October 2017 Page 1 of 7 SIR Branch 35 Trail Tips

To use email addresses, replace (at) with @

Branch 35 web site: www.sirinc2.org/branch35/ October 2017

3rd Wednesday, October 18, 2017 Elks Lodge, 4249 El Camino Real, Palo Alto

Social Hour 11 a.m. – Lunch 11:55 a.m.

Please, IF BRINGING A GUEST OR

NOT ATTENDING!

CALL 650-823-0702

or E-MAIL sir35notify(at)gmail.com

by SATURDAY, Oct 14 (Leave name and badge #)

PROGRAM

Speaker: Steven Burchik Topic: Compass and a Camera, A Year in Vietnam

With a compass to direct him in as a forward observer and a personal camera to document his experiences – and keep him connected to his creative side - Vietnam veteran Steven Burchik was lucky enough to make it home. After graduating from Manhattan College in the Bronx, NYC, he entered the US Army at the peak of the Vietnam War. He trained at various bases in the US then spent a year in the rice paddies northeast of

Saigon as a sergeant with the First Infantry Division. He later earned his MBA from Michigan State University and had a successful career as a marketing executive and entrepreneur in the food industry.

Steven’s presentation pulls from his memories and the daily letters he wrote to his fiancée. It includes numerous photographs from his collection of over four thousand. His first book, Compass and a Camera, is an evenhanded, tasteful, just-the-facts time capsule of one American soldier’s Vietnam experience. Married with grown children, Steven enjoys pursuing photography and sailing on San Francisco Bay.

The Big Sir Says . . . Our speaker for September was Chuck Kohler, Navy veteran of WWII and Pearl Harbor survivor. Speaking with remarkable energy and clarity, he described his personal experience as the attack on Pearl Harbor unfolded. At great personal risk he and another sailor set up a 50-caliber machine gun and spent the day firing at Japanese aircraft, often driving them away. Then he was off to several ships to evacuate wounded in the face of continuing attacks. Chuck’s tale was full of determination and devotion to duty, and it was devoid of fear. A true American hero. Thanks to everyone for filling out the form concerning personal information to be included in our roster on the chapter website. 90% of branch members responded to this poll. Your Branch Executive Committee (BEC) takes the protection of personal information seriously; so our Website and Membership committees are laboring to create the optimum security set-up for our website before posting the roster. Speaking of the BEC, when we elected 2018 officers and directors in August, there were three vacancies on the ballot. Since then, two of them have been filled: Joe Mullen will be the new Activities Director, and Paul Schutz will serve as our Membership Director. Remaining is the office of Assistant Treasurer, a job that takes only a little time each month. Any volunteers out there? Also, thanks to everyone for bringing all those guests to our meetings this year. Through September, we have entertained 47 guests, placing us well within reach of our goal of 50 for the year. So be sure to encourage those guests you have invited to decide to join our ranks; this is the principal means by which we grow, maintaining the health of our chapter. See you at the luncheon on October 18!

Duncan

October 2017 Page 2 of 7 SIR Branch 35 Trail Tips

To use email addresses, replace (at) with @

ROSTER CHANGES

Active Members: 344 Net Monthly Change: + 6

NEW MEMBERS

OCTOBER ANNIVERSARIES: 10+ YEARS Harold Wong 23 Jim Avedisian 15 Dick Peacock 21 Steve Stone 13 Buck Kendrick 19 Bob Moss 11 Karl Reseck 19 Ed Aguilar 10 Harv Dixon 16

OCTOBER BIRTHDAYS

During the social hour before every luncheon, 11:00 a.m.

Bring a few and take a few – FREE! After the meeting, residuals go to Friends of the Library of Los Altos. October is SCI-FI month. Share some great books that you don't think you will read again.

Rehearsal: 2nd Wednesday, September 13, 10:00 a.m. in the Choir Room, Los Altos Methodist Church. Pre-Meeting Rehearsal: September 20, 11:00 a.m., Elks Lodge. Parody Writers: Bob Simon, David Skurnick Accompanist: Don Cameron David Skurnick will write the parody for the October meeting. All are welcome to join our singing.

Every Monday and Thursday, starting at 8:00 a.m. at the Rinconada Park Courts – Located on Hopkins Avenue, off Newell near Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto. We play a relaxed doubles spin in open format. Sirs and non-Sirs alike are welcome.

