The Year In Review: Fastest assignment of the year

Five seconds. That was the total time it took for the peloton to pass me by as I crouched along Linne Road in the rain to photograph the Tour Of California passing through Tracy.




This was the second year the tour's course brought them onto Tracy streets and even in the rain hundreds lined the roads to catch a glimpse of the riders including Lance Armstrong ride through.

The Year In Review: Yuck!

This was a tie for the most disgusting assignment of the year. The principal who had cookie ingredients poured over his head or the principal who took about a hundred whipped cream pies in the face. Hard to say which one was more nasty.

The Year In Review: A season to remember

Tracy High's undefeated march through the SJAA league to the playoffs was the high point in sports coverage in Tracy this year.










The bulldogs would go 10-0 to take the league title and enter the playoffs as the #1 seed losing in the second round on a rain soaked field to Los Banos. Tracy players would take numerous honors capped with Depray Celestine being named the league's most valuable player

1609

Our last hike of the year was chilly trip along Mount Diablo's Olofson Ridge as we sought out a mysterious summit marked on our trail maps only as "1609".









The trip would take us along the edge of White Canyon and give us a view deep into Mitchell Canyon and a view of the walls of Eagle Peak along with Black Point. The wind howled, the air was cold but the views were magnificent as we climbed up to juniper brush that covered 1609 which is the altitude of this summit peak on the ridge.









It is a a little bit of a confusing hike as we pushed through the juniper thicket. We never did get a sight of many birds but that's ok as the towering pines, the withering California Buckeyes and the grand views made our huffing and puffing up the trail worth our effort.













It has been a great year on the trail with so many adventures and I look forward to our outdoor travels in the coming year.