Fun Weekend

I actually got out of Davis this weekend! I've been pretty lazy and have been sticking around town on my weekends, which wasn't the plan when I moved here. I just haven't been that adventurous lately. But I now have a friend here who mountain bikes so I finally got out for a ride on Saturday in the Rockville Hills. I was completely out of shape, but the riding was fun and technical so I enjoyed it.

Yesterday I went to Berkley with Beth and James to do some thrift store shopping. We first went to this cool grocery store called the Berkley Bowl which has every kind of fruit and vegetable you could imagine, and some that you couldn't. Then we had with the homeless people in People's Park, which was interesting. From there we hit a couple of thrift stores where I got to splurge. I bought a pair of jeans, three shirts and a bitchin' pair of sneakers, all for $86! I have successfully satiated my shopping appetite for a little while. From there we went to A Donkey and Goat Winery where Beth used to work and got a mini-tour and got to taste some of their problem wines. Then we hung out with her old roommate for a bit and drove back to Davis.

It was really nice to get out of town, and has certainly inspired me to do so more often. I still don't have my camera so there are no pictures. Boo!

Larry

My neighbour, Larry, who is probably about 55+, offered to take me out for a ride on his Harley yesterday. He's a nice guy, and older, so I figured, why not. It was such a beautiful day, and all the trees and field were beautiful. Then when we got back he suggested we bbq. This is also fine, we share a yard, so no big whoop. The problem came when I was going home to study, and Larry made a move. I had to dodge and give a hug instead. What the hell? Do I look like someone who wants to date someone as old as my dad??? Now I have to avoid him like the plague, which isn't easy since he lives next door. Bah!!!

Trudy

I bought a new commuter bike yesterday. My back was getting really sore from riding my mountain bike to and from school with my books, and it is not the smoothest ride in the world. And I was tired of waiting for Pete to build me the bike he kept promising, so I made the plunge. She is an Electra Townie, which is part hybrid, part cruiser, part recumbent, and all lady! She is very pretty and very cozy to ride, and she has a basket and rack on the back and a big, comfy white seat! The picture quality isn't very good, but I don't have my camera.

Pictures From Campus

I had my camera on me the other day so I took some pictures of things that are uniquely UC Davis as I roamed around lost on my bike.

Bikes as far as the eye can see. Davis is known as the city of bikes, with more bikes per capita than anywhere else in North America. It is the main mode of transportation in the city, and especially around campus. The campus is quite large, so having a bike to get from one class to the next is pretty much a necessity. It makes walking a bit difficult, as most bikers won't stop for you at a crosswalk, you either have to wait for a very long time or just make a run for it. I've also seen a couple bike-on-bike collisions already, both cases involving Freshman. I guess for a lot of kids this is the first time on a bike since they were little.


Cows. UC Davis started out as an agricultural school and to this day has a large Ag department. In fact, the department I'm in (Viticulture and Enology) is part of the College of Agriculture. The campus also has a highly renowned veterinary school. Apparently they even have cows with windows on their sides and you can actually see their inner workings.

The Arboretum. Putah Creek runs along the west side of campus. It features different collections of plants and trees from around the world, and a few different flower gardens. Bike paths run along both sides of it so it's a pleasant way to get around.


Water tower. It's just pretty. That's all I have to say about that.

First Day of School

It's kinda like being in Grade 1 all over again. I had my first three classes today: Intro to Viticulture (Grape Growing), Intro to Enology (Wine Making) and Biochemistry (Hell). I loved my two VEN classes, but Biochem scares the crap out of me. I am worried that I won't be able to understand it, as it builds on things I learned 6 years ago (and have only vague memories now). But, I'm going to try things I didn't do last time, like going to class, talking to the professor and TA's, and doing the assignments. We'll see how it goes.

Not Much New

Some of my welcome week events have started! I went to the V&E department this morning for a session to get my computer account started. I got a chance to meet some of the other new V&E students, one of which is a Canadian! I signed up for the department BBQ on Friday and also offered to help set up for it, hoping that it'll be a good way to meet people. I have a transfer student reception in about 15 minutes and a reentry student orientation tomorrow. Things are going on all week, and classes start Thursday so I finally have stuff to do! It's nice having a purpose in my days now.

Remainder of Cruise America Part Deux

My intention was to post every day of the trip like Part Une, but slow or non-existent internet connections prevented that from happening. So, here it is in one shot, which I will keep brief as I know people don't like reading long posts.

On day 2 we crossed the border and I officially got my F-1 Student Visa. From there we drove through Washington during a rainy day with not much to see. The highlight of the day was the inadvertent detour into downtown Seattle, and subsequent tour of Pike Place Market. I took a wrong turn and ended up right there, so I figured we could have lunch there as Mom had never been. After the delay we made it as far as Cannon Beach, Oregon and decided to hotel it since the weather was yucky.

Goodbye Canada
Hello America

The famous Pike Place Fish Co.

Since our hotel was right on the beach, Mom and I took a stroll down to Haystack rock in the morning. It was cloudy and yucky but luckily the skies soon cleared up and we had a great day for sight-seeing on the Oregon Coast. We stopped at Tillamook, Cape Meares, Cape Lookout, the Oregon Dunes, and Yaquina Head. We called it a day and camped at Bullard's Beach State Park near Bandon, Oregon.

Mom at Haystack Rock, Oregon

Mom at Cape Meares Lighthouse

Oregon Coast

Seastacks at Cape Meares

Dunes

Yaquina Head Lighthouse

Yaquina Head Lighthouse

While Mom was showering the next morning I discovered that we had a flat tire. So, as I am an expert now, I changed the tire before mom even got back to the campsite. Since I only had a donut on I had to go inland to a tire shop to get it fixed. Rather than double back to the coast, we decided to check out the Umpqua National Forest and Crater Lake instead. Good choice! Crater Lake was stunning! I highly recommend it for anyone traveling this way. From there we crossed into California. As we were driving, we came over a rise and suddenly saw Mt. Shasta looming before us. Another incredible sight. It was mostly shrouded in clouds but what we could see was gorgeous. We camped at the base of the mountain for our last night on the road.Umpqua River

The Pumice Desert near Crater Lake

Crater Lake

Mom and I at Crater Lake

Wizard Island, in Crater Lake

My new home away from home

Mount Shasta

We arrived in Davis the next afternoon and have been getting stuff done since then. Yesterday we took a trip to the Napa Valley to do some wine tasting. We only stopped at a couple of places and then took the scenic route back.

Our picnic lunch in Yountville, Napa County

Tasting at Sequoia Grove Winery

Grapes in Rutherford (Soon I'll be able to tell you what kind of grapes)

Mom at Luna Winery

Mom left early this morning and now I am alone in a new city. I have a lot of school stuff next week, and classes start next Thursday, so if I can stay busy over the next couple of days it's bound to get better.