Books List - 2026

 

 

Ordered by most recently listened to, first.

Audiobooks 

1. Queued:
1. Conundrum (1974) - Jan Morris
2. Angela Davis: An Autobiography (1974) - Angela Davis
3. Masha Gessen books
4. Svetlana Alexievich books
5. American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer  (2005) - Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin
6. The Death of Expertise: The Campaign Against Established Knowledge and Why it Matters (2017) - Tom Nichols
7. 24 Views of Mt. Fuji, by Hokusai (1985) - Roger Zelazny
8. Samurai William : the Englishman who opened Japan (2003) - Giles Milton
9. The Pillars of the Earth (1989) - Ken Follett
10. Solar Express (2015) - L.E. Modesitt Jr. (suggested perhaps mistakenly as by David Weber)
11. The Creative Act: A Way of Being (2023) - Rick Rubin
12. Perfume books by Luca Turin
13. The Portable Feminist Reader (2025) - Roxane Gay
14. A Memory Called Empire (2019) - Arkady Martine
15. The Anthropologists (2024) - Ayşegül Savaş
16. In Ascension (2023) - Martin MacInnes
2. In progress: 
1. Pageboy: A Memoir (2023) - Elliot Page, narrated by the author
2. The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York (1974) - Robert Caro, narrated by Robertson Dean
3. Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents (2020) - Isabel Wilkerson, narrated by Robin Miles
4. Americanah (2013) - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, narrated by Adjoa Andoh

Using the Libby app (via Overdrive).

E-Books

1.  

Print

1. Queued:
1. Schismatrix (1985) - Bruce Sterling
2. True Names (1981) - Verner Vinge
3. Rainbows End (2006) - Verner Vinge 
4. The Shockwave Rider (1975) - John Brunner 
5. Software (1982) - Rudy Rucker
6. Wetware (1988) - Rudy Rucker
7. Eclipse Trilogy (also referred to as A Song Called Youth trilogy) - John Shirley
1. Eclipse (1985)
2. Eclipse Penumbra (1988)
3. Eclipse Corona (1990) 
8. Neuromancer (1984) - William Gibson
9. Snow Crash (1992) - Neal Stephenson 
2. In progress: Twenty Five Mystery Science Theater 3000 Films That Changed My Life in No Way Whatsoever (2016) - Frank Conniff
3. Dark Apnea (2024) - Frank Conniff
4. Billy Gillis: 7-Year Old Screenwriter (2022) - Frank Conniff
5. How to Write Cheesy Movies: The Only Screenwriting Guide You’ll Never Need! (2017) - Frank Conniff
6. Detective Beans: Adventures in Cat Town (2025) - Li Chen

Suggestions

• Barack Obama's reading list
• Favorite Books of 2025:
• Paper Girl (2025) - Beth Macy
• Flashlight (2025) - Susan Choi
• We The People (2025) - Jill Lepore
• The Wilderness (2025) - Angela Flournoy
• There Is No Place For Us (2025) - Brian Goldstone
• North Sun (2025) - Ethan Rutherford
• 1929 Andrew (2025) - Ross Sorkin
• The Loneliness Of Sonia And Sunny (2025) - Kiran Desai
• Dead And Alive (2025) - Zadie Smith
• What We Can Know (2025) - Ian Mcewan
• The Look (2025) - Michelle Obama 
• Summer 2025 reading list:
• Mark Twain (2025) - Ron Chernow
• King Of Ashes (2025) - S. A. Cosby
• A Marriage At Sea (2025) - Sophie Elmhirst
• Abundance (2025) - Ezra Klein & Derek Thompson
• The Buffalo Hunter Hunter (2025) - Stephen Graham Jones
• Who Is Government? (2025) - Michael Lewis
• The Book Of Records (2025) - Madeleine Thien
• Rosarita (2024) - Anita Desai
• Audition (2025) - Katie Kitamura
• The Sirens' Call (2025) - Chris Hayes
• Favorite Books of 2024:
• The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness (2024) - Jonathan Haidt
• Intermezzo (2024) - Sally Rooney
• Patriot (2024) - Alexei Navalny
• Orbital (2024) - Samantha Harvey
• The Anthropologists (2024) - Ayşegül Savaş
• Stolen Pride (2024) - Arlie Russell Hochschild
• In Ascension (2023) - Martin MacInnes
• Growth (2024) - Daniel Susskind
• Someone Like Us (2024) - Dinaw Mengestu
• The Work of Art: How Something Comes From Nothing (2024) - Adam Moss
• Summer 2024 reading list:
• James: A Novel (2024) - Percival Everett
• There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension (2024) - Hanif Abdurraqib
• Everyone Who Is Gone Here: The United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis (2024) - Jonathan Blitzer
• Reading Genesis (2024) - Marilynne Robinson
• Headshot (2024) - Rita Bullwinkel
• The God of the Woods (2024) - Liz Moore
• Beautiful Days: Stories (2024) - Zach Williams
• Martyr! (2024) - Kaveh Akbar
• Memory Piece (2024) - Lisa Ko
• The Ministry of Time (2024) - Kaliane Bradley
• When the Clock Broke: Con Men, Conspiracists, and How America Cracked Up in the Early 1990s (2024) - John Ganz
• Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do About It (2022) - Richard Reeves
• The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook (2024) - Hampton Sides
• Help Wanted (2024) - Adelle Waldman
  
• 2023 Favorites, end-of-year:
• The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store - James McBride
• The Maniac - Benjamin Labatut
• Poverty, By America - Matthew Desmond
• How To Say Babylon - Safiya Sinclair
• The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder - David Grann
• Chip War - Chris Miller
• The Vaster Wilds - Lauren Groff
• Humanly Possible - Sarah Bakewell
• King: A Life - Jonathan Eig
• The Covenant Of Water - Abraham Verghese
• The Best Minds - Jonathan Rosen
• All The Sinners Bleed: A Novel - S.A. Cosby
• The Kingdom, The Power, And The Glory - Tim Alberta
• Some People Need Killing - Patricia Evangelista
• This Other Eden - Paul Harding
• Summer 2023 reading list:
• Small Mercies: A Detective Mystery - Dennis Lehane
• Hello Beautiful: A Novel - Ann Napolitano
• Birnam Wood: A Novel - Eleanor Cotton
• What Napoleon Could Not Do: A Novel - DK Nnuro
• Blue Hour: A Novel - Tiffany Clarke Harrison
• Dec 2019 (via):
• The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power () - Shoshana Zuboff
• The Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company () - William Dalrymple (note: ebook only)
• Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee () - Casey Cep
• Girl, Woman, Other () - Bernardine Evaristo
• The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee: Native America from 1890 to the Present () - David Treuer
• How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy () - Jenny Odell
• Lost Children Archive () - Valeria Luiselli
• Lot: Stories () - Bryan Washington
• Normal People () - Sally Rooney
• The Orphan Master's Son () - Adam Johnson
• The Yellow House () - Sarah M. Broom (note: ebook only)
• Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland () - Patrick Radden Keefe b;
  
