Best of the Best 2019

Which are the best restaurants, spas, and travel destinations? At the end of 2019, I am rating the following (in order of best to worst) based on my personal experience.

Restaurants

Even though Michelin has not rated it, Mama's Fish House on Maui is our favorite restaurant worldwide. Mama's Fish House combines an authentic Hawaiian atmosphere with exceptional cooking and a magnificent tropical setting (overlooking Maui's North Shore, near the famous Ho'okipa Beach) to create an unforgettable dining experience using only the freshest fish caught on Maui.

1. Mama's Fish House, Maui, Hawaii 
2. The Plumed Horse, Saratoga, CA  (1 Michelin Star)
3. Lagoon Restaurant by Jean Georges, St. Regis, Bora-Bora, French Polynesia 
4. Manresa, Los Gatos, CA (3 Michelin Stars)
5. Solbar, Calistoga, CA  (1 Michelin Star)
6. Gary Danko, San Francisco, CA  (1 Michelin Star)
7. Ristrot Guivol, Turin, Italy
8. Weinstube Baldreit, Baden-Baden, Germany 
9. Plachutta, Vienna, Austria 
10. Humuhumunukunuku'apua, Maui Hawaii 
11. La Foret, San Jose, CA (Michelin Rated)
12. Bouchon, Napa, CA  (Michelin Rated)
13. Eataly, WTC, New York City (and Munich)
14. Araxi, Whistler, BC
15. Cucina Rustica, Sedona, Arizona

Dishes

• Apple Strudel: Cafe Demel, Vienna, Austria 
• Bread: "Country Bread," Tartine Bakery, San Francisco, CA 
• Cakes: A tie!
• Cafe Demel, Vienna, Austria 
• Extraordinary Desserts, San Diego, CA
• Croissants: "Pistachio Croissants", Thes Comptoirs Richard, Metz, France 
• Flammkuchen: Weinstube Baldreit, Baden-Baden, Germany 
• Gelato: Bella Gelateria, Vancouver, Canada
• Gnocchi: Osteria Nonna Gina, Siena, Italy 
• Opah, Mama's Fish House, Maui, Hawaii 
• Pancakes: "Lemon Ricotta Pancakes," Solbar, Calistoga 
• Patisserie: Gerard Mulot Patisserie, Paris, France 
• Pizza: Buffalo, Pizzeria Scugnizzo, Turin, Italy
• Ramen: Matsumoto, Japan
• Sandwiches: Small World Sandwich Shop, Amsterdam, Netherlands 
• Sushi: Shou Tsukiji Sushi, Tokyo, Japan
• Tafelspitz: Plachutta, Vienna, Austria 
• Tapas: El Pinton, Seville, Spain 

Pizzeria

We have had pizza everywhere in the United States (New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland, etc.), France, Italy, Spain, Austria, Netherlands, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and Japan. So far, our favorite pizza restaurant is Pizzeria Scugnizzo in Turin, Italy. We also had fantastic pizza in Japan - at Pizzeria Mar-de Napoli in Tokyo. Also, an excellent, small pizza restaurant had the most incredible pizza in Paris - but I cannot recall its name. I heard that the absolute world's best pizza is to be found in Naples, Italy - but I have not been there yet.

1. Pizzeria Scugnizzo, Turin, Italy
2. Waikiki Pizza Restaurant, Bardonecchia, Italy
3. Bricks Restaurant Pizza, Turin, Italy
4. Keste Pizza, Greenwich Village, New York City (Keste #1)
5. Eataly, World Trade Center, New York City ("Capricciosa" pizza)
6. Eataly Lingotto, Turin, Italy
7. Pizzeria Mar-de Napoli, Tokyo, Japan ("DLC winner" pizza)
8. Juliana's Pizza, Brooklyn, New York City (#1 Special)
9. Pizza My Heart, Los Gatos, CA (especially "Manresa" only available on Sundays)

Gelato and Ice Cream

Our favorite gelateria was in Bologna, Italy. We also tried many exceptional gelaterias in Florence, Siena, Lake Como, Venice, and Lucca.

