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We drove across Tioga Pass on Friday, surprised to find some snow still at 9,000 ft. The thunderstorm and hail eventually subsided by the time we made it down the eastern entrance on our way to Mono Lake.

Saturday, we had a quick breakfast at the Curry Village before our Vernal Fall hike. The mist was at full blast this time of the year and we spent about 30 minutes or so drying up on the granite surface and taking in the view.

To avoid the mist trail on the way back we instead hiked half a mile further up to Clark Point passing by Emerald Pool and Silver Apron. Once again we heard thunder rumbling on the valley’s northern side and we could see the dark clouds approaching. We hiked down as fast as we could while trying to avoid stepping on “souvenirs” left by mules on the zigzagging John Muir Trail.

That same evening, we visited the Le Conte Memorial expecting to hear a presentation about “Sound That Nature Makes” but actually found ourselves in front of a poetry reading session by shall we say, a “nonconventional” artist. I guess you could say the “Eminem” of the Sierra Club (if such a title was ever bestowed!).

I was particularly relieved to hear the feedback from another lady the following day who summed it up candidly: “that was WEIRD!”.

Sunday was less hectic. Took some photos around the valley and wrapped up with an impromptu picnic by the Swinging Bridge before heading back down to the Bay Area.

Long weekends are never long enough.

Flickr Slideshow

Coyote Point is a regional recreation area south of the San Francisco International Airport. This file was recorded in the Eucalyptus Picnic Area on Memorial Day, 2009.

Recorded with a Sony PCM D50.

The Birds of Coyote Point

I would like to thank all of you who so generously supported my first ever charity ride, the American Diabetes Association’s Tour de Cure in Napa Valley. Special thanks goes out to my wife who helped me send the word out, took care of the logistics and planning.

After watching Pacquiao’s amazing fight with Hatton last night we arrived at Napa around 10pm. This morning as forecasted, the roads were pretty wet and there were some light rainshowers. I registered on time by 8:45am and kicked off the ride around 9:00am.

While it was slightly drizzling for the first 5 to 8 miles of the 25 mile route (this was my first time to ever ride under the rain), the weather actually turned out to be pretty good. I suspect that there would probably be more participants if it was not for the weather but I still experienced the camaraderie among fellow riders nonetheless. Temperature was much better than when I rode the same route two weeks ago under a heatwave. Today was actually enjoyable.

As I approached the finish line, I was quite overwhelmed by emotions as I heard a familiar clanging sound I first heard from the Tour of California earlier this year. But this time, it was those red Tour de Cure cowbells from friends and families cheering us on. That did it for me and that is why I sped away from the finish line crowd. Hahaha!

Needless to say, it was the perfect ending to a wonderful ride. We then went out to celebrate at a grill nearby.

Thank you very much!

-kyo-

Off to the Start Line

My Podium Girls! (I bring my own)

Cheers!

Last night as we were wandering around the aisles at Walmart, I was tempted to try this different brand of sardines. At about 3.75 oz they cost a little more than the typical brands that we get at less than $2 a can but still much cheaper than if you get them elsewhere. The labeling boasts 2.8g of Omega-3 and “a delicious tradition for over 100 years”. With a sales pitch like that, how can I resist?

As it turns out, “sardines” is not actually a fish species but becomes a sardine by the traditional processing method. There can be as many as 11 different species used in making it. The one I’m most familiar with would be Philippine mackerel.

This is probably the first time I’ve ever tried brislings in olive oil. They are caught from Norwegian fjords in the North Sea and packaged by the King Oscar company in Poland. They are then distributed in the US by Bumblebee Foods in San Diego, CA.

The taste is mild and complimented well by the olive oil. I imagine this could be good with crackers [SkyFlakes] with a tiny twist of citrus such as lemon or calamansi. This could be a fantastic meal on the hiking trail as well.

-kyo-

2009.03.25
Distance: 23.96mi
Time: 2:06:05
Av: 11.3 mph
Mx: 23.5 mph
—
HR Avg: 86%
HR Max: 99%
Tm in Zone: 0:12:20
Alameda Creek Trail

2009.03.24
Distance: 23.95mi
Time: 1:59:39
Av: 12 mph
Mx: 23 mph
—
HR Avg: 87%
HR Max: 99%
Tm in Zone: 0:12:20
Alameda Creek Trail

Napa Valley in Spring, view from the Tour de Cure route

Friends,

This May 3rd, I will be participating in my first ever cycling event in the ADA’s Tour de Cure in Napa Valley, California.

Please support me and the ADA by making a secure online donation on this page. Your contributions will help set the pace in the fight against diabetes.

Thank you very much!

-kyo-

I would like to thank Yugel Losorata and the Picture Perfect staff of the Manila Bulletin for a generous 4-page cover article in its January 13 issue.
Special mention goes to Edwin Loyola and Ronald Jayme for making this feature happen!

Portait photo from Auey Santos of Photograffiti.net.

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In celebration of our recently finished patio table refinishing project, we’re doing a retake of last week’s barbecue pork ribs at Kathleen’s birthday party. This time around I get to “kick it up a notch” with a spicier rub to my liking and added some mustard into the barbecue sauce. It was finger-lickin’-fall-off-the-bone yummy!

-kyo-

The Living Roof

Flickr slideshow here.

This fall Saturday morning, San Francisco celebrates the return of California Academy of Sciences inside Golden Gate Park. This 10 year project features a planetarium, a natural history museum, a 4-story rainforest and a 212,000 gallon replica of a Philippine Coral Reef mostly based from Anilao, Batangas.

ABC 7 on Friday night featured a TV special on the new high-tech structure which showcase environmentally friendly features such as 60,000 photovoltaic cells, recycled building materials, and 2.5 acres of “living roof” with wild California flora all to the tune of $500M bucks. 

Needless to say, my 3 year old and 8 year old daughters survived the 5 hour waiting in line without much complaints until we got inside.

As we were browsing through the Philippine Coral Reef exhibit, I was caught off guard by something that looked familiar from not so long ago. The female uniform at Philippine Science High School:

Solar panels with the de Young Museum in the distance

Amazon river biotope

Philippine Coral Reef exhibit with 30’x50′ acrylic panel

Morrison Planetarium [Wired Science video here]

Philippine Tarsier in photo for “50 Million Years Ago”

Oh, and by the way, speaking of free access to museums, did you know that you can get in to a some participating museums across the US with your Bank of America card on select weekends of the month?

For October, the free weekend would be the weekend of October 4 and 5.
Fore more info check out: http://promotions.bankofamerica.com/museums/

-kyo-