Berry Creek Falls

location: Big Basin State Park, California
distance: 11.89 miles

a fortuitously-timed search for plane tickets allowed me to escape the frigid wintery Wisconsin weather for a nice long weekend in San Francisco in mid-February. Andy had never been, though his only requested activity for the weekend, beyond relaxing, was to see "big trees." initially, I figured we'd head over the Golden Gate Bridge for Muir Woods and a leisurely walk throughout the national monument. being February, I figured the crowds wouldn't be too overwhelming.

as planning progressed, however, it seemed less convenient to head north to Muir to see redwoods - not the least because off-peak season public transit is understandably limited. we were heading south to Santa Cruz for dinner with a good friend of mine from college, for one thing, and for another a quick search for "good hikes near San Francisco" turned up a great list of options that did not include Muir Woods.

ultimately, we headed out for Big Basin State Park located northwest of Santa Cruz (a destination heartily endorsed by my Santa Cruz friend) on a twisty country road that kept getting narrower and narrower until the hairpin turns only left room for one very slow-moving compact-sized car at a time. I only half-remembered the name of the recommended trail, but a ranger was able to help us out when given our parameters of "afternoon hike of about 10 miles." he gave us an appraising look, glanced at the clock, and pointed out the Berry Creek Falls loop - a strenuous 10 mile hike that would take us past 3 waterfalls.

we got out of civilization somewhat faster than I anticipated and, consequently, were somewhat underprepared fuel-wise for a strenuous 10 mile hike. we picked up sandwiches (and a bag of what proved the best-tasting peanut butter M&Ms of my life) from the camp store before heading out on the trail.

as promised, there were redwoods - and lots of them. not the giant sequoias of farther north but impressive all the same, and many sporting blackened trunks or limbs from long-ago fires. the path roughly followed creekbeds, and had us climbing up and down slopes with regularity -- easy to believe the "strenuous" classification -- taking us from muggy, verdant, with thick undergrowth, to nearly arid ridgetops with exposed bedrock and sandy soil.

we took a break just shy of the midway point on a bench overlooking the namesake falls -- the first of the three we'd see. refueling helped a lot, as did the promise of more waterfalls and the hush of the redwoods and quieter trails as we returned back on what seemed slightly less-traveled trail -- or perhaps everyone else had gotten an earlier start and beat us out of the woods!

as incredible as the views, the hike took plenty out of us and we were both ready to take a breather once we returned to the car, and ready for a hearty dinner by the time we reached the wharf in Santa Cruz. but, as Andy put it, if we'd only done an 8 mile hike (which was probably about the distance where we decided we were about ready to be done) we wouldn't ever push ourselves to a point of exhaustion. and if we have any hope of keeping up with hiking, we've definitely got to keep pushing ourselves.

day 12: Bru na Boinne & Guinness

location: Bru na Boinne, St. James' Gate
transportation: passenger van to Bru na Boinne and back; back on foot in Dublin
distance: 7.78 miles
sights: Knowth, Dowth (from a distance), Newgrange, Guinness Experience
dining: giant eclair in the cafeteria of the visitor's center for "lunch" and tasty Mexican back in Dublin.

details: Bru na Boinne is one of my favorite tourist sights in Ireland. like Stonehenge but older and at least as impressive. there are three monuments at Bru na Boinne, situated in a bend of the River Boyne to the north of Dublin and west of Drogheda -- Newgrange, Knowth, and Dowth. on my first visit I opted for the Newgrange-only ticket, it being the most elaborately-restored of the sites. this time, however, we started with Knowth and were not disappointed.

after the guide showed us around the site, explaining the evolution of the sites usage and inhabitants, we had time to investigate on our, climbing to the top of the mound to survey the country with views to Dowth (the smallest of the mounds, which isn't currently open to the public), the Hill of Tara, and Slane Castle. Knowth itself is also surrounded by some 17 smaller mounds, as well as an impressive array of intricately carved kerb stones, which depict some of the best-preserved megalithic art in Europe.

while we could climb atop the mound, we weren't permitted down the passage at Knowth - over time, the top of the mound slid down the sides, which made the interior unstable. the entire mound was painstakingly dismantled in the mid-to-late 20th century for research purposes before being restored, but the structural integrity cannot be guaranteed and, thus, visitors are not allowed into the central chambers.

the opposite is the case at Newgrange. the mound has remained structurally sound since it was constructed and, while visitors aren't allowed to climb atop it, they are able to venture into the central chamber, where the guide offers a simulation of being inside the chamber at sunrise on the winter solstice, when sunlight comes over the top of the hill across the valley, enters through a small space above the passage entrance, climbs the passage and illuminates the room for some handful of minutes before disappearing nearly as quickly.

back in Dublin, the Guinness Experience is truly unique. it is unquestionably the most elaborate brewery "tour" I've ever encountered, with elaborate graphics to help explain the brewing process, and carefully plotted routes to keep the huge number of visitors moving to their ultimate goal -- a pint at the top of the building, probably with panoramic views out over Dublin. as we've both been through numerous breweries, the most interesting piece of the "educational" experience was that detailing the work and lives of coopers at St. James' Gate during the early 20th century. the skill and speed of the men who cranked out the hundreds and thousands of barrels necessary to distribute Guinness was astounding. and almost as interesting was the speed with the profession declined with the advent of stainless steel kegs - that such a valued, well-paid profession disappeared in the space of a few years is staggering to contemplate.

finally we reached the top of the building, turned in our ticket stubs for pints to enjoy while trying to find space along the windows to enjoy the aforementioned panoramic views. a fitting way to toast our time in Ireland.