Courtyard By Marriott Chico

Hey everyone,

I made it back from Hong Kong to San Francisco today on a 12 hr. non-stop flight. My adventure through China was something I will always remember and I hope that you enjoyed reading little tid-bits from my experiences there.

- Michael

... place for new ferns and other trees to take root. Add to that all of the weird "burls" that hang off redwoods and the other cool plants, and you had a mysterious kind of fantasy world. We had fun. Just the three of us. Alone on the track. Zac is at his most content in this scenario. He never wants the hiking to end. Call it a walk and you are almost certain to hear him moan about it. Call it a hike and he could go all day. We will ...

... is Beijing. Don't forget to leave comments as you read the blog entries and also sign my Guestbook. I hope all will enjoy checking this from time to time as I provide updates of my travels!  This map gives a rough idea of where my travels will be taking me.

Well, it's been a week of little happenings and big experiences. I have, as expected, had a wonderful time in Chico. Days have been spent in a relaxed, almost lazy, fashion. Donna is of course an excellent host. Her cooking would rival any chef and I have been treated to meals that would rival anything found in your favourite restaurant (well that is unless your favourite restaurant is of the vegetarian nature). Duck Breasts with Orange Sauce ...

... travellers tended to be a little bit more , hmm, interesting than the first half. I had a firefighter from Seattle talk my ear off for the next 2 hours, which was all well and good. And before you say it he was an old firefighter. Let's not go there. I arrived in Chico just before nine, right a Donna bounced out of her truck and came scooped me up. Not much else to report for the night... relaxation ensued. And so another week of hanging with a good and happy friend begins. Hurrah!!!

... br>Anticipating icy roads after nightfall, we hurried through mountains to arrive in Chico around 8pm. We stayed in what used to be the cheapest hotel in the downtown, known as the Thunderbird. We found out that they are under new ownership, and therefore the whole place is under renovation. We ended up staying there for $55, and in a brand new room, no one has used before! Pretty awesome--aside ...

Wake up to a sunny day and we depart at 9:30 with our sites set for Corning. We navigate through the mountain passes with no problem. Roads are clear with some snow on the sides at the highest of elevation. (I think something like 4500 feet, which is the highest point on the whole I-5 system). We are now traveling in this caravan formation. Quite good for us as this is the first time we have done this part of I-5 in the winter. Our first rest stop is at ...

... as some parts from a bearring. That's it: At 136'006 km on the counter, my new friend Adam at the campground helped me to load the bike on his pickup and to transport it to the Workshop in Chico. Since 2 weeks a was able to watch to the master of the workshop himself, how there was almost a entire revision done at my bike. Like supposed: The driveshaft was broken at a point of the lower universaljoint and just about to be broken completely!! According ...

We woke yesterday morning from our naps and made our way back over to UA College of Optical Sciences at 9:30 AM to tape their extensive collection of early telescopes. The curator of the collection is Dr. John Greivenkamp; he was extremely helpful and excited that we were taping the wide variety of instruments for the production. The forty or so pieces range from small 1700 ...