Tag: Ron Erskine

On a recent weekday morning, two friends and I set out on what we called a guys field trip. For years, we have met weekly to do what old men do: drink coffee and talk about nothing. And we love it. We decided it was time for a road trip, a term that has a dramatically different meaning than it did forty years ago. After a fabulous meal at the Breakfast House, an inconspicuous but terrific cafe in San Carlos, we set out for Huddart County Park and a walk in the woods to burn off some of the Hollandaise sauce.

There is more to a natural landscape than meets the eye. We stand in awed reverence beneath Yosemite Falls or on the rim of the Grand Canyon. Who wouldn't? The grandeur is overwhelming. But what about those ho-hum areas that we pass without notice? Are those places empty wasteland, or do they hold some importance beyond our ken?

A couple columns ago, I wrote about the Aquila Loop Trail, a short loop near the Sierra Vista Open Space Preserve parking area. In that column, I promised to return to walk the longer loop that reaches deeper into the preserve.

In the world of writing, paths often overlap. People start careers in other professions then stumble into writing, either from a hardship, a hobby or an inner calling that surfaces later in life.

Last winter, I challenged you to join me on a climb up Mt. Tallac this summer. Judging from the attendance at our various prep hikes and the email and Facebook buzz I am getting, many of you have accepted the challenge. Last week, I took a detour on my return from Modoc County and climbed the mountain to refresh my memory.

Outdoors columnist and avid hiker Ron Erskine will lead a one-day class through Gavilan College that will take a small group into the remote back country of Henry W. Coe State Park.

Hallelujah, our downtown coffee shop is going to stay open in the evenings. Congrats and welcome to the new owners of the shop formerly known as Fifth Street Coffee and then Sue's. The new owners, Philip Willis and his girlfriend Tiffany Smith, already have leapfrogged the naming pack with the cool selection of "Dragonfly on Fifth." The logo should be awesome – as awesome as Willis' quote from our story: "I don't know what the heck I'm doing. But this is something I've been thinking about for a year now. I wanted to be involved, and be a part of the community." A spring grand gala is planned with new floors, seating, paint, and - yes - hours befitting a real coffee shop that will stay open until 9 p.m. Could this be a key sign that a downtown breakthrough is ahead?