• Solitary () - Albert Woodfox (note: ebook only)
• The Topeka School () - Ben Lerner
• Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion () - Jia Tolentino
• Trust Exercise () - Susan Choi
• We Live in Water: Stories () - Jess Walter
• A Different Way to Win: Dan Rooney's Story from the Super Bowl to the Rooney Rule () - Jim Rooney (note: not on Overdrive yet; published Nov 2019)
• The Sixth Man () - Andre Iguodala
• Aug 2019 (via):
• Toni Morrison: Beloved, Song of Solomon, The Bluest Eye, Sula, everything else
• The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
• Exhalation by Ted Chiang
• Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel­
• Haruki Murakami’s Men Without Women
• American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson
• The Shallows by Nicholas Carr
• Lab Girl by Hope Jahren
• Inland by Téa Obreht
• How to Read the Air, by Dinaw Mengestu
• Maid by Stephanie Land
• Dec 2018:
• Becoming by Michelle Obama (Overdrive)
• An American Marriage by Tayari Jones (Overdrive)
• Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Overdrive)
• The Broken Ladder: How Inequality Affects the Way We Think, Live, and Die by Keith Payne (Overdrive)
• Educated by Tara Westover (Overdrive)
• Factfulness by Hans Rosling
• Note: ebook only (Overdrive)
• Futureface: A Family Mystery, an Epic Quest, and the Secret to Belonging by Alex Wagner (Overdrive)
• A Grain of Wheat by Ngugi wa Thiong’o
• Note: ebook only (Overdrive)
• A House for Mr Biswas by V.S. Naipaul (Overdrive: Recommended 01/01/2019)
• How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt (Overdrive)
• In the Shadow of Statues: A White Southerner Confronts History by Mitch Landrieu (Overdrive)
• Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela (Overdrive)
• The New Geography of Jobs by Enrico Moretti
• Note: recommended 01/01/2019 (Northern California Public Library)
• The Return by Hisham Matar
• Note: ebook only (Overdrive)
• Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (read)
• Warlight by Michael Ondaatje (Overdrive)
• Why Liberalism Failed by Patrick Deneen
• Note: ebook only (Overdrive)
• The World As It Is by Ben Rhodes (Overdrive)
• American Prison by Shane Bauer  (Overdrive)
• Arthur Ashe: A Life by Raymond Arsenault (Overdrive)
• Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday  (Overdrive)
• Feel Free by Zadie Smith  (Overdrive)
• Florida by Lauren Groff  (Overdrive)
• Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom by David W. Blight (Overdrive)
• Immigrant, Montana by Amitava Kumar (Overdrive)
• The Largesse of the Sea Maiden by Denis Johnson (Overdrive)
• Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence by Max Tegmark  (Overdrive)
• There There by Tommy Orange  (Overdrive)
• Washington Black by Esi Edugyan (Overdrive)