Fourth Friday, October 27, 2017. Meet at 10:00 a.m. Wives & Guests are welcome. Location: Angel Island State Park, Marin County. Meet at the Tiburon ferry dock. Driving Directions: Take Highway 280 north, and Highway 1 (19th Ave.), through San Francisco, across the Golden Gate Bridge continuing on Hwy 101 to the Tiburon Blvd. exit #447(Hwy 131). Turn right and go about 4.5 miles to Main St. in downtown Tiburon. Parking is available for a fee near the ferry pier. Allow for two hours in driving time. It is about 53 miles from vicinity of the Elks Lodge. This should be enough time to also find and pay for parking in one of the nearby lots. Carpools are encouraged. Hike Details: We will take the 10:00AM ferry to the island. Fee is $14 round trip, which includes the State Park access. We will hike the paved perimeter trail which is 5.25 miles, returning to the ferry slip by 3:30PM. The elevation gain is about 200 ft. Bring a trail lunch and water. There will be time to take side trips to visit historical sites such as Ft. McDowell and the Immigration Station. Wear appropriate clothing and hiking shoes. Rain or wet fog is possible. Restrooms are available near the ferry and on the island. Contact me by phone or email if you plan to attend this hike. This will let us know who to expect and we can provide additional driving directions and hike venue details. We can coordinate car pools if desired. I send out an email reminder about a week before each hike. If you are not receiving the email and would like to be included, let me know and I will add you to the list.

Read about the August hike on Page 7.

Dining In has two active dining groups and some additional members who want to form another group. We need more people to join-up. Contact Alan Gaudie if you are interested.

BOOK SWAP JOHN GERICH 650-969-6679 jgerich(at)juno.com

Gene Ammann (Chris) 650-941-5345 585 Los Altos Avenue chrisammann(at)earthlink.net Los Altos, CA 94022 GTE Sylvania

Travel, Music, Tutoring Math Brian Beattie (Barbara) 650-868-8601 63 Almendral Avenue brianbeattie(at)prodigy.net Atherton, CA 94027 Synopsys/SupportSoft/Nortel

Golf, Computers, Travel, Music, Sailing Eric Butte (Mitzy) 408-352-5412 21334 Dexter Drive egbutte24(at)gmail.com Cupertino, CA 95014 Lockheed Martin/ SSL

Bowling, Golf, Travel, Music Rich Crego (Tina) 408-730-5041 1520 Coronach Avenue rrcrego(at)comcast.net Sunnyvale, CA 94087 HP via Tandem/Compaq

Golf, Travel, Investing Joe Gardner (Deanna) 650-941-7020 576 Van Buren Street larry_gardner(at)xanda.com Los Altos, CA 94022 Lockheed/TRW/FordAero/Apple/Xanda

Golf, Computers, Travel, Hiking Bob Lindblom (Arlene) 650-854-6954 20 Stow Lane rglgeo(at)aol.com Menlo Park, CA 94025 Chevron

Golf, Computers, Music, Oil & Gas Jim Quillinan (Peggy) 408-736-7332 678 Georgetown Street jvquill(at)pacbell.net Sunnyvale, CA 94087 Hopkins & Carley

Bridge, Golf, Travel, Fishing, Hiking, Movies John Ray (Roberta) 408-386-3573 702 Pierino Avenue winray9(at)gmail.com Sunnyvale, CA 94086 NASA Ames Research Center

Golf, Travel, Photography ADDRESS AND PHONE CHANGE

Guy Thompson 23500 Cristo Rey Drive #319B 650-447-3025 Cupertino, CA 95014

Doug Anderson Jack Heidmiller John Rinaldi Howard Bull Al Holzman Bill Schatz Frank Cameron Mike Jacobson Bob Shaw Vern Dale Jack Joos David Skurnick Neal Didriksen Jerry Juracich Hardin Smith Harv Dixon Norm Kitching Richard Thomas Bill Dolan Gary Larson Guy Thompson Rolf Fromm Mark Levi Jack Tooley Chuck Green Dave O’Hara Ed Truitt Tom Gregory Norm Pass Frank Verlot Ed Haley Ed Pausa George Warden Del Hanson Les Pue Jim Withrow

TRAIL BIRDS DAVID SKURNICK 650-650-473-9263 daveskur(at)comcast.net

..TENNIS BILL SCHICK 650-948-8768 billschick(at)att.net

HIKING DELL SMITH 650-968-5006 dellnmolly(at)sbcglobal.net

DINING IN ALAN GAUDIE 650-964-6510 alangaudie(at)yahoo.com

October 2017 Page 3 of 7 SIR Branch 35 Trail Tips

To use email addresses, replace (at) with @

Member Profile P RON NAKAMOTO 408-440-2330 ron.nakamoto(at)yahoo.com

This monthly article highlights one of our branch members. We hope that you enjoy knowing a little more about your fellow members and the interesting life they have had. If you have someone you would like to nominate or if you would like to help author an article, please email ron.nakamoto(at)yahoo.com.

