Tehan Creek

Tehan Creek, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

Here's a photo from a bushwhack hike that I went on yesterday, to Tehan Falls in Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park.

A few scattered reports I had read indicated that Tehan Falls was a 60-foot gem, complete with a fern grotto.

Well, Tehan Falls was 60 feet tall, and it had a fern grotto, but the amount of water was almost laughable, considering just how much rain we've had in the past week. It's surprising to think that the falls were even marked on a map.

Anyways, this is a shot of the creek downstream from the falls where it was lush and ferny.

Chrome Pasha Hoodie: Wool That Feels Like a Real Sweatshirt?

Hooded sweatshirts are the comfort food of clothing:There is something so snuggly and relaxing about them, that just putting one on at the end of a long day can improve my mood.Before I started cycling I was a fan of this garment and wore it frequently when not in my dressy attire.But I soon discovered that I can't really wear hoodies on a bicycle: I sweat too much and the thick cotton eventually turns into a heavy wet rag. Comfort food no more. Wool manufacturers have attempted to address this issue by making their own versions of the hoodie. I've tried these from Ibex, Icebreaker and one other company I can't recall, hoping to find a replacement for my beloved cotton sweatshirts. But the wool versions only vaguely resemble the real thing; something is off about the texture and feel. Thus jaded, when Chrome offered me to review their "Pasha" hoodie I expected more of the same. But I am glad to report that I was wrong.



Whatever else might be said about the Pasha, I think it is crucial to recognise that Chrome did it: They made a wool sweatshirt that feels like a "real" sweatshirt and not like a wool sweater pretending to be a sweatshirt. The inside is fluffy and impeccably soft, the outside feels convincingly sweatshirt-like to the touch. The weight, the texture - everything is just like the hoodies I am used to. The asymmetrically placed zipper and structured tailoring add a contemporary touch.



The design of thePasha is cycling-specific, in that it is semi-form fitting and is cut longer in the back than in the front. I have read some reviews complaining that the cut is too narrow around the chest and too generous around the middle, and I somewhat agree. But I have a modestly sized chest, so the narrowness in that region works well for me. The middle is indeed roomy, but I do not find the cut unflattering. I am a US women's size 4, and the "Small" hoodie is just about spot on.



The hood is tight around the head and neck without requiring pull-strings. I've worn it on a roadbike in windy thunderstorms, and it did not get blown off over the course of the ride as other hoods tend to.



I admit that once I took these photos I blacked out theChromelogo, which is just too prominent for my taste. I suggest they consider making a subdued version of it, as many don't like displaying branding on their clothing. (And yes, I realise the irony of this photo as I write this - but bicycle logos are different!)

My one major real complaint about the design of the Pasha is that the thumb loops are not practical when riding a roadbike; they dig into the space between my thumb and forefinger when I stretch my arms to reach the drop bars. So unless I am riding an upright bike with a short reach, I end up not using them. I will probably sew up the holes in the sides of the sleeves.



A lesser complaint is that I do not like the exposed metal zipper. It's cold and "unfriendly," in contrast to the overall feel of the hoodie. The zippers they use on the pockets feel much better, so I would love the central one to be replaced with something in that vein.



Yet another minor complaint is an aesthetic one. There is maroon stitching in some parts of the hoodie, apparently for decorative reasons. This is nice in itself, but it clashes with the primary-red stitching next to the pockets, as well as with the Chromelogo and with thefabric of the same colour inside the pockets. Maybe this is a personal thing, but the combination of the maroon and the primary red looks off to me.



Finally, I should note that the Pasha is made in China, unlike some of Chrome's other items.



The Pasha has two zippered side pockets - one much larger than the other, due to the asymmetrical placement of the central zipper. The larger pocket easily fits a wallet, point and shoot camera, or sandwich. The smaller pocket will fit a mobile phone or keys. There is also a large zippered rear pocket that will fit the contents of both side pockets together. The pockets have meshy interiors and can also be used for added breathability.