• Josh Marshall 2018 Holiday recommendations:
• Eric H. Cline: Empires of the Word: A Language History of the World. Nicholas Ostler
• 1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed (Turning Points in Ancient History)
• Only History of Ancient Greece available
• Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization by Paul Kriwaczek
• Note: ebook only (Overdrive)
• Barry Cunliffe: By Steppe, Desert, and Ocean: The Birth of Eurasia
• Nothing as of 01/01/2019
• Felipe Fernandez-Armesto: Pathfinders: A Global History of Exploration
• Note: ebook only (Overdrive)
• David Anthony: The Horse, the Wheel, and Language: How Bronze-Age Riders from the Eurasian Steppes Shaped the Modern World
• Recommended 12/31/2018
• Roger Crowley: Empires of the Sea: The Siege of Malta, the Battle of Lepanto, and the Contest for the Center of the World
• City of Fortune and Conquerers recommendable as audiobooks
• David Abulafia: The Great Sea: A Human History of the Mediterranean
• Nothing as of 07/18/2018
• James Romm: Ghost on the Throne: The Death of Alexander the Great and the Bloody Fight for His Empire
• ebook only (Overdrive) as of 07/18/2018
• Peter Heather: 
• The Fall of the Roman Empire: A New History of Rome and the Barbarians
• Empires and Barbarians: The Fall of Rome and the Birth of Europe
• The Restoration of Rome: Barbarian Popes and Imperial Pretenders
• Note: ebook only; audiobook not recommendable (Overdrive) as of 07/18/2018
• Hugh Thomas: Conquest: Cortes, Montezuma, and the Fall of Old Mexico
• Nothing available as of 07/18/2018
• Lionel Casson: Libraries in the Ancient World
• Unavailable in any format (Overdrive)
• Life in Ancient Rome recommendable as Audiobook (Overdrive)
• Josh Marshall 1066 Norman Conquest Discussion:
• Short History of the Normans (2016) - Leonie V. Hicks
• The Norman Conquest: The Battle of Hastings and the Fall of Anglo-Saxon England (2013) - Marc Morris
• The Norman Conquest: England after William the Conqueror (Critical Issues in World and International History) (2007) - Hugh M. Thomas
• Britain After Rome: The Fall and Rise, 400 to 1070 (2011) - Robin Fleming
• William, King and Conqueror (2013) - Mark Hagger
• Conquest and Colonisation: The Normans in Britain, 1066-1100 (1994) - Brian Golding
• The Normans in Europe (2000) - Elisabeth van Houts
• William the Conqueror (The English Monarchs Series) (2016) - David Bates
• 2018-01-08: David Finkel's The Good Soldiers (via)
• Note: ebook only (Overdrive)
• Mike Liebhold (via):
• Travels with a Tangerine: A Journey in the Footnotes of Ibn Battutah 
• Granada: A Pomegranate in the Hand of God 
• Heirs to Forgotten Kingdoms: Journeys Into the Disappearing Religions of the Middle East
• UCSC LIT 61U - Introduction to SF (online class):
• The Left Hand of Darkness, Book I of the Lilith's Brood Trilogy (1969) - Ursula K. Le Guin
• Dawn (1987) - Octavia E. Butler (note: not on Overdrive)
• Childhood's End (1953) - Arthur C. Clarke (note: not on Overdrive)
• "The Cold Equations" (1954) - Tom Godwin (note: not on Overdrive)
• Sail On! Sail On! (1952) - Philip José Farmer (note: not on Overdrive)
•  John Cole (via):
• The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic (2013) - Emily Croy Barker
• Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic (2015) - Sam Quinones
• Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World (2018) - Anand Giridharadas
• Bookshop Santa Cruz - Winter 2023 reading list:
• North Woods: A Novel - Daniel Mason 
• Signal Fires: A Novel - Dani Shapiro
• Swimming Back to Trout River: A Novel - Linda Rui Feng
• Elder Race - Adrian Tchaikovsky
• More Than You'll Ever Know - Katie Gutierrez
• The Sun Is a Compass: My 4,000-Mile Journey into the Alaskan Wilds - Caroline Van Hemert 
• The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession - Michael Finkel 
• Poet Warrior: A Memoir - Joy Harjo
• Ask A Manager 2023 recommendations (she bolded her favorites of the favorites):
• How Lucky - Will Leitch
• Ms. Demeanor - Elinor Lipman
• Mouth to Mouth - Antoine Wilson
• L.A. Weather - María Amparo Escandón
• Lolly Willowes - Sylvia Townsend Warner
• Silver Sparrow - Tayari Jones
• A Quiet Life - Ethan Joella
• None of This Would Have Happened If Prince Were Alive - Carolyn Prusa
• Happy All the Time - Laurie Colwin
• All Together Now - Matthew Norman
• Vintage Contemporaries - Dan Kois
• The Sweet Spot - Amy Poeppel
• Sam - Allegra Goodman
• Small Admissions - Amy Poeppel
• The Helpline - Katherine Collette
• Pineapple Street - Jenny Jackson
• Romantic Comedy - Curtis Sittenfeld
• Limelight - Amy Poeppel
• Liars and Saints - Maile Meloy
• Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers - Jesse Q. Sutanto
• Yellowface - R.F. Kuang
• Bad Summer People - Emma Rosenblum
• Games and Rituals - Katherine Heiny
• Every Heart a Doorway - Seanan McGuire
• By the Book - Jasmine Guillory
• Barbara Isn’t Dying - Alina Bronsky
• My Last Innocent Year - Daisy Alpert Florin
• The Guest - Emma Cline
• The Truth and Other Hidden Things - Lea Geller
• The Innocents - Francesca Segal
• The Appeal - Janice Hallett
• Sunshine Nails - Mai Nguyen
• Heartburn - Nora Ephron
• Maame - Jessica George
• The Connellys of County Down - Tracey Lange
• Tom Lake - Ann Patchett
• You Can’t Stay Here Forever - Katherine Lin
• Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl - Renee Rosen
• The Whispers - Ashley Audrain
• An Available Man - Hilma Wolitzer
• Daughters-in-Law - Joanna Trollope
• Flight - Lynn Steger Strong
• High Maintenance - Jennifer Belle
• Mrs. Caliban - Rachel Ingalls
• Hello Beautiful - Ann Napolitano
• A Family Daughter - Maile Meloy
• Family Happiness - Laurie Colwin
• The Man I Never Met - Elle Cook
• Bill Gates 2023 reading list:
• The Song of the Cell: An Exploration of Medicine and the New Human - Siddhartha Mukherjee
• Not the End of the World: How We Can Be the First Generation to Build a Sustainable Planet - Hannah Ritchie
• Invention and Innovation: A Brief History of Hype and Failure - Vaclav Smil
  

Previously

Previously (2025), Previously (2024), Previously (2023), Previously (2022), Note: No books list 2021, Previously (2020), Previously (2019), Previously (2018), Previously (2017)

Running Results, 2025

Running Results, 2025:

Miles: 632.12
Max distance: 13.31 mi
Total activity time: 153:39:35 h:m:s
Calories burned: 76,762

Favorite Books of 2025

2025 Favorite Books

Finished 64 books this year. 

Breakdown: 60 audiobooks; 4 print books; 0 e-books.

This year I'm listing books in 3 categories: 1) Overall favorites & enthusiastic recommendations; 2) Top 10 2025 books; 3) Top 10 books from Previous years.

Overall favorites & enthusiastic recommendations

These "sparked joy" in me, and I enthusiastically recommend these audiobooks from the 2 "Top 10" categories below (in order):

1. How to Stand Up to a Dictator: The Fight for Our Future (2022) - Maria Ressa (narrated by the author)
2. Personal History (1997) - Katharine Graham (narrated by Carrington MacDuffie)
3. Battle of the Linguist Mages (2022) - Scotto Moore (narrated by Justis Bolding)
4. The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science (2024) - Kate McKinnon (narrated by the author)
5. Secrets of the Purple Pearl (2025) - Kate McKinnon (narrated by the author)
6. Wild Faith: How the Christian Right Is Taking Over America (2024) - Talia Lavin
7. Black Pill: How I Witnessed the Darkest Corners of the Internet Come to Life, Poison Society, and Capture American Politics (2024) - Elle Reeve
8. The Covid Safety Handbook: Staying Safe In An Unsafe World (2024) - Violet Blue
9. Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost ldealism - A Memoir (2025) - Sarah Wynn-Williams (narrated by the author)
10. The Curious Kitten at the Chibineko Kitchen: A Novel (2025) - Yuta Takahashi

 

Top 10 2025 books

My Top 10 audiobooks I listened to from the 2025 publishing year (in order, with #1 as my favorite):

