Hello Everyone!! This is going to be a very very quick update because I'm paying per minute for internet access at a fax and copy shop in downtown San Francisco. Lok-kin and Ricardo are currently on a tour of Alcatraz, assuming they actually made it to the wharf in time, but having seen it already, I'm going to take a pass. Thus, while they're pretending to be Nicholas Cage or Sean Connery, I am let loose in this beautiful city, free to discover my inner self, explore the city's beauty, and get my hair cut, for the next three hours or so.
The last few days have been an absolute whirlwind (actually, the last two weeks have basically been an absolute whirlwind, but who's counting?). For three days, we explored the ecsquisite forests of the West Coast, starting with an ill-fated hike in Mount Rainier and ending with a tramp through the Redwood forests of Northern California, which I believe are akin to heaven (though hopefully hell, which I'm pretty sure I'm headed to, has fewer bugs). The Redwoods were also notable for being the first national park we've spent any significant time in without any snow on the ground. This trip has given me renewed appreciation for the finer things in life, like spring, not to mention regular seasons that last 3 months each. At Glacier Nat'l Park, we were forced to end a hike up to the Grinnel Glacier because, as we traversed switchbacks up a mountainside, we were confronted with a solid sheet of snow and ice that would have probably sent us to our doom if we tried to cross it. At Mt. Rainier, the trail we were following disappeared completely beneath several feet of the stuff, and we were lucky to get out alive after an attempt to follow what we believed was the trail. A note to people who, like us enjoy hiking but have no survival skills: compasses and trail markers are your friend. A note to the National Park Service: some trail markers would be nice, y'know. Finally, after arriving at Crater Lake past midnight, we ended up sleeping in our car next to a snowbank that rose 8 feet in the air. Oh yeah, and every single trail in the park was closed off until mid- to late-June. Needless to say, I'm starting to have second thoughts about global warming. However, each one of these places was spectacular and presented its own unique natural beauty. I'm starting to think that a move to the West Coast sounds pretty good.
So, after the Redwoods we jaunted down the California coastline on US-1 to an uncharacteristically sunny San Francisco. OK, not jaunted perse. It turns out that US-1 is the most convoluted highway we have ever seen, to our delighted chagrin. Beautiful views of dramatic coastline are wonderful, but seriously, the road could have been a bit straighter. Nevertheless, after 7 hours of driving, we arrived on the outskirts of San Francisco, and arrived at Red Meat Nirvana: In N' Out. And, despite Ricardo's grousing, they were the most delicious hamburgers either Lok-kin or I have ever tasted.
Since then, we have traversed the Golden Gate Bridge and spent a fast-paced day in Frisco, in the lovely company of Ms. Tiffany Tang, who requested a shout-out within the hallowed ether. Alas, I don't want to spend much more money on internet service, so I will leave that update for another day. Adieu, my friends, till next time!
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