Fleet Week 2021 Air Show (Photos and Timelapse)

By Robert Ellison. Updated on Saturday, February 19, 2022.

Blue Angels at the San Francisco 2021 Fleet Week Air Show.

Here's a timelapse video of the United 777, Fat Albert and the full Blue Angels performance, shot from Slacker Hill in the Marin Headlands:

(Previously: Fleet Week 2019 Air Show)

Add your comment...

Bald Mountain, Vista and Meadow Trails Loop (Sugarloaf Ridge State Park)

By Robert Ellison.

Pleasant 4.5 mile loop hike from the campground at Sugarloaf Ridge State Park in Sonoma. Head up Lower Bald Mountain Trail, hang a right onto Vista Trail and then return to the campground via Meadow Trail. The last part of the walk takes you past Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Earth Venus and Mercury on the Robert Ferguson Observatory's Planet Walk. This spaces the planets proportionally distant from the observatory and if you took a right on Brushy Peaks Trail you can reach Uranus, Neptune and (don't tell anyone) Pluto, the prospect of which really makes me feel sorry for the New Horizons probe.

Hike starts at: 38.436996, -122.515446. View in Google Earth.

Add your comment...

Sugarloaf Stars and Milky Way

By Robert Ellison. Updated on Saturday, February 19, 2022.

4K timelapse of stars and the milky way (and various planes and satellites) over the campground at Sugarloaf Ridge State Park. Shot while relaxing by the campfire so every time I throw on a log you can see the trees light up and then some smoke drift across the frame.

(Previously: Sugarloaf Stars)

Add your comment...

Sunny afternoon at Fort Funston (a timelapse)

By Robert Ellison. Updated on Saturday, February 19, 2022.

Timelapse of a pleasant sunny afternoon at Fort Funston, part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

This is the first time I've tried to shoot a timelapse using my Pixel 4 XL. It's easy enough to work with, although frustratingly you can only deal in 5x's and 10x's and not actual intervals. It would be great to have a bit more control. But given time to kill and no good camera it was a lot more fun than no timelapse at all.

(Previously: Humpback Whale at Fort Funston)

Add your comment...

Fog Heart

By Robert Ellison.

Sometimes even Karla The Fog leaves her heart in (or near) San Francisco. Seen on the excellent fog.today.

Add your comment...

Twin Peaks Loop

By Robert Ellison. Updated on Thursday, August 10, 2023.

I have previously described Twin Peaks as not much of a hike, which is absolutely true if you drive there. When I first moved to San Francisco I lived in Noe Valley and used to cycle up to Twin Peaks and then try to get home without pedalling. For many years after that I'd take visitors up to the top and developed a somewhat weird tradition of taking each new child there soon after they were released from the hospital.

Post lockdown I'm up there most weeks. This is my five mile loop which starts heading up Ulloa from West Portal to Portola. Portola breaks the climb briefly as you pass the striking herchurch and controversial Twin Peaks gas station before heading up Twin Peaks Boulevard to the 922 foot summits. For a while Twin Peaks Boulevard was entirely closed to traffic (although you really had to keep an eye out for high speed skateboarders). Unfortunately it's now open all the way to Christmas Tree Point. Head down the north side to Clarendon and follow this all the way down to Forest Hill and then back to West Portal.

(Previously: Twin Peaks 360 4K, Twin Peaks, San Francisco from Twin Peaks)

Hike starts at: 37.741879, -122.471354. View in Google Earth.

Updated 2023-08-10 03:02:

Hyperlapse of this hike from August 9, 2023.

Add your comment...

Remnants in the Sunset

By Robert Ellison.

During the pandemic induced lockdowns last year we started hiking locally using random trails generated by Routeshuffle. Sometimes these were repetitive death marches along indistinguishable avenues (my kids would say 100% of the time). A few have emerged as favorites that I walk regularly and I'm going to add these to the ITHCWY hike collection.

Remnants in the Sunset is a three mile loop named for the islands of rock and dunes visited along the way. The west of San Francisco used to be all dunes and these parks are now all that remains of that original ecosystem.

Walk up 15th Avenue from Taraval to Grandview Park. Go up the steps, admire the view and then down the other side and follow 14th Avenue to Rocky Outcrop Park. This is a wind tunnel with houses on one side and cliffs on the other. Then head up to Golden Gate Heights Park and Larsen Peak at 755 feet. The return leg down Pacheco and Magellan provides views of Hawk Hill which has some unofficial trails but is closed to the public.

(Previously: Grand View of Fog, Post Storm Sunset)

Hike starts at: 37.741905, -122.471336. View in Google Earth.

Add your comment...

Book reviews for September 2021

By Robert Ellison.

Shadow Land (Gordon Pope Thrillers, #3) by B.B. Griffith

4/5

Add your comment...

Adobe Creek

By Robert Ellison.

A four mile out and back hike from the Palo Alto Baylands Nature Preserve trailhead. Interesting wetlands with lots of birds and some good views over the bay.

Hike starts at: 37.433507, -122.098799. View in Google Earth.

Add your comment...