As far as weather conditions, I find the Pasha best for cold weather and mild rain - which we've been having a lot of here, even in the summer. In May and June we had stretches of days with temperatures in the 40s-50s, continuous rain, and this horrible bone-piercing dampness. The Pasha kept me warm, not sweaty, and mostly dry from the rain. Being wool, it is wearable in warmer temperatures as well, certainly into the lower 70s.



I've had this hoodie since March and have washed it three times on account of getting it covered in mud while riding a fenderless bike. It is durable and takes well to being washed and dried.



The most enjoyable thing for me about the ChromePasha, is that it has all the properties of 100% wool while feeling like a real sweatshirt. The design could be tweaked, but I'll take it even as is. It's great to be able to wear a hoodie on a bike without the "wet rag" effect.

The Weight Sneaks Up on You

Cycling along the Charles River last week, I stopped to enjoy the scenery and eat an apple, when a smiling couple approached me. They had seen a bike like mine at Harris Cyclery and the woman was considering getting one. She asked to have a closer look and examined it with admiration.

But her smile quickly fell when she tried to pick it up."Oh my God! I don't remember the one at the bike shop being this heavy!" Oh boy, I thought... Did I just ruin a sale for Harris?As a general observation, I get the sense that when people shop for bikes they often don't take into account which components and accessories the floor model is fitted with. And this can give them an inaccurate sense of what the bicycle would actually be like to use in everyday life, once they fit it with all the cool things they read about on the internet. They don't think it can possibly make that big of a difference. But of course it does.

The first time I tried a Rivendell Sam Hillborne, the floor model was a basic build fitted with 35mm tires, and no lighting, fenders, or racks. Sure, it felt fairly light.

However, when my own bike was assembled, it got a dynamo hub, 42mm tires, aluminum fenders, a headlight, a tail light, a kickstand, a waterbottle cage, a stainless steel waterbottle, a computer, Power Grips, and a brass bell. Taken individually, each of these items seems hardly worth mentioning. But taken together, I could feel an obvious difference between my own bike and the floor model.Several months later,I added a front rack. And then a handlebar bag. Naturally, the bike got heavier still.Finally, a year later I added a rear rack with removeable lowrider panels, which I don't always bother to remove.

Moral of the story? It's real easy to turn a <30lb bike into a 40lb bike. Every extra component, every rack, bag, basket and other accessory we pile on adds weight - not to mention the stuff we end up carrying in those bags and baskets. And that's fine - that's normal and good, as all of those things are usually done to add functionality to the bike. But let's be fair and compare like to like. When bicycle shopping, beware that a floor model may appear lighter than your own bicycle, without actually being lighter once you set it up in the same manner.

What the Rest of the Family Is Up To

While we hang out in South Carolina, the rest of the family is doing their thing in Florida and Illinois. The princess is growing up, like little ones tend to do. She is one of the happiest babies I've ever seen. Ashleigh is fantastic at sending me pictures and videos of the little peanut so I can see her smiles almost daily. Ashleigh is working tons of hours and still cooking up her daily feasts. I don't know how she is juggling it all, but she is.



Ambir is busy working, being a girlfriend and modeling. Yes, our super model is doing some formal modeling now which is no big surprise to us. She has always loved to be in front of the camera so it's only natural that she be paid to do so!



Aric is busy working and taking care of his own house and all the things that go along with that. He is also attempting to get thrown out of stores every chance he gets by having too much fun there by playing like a child (or fun adult). I don't have any photos of his craziness like dressing up like a cat, so I'll just have to visualize it. We are looking forward to seeing him very shortly.



Auburn is working two jobs and in her little bit of spare time she does things like jet skiing. It's a rough life! I thought it was so sweet that the only thing she wanted for her birthday is for Austin to come and visit her. Who would have thought that they would actually pick to spend time together someday?



We are here, still soaking up the goodness of South Carolina. We are enjoying it and we are also looking forward to seeing our Florida kids soon!

New Pickleball Recruits

Yesterday I played pickleball all day long. As much as I love the sport, it is really hard for me to play for that long because I'm not in good enough shape to do it. Why did I play that much then? Because in the morning, I played with some of the regular players.



This is Carol, Austin, Lou and Buddy.

