A guy I work with told me once he liked to take his dates to Castle Rock State Park. I was already married when I took up the habit so I don’t bring a lot of direct experience on combining…
Monthly Archives: January 2008
Wet shoes: getting ’em dry again
by tom • January 28, 2008 • 5 Comments
Happy Feet has some interesting tips for keeping your shoes healthy after wet outings: Do not put them in the dryer and do not place them directly over a heater or too near a heat source. Remove the laces and…
Another design tweak
by tom • January 27, 2008 • 4 Comments
I found this WordPress template that integrates Google Adsense without having it look like a train wreck. I was told my site would look more professional and accomplished if it had some e-commerce happening on it. So, bear with me…
Making it matter: Hike for Discovery
by tom • January 26, 2008 • 4 Comments
When I was about 6, a 4-year-old cousin of mine died of leukemia. I don’t remember much from back, but the vision of little Mark in his coffin — his favorite Matchbox car in his hand — at the visitation…
National Geographic Explorer wants to know about your favorite trail
by tom • January 26, 2008 • 4 Comments
Mary Anne Potts from National Geographic Explorer sent this along yesterday: Hi Tom, I was just admiring your blog and it occurred to me that you might be able to help us out. We are working on a “Best Hikes”…
Hiking books I have known
by tom • January 23, 2008 • 8 Comments
These are hiking books I own: The Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Book by Tom Taber This books dates to the mid-70s with gazillion updates. It mentions pretty much every dirt path from A to Z from San Francisco to Santa…
Calipidder went snow camping
by tom • January 22, 2008 • 3 Comments
All I can say is, that looks cold out there. By evening the temperature dropped steeply and we sat around in our kitchen sharing stories, food, and hot drinks. At about 9 pm, when my thermometer read about 15 degrees,…
Latest hike: Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve
by tom • January 22, 2008 • 5 Comments
One of my rules is: always visit the graveyard. There used to be as many as seven coal mines in these hills near Antioch in northeastern Contra Costa County. The towns that sprouted up around these mines are long gone…
Hiking today
by tom • January 21, 2008 • 3 Comments
I’m heading up to Black Diamond Mines, a place I keep meaning to check out but keep letting the long drive scare me off. Enough of that. If you’re up for a combined post-Ground Hog Day and pre-Super Bowl hike…