1. Secrets of the Purple Pearl (2025) - Kate McKinnon
2. Apple in China: The Capture of the World's Greatest Company (2025) - Patrick McGee, narrated by Fred Sanders
3. Finding My Way: A Memoir (2025) - Malala Yousafzai
4. Breakneck: China’s Quest to Engineer the Future (2025) - Dan Wang
5. The Book Of Records (2025) - Madeleine Thien
6. Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost ldealism - A Memoir (2025) - Sarah Wynn-Williams
7. The Curious Kitten at the Chibineko Kitchen: A Novel (2025) - Yuta Takahashi
8. The Acid Queen: The Psychedelic Life and Counterculture Rebellion of Rosemary Woodruff Leary (2025) - Susannah Cahalan
9. King Of Ashes (2025) - S. A. Cosby
10. Class Clown: The Memoirs of a Professional Wiseass: How I Went 77 Years Without Growing Up (2025) - Dave Barry

Note: not many of these made my overall list...I think I hesitated to recommend some because they might represent a technical slog, narrow interest of counter-culture, or rather tough-to-parse (e.g., The Book of Records).... 🤷🏻

Top 10 books from previous years

My Top 10 new-to-me audiobooks I listened to from previous publishing years (in order, with #1 as my favorite):

1. How to Stand Up to a Dictator: The Fight for Our Future (2022) - Maria Ressa
2. Personal History (1997) - Katharine Graham, Narrated by Carrington MacDuffie
3. Battle of the Linguist Mages (2022) - Scotto Moore
4. The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science (2024) - Kate McKinnon
5. Wild Faith: How the Christian Right Is Taking Over America (2024) - Talia Lavin
6. The Silver Snarling Trumpet: The Birth of the Grateful Dead―The Lost Manuscript of Robert Hunter (2024) - by Robert Hunter (Author), Dennis McNally (Introduction), Brigid Meier (Afterword), John Mayer (Foreword) 
7. The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook (2024) - Hampton Sides
8. Jewish Space Lasers: The Rothschilds and 200 Years of Conspiracy Theories (2023) - Mike Rothschild
9. Black Pill: How I Witnessed the Darkest Corners of the Internet Come to Life, Poison Society, and Capture American Politics (2024) - Elle Reeve
10. The Covid Safety Handbook: Staying Safe In An Unsafe World (2024) - Violet Blue

Honorable mentions: 

• Connie: A Memoir (2024) - Connie Chung
• Patriot: A Memoir (2024) - Alexei Navalny
• Sonny Boy: A Memoir (2024) - Al Pacino
• Burn Book: A Tech Love Story (2024) - Kara Swisher
• Martyr! (2024) - Kaveh Akbar
• Opus: The Cult of Dark Money, Human Trafficking, and Right-Wing Conspiracy inside the Catholic Church (2024) -  Gareth Gore 

2025 Audiobook Sound Engineering Favorites

I love it when audiobooks use the medium to enhance understanding of the written text. 

Hearing the author read the text can sometimes help (e.g., Malala Yousafzai, Al Pacino) but it can sometimes lead to a mediocre result (nothing really noticeable this year).

The best moments:

Having an "aha" moment when hearing word pronunciations exactly as the author intended

Hearing emotion in the author's voice

Hearing audio-only portions (e.g., song performances)

Regrettably, this year did not have many moments like this for me.😝

The audiobooks I chose seemed mostly basic.

However, two did seem to stand out:

1. The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science (2024) - Kate McKinnon (narrated by the author)
2. Secrets of the Purple Pearl (2025) - Kate McKinnon (narrated by the author)

Kate McKinnon brings her full intensity and nuance to narration. The audiobooks also...have sound effects and music! This represents such an oversight I can only imagine most productions skip this solely to save money.

Running Journal - 2025-11-27 (Run to Feed the Hungry 2025)

Run to Feed the Hungry 2025 unofficial Finisher Certificate (accessed 11/28/2025)

Time: 8:15-9:30 a.m. (75 minutes)
Resting heart rate (wake-up): 59 bpm
Weight (running clothes): N/A
Body Mass Index (BMI; note criticisms of BMI): N/A
Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR): N/A
Distance (running): 10.00 km (6.22 mi)
Cumulative distance (2024; ignores XT days): ?
Calories burned: 819 kcal
Average heart rate: 132 bpm
Max heart rate: 154 bpm
Weather at start: Overcast & slightly misty ☁️ 7° C (45° F), Humidity ?% Wind: calm km/h
Terrain: 46 ft elevation gain
Avg Pace: 12'05" /mile
Best pace: 11'43" /mile
Stinkiness air level (0=No smell; 10=☣️): 0/10 (not stinky)
Comments: We ran the Run to Feed the Hungry 2025 10K race this year, in Sacramento, California ✅ Weather was cool and just barely misty. Once running it was OK. This was the 32nd annual race. Organizers held the inaugural race in 1994. 

Pre-race

Race cold-weather gear laid out the day before

Packing checklist: Gloves; Hoodie; Turkey hat; running pants; Socks; Shoes; Shorts; Shirt; Headband; Nipeaze; Body glide; Phone & charging cable; Watch & charging cable; Clif Bars

Room 417 view at noon on a misty Thanksgiving day: hotel parking & wall murals

We overnighted at AC Hotel Sacramento, by Marriott, room 417. The hotel opened in June 2025, and everything looked new. Checked-in via mobile app. Arrived, got key cards from the front desk, no problems, all handled professionally (if a bit cooly). The mobile app also supports phone-based room access. Parking was in an adjacent, underground garage. Turning was very tight and our car cameras helped negotiate without incident. Payment was $25 via QR code and good for in-and-out access for 24 hours. 

Packet pickup at 6:00 p.m. night before the race

This year we picked-up our packets the night before. Construction along Highway 50 still impacted by the Fix50 project. Due to congestion, missed getting into the rightmost lanes, so stuck on the left "express" lanes with a concrete barrier preventing me from exiting as I wished. Succeeded in exiting at the next exit, circled back after a few more turns, and made it to parking, which was plentiful. Pickup went smoothly, we collected our turkey gear: new gloves, a hat, & socks. 

