the Get Rolling Orbit

It was an epic winter

• The Sierra Nevada ski areas near Tahoe had record snow, record crowds and record traffic jams — good thing our leased cabin is south of the entrances to Squaw Valley USA and Alpine Meadows.
• We both worked during Christmas week but hit 30 days after a trip to Mammoth Mountain, which stayed open through July 4th
• [Photos in our 2017 highlights album]

Spring was especially gorgeous for hiking and backpacking

• Flooding and erosion from winter storms didn’t impede us from hiking green local hillsides
• Enjoyed a chilly campout at the Juniper Campground halfway up Mt Diablo [Juniper photo album]
• Spent three weekends backpacking in the Sierras, where spring wildflowers bloom well into summer
• [Photos in our 2017 highlights album]

Family events superseded political ones

• Attended grandson Dylan’s wedding over a fun-filled weekend
• Went to Reseda for Uncle Fred’s 90 and joined Dan’s cousins at their favorite coastal RV site
• [Photos in our 2017 highlights album]

A skate tour and cycling made a busy summer

• Liz skated and Dan biked ~18 mile per day on the Zephyr Adventues 20th Reunion Ohio Skate Tour
• Biking with Team Chevron, the distances got longer and the hills got steeper (and we got skinnier!)
• We made good time biking the 60-mile Veterans Victory Velo (V3), a worthy fund raiser
• Cycled up and down Mt. Diablo road, much safer this year due to cyclist and ranger collaboration
• [Photos in our 2017 highlights album]

Thanksgiving weekend with Dad

• Rather than cook, we dined outdoors at Cafe Roma in San Luis, where it was in the 80s
• On Saturday we nearly got Dad’s 4X4 stuck in the sand at the Friends of Oceano Dunes tent. They provided a birthday cake and speeches to get folks interested in preserving off highway vehicle use there.
• [Photos in our Thanksgiving weekend album]