Category Archives: AdventuresWithYum

Mount Diablo

So I’ve lived in the Bayarrhea for most of my life and I’ve never been to Mount Diablo. Until today.

Mount Diablo is one of those landmarks that’s hard to miss–you can see it from just about anywhere in the Bay. The summit is about 3,850 feet, and is the highest in the East Bay Area. Every winter it gets a little snow, which usually melts the next day or so. I think it’s also a dormant volcano.

So I’ve never been to the top. Yum and I have been talking about going up there to take pictures for the last year and never got around to doing it. And now we’re leaving the Bayarrhea for Vacaville, so today was the day.

Smile!

The drive to the top is windy and slow, the speed limit is 15 mph most of the way, and the road is narrow. There are plenty of bicyclists on the road, so you have to drive extra carefully and slowly.

But the drive up is beautiful. It’s so cool to see the change in vegetation from low-land weeds and brush to manzanita and pine trees near the top. And the summit is awesome.

We got there just in time for the sunset. At the very summit there is a big parking lot and castle-fortress looking thing that acts as a visitors center. From here you get a 360 degree unobstructed view. They say that on a good day you can see clear on down the San Joaquin valley to Bakersfield.

We were treated to a nice sunset to go along with the sweeping views of the Bay, San Francisco, the Delta Valley, and San Joaquin valley. I wish we had more time, but it got dark rather fast after the sun set, and the rangers were quick to kick us out of the park.

Ansela Adams (AKA Yum) had her camera of course, and was not to be rushed. It’s one of her basic rules of life, you know. “When I have my camera, do not rush me,” she says. I had mine too and took some quick snaps, which you can view here.

I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to go up there. I need to go back one day soon for a road-side picnic or even some camping (yes, there are campgrounds way up there) and maybe some horseback riding (if I had a horse).

Awww!

Snow, Truckee, Snow, Cabela's, Snow, And More Snow


So we went to Truckee and played in the snow. Lots of snow. Snow everywhere.

Arrived after 4am on Monday night (Tuesday morning). Slept ’til noon and drove to Cabela’s. Bought some booties to play in the snow with. Played some craps at Boomtown. Stopped by OB’s for some wings. Shopped up and down the strip in downtown Truckee. Had a late dinner at a supersecret spot on the hill overlooking the Truckee River.


We took pictures of snowy things in the snow.

Slept ’til noon again on Wednesday. Drove over to North Shore, and Incline Village, and highway 50 to Carson City. Took 395 south to Minden. Had dinner at a Basque restaurant. Stopped at Cabela’s again on the way back.

Slept ’til 9am on Thursday. Spent many hours cleaning and packing. Yum fed all our food to Jedi the boxer dog. Drove home, grudgingly.

Fin.


Dave… Kev… James… This is the deck that we BBQ and lounge on in the summer.

Pics from the trip!

Truckee, or bust v2.0

Have you ever had one of those weekends where, after you come home, you keep playing the events back in your mind over and over? And it’s hard to believe the things that happened actually did and you can’t stop thinking about them?

That was the kind of weekend I just had.

Me 'n' Yum again

On Saturday night when Yum got home from work the two of us drove up to the cabin in Truckee. We left at midnight on the dot and arrived at the cabin at 3am. Three hours door to door? Just under 200 miles? That’s making good time, kids.

We took highway 4 across the levees and out to Stockton, where we merged on to Interstate 5 north. Yum was already fast asleep. I set the cruise control on the Jeep to 73 MPH. Through Sacramento and on to Interstate 80 east all the way to Truckee I never once had to speed up, slow down, stop, or use the brakes. 73 MPH the entire way. No traffic. It was awesome.

So Sunday morning we woke up and I made breakfast. The smell of cooking bacon wafted out the kitchen window and soon we’ve got all the dogs in the neighborhood on the front deck looking for a handout. Miriam promptly gave away all of our food for the trip. Not really, but anyway…

We went for a little drive up some dirt roads and past some reservoirs just past Truckee along highway 80. We stopped for a little hike along the Truckee river. We stopped and looked at available real estate and dreamt of owning some land up here. We stopped to throw rocks at frozen water on the side of the road. And then it was back to Truckee.

Back at the cabin we had a quick bite to eat and were asleep by 5pm. Yes, 5pm. Five hours later we were awake from the best nap I’ve had in I don’t remember how long. We spent a few hours by the fire talking, and went back to bed around 2am.

Monday morning we had breakfast and fed the neighborhood dogs again. We then went for a nice, long drive.

Over highway 267 to North Shore for a little gambling, then down highway 28 along the northeastern shore of Lake Tahoe.

We stopped at a couple places to explore the shoreline and take pictures, then followed highway 28 south to the highway 50 junction.

Lone Tree on Lake Tahoe shore

We then took highway 50 east to highway 395 north. We stopped for lunch in Anderson, Nevada at Johnny Carino’s, the worst Italian food I’ve ever had. Never go there, it’s awful.

Outside Cabela's

And then the highlight of the day: the pilgrimmage to the new Cabela’s outfitter’s store in Reno! I’ve been a long-time patron of Cabela’s, but only ever bought their gear online. It was a real treat for a sportsman like me to finally get to go to a retail store. I was like a kid in a candy shop.

There was a supercoolawesomehuge aquarium full of rather large rainbow trout and bass and other freshwater gamefish.

The wild animal displays throughout the store were neatokeencoolbeans.

Their gun collection was outstanding. PLENTY of evil black rifles. I held a real .50 Desert Eagle. I stared down the barrel of a real Colt M4 carbine rifle. I asked to check out a real HK MP5, and was allowed to do the “HK slap”. I got to handle a real M1 Garand, right out of World War II. I was allowed to dry-fire a real AK-47.

Did you know that there are no waiting periods for guns in Nevada? In California you have to wait 10 days to pick up your new firearm. In Nevada they walk you and your new gun out of the front door and hand it to you in the parking lot.

I need to more to Nevada. Seriously.

Back at the cabin it was well after dark. We spent the rest of the evening on the couch next to a blazing fire, watching Heroes and old Johnny Carson reruns.

And then Tuesday morning we woke up from our dream and drove home =(

You know what to do.