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Dumpling Party
A group from Hangzhou came to visit Loma Linda University, and we invited the group, as well as friends connected with the Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, to come over for a dinner of homemade dumplings.
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Courtyard Rabbit Shoot
This rabbit looked like it was having a hard time figuring out how to get out of the courtyard. Being stunned by confusion, it turned out to be an easy target. Within an hour of being shot, ants converged on its eyes.
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Ediza and Minaret Lakes
On Thursday, we pack up and head to New Shady Rest Campground just outside the town of Mammoth. For dinner, we have cold soba noodles. The next morning, we shuttle to the Agnew Meadow trailhead and begin our hike. Our semi-loop trip takes us around Shadow Lake to Ediza Lake, where we spend our first…
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Residency Graduation and Educator of the Year
David Downs, Mark Schramm, Bat Smith, and Shane Williams graduated from residency. I was honored to receive a juniper bonsai with a plaque for Educator of the Year 2007.
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North Carolina and Tennessee
The American Orthopaedic Association meeting takes place in Asheville. Between meetings, the Jobes and I visit the Biltmore estate grounds. Over the weekend, I hike about forty miles within Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I first hike out to Charlie’s Bunion along the Appalachian Trail. One major day hike takes me along Palmer Creek Trail…
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Zion Narrows
Chad, Kevin, and Armando meet me bright and early on Thursday morning. We load up Armando’s car and head out to Zion National Park and find our site at the Watchman Campground. We inch along the trail’s knife edge through dizzying switchbacks to Angel’s Landing for a panoramic view of the park. This trip had…
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Jonathan’s Graduation Weekend
Jonathan graduates this weekend. It is like a family reunion. The weekend starts with the Friday night hooding ceremony. As usual, commencement is festive. We have the post-graduation party at the patio just above the soon-to-be pond.
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Bamboo Shoot Party
It’s now bamboo shoot season. From the way it looks, this is probably golden bamboo, Phyllostachys aurea. After picking, slicing, peeling, and blanching, we made bamboo shoot salad.
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New Zealand with Shane
This afternoon, we got back from New Zealand. It was absolutely amazing. Last Monday, March 5, I went to work in the morning and saw some patients in clinic. After that, I quickly ate lunch and went out to REI to get a pair of trail runners and a day pack. The traffic was very…
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Routeburn Track
The trail up to the Routeburn Flats wasn’t too bad. Everything was covered in moss and ferns. There were some spectacular waterfalls. At the hut, we dropped off some of our gear. We forgot to print our tickets, but the warden took our names and radioed the information for confirmation. We then proceeded up to…
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Greenstone-Caples Track
The Kinloch Lodge receptionist suggested that we hike the Greenstone-Caples Track. The Lake Rere Loop was very accessible. We left at 16:30, and the route along waterfalls and lake took about four hours. At the road, during our return, we encountered sheep being herded in for the night. That was comical.
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Puerto Rico for the AAHS
Mark, Shane, Chad, and I went to Puerto Rico for the American Association for Hand Surgery meeting, which took place at the Westin Rio Mar Beach Resort. We left Tuesday morning, and after all the traveling, we arrived at the hotel after midnight. On Wednesday and Thursday, we spent some time in the meetings and…
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Winter Masquerade
This evening, we had the Winter Masquerade, on the top floor of the west wing. We had a good time, and it was a nice house-warming occasion as well.
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Black Canyon Upstream
The kayaking trip to the Black Canyon was spectacular. The weather was perfect, and the hot springs were very nice. We arrived Friday night, stayed at Lake Mead, and then kayaked all the way from Willow Beach to Arizona Hot Springs. After dropping off our stuff, we proceeded to go upstream to the sauna cave.…
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First Time Hiking San Gorgonio
The hike today was spectacular—above the clouds! It was harder than I thought. I’m exhausted. Even though I’ve done so much hiking in California, this was my first time up this local landmark.
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Coyote Skinning
Two days ago, I started skinning the coyote, with the help of Ryan and Jeremy. One of the secretaries picked it up near Lake Arrowhead and handed it to me in Home Depot’s parking lot. It was road kill. After skinning and scraping, I salted it. Then, I brain-tanned and smoked the hide.
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June Lake and Yosemite
This evening, I returned from a long trip away from home. It’s nice to be back. On Tuesday, I hiked up the trail above June Lake and Gull Lake. Yost Meadow was beautiful. That afternoon, the rest of the group joined me. There was Uncle Ben, Andrew, Lynette, Wing, and Gabriel. I gave devotion on…
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Desolation Wilderness
On Sabbath morning, we left and headed to Eagle Falls campground, where we parked. Joe had to go get an overnight parking permit while we waited. Anyhow, we made it for the 11:00 shuttle bus to Meeks Bay where our hike began. After an initial stretch of flat trail, the terrain became an incline. We…
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Lake Tahoe MSIS Meeting
The trip up to Tahoe was really long. Joe Bowen drove very slowly and carefully. Sometimes, it was painful. Anyhow, we got to the Resort at Squaw Creek and made it to the first dinner for the Musculoskeletal Infection Society. I served as President this year. The idea of having meetings in the mountains came…
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Rabbit Hunt
The rabbit pests are out, and they seem to be multiplying more and more. My fiberglass recurve bow from college days still works well.
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Mammoth to Thousand Island and Garnet Lakes
On Friday last week, we headed up to Mammoth Lakes. We stayed the first night at the Pine Glen group campsite number 7. The next morning, we set out from Agnew Meadow. Our group consisted of me, Sean, Sean’s mom and aunt—Nancy and Deborah, Kevin, Ryan, Brad, and Armando. The hike to Thousand Island Lake…
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Black Canyon Downstream
We just got back from kayaking the Black Canyon. It was with Alice, Wing, Alvina, Rosebud, and Ryan. Laisum and Jayce canceled because they were sick. This time, we started from Hoover Dam and visited some of the points of interest further upstream. The sauna cave was nice, but I especially enjoyed the hot shower…
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Epic Christmas Trip
We had an epic Christmas vacation! On Sunday, Christmas morning, we drove up to Monterey. The drive was nice, and the scenery was beautiful, especially around the Pebble Beach area. We had Chinese food for dinner. The next morning, I went out for a run—just after a night of rain. The air was refreshing. After…
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Zion in Autumn
This last weekend in October was spent visiting beautiful Zion National Park during the peak of fall color. The highlight was Kanarra Creek and the slot canyon carved by this stream.
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Horseshoe Meadow to Whitney Portal
The trip began on September 15. After spying Whitney summit from the Lone Pine Ranger Station, Ryan and I got car shuttled to Horseshoe Meadow. From there, our trip took us to Chicken Spring Lake, Guyot Creek and Pass, Crabtree Meadow, and Guitar Lake. We had the most spectacular sunset at Guitar Lake, and the…
