Yolanda

Here's a windy path upwards on the backside of Mount Tamalpais. This was not taken by me at a section of the Yolanda trail, at Phoenix Lake. This reservoir park is located between the towns of Ross and Kentfield in the Marin.

Cappy, Lorrie, and I did the 4.4 mile loop this past Sunday in the height of sunshine. We met up with some cool mountain breezes, wild strawberries, baby pink roses, and a tree leaf that resembles bay leaves. To me, this leaf in particular smells like a dental office.

There was a slightly terrifying moment. At one point during the hike, we were on a narrow path under low hanging trees. Something huge was flying directly over our heads, expertly making its way through the branches with its 3-foot wingspan. Or at least that's what it seemed like to me. "It's a vulture!" Lorrie cried out. I had this sudden feeling of terror, like we might be crossing paths very soon with a carcass of some sort. It flew over our heads again. Cappy thought she saw another vulture! At a closer look, it seemed that the vulture's head and neck were red. Eewww. I decided that it was a slim flying turkey--which assuaged my fears. Thankfully we didn't see it/them again.

Next weekend we're heading out to the Palace of Fine Arts for San Francisco's 28th Annual Ethnic Dance Festival. We'll be cheering on my friends who will be dancing the P'ungmul, a Korean folk dance. Apparently, it is a dance that is associated with student activism. The only thing I've associated with Korean student activism is tear gas. I've walked through it three times on various occasions near Seoul National University. It will be good to replace this association with one less toxic.