ED “EDDY” WHITE “Bleep, bleep, bleep” … the sound of Sputnik was heard at first, very faint, breaking the vast static of space. Then, louder and louder those bleeps confirming that Sputnik was in orbit and operational. Sputnik 1 was a small, polished metal sphere, with four external radio antennas broadcasting radio pulses. At 134 miles perigee, above the earth, it was readily visible in the sky. “I heard about it on TV (we had only one TV station with poor reception) as well as read about it later in the newspaper and magazines. One commentator stated that ‘The future belongs to the Aerospace Engineer …’ and I was hooked. “This was Ed White’s recollection of that moment in history that forever influenced the rest of his life. (Editor’s note: On October 4, 1957, Sputnik 1 became the first artificial Earth satellite launched into orbit around the earth. The success of the Russian "Sputnik" was convincing and dramatic proof to people around the world of the real prospects of space travel. This single event dramatically accelerated the U.S. space program.)

Ed was born and raised on a small poultry farm in Ohio near the Kentucky/West Virginia border (Hatfield and McCoy country). “My father was a first-generation farmer and my mother was a farmer’s wife. My grandfather was a pipe-fitter working for the railroad. I believed at that time an engineer was the man who drove the train. I spent my early years working on the farm. When I was free I enjoyed hunting and fishing. I was a Boy Scout and

enjoyed camping and other field trips. “While in college I was selected for an Astronaut study in preparation for the Apollo Moon landing. In early 1962, shortly after Kennedy gave his ‘We shall go to the Moon in this decade …’ speech, the University of Cincinnati Psychology department was awarded a NASA contract to study the long- term effects of flying and confinement in a simulated Moon Mission. I was selected in the first group of three from over 300 applicants. The selection process was based mainly on psychological testing. (In my case, I believe they were looking for the characteristics that closely matched that of a chimpanzee. To this day, I refuse to have my genome tested for fear that the truth would be discovered that I am 45% chimp, 45% hillbilly and 10% Neanderthal.) We spent most of our time dealing with various simulated emergencies, usually in the middle of the night and were subjected to psychological and dexterity testing daily. The highlight was sampling and commenting on the astronaut food prepared by Beatrice Finkelstein, the astronaut’s dietician. (Editor’s note: Dr. Beatrice Finkelstein was the first US research nutritionist and astronaut dietitian.) I recall many of the meals tasting like plaster-of-paris except for the applesauce. (Editor’s note: John Glenn was the first US astronaut to consume an extraterrestrial meal of applesauce on the third manned Mercury mission in 1962.) “I received my Aerospace Engineering degree from the University of Cincinnati and went on to work for McDonnell Aircraft in St. Louis, MO. I worked on the Gemini spacecraft performing structural analysis for the vehicle. (Editor’s note: The Gemini spacecraft was a two-man pod designed for on orbit rendezvous and docking for the Apollo Moon Mission.) After several years, I joined Hughes Aircraft in Los Angeles; CA. Hughes was a pioneer in satellite, sensor, space control and communication systems so I was happily challenged for the next thirty-one years. Along the way, Hughes granted me a fellowship and I received my Masters in Aerospace

