2017 was a year of great snowfalls in the Sierras. But I couldn’t take full advantage of it since my winter season started with a knee injury, and the first thing that happened to me in January was knee surgery…. luckily for me it went well and in a couple of months I was back on the slopes:
While the knee was recovering, bicycling proved to be a great alternative to running and tennis
Bicycling allowed us to discover new trails and new beautiful places around the Bay Area.
Some good days in the spring allowed us to enjoy the Pacific Coast.
Point Reyes in mid-June was cold and windy but pretty as usual…
…while the town of Olema was warm, sleepy and reminiscent of the good old times:
The Russian summer was unusually cold, but I managed to get a beach day at Volga River:
A quick stop in Copenhagen on the way back was a delight:
The highlight of the summer was Iceland. It was cold, sometimes rainy, but the views and the food were great. Reykjavik turned out to be quite a fun city:
We saw a few glaciers and glacial lagoons
Climbed the Kristinantindar Peak
..and hiked along dozens of waterfalls on Skoga river:
…all that while meeting a bunch of very cool folks:
A quick stop in Edinburgh, Scotland, on the way back made us want to visit this city again
In September I went to Hetch Hetchy for the fist time ever, and it was absolutely stunning:
Bicycling around San Francisco Bay in the fall was also fun – we saw the salt ponds for the first time:
San Francisco treated us with the performance conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas at SF Symphony,
as well as with the archaeological exhibit at De Young Museum from the recent excavations at Teotihuacan:
We spent a weekend at the Union Inn in Volcano (for the first time in all these years!) :
A weekend in Yosemite in early November was a feast of fall colors, clouds and skies:
A few days in the tropical paradise of Turks and Caicos were a welcome break from the brutal Californian weather…
… while a warm Saturday in December made San Francisco feel warm and cozy:
Given the poor snow cover in the Sierras, the slow and easygoing Mendocino Coast is a great alternative getaway for the last days of the year.
Happy New Year! May the 2018 bring new hopes. joy and impressions into your lives!
M.
Mendocino Coast
December 31, 2017
Demerjee Photos and Blogs 