1. Gelato in Bologna, Italy (near Piazza Maggiore)
2. Gelato in Florence, Siena, Lake Como, Venice, Lucca (Italy) 
3. Bella Gelateria, Vancouver, BC 
4. Grom Gelateria, Turin, Italy
5. Grom Gelateria, New York City (also in Florence and Siena) 
6. Kamakura Gelato, Kamakura, Japan
7. Eataly, New York City (and Munich)
8. Gelateria La Romana, Turin, Italy
9. Lappert's Ice Cream, Maui, Hawaii

Spas

Our favorite spas have been in Baden-Baden, Germany, but we've also heard about exceptional spas in Austria (which we have not tried yet).

1. Aquadome, Langenfeld, Austria
2. Friedrichsbad Therme, Baden-Baden, Germany 
3. Caracalla Therme, Baden-Baden, Germany
4. Alpentherme Gastein, Bad Hofgastein, Austria 
5. Miri-Miri Spa by Clarens, St. Regis, Bora-Bora 
6. Scandinave Spa, Whistler, Canada 
7. Tabacon, Costa Rica 
8. Spa LaQua, Tokyo, Japan
9. Spa World, Osaka, Japan
10. Solage, Calistoga, CA 
11. Indian Springs, Calistoga, CA 

Books (2019)

1. The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
2. Sophie's Choice by William Styron
3. Napoleon: A Life, by Andrew Roberts
4. For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
5. A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
6. Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou
7. How to Be a Conservative by Roger Scruton
8. The Strange Death of Europe by Douglas Murray
9. In the Hurricane's Eye: The Genius of George Washington and the Victory at Yorktown by Nathaniel Philbrick
10. Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham
11. Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson
12. Chicago: A Novel, by David Mamet
13. A Spy Among Friends: Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal by Ben Macintyre
14. Folks, This Ain't Normal by Joel Salatin
15. Three Days in Moscow: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of the Soviet Empire by Bret Baier, 
Catherine Whitney
16. When Einstein Walked with Gödel: Excursions to the Edge of Thought by Jim Holt
17. Permanent Record by Edward Snowden
18. Call Sign Chaos by Jim Mattis
19. The Body: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson
20. The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester

Rock/Blues/Jazz Albums (2019)

There were not many rock albums I liked in 2019, but here are my favorites.

1. The Christmas Present by Robbie Williams
2. From the Fires by Greta Van Fleet
3. Cause and Effect by Keane
4. Look Up Child by Lauren Daigle
5. Further by Richard Hawley
6. In Search of Mona Lisa by Santana
7. Chip Tooth Smile by Rob Thomas
8. Jazz Age Thirst Trap by Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox
9. NFR! by Lana Del Ray
10. Threads by Sheryl Crow

Movies (all-time)

1. The Godfather (1972)
2. Schindler's List (1993)
3. Casablanca (1942)
4. Gone with the Wind (1939)
5. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
6. Dead Poet's Society (1989)
7. High Noon (1952)
8. 12 Angry Men (1957)
9. The Lord of the Rings (2001)
10. Seven Samurai (1954)
11. The Matrix (1999)
12. Sophie's Choice (1982)
13. Goodfellas (1990)
14. Amadeus (1984)
15. Aliens (1986)
16. All Quiet on the Western Front (1939)
17. Good Morning Vietnam! (1987)
18. Modern Times (1936)
19. Das Boot (1981)
20. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966)
21. The Godfather, Part II (1974)
22. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
23. Unforgiven (1992)
24. Point Break (1991)
25. Double Indemnity (1944)
26. Some Like It Hot (1959)
27. Scarface (1983)
28. Judgment at Nurenburg (1961)
29. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
30. Before Sunrise (1995)

Movies (2019)