Dinner this year was delivery from Chicago Fire pizza: a small Veggatouille Deep-dish, a personal thin-crust (tavern-style) pizza with kalamata olives & Italian beef, and a small Garlic Cheesy Bread. The deep-dish pizza was OK and the best of the order; the rest was mediocre. I had high hopes for the tavern-style pizza, but the crust tasted too "flour-y" to me. Not bad, but not the tavern-style I had hoped for. We were completely stuffed.

Race Day

Awoke at 6:00 a.m. for the 8:15 a.m. 10K race. Skipped showers. Shared a cup of hotel-room coffee via the in-room coffee maker. It was fine. The hotel claimed to have breakfast, but we didn't see anything other than the restaurant as we stepped off the elevators. Instead we got our car and headed to Temple Coffee, ordered coffees, a vegetable scone, and a pumpkin-chocolate loaf. All was excellent. 

Temple Coffee, Sacramento, Thanksgiving Day 2025, 7:05 a.m.

Weather was cool and slightly misty. We saw our breath at times (mid-40's F), but layered clothing, hat, gloves kept the chill away. The drive to Sac State on U.S. 50 was uncrowded. Parked in surface Lot C at the opposite side of campus with everyone else. The walk to the start was not crowded.

Giant inflatable turkey near the starting line

The giant inflated turkey was in the same spot as 2024. For people who signed-up as a member of a team, a special surface-lot area was reserved and had hot beverages & other perks. A photographer asked Dawn's permission to take her photo, which she granted.

10K runners had the option of timed & untimed bibs. We had chosen timed so had gated access to a spot closer to the starting line. 

Amplifiers played standards like Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond. A quad-copter drone hovered above us, recording. 

Starting line for 10K runners at 7:51 a.m., outside the timed-bib area

 

The timed area was slow to fill up, which gave us a few minutes to relax. Announcers on an American-flag decorated scissor-lift said a few words, followed by an unnecessarily religious but thankfully short invocation by a priest. We listened to a decent performance of the American anthem, then the countdown began, and we were off.

We crossed the start after about 40 seconds. We had decided to run without walk breaks for the first 1-2 miles, depending on how we felt. This went pretty well. A few days earlier, we had run 8 miles without incident. The 10K race was much less crowded than the 5K start, which was congested with no way to run freely. Spectators turned out and cheered us on. In the Fab 40's, a number of spectators had small gatherings on their lawns next to propane heaters or fire pits. The fall foliage was very colorful. Live bands performed. It was moderately crowded the entire race. 

Mimosa stations--we must have passed at least six tables offering free booze to runners 🍹 😅

Musicians this year covered a variety of songs. One covered The Race is On, another covered a song by The Cure on their ukulele. A handful of the Sacramento Philharmonic brass section appeared early on. An electric guitar & drum kit duo endlessly played several bars of AC/DC's Back in Black.

Pumpkin pie friendship bracelet

Toward the end, Dawn accepted a friendship bracelet spelling the words "Pumpkin Pie" from a woman spectator handing them out.

Refreshment area snacks & water

As we crossed the finish line, we both felt tired but pretty good. We walked to the refreshment area, where they had Krispy Kreme glazed donuts (I had 2), bananas, small oranges, Nature's Valley Crunchy Granola bars, and waters. We took a few photos near the giant inflatable turkey, then headed back across CSUS campus to our car.

 

Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: None
Foods eaten today:  

Oahu, Hawaii 2025 Vacation

Our 2nd visit to Hawaii, 1st visit to the island of Oahu. We stayed ~1 week. 

Notable Activities:

• Hiked Diamond Head
• Pearl Harbor (USS Arizona Memorial, USS Bowfin submarine, Pacific Aviation Museum, USS Missouri)
• Snorkling at Hanauma Bay
• Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, designated the Hawaiʻi State Museum of Natural and Cultural History
• Hoʻomaluhia Botanical Gardens, and drove past Byodo-In Temple & Laniakea Beach
• Cat Cafes (Hawai'i Cat Cafe, Cat Cafe Moff) 

Notable Food & Drink:

• Rainbow Drive-In
• Leonard's Bakery
• Ice Monster
• Gecko Girlz Shave Ice
• Dole Whip
• Lulu's Waikiki
• Ali'i Coffee Company
• Tipsy Tiki
• Secret Spot
• Honolulu Coffee

Mai Tai - Tried from these vendors (ordered by my preference):

1. Tipsy Tiki
2. Lulu's Waikiki 
3. Redfish Waikiki
4. Appetito Craft Pizza 
5. Kamukura Surf + Dine

We tried at least 2-3 times to visit Kona Coffee Purveyors in Waikiki, but each time the lines wrapped out the door and quite a distance, so skipped. Belatedly we learned, "Please don’t support this business. The owner is an atrocious human being who mistreats his workers. He’s also extremely racist and sexist." 😬 So, it all worked out.

Considered hiking to Koko Crater, but went to Bishop Museum instead. 

Weather was tropical (good & bad). 

Sea turtles - no sightings this trip 😝 Snorkeling & Laniakea Beach were a bust 🐢 However, snorkeling was an excellent idea, as we now have confidence to try again. Heard parrot fish chomping ☺️

Byodo-In Temple parking was overwhelmed on Labor Day, and just able to back out of the dead-end lot by the entrance. Wish they had attendants turning vehicles away a bit farther up the road, where easier to turn around. 

In-flight entertainment:

• United Airlines (seats with screens & in-flight entertainment options): 
• 🌟 On Becoming a Guinea Fowl (2024) - directed by Rungano Nyoni
• 🌟 The Room Next Door (2024) - directed by Pedro Almodóvar
• Friendship (2024) - directed by Andrew DeYoung (watched first 40 minutes before plane landed)
• Hawaiian Airlines (no seats with screens--but had free Starlink wi-fi so streaming available via our personal devices)
• 🌟 Sherlock (TV series) - 2010

Nice memories:

• Laughing while having Dole whip at Kai Fresh
• Sighting a Monk seal sunning on beach ☺️
• Birds walking around our feet while seated on a bench at Diamond Head visitor center
• Ocean breezes & views
• Hiking
• Cat cafes
• Leonard's malasadas
• Back-scratcher given with Tropical Itch drink at Tipsy Tiki
• Li hing mui (shave ice, gummies, etc.)
• Interior spaces of Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum 👀 Especially Hawaiian Hall and Pacific Hall 🌟
• Standing on USS Missouri, in the spot where the signing of the Japanese surrender took place in 1945
• Sampling Mai Tai drinks
• Watching videos sent by our cat sitter
• Kiawe trees - yellow seed pods look like French fries 

