Looking Back - 2016

Wow. It's January again. Another year has gone by, one of good times: The family is thriving; there was a wedding; backyard barbeques; road trips; an epic journey through the High Sierra. I rendezvoused with long-time amigos—desperados, all—in the Utah desert. I taught my grandson the nuances of mountain-biking. And I can still out-sprint by three-year-old granddaughter. Barely. (They don’t call her Flash Hayden for nothing.) On the home front, Terry taught another GATE class, while I, on the other hand, tried on the new skin of a retiree. Yep. Now what? It was weird. But as Albert Einstein once expressed: “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” So I did a lot of riding. And you know what? He’s right. So without further ado, here are a few photos that recap the year…





W i n t e r   R o u t i n e

I began 2016 as the new House Chef, starting with Mac & Cheese and expanding my repertoire from there. So far I’ve been able to keep the wife happy with my culinary learning curve, but… Um. What’s in the tumbler, you ask? Irish whiskey. I found that it goes with anything I cook. Bon appetite!

Heather picked up mountain-biking last winter and she's a natural. This ride was in Chino 
Hills, my backyard playground. If I wasn’t working on projects around the house, I was out 
here riding. 

My grandson Logan also took to the trails for the first time. The lad learns quick. No fear.

Terry had always said I could learn something in her class, so now that I’m retired, I decided 
to take her up on it. I sat in the back row, praying that she wouldn’t call on me to answer one 
of those new-fangled math problems. On Fridays, I’d bring her lunch and stay the afternoon 
to help out. These are 5th grade GATE students. Bright kids. One of their big projects of the 
year was to design and build paper roller coasters (a marble acting as the car), taking into 
account kinetic forces and static/dynamic loading. I was into it as much as the kids—not to 
mention the teacher was cute. I got her phone number.   

S p r i n g   F e v e r

We spent Ter’s spring break hiking and cycling in the mountains outside Tucson, Arizona. She has a big smile on her face because her knee surgeon had just given her the green light to pursue any activity she pleases. No more restrictions: her knee is completely healed. I, however, am exhibiting some consternation, fully aware that we’re being stalked by a giant Saguaro.

Ter charges down the Mount Lemmon Highway. From Sonoran desert to Ponderosa pines,
this Tucson ride is not only touted as one of the toughest hill climbs in the country, but also 
one of the most scenic. The ride down was fast and exhilarating. However the long ascent... 
Kicked. Our. Butts. But that’s okay—we were back again as a duo, pushing hard.

These are my adventure amigos, Kevin, Patrick and Rick, pondering the trail map on where to go from here. In April, the four of us rendezvoused in southern Utah for some biking and exploring. We camped in Zion, one of my fave National Parks.

Lining up the next drop on Gooseberry Mesa near Zion. 

This is Antelope Canyon in northern Arizona. On our last day together, Kev, Patrick, Rick and I ventured into Navajo country to explore this amazing slot canyon. Next to the High Sierra, the Desert Southwest is very dear to my heart.   

May 4th – Day One of my Tour de California road trip, parked off SR 168 with a commanding
view of the Eastern Sierra. My goal was to bag some stellar road rides across this beautiful
state, starting here in the high-desert sage below Westgard Pass. Drive and ride. That was
the plan. I went on to ride in Truckee (in a rain squall), Sonoma County (with a bad cold), the
Big Sur coast and Lompoc. More importantly, I left town with a dozen bottles of wine, two
cases of beer and three gallons of Margaritas stowed in the trunk, which I was transporting
north for the rehearsal dinner for Doug and Bri’s wedding, just three days away. Yep. Have
booze, will travel.

Doug and Brianna were married in Truckee on May 7th. It was a wonderful wedding and celebration. Good times. Now we have a daughter-in-law and she’s a sweetheart. 

For the mother/son dance, Doug played Patsy Cline’s Walkin After Midnight. It was an apt homage to all those years of driving up to Lake Tahoe with his mom invariably playing her Best of Patsy Cline CD on the stereo... Twice... Okay, more than three times... Both there and back.

My girls, Heather and Allie, are doing fantastic. I love these ladies. We got together here to celebrate granddaughter Hayden’s and my birthdays.

We gave this T-shirt to Hayden for her birthday. Pretty much sums it up.

S c h o o l ' s   O u t !!

Randi and Kevin spent a week on Kauai, exploring paradise, relaxing on sunny beaches... and getting engaged!!  

The epic trip of the year was hiking the John Muir Trail. After many months of planning, we 
started out on July 17th, hiking 196 miles in twenty days, crossing over twelve high passes, 
a total of 35,800 feet in elevation gain and 37,300 feet in elevation loss. It was an incredible 
journey through the High Sierra.

Living it up on the JMT. John Muir once said that “Going to the mountains is going home.” We couldn’t agree more. This shot was taken on Mather Pass, elevation 12,100 feet. 

We had been on the trail for eleven days when we rolled into Muir Trail Ranch, where we 
had reserved one of their rustic cabins for the night. This resupply outpost is off the grid, 
five miles in the backcountry, and to us, it was paradise: scrumptious meals; private hot 
springs and hot showers. Ahh, the blessed life of a thru-hiker.

Two weeks after returning from our JMT hike, I was biking in Chino Hills, shooting out of the final turn of the ride, when a bee stung me on the face. It caught me off guard and down I went. Hard. My left shoulder took the brunt of the impact, inflicting a serious AC joint separation. This effectively sidelined me for the rest of the year. Not a happy camper. 

F a l l  &  H o l i d a y s

The Loganator wields his brawn during our annual October visit to Oak Glen; a fun day with the grandkids, rambling through pumpkin patches and apple orchards. They bring out the kid in me. 

We got together with my girls, CJ and grandkids on the Sunday before Christmas. It was a 
nice, intimate gathering. Terry cooked an amazing dinner (she's the real chef in the house).   

Allie tries to get Miss Hayden to sit still long enough for me to snap a photo.

Not an easy task.

Gotta get this kid a talent agent.

Christmas Day was spent at home with Ter’s kids, along with new daughter-in-law Bri and 
future son-in-law Kevin. The family is growing! And once again my dear wife prepared a 
delicious meal.

We wrapped up the year at Lake Tahoe, getting in three days of skiing. This was our first time on skis since Terry tore her right ACL in 2014, and her rehabbed knee gave her no problems, performed well (Woohoo!). New Years was celebrated with the Mulcahy clan at Beth & Tom’s mountain chalet in Truckee. Merry times were had by all. What a year. And we look forward to more good times with friends and family in 2017! 

M o r e   S t u f f

View the Best of 2016 photos on my Flickr page by clicking HERE

Below are the Trip Report blogs...
Down Tucson Way
Rendezvous in Zion
Six Bike Rides and a Wedding

John Muir Trail 
     Part One
     Part Two
     Part Three
     Part Four