1. Downton Abbey (2019)
2. Richard Jewell (2019)
3. 1917 (2019)
4. The Irishman (2019)
5. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)
6. Midway (2019)
7. Tolkien (2019)
8. Ford v. Ferrari (2019)
9. Parasite (2019)
10. Rocketman (2019)

Miniseries (all-time)

1. The Winds of War (1983)
2. War and Remembrance  (1988)
3. Band of Brothers (2001)
4. The Pacific
5. Pride & Prejudice (1995)
6. Shogun (1980)
7. Masada (1981)
8. The Thorn Birds (1983)
9. North & South (2004)
10. Black Mirror (2011)

Rock Concerts

My favorite rock concert was Elton John's Made in England Tour at Tacoma Dome. It was my first Rock concert and a truly fantastic experience. I have been to his other concerts, i.e., the Red Piano in Las Vegas, but they did not have the same atmosphere and intensity.

1. Elton John's Made in England Tour, Tacoma Dome, Washington on 9/9/1995 
2. Leonard Cohen, HP Pavilion, San Jose, 11/7/2012. 
3. The History of the Eagles, HP Pavilion, San Jose, 1/29/2013 
4. Elton John's Farewell Yellow Brick Road SAP Center, San Jose, 10/19/2018
5. Postmodern Jukebox, The Warfield, San Francisco, 12/13/2015 
6. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Harrah's Hotel and Casino, 5/30/2015 
7. Carlos Santana, Shoreline Amphitheater, 2002
8. Elton John's Million Dollar Piano, The Colosseum, Las Vegas, 10/13/2011
9. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Uptown Theatre, Napa, 2/23/2019
10. The Gipsy Kings, Mountain Winery, 8/27/2014. 
11. Lara Fabian 50, San Jose Center for the Performing Arts, 9/20/2019

Opera

My favorite opera is Carmen by Georges Bizet, due to the fantastic music and dramatic story. I am also partial to Puccini, especially Madame Butterfly.

1. Carmen, Houston Grand Opera
2. Madame Butterfly, Houston Grand Opera, 1993
3. Marriage of Figaro, San Francisco Opera, 6/21/15
4. Barber of Seville, San Francisco Opera, 11/23/13
5. La Traviata, Houston Grand Opera
6. Don Giovanni, San Francisco Opera
7. La Boheme, San Francisco Opera,  11/22/14
8. The Magic Flute, San Francisco Opera
9. Lucia di Lammermoor, Houston Grand Opera
10. Elektra, Houston Grand Opera
11. Salome, Houston Grand Opera

Musical Theater

My favorite musical is Chicago (most recently seen at Ambassador Theater on Broadway). However, I am a massive fan of Kander & Ebb musicals (including Cabaret, Liza with a Z, and Fosse). I also like Cole Porter's musicals (Anything Goes, Kiss Me Kate!) and George Gershwin's (Crazy for You) most.

1. Chicago, Ambassador Theater, Broadway, New York City 12/18/2016, 9/25/2018
2. Fiddler on the Roof, Broadway Theater, New York City, 12/23/2016 
3. Cabaret, Orpheum Theater, San Francisco 
4. Anything Goes, Golden Gate Theater, San Francisco, 1/19/2013 
5. Grease, Orpheum Theater, San Francisco 
6. Monty Python's Spamalot, Orpheum, San Francisco 
7. My Fair Lady, Vivian Beaumont Theater, New York City, 9/22/2018
8. Kiss Me, Kate!, Orpheum, San Francisco 
9. Saturday Night Fever, Orpheum, San Francisco 
10. 42nd Street, Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London, 7/15/2017
11. Mary Poppins, Orpheum, San Francisco, 5/12/2013 
12. The Book of Mormon, San Francisco, 1/7/2014 
13. Showboat, War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, 6/13/2014 
14. Aladdin, San Jose Center for the Performing Arts, 4/17/19
15. Mamma Mia, Orpheum, San Francisco
16. Phantom of the Opera, Orpheum, San Francisco, 8/21/2015
17. Cats, Neil Simon Theater, New York City, 12/24/2016 
18. The Lion King, Orpheum, San Francisco
19. Les Miserables, Orpheum, San Francisco
20. Avenue Q, New World Stages, New York City, 9/24/2018
21. Hello Dolly!, Orpheum, San Francisco
22. Mathilda, Orpheum, San Francisco, 7/23/2015
23. Wicked!, San Jose Center for the Performing Arts, 8/31/2019
24. Fosse, San Jose Center for the Performing Arts
25. Hamilton, Orpheum, San Francisco, 8/17/2019
26. Miss Saigon, San Jose Center for the Performing Arts, 11/15/2019
27. Evita, San Jose Center for the Performing Arts
28. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, San Jose Center for the Performing Arts
29. Annie, Portland, Oregon

