Sunday 23 March 2008

Buddies, Bikes & Big Wheels

Okay, now that the first group of NZ pics are up, I can get to sharing with you guys the things that have happened since then. I got up to a few things the past 2 weekends that have been documented in photos for all of you to enjoy. Observe:


Last weekend, I had the opportunity to enjoy some yummy Xiaolongbao at a Chinese Restaurant in the Cupertino/Mountain View area. Sadly, this only marks the third time I've eaten at a Chinese restaurant in the Bay Area. Hopefully I'll continue to have more opportunities to eat more Chinese in the future. Anyhow, the dinner party included Myself, Raymond, Diana, Nick, Jeff & MaryAnn.

Foxhollow's Finest.

We also made it down to Palo Alto the next day to try the food at the Creamery in Palo Alto. Here's my Corned Beef & Scrambled eggs in the foreground plus my strawberry shake in the background. Great breakfast food & shakes means I'll be back here at some point to enjoy some more tasty food.

And finally, to conclude what was a most entertaining weekend, we gathered at Nick & Diana's for Chinese Hot pot (and some American Idol/Rock Band gaming). L->R (and alternating rows): Linda, Raymond, Diana, Yatman, MaryAnn, Me, Jeff & Nick. Below the group, you can see the food simmering away nicely as we prepare to devour it.

So, with all that fun last weekend, this recently concluded weekend had a lot to live up to. It delivered quite well in different ways. First off, on Saturday Travis & I did a mini bike tour of the Presidio. Here we are at the northern end of San Fran looking into the Bay (behind me, you can see the Golden Gate Bridge).

Since I blocked it out in the last pic, here's a better view of it before we decided to ride our bikes across it.

And on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge, we have a beautiful view across the Bay to SF city.

And one of the Bridge looking back towards the SF side. We rode back across the bridge and wanted to continue to Bakers Beach but sadly Travis' front tire deflated spectacularly on a downhill section prematurely ending our bike tour. No matter as we were pretty hungry at that point and we met up with Kim for some tasty sushi @ Red Box in SF city (apologies, it was really dark in there and not too suitable for pics). Since I can't seem to avoid it here in the Bay Area, after our seemingly authentic (and delicious mind you) sushi meal, we discovered that the sushi chef spoke Cantonese. Go figure. More power to the Bay Area and another minus point for LA.

And finally earlier today, it was the annual Bring Your Own Big Wheel race which happens every year on Easter Sunday. If you're not sure what a big wheel is, Daniel is sitting on one on the left and Erin, on the right, has a similar style of trike that lacks the signature big, front wheel. People in this race don't need to ride a big wheel, but the general rule is that the vehicle of choice should have plastic wheels to maximize the lack of turning ability. What might participants in this race do you ask?

They ride it down a twisty, steep hill in a large pack. Check out the video below if you require further explanation.



Daniel in full flight down hill during the first heat.

Daniel racing down hill in heat two (he's the last guy in the group of three led by the pink wheeled dude).

Daniel waving at the camera in heat three while other competitors walk up the hill.

In heat four, Daniel's friend Bill decided to chuck a frisbee at him and miraculously, he caught it. Just imagine how good Daniel is at catching frisbees when he's not busy guiding a big wheel down a steep & windy road!

Look at all these crazy people who have nothing better to do on Easter! It was pandemonium and also one of the most interesting things I've ever had the privilege of witnessing in person.

And on the final, encore run, Daniel does a shaka for the camera. You can't really see it cuz he's moving so damn fast.

I bet you've never seen roof racks used in this manner before. Wicked ride Dan. Not only did he survive without serious injury, his big wheel lives to race another year! Hopefully it will be back next Easter bigger, badder and more carbon fibered!

To top off the day, we BBQ'd at Bill's place in the city. The grill was on the roof and while we were up there, I got a chance to have a look at this breathtaking view. The city is quite lovely in the twilight (more minus points for LA).

I hope you all enjoy this post because I sure did enjoy all the things that you've seen above. Until next time, take care folks!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

haha tricycles are so cute