North through Coos Bay we settled for the night in Winchester Bay, Oregon. The Pacific Northwest fog and rain greeted us in the small coastal town.

Raining on the coast but apparently snowing on the I-5, says Patrick, the owner and friendly face behind Fishpatrick's Crabby Cafe.

Strange who you meet in the brief encounters while traveling. Patrick ran a warm, friendly restaurant with welcome hospitality to everyone. He made two weary travelers feel at home, and I noticed it was the same courtesy he extended to the Winchester Bay locals. In this moment he represented an ideal gentleman; a comforting demeanor that left a lasting impression…

As soon as it started to look familiar everything changed. At first far off storm clouds began to threaten the serene blue sky. Water sprinkled lightly on the road during the later hours of daylight.

The sun set as we drove through the coastal redwoods of northern California. Rain poured seemingly intermittent from the canopy of the giant evergreens.

I watched as the temperature dropped and remarked: "a couple more degrees and this type of rain would turn to snow."

Within seconds the familiar sound of rain drops ceased. Large clumps of white on the road. Snow.  Snow along the windy road by the oceans cliff. Perilous death seems just a foot away as the narrow road curves sharply in any direction. The trees lit up with white and the car sloshed through the ice and cold. A spectacular view teased my eyes like a Sirens call that I imagine might lead me to crash onto the rocky shoreline. It was amazing!

I suspect we shape our lives and world to fit our beliefs and our perceptions of reality.  Apparently a snowy windy road by the ocean surrounded by redwoods is my reality. :)

I feel like Jell-o. After a couple of days of driving through small
coastal towns we finally hit San Francisco. The sprawling hipster
metropolis seemed almost out of place juxtaposed with the quiet and
sparsly populated western coast.

The world seems abuzz amidst my tranquility. A blur of activity that
is as fascinating as any other naturally occuring phenomena. The same
ocean where elephant seals were milling lazily is now teeming with
people and lights.

We're staying in Sausalito and may wake early for sunset and the
photographic magic hour…

Traveling through Pismo Beach we wandered into a Monarch butterfly
grove. There were tens of thousands of butterflies clustered in the
trees. A beautiful display that is difficult to capture on film :)

Nothing is as one would expect, and I wouldn't have it any other way!
I took (and continue to take) plenty of pictures and will post in
about a week.

Got up to Monterey last night, and we're heading to Sausalito today!

I have decided to skip the normal holiday festivities and drive up the coast with a friend. We will drive from San Diego to Seattle hitting every coastal town in between.

We haven't really gotten far, in fact I’m still at my house. There's a relaxing tranquility in the air — my Mother told me it is because of the winter solstice that just passed; a time for peaceful contemplation. I couldn’t agree more!

This morning I took my coffee down to the beach, and I realized I’ve already left for this trip up the coast. The world seems vibrant and far less ordinary. Perhaps I shouldn’t ever come back. If I am the sum total of my experiences then perhaps this is who I am, what we should all be, far less ordinary.

I’m relaxing in Oak Harbor, Washington. Hanging out with Stacia and her family. It’s good to get away from your life occasionally and put things in perspective.

Eating four hard-boiled fertilized duck eggs followed by a bottle of beer isn’t as bad as you’d think. Never mind the four dead baby ducks, four hard-boiled eggs is gross even without duck fetus!

I took tons of pictures while in the Philippines and also in Hong Kong, more on this later, but for now, please enjoy the galleries!

Visited Troy, NY (near Albany) for the NEES/UCDavis/RPI Centrifuge Workshop. Learned how to use the RPI centrifuge for earthquake engineering research, and learned more about data acquisition and sensors (LVDTs, strain gauges, pore water pressure sensors, etc) than I’ll ever remember.

Centrifuge Panoramic – view pictures