Theater (Drama & Comedy)

I am incredibly partial to William Shakespeare's dramas, especially Hamlet, Macbeth, and King Lear. Having seen them long ago, I don't have any exposure to more recent productions.

1. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Geary Theater, San Francisco, 11/20/2019
2. Emma, TheatreWorks, Palo Alto, 12/4/2015 
3. Les Liaisons Dangereuses, New York City, 12/22/2016 
4. Disgraced, Berkeley Rep, Berkeley, 12/12/2015 
5. Cyrano, TheatreWorks, Mountain View, 4/24/2016 
6. Outside Mullingar, TheatreWorks, Palo Alto, 10/7/2016 
7. The Hard Problem, Geary Theater, San Francisco, 10/19/2016 
8. Daddy Longs Legs, Lucie Stern Theater, Palo Alto, 12/3/2016 
9. Oleanna, Houston, 1992

Hiking Trails

Half-Dome was the longest, most challenging hike I have done. It has fantastic overlooks of Yosemite Valley. However, the other hikes in Silver Falls State Park in Oregon are also excellent.

1. Half-Dome, Yosemite, CA 
2. Little Horse Trail to Chicken Point, Sedona, Arizona
3. Silver Falls State Park, Oregon 
4. Dipsea Trail, Sausalito, CA 
5. Devil's Bridge, Sedona, Arizona
6. Big Basin Redwoods, Boulder Creek, CA 
7. Castle Rock State Park, CA 
8. Mt. Shasta, CA 
9. Point Lobos Natural Reserve, Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA 
10. Lassen Volcanic National Park, Mineral, CA 
11. Huddart County Park, Woodside, CA

Ski Resorts

My favorite place to ski and snowboard is Whistler, near Vancouver, British Columbia. Whistler usually has great snow with minimal elevation gain, excellent, inexpensive restaurants, and a tremendous youthful vibe (with many other nearby activities such as tubing, ice skating, dog sledding, cross-country skiing, & snowmobiling). It's also has a fabulous Scandinave Spa! However, I also enjoy the fantastic powder at our local Mammoth Mountain.

1. Whistler/Blackcomb, BC, Canada (best resort) 
2. Mammoth Mountain, Mammoth Lakes, CA (best California powder)
3. Verbier, Switzerland
4. Kirkwood, Lake Tahoe, CA (best local powder)
5. Alpine Meadows, Lake Tahoe, CA
6. Mount Hood Meadows, Mt. Hood, Oregon 
7. Mt. Bachelor, Bend, Oregon 
8. Heavenly, South Lake Tahoe 
9. Squaw Valley, Lake Tahoe, CA 
10. Mt. Rose, East Lake Tahoe, NV 
11. Sierra-at-Tahoe, Lake Tahoe, CA
12. Bardonecchia, Turin, Italy (most delicious food of any resort)
13. Sugar Bowl, Lake Tahoe, CA (closest resort) 

Mountain Biking Trails

1. John Nicholas Trail, Los Gatos, CA
2. Almaden Quicksilver County Park, San Jose, CA
3. Saratoga Gap & Long Ridge, Saratoga, CA
4. Santa Teresa County Park, San Jose, CA
5. Joseph D. Grant County Park
6. Limekiln Trail, Los Gatos, CA
7. Monte Bello OSP
8. Wilder Ranch State Park, Santa Cruz, CA

Off-Road Motorcycling Trails

My favorite place to ride off-road dirt bikes is in Hollister SVRA. I have taken classes with Brian Garrahan and have ridden multiple 4-stroke and 2-stroke motorcycles.