Engineering from UCLA. “My normal work activities included space vehicle design, dynamics and controls, mission analysis, launch support, operations, software development and test, hardware testing in both prelaunch and on orbit testing. I published a paper on “Stability of a Dual-Spin Satellite in a Gravity Gradient Field”. The thesis and paper were published in the 1969 Journal of Aeronautics and Astronautics. The paper outlined the various stability conditions where Lyapunov stability could be satisfied. (Editor’s note: The layman’s definition of this condition is incomprehensible unless you are an advanced mathematician/physicist.) “After retiring from Hughes, I worked for Scitor Corp. for the next twelve years and provided consulting support to various classified customers. I then decided to provide consulting services from my own company and did so for the next six years. About the only things I can say openly is that I was titled a Hughes Senior Scientist and later a Site Manager at the Blue Cube (Onizuka AFB). I worked in the Los Angeles area, the SF bay area, Denver, Chantilly, VA and Jakarta, Indonesia. The Indonesia program I worked on was memorable as it allowed me to see much of the world travelling to/from work and on vacation. The Indonesian islands in the Java Sea were great for scuba and snorkeling. One island- Pulau Putri - had thatched huts, a basic dive shop and one restaurant. There were no cars on the island. I would frequently take the full day to snorkel around or swim to an adjacent island. The only animals I saw were large lizards (4-5 feet) called Biowaks. Most islands were uninhabited. I loved the isolation and felt free. “While, I was still single, on a whim, I did a bicycle trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles. It took a week along Highway 1 and I did it just to do it. I met Lilian on a bicycle ride in Sunnyvale. She worked for HP as a financial analyst and was part of an organized bicycle outing. I tagged along and we chatted along the bike trail. We went on our first date to a local steakhouse. After a courtship of four years we were married. We have been married for some thirty years and have one daughter and two grandchildren. Our daughter is a Human Relations manager at Stanford and our son-in-law has his own Internet business. “We enjoy travelling and have taken many memorable foreign vacations. We cruised the Yangzi River, visited the Great Wall, Shanghai, Xian (where the Terra Cotta warriors reside), Beijing, and travelled through the locks of the Three Gorges Dam and other interesting sites. In 2012, we took a safari to Botswana, Zimbabwe, Swaziland and visited South Africa. While working or retired, I have been to most of the world continents except for South America and Antarctica. We have also travelled extensively to many places across America. When I transferred from Virginia to Sunnyvale we decided to drive Route 90, the northern route, and visited Badlands National Park in South Dakota, Devils Tower in Wyoming, Little Big Horn in Montana, Yellowstone, Mt. Rushmore and other interesting places around America. We will be taking a cruise in January 2018 from Santiago, Chile around Cape Horn to Buenos Aires. “I began bowling in March 2015 with SIR shortly after retirement. I am currently bowling in two leagues with a 191 average in the serious “scratch” league and a 180 average in the fun “baseball bunch” league. The fun league is one where at the end of the season we all attend a Giants baseball game with tickets, transportation, food and drinks as our prize for the season. Like most of us, I bowled some forty years ago but today’s game with its many styles and equipment makes it a fun and a challenging experience. I have six bowling balls for their different reactions to various lane conditions. My highest score was 279 (out of 300) and my highest series was 718. “Regarding my exceptional personality characteristics, I have been told by friends/co-workers/relatives that I have the personality of a clam, the personality of a stone, no personality, and that I am very strange. I am very proud of these positive traits. Lots of people are strange, but being very strange makes me unique. I am presently making the leap to join the Intergalactic community as my present studies involve Interstellar Alien

October 2017 Page 4 of 7 SIR Branch 35 Trail Tips

To use email addresses, replace (at) with @

visitation. I am quite fascinated by this topic and am beginning to believe that we are not alone. I have done quite a bit of reading on the subject. Even Carl Sagan is said to have stated late in life, something to the effect that ‘… with recent discoveries on how readily life can begin, it is not unreasonable to expect that there might be one million civilizations in our galaxy alone, more advanced than us. Although we do not have the technology for Interstellar travel, there is nothing scientific which would prevent others from doing so. ‘ “My final thought is I am an example of the adage that a man who enjoys his work never works a day in his life. I have pursued my passion and have, for the most part, really enjoyed my work. So, one should really pursue their passion.” *******************************************

2Nd Thursday— October 12, 2017 11:00 AM Wives and guests welcome Rain cancels; Helmet required

Half Moon Bay/Pillar Point Ride Location: We will ride the paved flat trail along the ocean shore for

about 6.5 miles from Poplar beach, located south of Half Moon Bay, to Pillar

Point, to just past the town of Princeton. (Sometimes we go along the airport

road to another place to eat. This adds about 5 more miles to the total). We

will return to by the same trail back for a total ride of about 18 miles.

Ride Directions: Take I-280 north approximately 15 miles to Highway 92,

then take the exit to Half Moon Bay. Continue on Highway 92 about 10 miles

to the intersection with Highway 1, turn left. Go about one mile to Poplar St.,

turn right. Go to the end of Poplar St and park in the Poplar Beach parking

lot, near the port-a-johns. Parking there will have a fee, so some find parking

in the streets near the beach parking. Driving time is about 45 minutes. It

may be windy and cold, so be sure to bring a wind breaker and gloves to

wear. Or, it may be a lovely sunny day.

