Family & Friends,
I am, once again, way behind on my travel posts. This entry takes us back to September of last year. My girlfriend, Jess, and I were supposed to go camping, but the many wildfires going on smoked us out. In fact, most of this trip (which we eventually called our "staycation") was spent chasing the healthy air.
When it was determined that we had to cancel our Salt Point camping plans, we arranged last minute to book my brother-in-law's family condo in Kirkwood for a couple nights. So, we took off (with Muddy) on a Tuesday and drove three hours via trusty Mini Cooper to the mountains. Well, we found that when we got there, the smoke conditions were even worse! So we only stayed one night. But we made the most of it by cooking our "campout" dinner, playing the "We're Not Really Strangers" card game, eating stovetop s'mores, and making fun of Muddy when he kept growling at a stuffed bear in the bedroom (we thought he was protecting us from an intruder, but it was just a bear that we had to hide in the closet because he was highly concerned for us all).
On Wednesday, we headed back to the Bay Area (with a stop at In N' Out for lunch). On the way, we detoured to Lagoon Park in Vacaville to get some exercise. There, we encountered a bunch of people carrying special discus backpacks... Jess and I watched with perplexity until we determined that it was some sort of frisbee golf competition. That night, feeling defeated, we decided to have a staycation for the rest of the week, exploring new places in the Bay Area.
On Thursday, we took Muddy to Fort Funston for his first time. He was in his glory and surprisingly, did not terrorize anyone. Although, he did roll around on a dead seal. After that, we hiked the urban trail to Mount Davidson in San Francisco. It supposedly has the best view of the city, but we saw jack shit because of the mist and fog. Still, it was a nice forest-y oasis in the middle of the city. Next, we hiked an urban trail that traverses through hidden alleyways and paths around the Sunset District, eventually ending up at Edgehill Mountain. When we returned to our staycation abode (aka Jess' place), we relaxed and watched Empire Records because we had earlier discovered our shared love of the film when we each recognized its quotable references.
On Friday, we crossed the Golden Gate to go hiking in the Marin Headlands in the North Bay, where I rarely go. Jess, Muddy, and I hiked the Hill 88 trail at Fort Cronkhite, where there are graffiti'd ruins from the old military site. It was super foggy and windy, but the views were amazing and when we got to Hill 88, there was no one else around. For the entire hike, I was hoping to see some cool wildlife, and as we were on the last stretch of our return, we saw a coyote! Muddy didn't give two shits, but Jess and I were fixated. It was pretty cool to see her/him/them so up close. On our drive back to the East Bay, we drove through Sausalito, and as we regained cell service, we learned that the notorious Ruth Bader Ginsburg had passed. It was a silent car ride for awhile. That night, we baked my favorite dessert that Jess makes: apple cake!
On Saturday, we decided to ease out of our staycation and into our "normal" weekend by doing an urban hike through Oakland and up to Berkeley. We picked up some smoothies from The Well in Temescal, and then walked the 80-minute walk to Ohlone Dog Park in Berkeley. We hadn't yet been to this dog park, so Muddy went nuts, naturally. On the way home, we discovered a local farmstand and my hippie girlfriend picked up a few things. That night, we had what we call a "fancy date," where we get dressed up, pretend we are going OUT out, have a nice dinner, and dance in the living room.
It was a real bummer not making it out to go camping at all in 2020, but we made the most of our time off, considering the shitty air quality and COVID precautions. Things may be weird during this pandemic, but at least we are finding ways to keep exploring as far as a car will take us.
Onward,
Chris
P.S. - Look out for a video recap eventually!
I am, once again, way behind on my travel posts. This entry takes us back to September of last year. My girlfriend, Jess, and I were supposed to go camping, but the many wildfires going on smoked us out. In fact, most of this trip (which we eventually called our "staycation") was spent chasing the healthy air.
When it was determined that we had to cancel our Salt Point camping plans, we arranged last minute to book my brother-in-law's family condo in Kirkwood for a couple nights. So, we took off (with Muddy) on a Tuesday and drove three hours via trusty Mini Cooper to the mountains. Well, we found that when we got there, the smoke conditions were even worse! So we only stayed one night. But we made the most of it by cooking our "campout" dinner, playing the "We're Not Really Strangers" card game, eating stovetop s'mores, and making fun of Muddy when he kept growling at a stuffed bear in the bedroom (we thought he was protecting us from an intruder, but it was just a bear that we had to hide in the closet because he was highly concerned for us all).
On Wednesday, we headed back to the Bay Area (with a stop at In N' Out for lunch). On the way, we detoured to Lagoon Park in Vacaville to get some exercise. There, we encountered a bunch of people carrying special discus backpacks... Jess and I watched with perplexity until we determined that it was some sort of frisbee golf competition. That night, feeling defeated, we decided to have a staycation for the rest of the week, exploring new places in the Bay Area.
On Thursday, we took Muddy to Fort Funston for his first time. He was in his glory and surprisingly, did not terrorize anyone. Although, he did roll around on a dead seal. After that, we hiked the urban trail to Mount Davidson in San Francisco. It supposedly has the best view of the city, but we saw jack shit because of the mist and fog. Still, it was a nice forest-y oasis in the middle of the city. Next, we hiked an urban trail that traverses through hidden alleyways and paths around the Sunset District, eventually ending up at Edgehill Mountain. When we returned to our staycation abode (aka Jess' place), we relaxed and watched Empire Records because we had earlier discovered our shared love of the film when we each recognized its quotable references.
On Friday, we crossed the Golden Gate to go hiking in the Marin Headlands in the North Bay, where I rarely go. Jess, Muddy, and I hiked the Hill 88 trail at Fort Cronkhite, where there are graffiti'd ruins from the old military site. It was super foggy and windy, but the views were amazing and when we got to Hill 88, there was no one else around. For the entire hike, I was hoping to see some cool wildlife, and as we were on the last stretch of our return, we saw a coyote! Muddy didn't give two shits, but Jess and I were fixated. It was pretty cool to see her/him/them so up close. On our drive back to the East Bay, we drove through Sausalito, and as we regained cell service, we learned that the notorious Ruth Bader Ginsburg had passed. It was a silent car ride for awhile. That night, we baked my favorite dessert that Jess makes: apple cake!
On Saturday, we decided to ease out of our staycation and into our "normal" weekend by doing an urban hike through Oakland and up to Berkeley. We picked up some smoothies from The Well in Temescal, and then walked the 80-minute walk to Ohlone Dog Park in Berkeley. We hadn't yet been to this dog park, so Muddy went nuts, naturally. On the way home, we discovered a local farmstand and my hippie girlfriend picked up a few things. That night, we had what we call a "fancy date," where we get dressed up, pretend we are going OUT out, have a nice dinner, and dance in the living room.
It was a real bummer not making it out to go camping at all in 2020, but we made the most of our time off, considering the shitty air quality and COVID precautions. Things may be weird during this pandemic, but at least we are finding ways to keep exploring as far as a car will take us.
Onward,
Chris
P.S. - Look out for a video recap eventually!