1. Hollister Hills SVRA, Hollister, CA
2. Carnegie SVRA, Tracy, CA
3. Metcalf, San Jose, CA

Windsurfing Spots

My all-time favorite place for windsurfing is on the Northern shore of Maui at Spreckelville Beach. However, I also enjoyed windsurfing in the Columbia River Gorge ("The Gorge" near Hood River, Oregon) at Sherman Island in Rio Vista Coyote Point and Crissy Field in San Francisco.

1. Spreckelsville, Maui, Hawaii
2. Kanaha Beach Park, Maui, Hawaii
3. Swell City, Hood River, Oregon
4. Rowena, Hood River, Oregon
5. Waddell Creek, Santa Cruz, California
6. Sherman Island, Rio Vista, California
7. Crissy Field, San Francisco, California
8. Event Site, Hood River, Oregon
9. Coyote Point, San Francisco, California

Surfing Spots

1. Ala Moana State Park, Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii
2. Surfer's Point at Seaside Park, Ventura
3. "The Hook", Capitola
4. Dolores Beach, Laniakea Beach, Oahu, Hawaii
5. Pismo Beach Pier, Pismo Beach
6. Pleasure Point, Capitola (great beginners spot)
7. Steamer Lane, Capitola (experts only)
8. Manresa State Beach, Capitola

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The Year in Sports 2019

How was 2019 in Sports? Let's take a look:

• 124 days of playing tennis (Sunnyvale Tennis Center)
• 66 days working out in the gym (City Sports)
• 20 days of surfing (Capitola, Oahu)
• 15 days of windsurfing (Coyote Point, Sherman Island, Crissy Field)
• 15 days of snowboarding (Mammoth, Verbier, Alpine Meadows)
• 15 days of hiking (Yosemite, Sedona, Vasona Lake)
• 1 day of off-road riding at Hollister Hills (on a Yamaha WR250F)
• 4 days of mountain biking (Almaden Quicksilver Park)

How was 2018 in Sports? Let's take a look:

• 147 days of playing tennis (Sunnyvale Tennis Center)
• 90 days working out in the gym (City Sports)
• 23 days of surfing (Capitola)
• 16 days of windsurfing (Coyote Point, Sherman Island)
• 13 days of snowboarding (Whistler & South Lake Tahoe)
• 12 days of mountain biking (Almaden Quicksilver Park)
• 4 days of hiking (Santa Cruz)
• 3 days of off-road riding at Hollister Hills (on a Yamaha WR250F)

How was 2017 in Sports? Let's take a look:

• 228 days of playing tennis (Sunnyvale Tennis Center)
• 98 days working out in the gym (Forma Gym)
• 7 days of windsurfing (Coyote Point, Sherman Island)
• 5 days of snowboarding (Whistler & South Lake Tahoe)
• 21 days of mountain biking (Almaden Quicksilver Park)
• 3 days of hiking (Don Edwards Wildlife Refuge)
• 6 days of off-road riding at Hollister Hills (on a Yamaha WR250F)

How was 2016 in Sports? Let's take a look:

• 241 days of playing tennis (Los Gatos Swim & Racquet Club)
• 0 days working out in the gym (Forma Gym)
• 0 days of windsurfing (Coyote Point, Sherman Island)
• 1 day of snowboarding (Whistler & South Lake Tahoe)
• 1 day of mountain biking (Almaden Quicksilver Park)
• 0 days of hiking
• 11 days of off-road riding at Hollister Hills (on a Honda CRF250R)