If you plan to ride or have questions please contact Jim Lunt as above

or Gordon Tong at 408-242-0557 or gordy6850(at)gmail.com.

Assistant: Walter Weber 408-371-8925, walterweber08(at)comcast.net Join your fellow SIR travelers on any of ten SIR travel adventures between October 2017 and September 2019. Featured trips are: December 29, 2017—January 2, 2018 Rose Parade, Making a Difference - The 2018 theme “Making a Difference” is a way to honor and celebrate all of the people in our communities, who quietly and without desire for reward or recognition, have come to the aid or benefit others. This tour includes: round trip airfare to Los Angeles, 4 nights at Hotel Irvine, 7 meals- 4 breakfasts, 1 BBQ lunch & 2 dinners, New Year’s Eve Gala Celebration, reserved seating at Tournament of Roses Parade. For reservations contact SIR Escorts, Joe Salamida 408-767-2838 / Archie Belogolovsky 408-253-3956. April 4-14, 2018 - Tulip Time in Holland - Cruise round trip from Amsterdam aboard AMA Waterways. Celebrate the beauty of the Netherlands and Belgium in springtime. Visit the legendary Keukenhof Gardens, enchanting scenery of Hoorn, cruise Amsterdam's canals, see Anne Frank's house, indulge in culinary bliss via Belgium chocolates and stroopwafels. Trip includes home pickup and return, round trip air, 7 nights cruise accommodations in river view stateroom or suite, and choices of guided shore excursions in every port including complimentary bicycles. For reservations contact SIR Escorts: John Pletsch 408-274-2992 or 408-504-1255 and Mike Console 408-246-1080. March, 2018 - Victory in the Pacific - In addition, The National WWII Museum is organizing a new unique journey in March 2018 that will take travelers to where World War II both started and ended, allowing you to

experience the tragedy and triumph of America's road to Tokyo. Journey from Pearl Harbor - where it all started - and to the islands of Saipan, Guam, Iwo Jima, and Tinian - where the Enola Gay departed to drop the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Distinguished authors will guide the tour providing insights and bringing the history of each location to life. Price is $13,999 double occupancy when booked by November 10, 2017. Get more info at

the Travel Desk.

Every Friday, 10:00 a.m. to noon. Wives and guests are welcome. Location: Bocce Ball Courts (between second and last wing), Los Altos Senior Center, 97 Hillview Ave. (just off San Antonio Rd.) Parking near baseball fields. Some observations: As we play with each other week after week, we noticeably become more informed about each player's situation—family, health, vacations, etc. We are grateful for that camaraderie benefit, even though the news is not always something to celebrate. Also, we have fun playing with each other, now switching sides after the first game, and chatting afterwards on topics of current interest. One issue we face now is, with 12 to 14 players showing up each Friday morning, we have a need for more courts. Our Bocce activity has contributed some new members to our branch membership. Some went into other activities, such as hiking, bowling, etc. and some joined in playing Bocce. As we first indicated in the September 2017 Trail Tips, we have now confirmed that a SIR state bocce tournament will take place in Martinez on Oct. 11, with warm-ups starting at 8 am and tournament play continuing through the day. Should you want more detail, you may contact the State Bocce Chair, Jack Meylink at 530-305-9112 after 7 pm or at jackmeylink(at)yahoo.com.”

Every Tuesday, 1:00 p.m., at Homestead Lanes, Homestead & Stelling, in Cupertino. Below are the final standings of our Summer Session. If you have been thinking about joining, this is a good time to participate in our handicap league. All bowling levels are welcome. The cost is only $15 per week.

