Brown Motion

It was going to be triple digit heat.  Everywhere you looked.  In our vicinity.  So we figured we would visit a cool body of water.  It had been a while.  A long while.  We went to Lake Tahoe.  Straddling the CA and Nevada state borders it is the largest of any alpine lakes in all North America. At a height of over 6,200 ft above mean sea level this amazing blue water was very inviting. Of course it also meant taking our chances with many like minded folks taking their conveyance to the mountains causing a big traffic jam.  It was not too bad.  We did get out early enough to beat a large horde of wanna get away crowds and made it to the lake in 3 hours. The rim is around 70 miles in circumference but we chose to visit the South end and do some hiking followed by a visit to the exact opposite end also on the California side and wade the waters on the shores. The south end was an inspired mile long hike along the slope on a portion cal...

My first visit up the 925 foot mount in the middle of what is the city of San Francisco.  I happened to visit because I had a few hours to kill before going to attend a film festival in town.  It was a beautiful fall day with warm temperatures that made the hike from the bus stop to the lookout (over a 100 feet vertically) quite strenuous but I was eager to get there to see what the view would be.  Sutro Tower on the hill Steps lead up to the look out from the bus stop Sunset over the Pacific (looking west from the hill)      But the views from the top were specatcular. It provides 360 degree view of the surrounds from certain vantage. To the west is the glowing Pacific with the sun still an hour away from setting.   Market Street all the way down to Ferry Building (almost invisible looking NE) Towards the north one can make out the metallic orange glow coming off the Golden Gate bridge over the strait as the Pacific wa...