Upper San Leandro and Stephen's Creek, CA
May, 2012
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Honestly, California "kicked our butts"!! We worked non-stop trying to overcome scheduling conflicts, two job-sites, a split crew, etc. But somehow, we still managed to find some fun things to do and great places to eat!
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| One very enjoyable Sunday was spent wandering around San Francisco. There were 400 steps to climb through lush "hidden" gardens to get to the top of Telegraph Hill and the destination point of Coit Tower. Lovely views any way you turned!
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You can't be a tourist in this area without wandering around Fisherman's Wharf and seeing the street artists, musicians, and sea lions. We finished the day with a fabulous dinner at the family-owned restaurant, Scoma's (http://www.scomas.com), where the food and the service are impeccable!!
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Relaxing evenings had us surrounded by great music, wonderful home-cooked meals, and old friends.....
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Mountain biking is a perennial favorite when it comes to the MEI crew, and CA had a lot of great places to ride (details to follow when they are made available).
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Other outtings included prospecting for gold in Jamestown, California, where the motherlode was struck in 1848.
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One Saturday afternoon after work found us driving several hours to the Dinky Lakes Wilderness Area of the Sierra National Forest. After a cold night of sleeping in our vehicles, we were able to hug some Redwood trees, and get in some hiking.
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Nestled on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada, there were breath-taking views everywhere! We started at Courtright Reservoir, and aimed for a gem called Cliff Lake. Three people went on to summit the 3 Sisters Peak at 10,619 feet above sea level -- and they did some rock climbing too!
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| We made an earth-shattering discovery with a new wine -- Earthquake -- at least it was new to us! A restaurant that we went to twice in Castro Valley was the Full Belly Chinese Restaurant, which had the largest lazy-susan's we had ever seen! Another favorite in Pleasanton, which we ate at more than once was Strizzi's (www.strizzis.com/ptown.html).
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Of course, the evening we hold in the highest esteem was our night at Alex and Marcia's house! With unforgettable sunset views of the Golden Gate Bridge and downtown San Francisco all lit up at night --the setting could not have been more perfect for the fabulous meal, lively conversation, and foot-tapping music that we all enjoyed!
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