How was 2015 in Sports? Let's take a look:

• 0 days of playing tennis
• 0 days working out in the gym (Forma Gym)
• 1 day of windsurfing (Coyote Point, Sherman Island)
• 6 days of snowboarding (Whistler & South Lake Tahoe)
• 7 days of mountain biking (Almaden Quicksilver Park)
• 0 days of hiking
• 2 days of off-road riding at Hollister Hills (on a Honda CR150F)

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Back to Mammoth Mountain

I originally planned to leave San Jose by 13:00 for the December return trip to Mammoth Mountain and arrive at Mammoth Lakes around 19:00.

However, due to Bay Area traffic and road closures on 89 South (which Google Maps did not initially anticipate), we needed to drive further on 89 East and then follow 395 South to Mammoth. Fortunately, the roads were reasonably clean, though 89 had many sharp turns.

We eventually arrived at our Sierra Lodge around 21:00 - exhausted and tired. We were surprised to see Mammoth so dry and clean - without many traces of the heavy snow we experienced in February (and expected in December).

After quickly unpacking our snowboarding gear, we ate dinner at the nearby John's Pizza Works across the street from Sierra Lodge.

I ordered a tossed salad to share between Alex and me, while Alex selected the spicy boneless chicken wings (which turned out to be too spicy for Alex), and I selected a Taco Wedgie. To my surprise, the Taco Wedgie was quite delicious, and I shared one with Alex, who was suffering from spicy chicken wings (he is not accustomed to spicy food).

After dinner, we returned to our Sierra Lodge Room #108, where I worked to unpack my suitcase and organize all of my snowboarding gear.

By the way, Sierra Lodge offers lockers for skiing and snowboarding equipment to avoid bringing wet gear into the room (which we used extensively) and an excellent underground parking garage (which is very helpful during sudden snowstorms). I was thankful I did not have to dig my car out (or use tire chains) on Monday and Tuesday (when a significant snowstorm rolled in).

Although it has free internet access, it does not work well, and I frequently rely on my data plan for urgent emails.

Saturday, December 21, 2019

After waking up around 07:00, I showered and dressed at our Sierra Lodge for breakfast. The breakfast is of adequate quality. It includes pastries, bagels, cold cereal, oatmeal, coffee, and orange juice.

When we returned to room #108, we needed to attach the Custom Burton snowboard bindings to Alex's Jones All-mountain snowboard. Alex did not recall the correct settings, but we eventually settled on 15 degrees for the front foot and negative 3 degrees for the rear foot.

After getting dressed in our snowboarding gear (including our inner layers), we headed for the bus shuttle stop #14, which runs 3 times an hour, at 0:10, 0:30, and 0:50 minutes each hour from 07:00 to 17:30. We ended up boarding the 09:30. Red-line bus shuttle to the gondola.

After arriving there, I stopped by to pick up my lift tickets. This required me to show my driver's license and original credit card. Since I used a gift MasterCard, I needed to show my gift credit card letter.

With tickets in hand, we boarded the gondola to the Canyon Lodge. Upon arrival, we strapped on our snowboards (freshly waxed at REI) and got in line for the Canyon Express chair lift.

On the first run, it was immediately evident that the snow was hard-packed and icy in spots. There were also multiple places of low snow coverage (which needed to be avoided). Both Alex and I prefer fresh powder.

We searched for fresh powder in the trees, but there was little fresh snow. The tree runs were icy, too!

At around 11:15, we decided to snowboard back to the Cascade Lodge for an early lunch. Usually, the lodge is extremely busy around lunchtime. However, this time, the lodge was only moderately active.

Alex selected a slice of pepperoni pizza, Albondigas soup (a traditional Mexican meatball soup), hot chocolate, and a cookie for his lunch. He was so starving!

I also ordered a bowl of Albondigas soup for myself. Yummy!

