complete with picnic tables for your packed lunch. Trails are bursting with wildflowers right now.

On an unexpectedly hot sunny day, I was thankful f

On an unexpectedly hot sunny day, I was thankful for choosing a mostly shaded loop thru a local park. Ascend thru redwoods that transition to madrones and oaks before emerging into a meadow with a beautiful view of the bay. Wildflowers are everywhere right now.

So crazy that I just found out about this spectacu

So crazy that I just found out about this spectacular beach cliff waterfall. Admittedly the 14 mile hike may dissuade most, but this is worth the trek. Ocean views, giant fields of wildflowers, and a 5 hour workout made for a decent Monday.

I wanted to see some big trees, and big trees I de

I wanted to see some big trees, and big trees I definitely saw. Old growth redwoods bring a sense of awe every time. The trail climbs above the redwoods into a mixed forest before emerging in a really unfamiliar sandhill chaparral landscape bursting with wildflowers. Climbing up sandy hills nowhere near a beach was pretty surprising.

Super thankful. #teammoderna

Super thankful. #teammoderna

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