Moving up the coast headed north...

Leaving Big Sur on the trusty BMW, Yessi and Brad are back on the road again.  They stay on the coast from the Big Sur area to Mendocino, where they stop for lunch and some exploration, before cutting over to I-5 for the long, boring haul home.

Brad & Yessi

Yessi & Brad on the Mendocino bluff

Stunning beautiful view of the Pacific Ocean from Mendocino bluff trail.

Many of the old water towers in Mendocino have been converted into shops and residences.

More Beautiful California Coast

Having been born and raised in California I have a tender spot in my heart for my home state.  There are still so many parts of California that are remote and wild and beautiful.  And, who can argue with the weather?  It's nice to see my son, Brad, get to know and love my home state, although we both are deep to the roots Evergreen State enthusiasts.

Hiking Big Sur certainly gave both Yessi and Brad a feel for California's central coastal landscape, both beautiful and brutal.   Brad has always expressed a huge preference for liking to be up high, and the PCT was too perfect.  Following the crest provided drop-dead stunning views  The lower elevation hiking, despite the ocean hanging out there, just couldn't compete.

As Brad tramped the wild coasts of California with Yessi, I did 24 days in Whidbey General Hospital.  I think he and Yessi had more fun!

Brad surveying the trail.  Brush made it brutal.

Yessi stopping for a break.

Brad and Yessi surveying the foliage, or is it looking for the trail?

Tawny grass and rock outcroppings complete the beauty of this scene

Wild and rugged

Yessi, Brad, Yucca, rock outcropping, and the Pacific Ocean all on a clear blue day.
 What's not to love?

Beautiful sky

Yessi and dbBrad -- so cute!

Yessi setting up camp.

Yessi searching for the trail

The Beautiful Tawny Hills of California

Hiking to record data for Green Trails Maps, in May dbBrad and Yessi were in Big Sur, California enjoying three weeks of very overgrown, burly and difficult trails.  Mostly nice weather but because of the difficult terrain very challenging.  Between the Manzanita and Poison Oak taking over the trails combined with no visual connection with the trail on numerous occasions, they earned every cent they were paid.  dbBrad can usually tick off 20 miles a day without too much effort.  At Big Sur, he was lucky to get 15, and often it was much less. 

Big Sur, CA hiking

Yessi & dbBrad looking very small in front of an old redwood snag

Beautiful sky over the Pacific Ocean

Brad loving the beach

The Pacific Ocean

dbBrad & Yessi hiking at Big Sur

Back home in my garden

This is the building that has dominated my life this past week.  An interesting turn of events Saturday morning, April 27 resulted in a quick visit to Whidbey General for emergency care.  The care was in the form of surgery, including a hysterectomy and removal of tumors on my colon.  The tumors were malignant but that bad news was followed with the good news that the cancer was Class 1, none of the 14 nodes were involved and there was no indication of escape.  After an eight day stay at the hospital, I'm home again, and what a glorious place home is!!

P.S.  Due to digestive tract adhesion, after spending three glosious days at home, I returned to the hospital for another 16 days.  More surgery!  I'm now home again recovering and loving my home and garden more than ever!

Whidbey General Hospital

This morning I wandered around the garden in pure heaven to be in this treasured place.  A garden and home for healing in amazingly beautiful 80 degree weather!

Tree Peony in full glorious bloom

Almost over but still beautiful, barberry in foreground with Eddy's White Wonder Dogwood behind it.

Solomo'n Seal

Pond with Camas Lily in bloom

Deciduous Azaleas at the base of the living room window

Happy Trails

Yessi arrived one week ago from China.  Today she and Brad depart for California.  They will quickly scoot down to California to meet friends of Brad in San Francisco.  From there they will be off the bike and into a car to continue south to the Pacific Crest Trail Kickoff.  After some PCT celebrating and hiking they will return to San Francisco, pick up the bike and proceed to Big Sur for a couple weeks of hiking.  Green Trails will be paying Brad to hike Big Sur to record trail miles and trail conditions for their maps.

Benton, Brad & Yessi onWhidbey Island 

Brad, Fran & Benton on Whidbey Island

Yessi, Benton and Brad all packed and just about ready to depart

Brad & Yessi driving away 4/24/13 @ noon

Working Vacation

Brad on the PCT

Brad hiked about 5,000 miles in 2012 completing three separate trails -- the Te Araroa in New Zealand, the Pacific Crest Trail in the United States and the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal.  And now, in April of 2013, he heads out again.  This first round of 2013 hikes will be in California where he will be hiking all the trails he can find in the Big Sur area.  He will be recording and mapping trail data for Green Trails so his hiking this summer will be a working vacation.   

Yessi getting outfitted for the Annapurna Circuit

Yessi arrives in Seattle from China on April 15 for a few days on Whidbey Island before she and Brad leave for California on the 23rd.   Once there they will meet a PCT friend of Brad's in the Bay area and proceed to the Pacific Crest Trail kickoff.   Hanging out there for a spell, including putting in a few miles on the PCT, Yessi and Brad will then head back north to Big Sur for a solid two weeks of hiking.  It was in New Zealand that Brad and Yessi first met.  

Later in the summer Brad and Yessi will again hit the trail for Green Trails, recording data for both the Olympic National Forest and Glacier Peak Wilderness.    Right now there is too much snow to even think about hikes in those areas.

Heart on the Trail will be in full heart-drawing operation again as Brad hikes and draws hearts to raise money for the Pacific Crest Trail Association and the American Heart Association.  

Fredley home on a foggy spring day.

Photo by Brad Hankins