Author Archives: AlphaRoaming

One of my favorite cycling loops is to park my car in Woodside or Portola Valley and do a nice counterclockwise loop over the Santa Cruz mountains! I park in either of two locations: the bottom of Windy Hill Open Space, … Continue reading →

There’s an interesting place, uphill from Soquel, CA, bordering the Forest of Nisene Marks State Park. It’s the “Land of Medicine Buddha“! They welcome quiet and respectful visitors to wander their interesting property. You can also use it for a … Continue reading →

A little different than my usual outdoor adventure blog post, but it’s fascinating to ***me*** and it’s ***my*** blog, so there! If you’re a techie who likes history, or an aging techie who isn’t sure if seeing familiar old hardware … Continue reading →

I recently found out about the “Byrne-Milliron Preserve”, just outside Corralitos. How could I not have known about this great place? It’s 402 acres under the ownership and care of the Land Trust of Santa Cruz http://www.landtrustsantacruz.org/category/byrne-milliron-forest/ (I found out … Continue reading →

Airplane crashes were much more common just a few decades ago than they are today, prior to more sophisticated navigation technologies. The hills in the San Francisco area are steep and often shrouded in fog. This has resulted in a … Continue reading →

Head south from Big Sur or head north from the Hearst Castle on California’s remote coast, between Los Angeles and San Francisco, and you’ll see these amazing views. Up close you’ll also see distracted tourists driving rented motorhomes at 30mph. Take … Continue reading →

On the first day after Daylight Savings Time ended, I was on the road at 6:00AM towards Henry Coe State Park. The lesser-known entrance from Bell Station, followed by 7 miles of gravel road, to the Dowdy Ranch Visitor’s Center, is … Continue reading →

I went on a fun and lengthy (~18 miles and ~3500 vertical feet) hike in Henry Coe State Park (http://www.CoePark.net) through some familiar terrain. http://www.strava.com/activities/208957413 The plan was to meet three other friends at park HQ at 8:30AM. Given that … Continue reading →

Back in January 2013 I was doing a little off-trail excursion in the hills above Cupertino, CA. I was following an old, overgrown, unmarked road just to see where it went and as a possible shortcut to another marked trail. … Continue reading →

When the going gets hot, the hot go to the coast! Love those NorCal “microclimates”! I was looking for a challenging bike ride, as well as something a little cooler than what Silicon Valley, or (ugh!) Henry Coe State Park … Continue reading →