The camping area is drive-in meaning you can bring as much as you want and not have to worry about over packing.  We kept it light with all our loyal REI supplies, especially my favorite which is the Quarter Dome 3 Plus tent.  It’s probably the best tent I’ve ever owned based on our criteria.  The “Plus” is not for us larger Americans but adds an additional 4 inches to the length of the tent, which really helps out for us tall people.

The first day we did a long hike, got lost, got found, and enjoyed a long day-hike in the woods.  One of the more interesting things we came across was this Newt Crossing sign.

I sometimes wonder if anyone what variety of signs exist out there.  My first thoughts were, “how will the drivers see them?”  Newts are rather small and even at 15 miles per hour I don’t see how a car driver could differentiate them from the concrete road.

None the less it was fun to peek out from the trees into this road-side view of the ocean and historic Highway-1.  We drove home over Hwy-1 and remembered why it’s important to drive slow.  The road twists and turns around the edge of the hill in such a way that there is little to no distance between the edge of the road and the cliff.  It is here that the wrong turn does not result in your car crashing into a ditch but reaching terminal velocity before splashing into the ocean.

The newt crossing was just around the bend from, I-kid-you-not-on-the-name, Steep Ravine Environmental Campground.  We didn’t stay here but by the photos you can see this is the place to stay.

I should remind you that in addition to a beautiful landscape and picturesque views, this area is very windy and thus rather cold even during the day.

Ok, back to the woods.

The redwood trees are most widely known for their gigantic size.  If you have not seen these before it’s really something of awe to stand beside a tree that is not only over 1,000 years old but also wider than the length of your car.  There is no doubt these are the king of trees, but what you may not know is that they have almost a personality about them.

Redwoods tend to grow in groups or clusters.  This helps them leverage the shade each brings and secure a more firm base.  If a tree or tree-cluster is blocking the light of another tree it simply grows around them. I’ve seen trees growing at a straight-diagonal or diagonal and then once they reach the light, straight up.

Hiking along Steep Ravine Trail you see many trees that exhibit an extreme resilience.  For example, this photo of me standing on a fallen redwood.  Although only about 25% of the root structure is still in the ground the branches of this tree are already sprouting into full-grown trees.

We saw another fallen tree where the branches had sprouted into even bigger individual trees.  All I could do is stop and think to myself how even with only partial root structure the single fallen tree was supplying water to the entire set of new trees growing out of its branches.

I can’t help but stare in amazement.

I really enjoy camping Mt Tam and will go back over and over.  A few friends have mentioned camping in Salt Lake City, UT which I would really enjoy.  Until then I’ll be camping in the beautiful backyard of San Francisco where there are plenty of new paths to hike and sites to see.  I hope you make it out this way and try some of the great camp grounds in the area.

Seattle Coffee Tour, originally uploaded by Mike.

Personally, I don’t care for costumes and would rather wear something comfortable, and maybe ‘smart’, than dress up.  At the last minute I pulled out a Mickey Mouse hat from a prior client engagement and a tunic I got in Abuja.  Suddenly I was Mickey Mouse from his star role in Fantasia, though everyone who passed me whispered “oh, a wizard.”  I suppose this is partially true, as Mickey did take on the wizard’s hat and become him for a short while.

You can check out everyone’s photos from the event on flickr or you can check out my personal photos from the event.

Alternatively, you can check out Julie’s photo blog and read up on the event.

I really enjoyed hanging out with the CaliberSF team and meeting lots of new people.

For the event I was shooting with the Nikon D300 which is a really nice camera.  I only recently learned how to do the basics but having those multiple focus points and the ability to manually adjust the ISO, f-stop, and other light gibbery-jab was lots of fun.

I even liked it when the photos came out over exposed like this one of Julie.

Although, one of my favorite sightings of the day was this mural by “Eddie”.  It’s located in Hayes Valley down the same alley as Blue Bottle coffee shop.  I snapped it with my iPhone camera so I could upload it immediately.  It’s the kind of stuff that reminds me of other paste-up artists like Bansky.

A recent trip of mine went from SFO to LHR to JNB (Johannesburg, South Africa).  Yes, that’s a 10.5 hour flight, then a 7 hour layover, then an 11 hour flight.  For long hauls like this you want to make your Economy (or ‘cattle class’ as some call it) be as nice a flight as you can.  We cannot guarantee you can replicate every amenity of First Class, but we certainly push the envelope of trying.

(Add comments and I’ll be sure to update this post with your suggestions.)

