Olomana Hike

Gina had a long weekend due to a state holiday, so I took a few days off and flew out to Hawaii. We spent some time with her parents and classmates, ate the usual meals, and got some wedding planning done, but the highlight was the Olomana hike on Saturday.

Apparently, Sherrie has never gone on a hike of any kind with the group, but we somehow convinced her to join us, and I must say, she has great timing. This wasn't your run-of-the-mill stroll through scenic woods with the occasional incline. It had a few rocky climbs, supplemented by ropes, and lots of other fun obstacles.

Our encounters with the first couple of climbs:



Here I am making my way up one of the bigger climbs of the day. Annaka and TJ would have enjoyed this:



Looking down at Priscilla (left, going without rope) and Gina, while Davin, Sherrie, and Cassie look on:



Gina making it over the top:



Enjoying the view from the top:





Climbing up was only half the fun. We found all kinds of fun things to play with on the way down, like overhanging branches and fallen trees.





It was the best hike I've done in Hawaii, and though it wasn't too long, it still took plenty out of us. Right, Sherrie?

992nd Place

After the first round of the NCAA Tourney, through 32 games, Gina's bracket is in 992nd place nationally out of over 3 million entries, with 30 correct picks! Amazingly, this isn't even her best showing. Two years ago, she got 31/32.

After Gina, Shanna is 2nd and Lisa 4th, giving Stanford girls three of the top four spots in the 58-person pool. For shame, boys (except for Drew, who is tied with Lisa).

Of course, when Texas beats Butler 100-10 in the finals, it will be another Stanford girl all together who makes a miraculous comeback to win it all, right Roothie? :)

Lo-guna Seca

One of Champ Car's few stops on the West Coast brought Alan to town, for the series' spring training event at Laguna Seca on Saturday. He's in his first season as an engineer for Forsythe Racing and driver Paul Tracy, 2003 Champ Car champion.

It's a rare event that brings Alan within a short drive of me, so I hopped in my car and headed to Monterey, with camera in tow.

What a great day for racing, and a beautiful track:



I'm going to show off my new lens here. Can you spot Alan in this picture of Pit Row?



No? Here's a zoomed-in shot of the Forsythe pit:



In case you still couldn't spot him, here he is, laughing on the phone at the moment he finally picks me out of the crowd:



And here's the Forsythe car in the pit:



Paul Tracy running side by side with 3-time reigning champ Sebastien Bourdais in the McDonald's car:



At the end of the day, I roamed the pits and caught Alan and Paul Tracy (the guy with the funny hair on the left):



The rest of the pics from the track:

Laguna Seca 2007

Alan was leaving early the next morning from San Jose, so he crashed at my place, and we busted out my new Wii (thanks Jer!) for the first time to play some bowling. I thought I had the better form, but Alan kicked my ass, 175 to 138. I can't wait to get Tiger Woods Golf next week.





I'll be making it out to Vegas on April 8th for the opening race of the Champ Car season, and Alan's first Champ Car race ever. If anyone's interested in seeing some racing, or just wants to hang out in Vegas, come and join me!