SUMMER SESSION – FINAL STANDINGS

1ST PLACE – Al Delfino, Michael Ibarra, Bob Garten, Doug Ericsson

2ND PLACE – Fred Schwalbach, Arnie Satterlee, Ron Nakamoto

3RD PLACE – Ruth Ososkie, Jerry Ososkie, Chuck Huff

4TH PLACE – Ranney Thayer, Rich McGrath, Jay Jonekait

5TH PLACE – Carl Moyer, Doug Anderson, Phil Vanderwerf

6TH PLACE – Rick McColloch, Alan Gaudie, John Faucett

7TH PLACE – Mark Castro, Fred Emmenegger, Darryl Walker

8TH PLACE – Hutch Hutchinson, Bob Taggart, Joe Enos

9TH PLACE – Les Fisher, Jim Holman, Patrick Wong

10TH PLACE – Gabriel Ibarra, Harold Kaye, Tim Eastham

HERE ARE THE FINAL LEADERS OF SUMMER SESSION

HIGH SERIES - SCRATCH 1st – Darryl Walker: 618 2nd – Jim Eastham: 562

3rd – Jay Jonekait: 561

HIGH GAME - SCRATCH 1st – Phil Vanderwerf: 237 2nd – Patrick Wong: 231

3rd – Joe Enos: 225

HIGH HANDICAP SERIES 1st – Mark Castro: 713 2nd – Bob Garten: 689 3rd – John Faucett: 683

HIGH HANDICAP GAME 1st – Rich McGrath: 278

2nd – Michael Ibarra: 263 3rd – Les Fisher: 262

See story and photos on Page 7.

BIKING JIM LUNT 408-252-6804 jamesdlunt(at)yahoo.com

TRAVEL ED PAUSA 650-324-0322 clements.e.pausa(at)us.pwc.com

BOCCE BALL NORM PASS – SCHEDULE/ CANCELLATIONS 408-737-7639; normpass(at)sbcglobal.net

FRED SCHWALBACH – PLAYER

DEVELOPMENT 408-257-9713; fpschwalbach(at)aol.com JOHN RICHARDSON - SUPPORT 650-996-7787; jlr(at)rcgc.com

BOWLING

BOB TAGGART 650-321-2654 cbtaggart(at)earthlink.net DOUG ANDERSON 415-407-4000 marktinti(at)aol.com Prizes: Alan Gaudie

October 2017 Page 5 of 7 SIR Branch 35 Trail Tips

To use email addresses, replace (at) with @

GOLF BOB GARTEN, GOLF CHAIRMAN 408-253-5860, xonon1(at)comcast.net

(Golf Committee members are listed on page 7 of the Membership Roster.)

SIGN-UP for the following by October 13th with John Gerich, 650-969-6679, jgerich(at)juno.com

GOLF RESULTS

The SIR Financial Investment Group has established a regular meeting time and location. We will meet at 1 PM on the first Wednesday of each month. The meeting in October will be on Wed, Oct 4th at 1:00 PM in the Los Altos Branch of the First Republic Bank at 400 S. San Antonio Rd. New members are invited to attend.

INVESTMENTS JIM DUNAWAY 408-255-9244 Jedandled(at)sbcglobal

October 2017 Page 6 of 7 SIR Branch 35 Trail Tips

October 2017 Page 7 of 7 SIR Branch 35 Trail Tips

THE BOWLING SUMMER SESSION WINNERS

Bob Garten, Al Delfino, Michael Ibarra, Doug Ericsson

FRED SCHWALBACH, KING OF THE PIN SPLITS

Freddie’s team was in first place going into the final week of the summer

season. Fred with his new, lighter ball and his unconventional release let

another ball go down the lane hoping for a strike. Well this day,

Freddie’s team 10 (Ron Nakamoto, Arnie Satterlee and Fred

Schwalbach) was no match for the mighty Team 9 (Bob Garten, Al

Delfino, Mike Ibarra and Doug Ericsson) whom proceeded to pound the

opposition with strike after strike. That in and of itself is not news

noteworthy. What is of interest is that in the process of Team 10

fighting back, Freddie contributed with a record 15 pin splits! All Ron

could say was “Thanks Freddie, I hope you’re not on my team next

season.”

Photo by Bob Garten

PHOTOS FROM THE AUGUST HIKE

The SIR Branch 35 Hiking Group (eleven of us, including two spouses)

had another lovely outing in August, hiking in Long Ridge Open Space

Preserve on Skyline Boulevard, near Alpine Road. It was a lovely day with

warm temperatures and cool breezes from the ocean. After a gentle

hike up Peters Creek canyon, we were treated to sweeping vistas with

glimpses of the Pacific. We were joined at one point by a group of wild

turkeys, who seemed a bit shy, perhaps due to the upcoming

Thanksgiving holiday. Our five-mile hike gave us plenty of time to talk

with one another and left us altogether satisfied. For those of you who

haven't tried our hiking group, I can't recommend these hikes too

highly. Paul Suchma

Wild turkeys

Towering tree

Cave with unknown name

Our group of intrepid outdoors folk.

Sweeping vista