Items to replicate:

Space/Room

The first thing you will notice about First Class is the vast amounts of not only leg room but also fully reclining seats.  I can’t promise sleeper beds, but you can check out SeatGuru.com to find the best seats on a plane with the most leg room.  Simply look up the airline and plane you are flying.  For example, if you are flying United Airlines and know your plan is a Boeing 777 (because it says so in the itinerary) you can check out the best configuration for you.  This website will remind you that seats with the most room are usually in the bulkhead of the plane or emergency exit rows.  Also remember that the seats directly in front of the exit row do not recline.

Power

No matter how we tried, and without running a power cord from the lavatory to your seat, there is no real way to get power to your sear.  On the plus side, most international flights have in flight entertainment systems.  If you want to watch your own movie then be sure to bring a portable DVD player or rent one.  New lines of netbook style laptops have given rise to longer batter life.  Combine that with a spare battery and you’re golden.

Food and Beverage

Most airlines provide free alcohol to the entire plane on international flights, and rightly so.  But what about all those other delicacies the passengers in First Class always get?  The dinners, cheeses, wine, desert!  I don’t guarantee sizzling salmon or a fine fillet, but let’s see what we can get.

• Apple Stritzer: You want to start out with an “apple spritzer“, which is standard along with juices offered in the pre-flight resting period.  You can easily make this by adding 7-up to apple juice.  Both of these are available to economy passengers, but difficult to come by in the pre-flight procedures.  I recommend you buy your juice in the airport and mix it the moment you take your seat.
• Fruit & Cheese Plate: You want to bring various cheeses and fruit for later in the flight.  Nothing like a “fruit & cheese plate” made with fancy cheeses you picked up at your local grocery/cheese store and sliced fruit from the same.
• Snacks: I’m sure you’ll want to snack at times other than the prescriptive mealzeit.  I recommend dried fruit (peaches, raisins, apples, pears) along with some sweets (chocolate, gummy bears).  The smaller more bite sized the better.  Feel free to stock up at Halloween for trips like this.

Amenities

One of the hardest things to come by while hurling through the air in a big metal cylinder are the most elegant of amenities.  Let’s see how many we can recreate.

• Warm face towel: Now anyone can bring a face towel onto the plane but few can get it piping hot steamy the way it feels best.  The flight crew probably won’t give you access to the microwave, so how do you heat up your spa mask?  Take the towel into the bathroom and run the hot water until it steams.  Run your towel under the steamy water and remove excess water.  Close your eyes and enjoy!
• Vanity Kit:  Nothing is more luxurious above 40,000 ft (12,000 m) than a change of clothes.  The standard vanity kit should include the following: spare socks, sleeping eye mask, tooth brush/paste, moisturizer, and lip balm.  International flights typically provide the standard toothbrush/paste and eye mask, but imagine having a comfortable change of clothes for sleeping or just a different set of socks to snuggle around in.  You can pack these yourself or buy high priced replicas at the Flight 001 store or online.  I personally recommend bringing your own because they will be more comfortable and personalized than anything you can buy or be gifted.
• Packaged wet towel: Sure you may be able to request one of these in-flight and the crew may give one to you but one never wants to leave sticky fingers to chance.  It is essential that you bring a few of these with you for cleaning your fingers after a nice cheese and fruit snack that you created yourself.
• Neck pillow: Ones ability to sleep on the long-haul flights is paramount to you enjoying the time you get on the ground.  One of my most valued in-flight possession that I bring with me even for short trips is the neck rest air pillow.  Many airports and travel stores will sell you the beaded ones but these take up space and do not collapse into your luggage well making them ostensibly useless for the compact traveler.  I recommend finding the air inflatable kind that you can adjust to the level of firmness you desire and still fold up as a slim carry-on.  If you know you will not sleep, check with your doctor if they recommend Ambien (zolpidem).  Beware because this will typically knock you out for a solid 7+ hours.

Added Bonus

Sure we want it all and want it now, but let’s get a little realistic about travel items.  Perhaps even the laptop-as-DVD-player mentioned above may fall into this “bonus” category were it not for the fact that for many of us techies it’s an extension of our body.  Let’s take a look at some first class bonus items.

• Noise canceling headphones: Anyone who has traveled first class will recognize the noise canceling headphone specially made for making you feel like an individual, alone in flight.  So why not pack your own and rid yourself of that crying baby, snoring neighbor, or simply the chatty person to your left.  There are many styles but I always check out the C-NET reviews (July 2009) prior to making a purchase.  Smaller ones are easier to travel with but also more costly.  This is a decision about how much a bonus you want to make of this item.

(Add comments and I’ll be sure to update this post with your suggestions.)