DETAILED ITINERARY

26 August (Tuesday)

Travel day

• 4:45 a.m. - Wake up
• 6:15 a.m. - Rideshare to airport
• 9:20 a.m. - Flight departs to Honolulu
• 11:00 a.m. - Arrive Honolulu (Aleutian Standard Time, GMT -10)
• Noon - Pickup car rental
• 1:00 p.m. - Check-in to hotel (Wayfinder Waikiki) 
• 2:00 p.m. - Kamukura Surf + Dine (Gyoza (8 Piece, Deep Fried), split Kamukura (Pork) Fried Rice, HH Ume Cucumber, drinks)
• 2:15 p.m. - Ice Monster (Mango shave ice) 
• 3:00 p.m. - ABC Stores: water shoes, beach towels, buns for breakfast, Li Hing snacks, other sundries
• 6:30 p.m. - Dinner at Redfish Waikiki (split poke bowl, Furikake fries, drinks) 

27 August (Wednesday)

Diamond Head hike 

• 7:30 a.m. - Coffees at B-side Coffee (hotel coffee shop - B-Side Brew, Coffee Slush)
• 8:00 a.m. - Lulu's Waikiki (breakfast: Lulu's stuffed toast, side house potatoes, drinks)
• 9:00 a.m. - ABC Stores (water for hike)
• Morning - Hike from Waikiki to Diamond Head summit and back 
• 12:45 p.m. - Gecko Girlz Shave Ice (Lilikoi Sour shave ice, scoop of macadamia nut crunch)
• 4:15 p.m - ABC Stores (sundries)
• 4:45 p.m. - Crazy Shirts (shirt) 
• 5:00 p.m. - Mitsuwa Marketplace (buns for breakfast)
• 5:15 p.m. - Cat Cafe Moff (shirt) 
• 5:15 p.m. - Honolulu Cookie Company (pumpkin mini bites)
• 5:45 p.m. - Rainbow Drive-In (loco moko, mix plate, Caramel Brownie)

28 August (Thursday)

Pearl Harbor 

• All day - Pearl Harbor 
• 6:15 p.m. - Rainbow Tiki shop at Rainbow Drive-In (shirts, pin)
• 6:15 p.m. - Rainbow Drive-In (slush float, tator tots)
• 6:45 p.m. - Hawai'i Cat Cafe (shirt) 
• 6:50 p.m. - Waikiki Banyan (pay for 1 night parking garage)
• 7:15 p.m. - Spam musubi (snack) & maple + strawberry buns for breakfast

29 August (Friday)

Snorkling at Hanauma Bay 

• 8:00 a.m. - Breakfast at Redfish Waikiki (hotel restaurant - 3-egg omelette, banana French toast, latte, cold brew coffee) 
• Morning & early afternoon: Hanauma Bay Guided Snorkel Tour 
• 2:15 p.m. Leonard's Bakery (7190 Kalanianaole Hwy) - 6 malasadas (1 each flavor: original, cinnamon, Li hing, custard, dobash, Haupia)
• 5:30 p.m. - Kuhlo Ave Food Hall (2 falafel gyro wrap) 
• 5:30 p.m. - Tipsy Tiki - drinks
• 6:45 p.m. - Kai Fresh (dole whip - half&half with strawberry) 
• 7:15 p.m. - ABC Stores (Buns for breakfast, sundries)

30 August (Saturday)

Polynesian Cultural Center 

• 8:45 a.m. - Coffees at B-side Coffee (hotel coffee shop - classic tune, drip coffee)
• 11:00 a.m. - L&L Hawaiian BBQ at Laie (garlic shrimp, spam musubi) 
• Noon - evening: Polynesian Cultural Center
• Huki - A canoe celebration
• Samoa - Tree of Life
• Aotearoa - Toi Whakaari Maori
• Tahiti - Introduction to French Polynesia
• Canoe Ride 
• Tonga - Cultural Core Values and the Nafa
• Rapa Nui exhibit 
• Ali'i Lu'au
• Skipped: Pacific Theatre evening show 
• Overnight parking at Lilia hotel garage 
• 8:30 p.m. - Redeem drink tokens at hotel Lost + Found poolside bar 

31 August (Sunday)

Bishop Museum 

• 10:30 a.m. - Ali'i Coffee Company at 35 S. Beretania (local sandwich & breakfast sandwich, drinks - King & Prince)
• All day - Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, designated the Hawaiʻi State Museum of Natural and Cultural History 
• 5:00 p.m. - The Makeke, Honolulu (card, snacks) 
• 6:30 p.m. - Appetito Craft Pizza (portobello fries, margherita pizza)
• 7:15 p.m. - ABC Stores (buns for breakfast, snacks) 

01 September (Monday)

Hoʻomaluhia Botanical Gardens, north shore drive

• 9:00 a.m. - Secret Spot (breakfast - Avocado Toast, veggie Bagel Benedict, Cappuccino, Caffe Latte iced)
• Morning - Hoʻomaluhia Botanical Gardens
• Drove to (but no parking) - Byodo-In Temple
• Drove to (but no parking or sea turtles) - Laniakea Beach
• 3:15 p.m. - Longs Drugs (sundries) 
• Dinner - Seven Brothers Burgers

02 September (Tuesday)

Travel day 

• 7:15 a.m. - Honolulu Coffee at Moana Surfrider (quiche lorraine, local latte, pumpkin latte)
• 9:15 a.m. - DFS at Inouye International Airport (souvenirs, candies)
• 11:05 a.m. - Flight departs Honolulu (Aleutian Standard Time, GMT -10)
• 7:20 p.m. - Flight arrives San Jose (PDT, GMT -7)
• 8:00 p.m. - Arrive home (via rideshare)

Weird Al Concert - August 22, 2025 at Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, California

Event poster for our show

Dawn and I traveled to Mountain View, California, to attend the 22 August 2025 "Weird Al" Yankovic concert at Shoreline Amphitheatre. 