After lunch, we continued snowboarding all over the mountain until 15:00, when we stopped by for a couple of cookies! We shared a chocolate chip, a macadamia nut cookie, and Vitamin water. (Vitamin water drinks have too much sugar!)

Here is my GoPro Hero7 Black video of my first snowboarding day:



We returned for another run to the mountain and then headed back to Sierra Lodge, boarding the Red-line shuttle.

We decided to dine at the Smokeyard BBQ and Chop Shop restaurant in the Mammoth Village for dinner. It was already busy when we arrived at 18:30, but we were offered a table in about 15 minutes.

I ordered cornbread and a mixed green salad for an appetizer to share between Alex and me. The cornbread was unique in that it contained fresh kernels of corn. Alex played it safe for entrees by calling it "Fish and chips." I wanted to try something new since "Durban Curry" (my favorite from my visit in February was no longer on the menu). Myles, our waiter, suggested "Potjiekos" - a South African stew with meat over rice. I really enjoyed it.

After dinner, we stopped by the General Store to purchase some snacks for Alex, including Gummy Bears, Toblerone, and a pint of Rocky Road Haagen Daz ice cream.

We strolled through the village, enjoying the beautifully decorated Christmas tree.

When we returned home, I tried to read a book on my Kindle Paperwhite. At first, I selected "The Rosie Project" by Graeme Simsion but quickly got bored. Then, I tried "The Hidden Pleasures of Life" by Theodore Zeldin, but it also left me unsatisfied. Finally, I tried reading  "The Wandering Earth" by the famous Chinese Science-Fiction author Cixin Liu. This book intrigued me for some reason, and I continued reading it until I dozed off.

Sunday, December 22, 2019

After waking up around 07:00, I showered and dressed at our Sierra Lodge for breakfast. The breakfast is of adequate quality. It includes pastries, bagels, cold cereal, oatmeal, coffee, and orange juice.

After getting dressed in our snowboarding gear (including our inner layers), we headed for the bus shuttle stop #14. We ended up boarding the 08:30 shuttle bus to the gondola.

We arrived at Canyon Lodge right before 09:00, though Mammoth's ski lifts were already running. We quickly mounted our snowboards and started our second day on the slopes. The weather was clear but cloudy as the day progressed with stronger, gustier winds.

The forecast called for snow 4-6 inches of fresh snow falling at 09:30 but did not start snowing until 12:30.

We stayed most of the morning on Chair #25, returning to Cascade Lodge for lunch at around 11:30. This time, we decided to be more adventurous and try some newer (to us) entrees.

I selected a bowl of Mexican "Ponzole" soup while Alex tried the Mexican "Sopes" burger. I really enjoyed my soup!

After lunch, we returned to the slopes, but it was snowing hard, with gusty winds and limited visibility.

Alex and I put on our turtlenecks and were still cold when we arrived at the peak. Since it was so hard, I decided it best to stay near our Cascade Lodge in case we needed to quickly stop for hot chocolate (which we did at 13:45.)

During this snowboarding session, both Alex and I focused on learning to ride "fakie," or with feet in the opposite direction as intended. This took some work for both of us.

At around 15:30, we completed our 14th run down the mountain and called it a day. We took the Red-line bus back to stop #13 for our Sierra Lodge (the bus does not stop at #14 for some odd reason, so we should exit the bus at stop #15 instead).

We returned for dinner at the Smokeyard BBQ and Chop Shop restaurant in the Mammoth Village. It was already busy when we arrived at 18:00, but we were offered a table in about 30 minutes (we provided our phone number to text table availability).

While waiting for our table, we strolled around the village, looking for coffee houses and specialty stores. We stopped by the General Store to purchase snacks for Alex and me, including gummy bears and chips.

At around 18:30, our table was ready, and we returned to Smokeyard BBQ for our dinner. I ordered cornbread and a mixed green salad for an appetizer to share between Alex and me. The cornbread was unique in that it contained fresh kernels of corn.

