Mama Arrives!

...and then sleeps for 14 hours.

Rachelle finished up her work in the Berkshires and managed to get an earlier (6 AM) flight out of Albany. She was due to arrive in San Jose around noontime ad would be driving a tiny rental car (super cheap deal) from the airport to our campground (about a hour's drive). Keiko and Amaya were totally amped up about her arrival. We didn't have any plans for the morning. Just a time to recharge before Mama arrived. We slept late and walked to the Pine Tent for pancakes—as big as plates. We borrowed a real volleyball from the activity center and played on the grass court for about an hour as the morning fog burned off to reveal a stunningly clear day.

The only (minor) bummer about Costanoa was that there was no cell phone service and the campground WiFi coverage was spotty and unbearably slow. I discovered that if I walked to the very front of the property and sat under the welcome sign, I could get a semi-reliable signal. This was a relief, because Rachelle didn't know exactly where we were and I was able to email her directions and let her know that she wouldn't be able to contact me by phone. It's pretty funny that once you start to rely on the instant mode of communication and navigation that the smart phone provides, it's surprisingly disturbing when it's not available. I had hoped to catch up on my blogging, but instead ended up taking advantage of this off-the-grid situation to spend more time enjoying the natural beauty of the place. Not such a bad thing.

Rachelle arrived in her nano-compact car, we had lunch together—finally cooking up some of those Costco tamales—and Rachelle was fading fast. She had spent the last week putting in extra hours at work, coordinating a special group trip to the James Taylor extravaganza at Tanglewood, and preparing our garage loft apartment for new tenants—who would be caring for all of our animals during our trip. She was whipped. Rachelle and Amaya had settled in to watch a movie together in the RV bedroom and before long Rachelle was out for the count. Keiko, however, was full of energy and acting like a kook. She needed to get her ya-yas out.

Keiko Billy Goat

I needed to get some exercise and it was a beautiful day. There were well-kept walking trails on the property and Keiko agreed to join me for a hike. We decided to take the trail up to an overlook in the hills. The scenery was beautiful and we saw some cool wildlife. In fact, at one point on the hike, Keiko walked around a sharp corner in the trail and let out a startled "aaahhh" when she brushed up against a wild deer that was grazing on the path. It took off like a shot and scared the crap out of both of us. Pretty cool, though. 

Hiking In The Hills Behind Costanoa

Signpost Up Ahead

The Keiki Trail

Flowering Nastiness

At the overlook, someone had built a little bench so we spent some time there soaking in the view. It was a 3+ mile loop and we hiked for over an hour, total.

View from the Overlook

Enjoying the View

Meadow View of the Hillside

View Back Toward the Lodge

The Garden Path

Every time I return to Northern California, I am reminded of the special smell of the place. The pine and eucalyptus and grass combine to produce an odor that instantly transports me back to my days at Stanford. Mercifully, with the passing of 16 years, the traumatic memories have mostly faded and now I can appreciate what a cool place the Bay Area was live when I was in my 20s. It still amazes me that you can be surrounded by people and traffic in suburbia at one moment and then, after a 15- or 20-minute drive, you can be in a completely remote area alone with only nature and your thoughts. Here we were, just 30 or 40 miles away from San Francisco, but it was like we had the whole California coast to ourselves. Pretty awesome.

Coastal View