Monday, May 31, 2010

Soldiers, Sinbad & Solitude


Memorial Day 2010
Day One Hiking the Sinbad Trail

Today-Memorial Day- is the first day of logging miles for Road Warriors 2010. Dave and I decided to start out close to home. The 9 mile Sinbad loop in Augustin Bernal Park is perhaps my favorite trail hike/run in Pleasanton as it is lined with wildflowers, ferns, bay laurel, views of the entire tri-valley and Mt Diablo. You run or hike uphill 1,200 feet all the way to the top of the ridge, but you are shaded much of the way with giant arching arms of oak trees and when you reach the bottom of Sinbad and cross the creek, you literally swim through trees drenched with mossy green dripping off lanky tree limbs. Walking here feels like living in the bayoo country of Louisiana.

Lots of mbikes today and I do like to mbike this trail too, but I realized when you whizz by too fast, you miss the absolute solitude that comes with just a footfall on the path vs the crunch of bike tires on rubble and dirt.

Today, I received another donation bringing me up to $250.00 for Wounded Warrior Project! This to me, is just incredible and I am so very thankful to my high school friends Susie and Jim Jaqua and Phil and Nancy Bement for catching the vision and caring as much as I do about supporting and remembering the sacrifice and service of our military men and women. You guys are truly awesome! I am very very grateful.

BTW, the flag pictured here belongs to my uncle, Gale Holbrook. It flies proudly 40 feet in the air in his backyard in Rapid City, South Dakota. He was stationed in China during WWII as a member of the Seabees.

1 comment:

  1. Started my miles yesterday, too. Surrounded on both sides by acres of vineyards. The weather could not have been more perfect.

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