This represents our 7th Weird Al concert:

1. 2007 - San Joaquin County Fair, Stockton, California
2. 2010 - California State Fair, Sacramento, California
3. 2013 - California State Fair, Sacramento, California
4. 2015 - Showroom at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada (we won the “Weird Al” Yankovic Mandatory World Tour Contest)
5. 2018 - The Golden State Theatre, Monterey, California 
6. 2019 - The Greek Theatre at UC Berkeley
7. 2025 - Shoreline Amphitheatre 

Getting There 

Parked on Old Middlefield Way. Walked over the pedestrian bridge and through the Google complex. Ate at Zareen's Indian & Pakistani take-out restaurant. This time I had a Tikka/Madras Burrito Wrap with Paneer Tikka, and Dawn had a Naan Wrap with Veggie Samosa and a side of Tikka sauce. We shared a Mango Lassi.

Walked to Shoreline Amphitheatre. Noticeably less chaotic than the July 4 concerts. They had closed-off the escalators and routed everyone to the sidewalk access. This time Dawn had a clear-plastic shoulder-bag, so no problems with security. 

Pre-Show

Used the restrooms, took a photo in front of the marquee sign, and walked to the merch tent. Purchased two CD's by Steve Jay: 1) Physical Answer (2008); and 2) Off-Bass (2025). Dawn purchased the black tour dates shirt. Bought a non-alcoholic sparkling berry drink. Felt a bit embarrassed because we were standing next to a young couple and they were in line ahead of us, but the cashier I guess decided they weren't ready and called on us first. They were gracious about it, thankfully. 

Found our seats, Section 102, Row H, which was pretty good spot. As we sat down, the man to my immediate left sat down and snapped off his belt-mounted mobile phone case (his phone was OK, I think he was holding it). He and his partner seemed justifiably unhappy but rolled with it. I think I overheard him eventually saying he found he could just buy the side that broke, which he was grateful for. Over the course of the opener and concert his enthusiasm endeared him to me : ) He asked if we had seen Puddles Pity Party before and I was a bit confused if he meant live, so I said no, even though we'd seen him online. "Our people". 

Puddles Pity Party opened the show. What a voice. Great entertainer. He had a running joke about Kevin Costner, showing video montages of his various film appearances while he sang. He invited 2 people on stage to help him--the first to play a fake guitar with him, and the second to don a tequila-bottle costume for a sad song he sang in Spanish. He had a song mocking pumpkin spice, where a man in an inflatable pumpkin costume walked around. He threw quite a few guitar picks and a few adults dashed forward to snag a few. 

The weather was warm but a bit breezy, so we put on our jackets. Stadium and lawn seemed sold-out. 

Weird Al Concert

The show was entertaining. This time they had three women in the band as backup musicians: 1) Payton Rose Velligan; 2) Monique Donnelly; and 3) Scheila Gonzalez. Probyn Gregory appeared as well. Stage manager Hawkeye was there for bit parts (Santa suit, harmonica, Segway, etc.).

Confetti cannons shot red and white streamers during Canadian Idiot, and I think a second time as well. 

During the Tacky off-stage performance (shown on video), a helper put a whipped-cream pie on Puddles Pity Party's face.  

The show had a seconds-long speaker glitch during the second song. Steve Jay was indicating trouble with his sound setup early on, but it seemed they figured it out. Overall I'd have preferred dropping the bass levels and overall volume about 10%, but it was manageable. 

Drummer Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz had a 180-degree plexiglass wall in front of his kit, perhaps to shield his drums from the bubbles released during an early song. 

Al's fat suit looked a bit slimmer than previous years. 

During "One More Minute", he walked the aisle and gave scarves and a pair of heart-shaped underpants to fans.

Reddit confirms the Yoda Chant at the end does get extended a bit during each tour.  

Overall, I was a bit tired this time, and by Stop Forwarding That Crap to Me I was content. Weird Al's voice seemed a bit raspier than I remembered, his hair was thinner, but he still gave his all. The crowd was happy, and we got through it without any problems.

Set list:

1. Fun Zone
2. Tacky
3. Mission Statement
4. Polkamania!
5. Drum Solo
6. Everything You Know Is Wrong
7. One More Minute
8. Another One Rides the Bus (video from Weird: The Al Yankovic Story)
9. Smells Like Nirvana
10. Dare to Be Stupid
11. Party in the CIA / It's All About the Pentiums / Bedrock Anthem / My Bologna / Ricky / Ode to a Superhero / I Love Rocky Road / Eat It / Like a Surgeon / Word Crimes / Canadian Idiot
12. Fat
13. Captain Underpants Theme Song
14. Now You Know
15. Happy Together (The Turtles cover) (with Puddles Pity Party)
16. It’s My World (and We’re All Living in It)
17. Skipper Dan
18. Drum Solo (Reprise)
19. eBay
20. Stop Forwarding That Crap to Me
21. White & Nerdy
22. Amish Paradise
23. Encore:
1. Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565 (Johann Sebastian Bach cover)
2. We All Have Cell Phones
3. The Saga Begins
4. Yoda

Songs by album:

• Others: 4
• Captain Underpants Theme Song 
• Party in the CIA / It's All About the Pentiums / Bedrock Anthem / My Bologna / Ricky / Ode to a Superhero / I Love Rocky Road / Eat It / Like a Surgeon / Word Crimes / Canadian Idiot
• Polkamania!
• We All Have Cell Phones
• Dare to Be Stupid (1985): 3
• Alpocalypse (2011): 2
• Bad Hair Day (1996): 2
• Mandatory Fun (2014): 2
• Drum Solos: 2
• Covers: 2
• Even Worse (1988): 1
• Medium Rarities (2017): 1
• Off the Deep End (1992): 1
• Poodle Hat (2003): 1
• Running With Scissors (1999): 1
• Straight Outta Lynwood (2006): 1
• Weird: The Al Yankovic Story: Original Soundtrack (2022): 1 

 

Post-Show

As we exited we saw a long line waiting for what seemed like a meet-and-greet.

Walked out to the Permanente Creek Trail, avoiding people vaping and blowing smoke carelessly. 🤬  Pretty empty compared to the crush of people on July 4--perhaps more come out in the surrounding areas to watch the fireworks as well. Drove home and crashed. 