I just met Carol and Lou. I'm not sure how I just met them because they've known Austin and Nathan for years. Or most likely almost two years since that is how long we've been full timers. Buddy is someone I briefly met last year. This year I was able to get to know him better. I can't believe I missed not knowing Buddy better last winter because he is the best. He has a great smile, a great laugh and a great attitude towards life. He's pure sunshine. As much as I adore Buddy, he is not why I played all day long though.



This guy was:



That is Connor. He is one of our new pickleball recruits. He's about ten years old and he already plays almost as good as me. He rocks.



Then there is this guy:

That's Kelby. He's twelve and he was the first in the family to be sucked into the world of pickleball. He's awesome after only one day of playing. And he's really fun to play with. He's definitely worth playing past my physical comfort level!



Of course if they play, then Dad has to join in the fun.

Vern is not only great at the game already, he is one of the most entertaining people I've ever watched play. He dives, he spins, he runs in circles, and moves his feet like a skilled dancer. You just have to see it in person. In the meantime though, this gives you a taste of it:

I love it when we have new recruits. It is so much fun to play with them. Especially when they are as cool as these particular recruits.



Living the life in Florida!

Large Black Gourd Vase

Dungeness Crab, a must when visiting San Francisco

Before the trip, I knew about the ‘Dungeness Crab’ specialty in San Francisco, so I made sure that I treat myself to these delectable crabs. It is by far the most popular and most commercially important crab in the western states of America. A lot of people depend their living on this ten-legged creature, as well as the palates of many gastronomic sea food lovers, like me.

And although these crabs are not as massive as the king crabs you see on Discovery Channel’s ‘The Deadliest Catch’ series (I have watched this quite a few times, like, last night), they are still quite big for individual consumption. OK, maybe their size is just good enough =)

So where to go to get this sea fare goodness?

I like eating them at home or somewhere where it is not awkward to make your hands dirty and stinky, and your cheeks spattered with crab juice (eww, I know! haha), but for this Dungeness crab experience, I thought it’s best to eat them raw, right on where it was originally marketed, on the streets of San Francisco’s fishing harbour. That means heading off to the Fisherman’s Wharf.

There is a row of seafood stalls or crab stations that are still selling steamed Dungeness crab traditionally on the streets of the Fisherman's Wharf. Back then, crab food was for the poor, but this has changed nowadays when a piece of crab can fetch you $18, like my first crab order! Here, you can order your crab to-go or eat it on the spot while standing. There is also this ledge, a sill along the corridor where people can place their food fares and eat while they stand. Much better; I have actually done this =)

The other option is to sit inside a restaurant just beside the food stalls which was a no go for me as I prefer to be outside. Luckily, I found this crab station called Tarantino's located right on the main street with little coffee tables outside, thus on my second Dungeness crab for lunch (on a different day of course) I chose this place. Much easier to sit while eating than standing. The Dutchman who does not eat anything from the sea disappeared and scampered off to a nearby American fast food chain for some moo.

So what are my taste bud impressions? 5 Stars! Literally, I could not get enough of the Dungeness crab. So fresh, so meaty and just simply delicious.

In summary, the ‘Dungeness Crab’ experience is a MUST DO and MUST EAT when in San Francisco, unless of course you are like the Dutchman who is a sea food snob. He actually called me a ‘Crab Murderer’! Says it is hearltess of me to break the crab into pieces just to eat its white meat. I must admit though that on certain occasions I have similarly pitied the animals that met their fate on the human food chain, but tell me, what can I do when these yummylicious Dungeness crabs were actually beckoning, silently at me, saying, ‘Please! Eat me! EAT ME NOW!’—LOL.

Crab prices ($10 - $25 per crab) are based on weight, so the bigger it is, the more expensive.

Fotos of my Dungeness Crab experience:

Fresh Dungeness crab catches of the day. These are already steamed, thus are ready to eat.

Moi here enjoying my first Dungeness crab for this holiday.

The evidence against this crab murderer, haha.

The man who prepared my crab on the sea food stall, the Tarantino's where I had my second Dungeness crab on a different day of course, showed me the real thing:

These poor crabs are still alive and we actually saw them moving. Dutchman thought it was so sad. Aw.

