When's the next time?



I'm posting again. Because I feel like it. And I can do what I feel like...

Living out here is really nice. Last Friday, it was a beautiful, sunny, 70 degree day in the city. Then Claire and I hopped into that old reliable Jetta and drove to the Sierras, the mountains. Now most folks from the Bay Area stop in Lake Tahoe when they "drive to the mountains." But we're just not satisfied with Lake Tahoe... it's not the Sierras to us. The real Sierras are a couple of hours down the 395; it's the Sierras of Mono Lake and Mammoth Mountain, of Bishop and the Owens Valley, of Happy Hour at Whiskey and Bachelor #6. They call it the Eastside.

We have fond memories of the Eastside, a place Claire and I have been visiting together pretty regularly since we've known each other (that's 5 years and counting). We're always drawn back. Maybe it's the good friends that serve as a convenient excuse to visit. Perhaps it's the stunning mountain vistas that lure the eyes in every direction. Or the alpen glow of a Sierra sunset, that brilliant, indescribable hue that inspired one admirer to dub these peaks the "Range of Light." It could be the countless opportunities for world-class outdoor recreation, the climbing, the skiing, the hiking, the scorching hot springing. Probably its the half price food and drink at our favorite apres ski and the dependable supply of PBR at the local Vons. A visit to the Eastside is something we savor: it's adventurous, it's nostalgic, it's invigorating, it's just too much fun. and it's always a shame when it's over.

A friend once quoted Greg Brown, "You can't have a cup of coffee with a landscape." Can't say if that's true or not. (I only drink coffee 1) after a nice meal, 2) if Claire orders one and we share it, or 3) if it's a free sample at Trader Joe's.) But I do know this: you can have a beer with a Sierra-scape. It's true. I've done it. And it's spectacular.

So that's all. I had a great time on the Eastside over the long weekend. So did Clairey.

We always do...