Coda

The next day I had moderate bowel problems--maybe too much dairy & cheese (?)  Haven't felt anything like it in some time, so I'm hesitant to say it was Zareen's (it was Zareen's). Not painful, just very, very bloated. First time that happened after eating there, so probably will fall back to getting the Naan wrap next time and skipping the paneer burrito. 

Dipsea Trail Hike - Saturday, August 16, 2025

Dipsea trail hike, from Mill Valley to Stinson Beach--our third transit, after June 2010 and June 2023.

Up at 4:00 a.m., having slept only a few hours in fits and starts. Breakfast, etc. Left home around 5:00 a.m. Drove up the peninsula; traffic was mostly light. Crossed the Golden Gate Bridge. Parked near Old Mill Park around 6:15 a.m. Restrooms locked. 

1st of 688 steps (staircase #1 of 3, I think)

We began just after sunrise, and about 45 minutes after an hour-long misting rain. The perfume of the redwood and bay trees was 💯 🌟 

Banana Slug

Saw two banana slugs as we climbed the 688 steps in the 1st mile. Sadly, we encountered one squished banana slug later. 😓 Very quiet atmosphere. We whispered to ourselves so as to not disturb occupants of adjacent houses.

Felt a bit tired, but exertion distracted me. Wore our hydration vests. No sunblock until 10:00 a.m. Sky overcast and weather cool.  

Dawn took photos of each mile marker. I think we found every one except mile 3. 🤔 Not sure if we missed it or (?) 

Fogbow on the way to Muir Woods

Muir woods at 7:30 a.m. Traded photos at the entrance with another group. Found gift shop & cafe not open until 9:00 a.m. Walked the reverse loop to Cathedral Grove and back. One pair of men and their dog shared their observation of salmon fingerlings and crawfish. Back at the cafe a bit past 8:30 a.m., we decided to wait, refilling our water reservoirs, using the restrooms, and relaxing. 

Muir Woods Cafe - Turkey & cheese sandwich, scone, and hot (well, lukewarm) & iced coffees

At 9:00 a.m. we entered as customer #1, getting a turkey & cheese sandwich, a lukewarm coffee, an iced coffee, and a blueberry scone. Dawn bought a Muir Woods cotton tee with a banana slug on it. We also bought a wooden sticker with a badge of Muir Woods.

The park was noticeably busier as we left. A handful of tour buses of various sizes had arrived. We ascended away from Muir Woods and found ourselves sharing sections of the trail with runners of the USATF Tamalpa Headlands 50K ultramarathon. For the rest of our hike, we paused frequently to give right-of-way to runners. Almost all of them went out of their way to say thank you or greeted us, all while tackling "fast fire road running, steep climbs, flowy singletrack, [and] technical sections".

Near Cardiac Hill, we encountered an aid station tent with a bustle of activity, trays of food, hydration, volunteers, and even two athletically-dressed people in front of a camera and a satellite uplink. We briefly chatted with a volunteer who shared the name of the event, before she dashed after a passing runner and splashed them with water from her small pail. We watched several hikers farther along the trail and decided to continue. As we left the aid station a volunteer encouraged us to use the trail but to watch out for the runners. 👍🏻

We laughed at this sign, which looks like the handiwork of a hungry troll (photo: AllTrails)

Descending into the steep ravine portion felt primeval--from hot sun & dust, to shaded, cool, & fog-soaked moss with soft-earth trails. 

Primeval-looking, fog-shrouded redwood branches

The downside was the steep single-track meant frequently standing aside along the edge as runners dashed down. At the bottom a small party of hikers were chatting and laughing under the bows of a tree. The climb out of the ravine was rather gentle, all things considered. Our view at the fence of Stinson Beach was obscured by fog. The rest of the hike went smoothly, and we finished at the race turnaround tent, which had more trays of food, hydration, and volunteers. 

Whale art on driveway gate

 We felt tired but physically much better than previous Dipsea Trail hikes. Dawn wondered aloud about a double-Dipsea--i.e., hiking the reverse. 

We walked into town, looked at the restaurant options and chose Parkside. 

Raspberry lemonade with mint (Parkside Cafe)

Chicken Pesto sandwich--looks good, tastes just OK (Parkside Cafe)

After a 15-minute wait, we got seated at an patio picnic table. The waiter was Javier, and we got raspberry lemonade with mint, a latte, a pesto chicken sandwich (Dawn says, "I was a little sad about it, but it was OK...not anything to write home about"--wished for the burger or something else), and the signature Parkside breakfast for me: 2 over-easy eggs, toast, & roasted root vegetable hash with ketchup. For dessert we went to the Parkside cafe and got a slice of sourdough pesto sausage pizza & a cup of vanilla ice cream with berries. 

Stinson Beach was busy, with lots of pop-up tents, a few kites, a handful of swimmers, and lots of people relaxing in the sun & sand. We decided not to walk to the shore and rested for some minutes on the bench at the end of the wooden ramp. Next time, we will bring pants more suitable for wading. 

The bus driver charged us the $2/person fare this time (they did not in 2023). It was a larger bus, and earlier in the day. This bus had a Clipper Card fare reader, which seemed convenient. We paid $5 in cash and received a $1 paper card we can use on future uses in Marin. (The next day we got a Clipper Card). The driver aggressively navigated the turns, and our position in the back amplified the bouncing and queasiness. Our stop was at Panoramic & Bayview, which was the same spot we got out in 2023. We chatted briefly with a group of hikers who exited with us--they had hiked the same way we did earlier, and just needed a 2nd opinion on which direction to go. As we walked, a friendly couple passed us at a quick pace and we chatted briefly about where we had hiked. At the bottom we found our vehicle where we had left it. 

I walked a quick block to the Mill Valley Public Library and got a library card. As we got in the car and prepared to leave, a slightly silly encounter occurred with another driver--they pulled alongside us and motioned through the window to inquire if we were leaving. I nodded in the affirmative, and then they sat there for a moment until they realized they had boxed us in. After a beat, they reversed and we exited. 

The drive back was uneventful. I had programmed Waze to avoid tolls, so perhaps for this reason it routed us north to State Route 4 (SR 4), then 680-south and home. It was busy but relatively uncongested. It felt really good to get home and relax. 

We felt tired but not exhausted like in 2023. More talk of a double Dipsea hike some time in the future--it seems there is even an annual running of the Double Dipsea race on August 23, 2025.