Then they are thrown one by one into this big boiling water tanker to be cooked and then scooped out when ready.

Here are fotos of the rest of Fisherman’s Wharf sea food stalls and what they are selling:

Row of sea food specialty stalls or crab stations as they are popularly called locally. You have the option to eat the sea food fares outside while standing or sit in the restaurants inside or have them to-go.

The buzzing activity of the fish vendors in the Fisherman's Wharf . Many accept credit cards here as well, so convenient.

If you fancy Dungeness crab less, then you have a plethora of other sea food fare choices.

Tip: If you come very early in the morning at the Fisherman’s Wharf, you might see the fishermen at work in their fishing boats, as they unload their day’s catch at the marina.

I have actually wanted to do this but was too lazy =( to get my butt up very early in the morning. Helaas...

Quinta da Regaleira and Seteais Palace in Sintra

Oh boy, I was not really prepared to see all the grandeur and fantasy fairy-tale like parks in Sintra. I thought I will be seeing castles, palaces, stately mansions and that’s it, but little did I know that these estates have amazing out-of-this-world gardens—no that would be too modest—they have parks, HUGE parks! Sintra has a potpourri of nature and man-made parks that is so startlingly familiar—in my dreams, lol. It’s like those parks in Alice in Wonderland or Wizard of Oz but the stage pushed back to the medieval ages and with the abundance of nature, that’s what the parks are like in Sintra.



Well, what can I say, it really felt like I was in a different world... that I am peeking into a fantasy world. I guess when you are filthy rich you can afford to let your imagination run wild and make it come true. Like Michael Jackson (not a fan of his music though), he had Neverland.



Quinta da Regaleira









Just a ten-minute walk from Sintra town center, this luxurious four-hectare medieval-like estate is like a child’s fantasy dream come true.



The Quinta da Regaleira is an achievement of mythical dreams of the owner, António Augusto Carvalho Monteiro and his Italian architect, Luigi Manini.











This must be the 'Threshold of the Gods' or 'Ibis Fountain'. Beautiful fountains with chimerical creatures in the lavish park.









The colourful flower tile work detail on the royal bench in Manueline-Renaissance style located beside the cave.









Here is a lake with a grotto and a stone bridge, forgot the name but this is near the threshold of the gods.



The romantic palace is a remarkable concoction of Gothic, Renaissance, Roman and Manueline architecture styles and the ultra extravagant nature park includes a lagoon, caves, wells, grottos, bridges, a waterfall, mini-parks, hidden winding paths, a chapel, several towers, mini-castles, a tea house and a collection of exquisite Manueline inspired park accessories such as benches, fountains, gates and other constructions.



I would not be surprised if António Augusto Carvalho Monteiro, the millionaire who built this romantic, utopian and magical estate 100 years ago was probably under the influence of his bizarre mythological cultic fantasies. It’s said that he was into alchemy, masonry, the occult and the templar knights. Right, so that figures.















This is the entrance of the park.



Really—and this is not an exaggeration, Quinta da Regaleira, the palace and the park is simply astounding. My mouth fell open upon realizing that it’s a real residence with a four-hectare fantasy fairy-tale park. Someone used to live (whimsically) here before!



Seteais Palace



An example of Neo-Classical architecture in Sintra is the Seteais Palace built during the late 1700’s for the Dutch consul Daniel Gildemeester. Seteais Palace is less than a five-minute walk from Quinta de Regaleira.







The Seteais Palace was built by a Dutch man in the 1700's. It is now a luxury hotel.











The neo-classical arch is the focal point of the palace has the effigies of Prince John VI and Princes Carlota. A well trimmed labyrinth garden.



The monumental arch in the middle of the palace really stands out. It has the imperial crown perched on it with an effigy of the monarchs, Prince John VI and Princes Carlota and a Latin inscription below it, exclusively made for the royal couple as a tribute when they visited the estate sometime in the early 1800’s.



The palace is now a luxury hotel and a restaurant under Tivoli Hotels (I stayed with the sister hotel in the center of Sintra).