For entrees, Alex ordered the "Beef Ribs". Although the portions were enormous, Alex was hungry and managed to eat them all himself! I played it safe by ordering Potjiekos - a South African stew with meat over rice. With hot black tea, our meal was complete.

Monday, December 23, 2019

After waking up at 06:30, I showered, shaved, and dressed for breakfast at our Sierra Lodge. I ate a bowl of hot maple/brown sugar oatmeal and drank some hot coffee with a Danish. Alex had the same breakfast items.

After getting dressed in our snowboarding gear (including our inner layers), we headed for the bus shuttle stop #14. We ended up boarding the 08:10 shuttle bus to the gondola.

We arrived at Canyon Lodge right before 08:30. Some of Mammoth's ski lifts were running, but not the Canyon Express (16) chairlift. We decided not to wait for its operation and headed for the Schoolyard Express (17) chairlift, which was already running. Unloading from the chairlift, we snowboarded to the nearby Roller Coaster Express (14) chairlift.

Since we saw plenty of fresh powder on the ground, we were eager to make our new tracks in the snow. We decided to enjoy some trails parallel to the Roller Coaster chairlift. Mostly, we snowboarded through the trees, searching for the elusive deep, fresh powder.

After a few runs on the Roller Coaster, we decided to head back to Chair 22, followed by Chair 25 (one of our favorites). We usually find abundant fresh, deep powder on this side of Mammoth, and we were not disappointed this time. We enjoyed our time riding through the trees. Some of the rocks were lightly covered by snow, and I scratched the base of my Ride Berzerker snowboard.

We enjoyed our time on the mountain and wanted to head to Cloud 9, but it was closed due to avalanche control. We hope to snowboard there tomorrow.

After a few more runs, we decided to head to the nearby Eagle Lodge to use the restroom. We thought about eating an early lunch there but did not find the abundance of specialties (primarily Mexican) we enjoyed at our average Canyon Lodge. We decided to continue snowboarding until 13:00 (to avoid the mad lunch rush and crowds at Canyon Lodge.)

When getting back on Chair 25, a curious incident happened. While Alex and I were waiting to sit in our chair, a skier in a Yellow Jacket (next in line) moved too far forward. As the chair spun around, it hit the skier, knocking him down. It also destabilized the chair approaching Alex and me. Alex quickly stepped out of harm's way, but I had to jump on the wobbling chair (which hit me slightly). This incident broke the chairlift for 5 minutes, and we waited for a bit to have the chairlift repaired. Eventually, the chairlift restarted usually, and we were on our way.

We snowboarded a few more runs and, at 12:40, decided to head back to Canyon Lodge for lunch.

We arrived there at around 13:15 and eventually found a table to sit at. I ordered the Panzole Mexican soup for Alex and me. Since Alex was extremely hungry, he also selected a slice of pizza and a pastry. We enjoyed our lunch while recovering from our snowboarding runs.

At around 14:00, we returned to snowboarding. We mostly stayed on tracks aligned with Canyon Express (17) chair, hunting for deep powder in the trees.

At around 15:30, after completing 13 runs total, we unstrapped our boards and returned to Mammoth Village for some hot mochas and cookies.

Here are my GoPro Hero7 Black video highlights from the day's runs:



We stopped by the Sierra Grind (a local coffee shop) and ordered two tall white-chocolate lattes. They were delicious and helped to warm us up (along with some cookies),

I checked my Ride Berzerker 162 board and noticed a few long gashes from the rocks I'd hit earlier. Hopefully, REI will be able to repair it. (The REI repair bill ended up being $139 for both my Ride Berzerker and Alex's Jones Ultra Mountain Twin snowboards)

We returned to our Sierra Lodge at around 16:30, as the Red-line shuttle had a very long line of people waiting. Thankfully, it was only a 20-minute walk.

Since neither Alex nor I were hungry, we decided to skip dinner that night and rested in our lodge.
I started reading Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.

We skipped dinner since Alex was not hungry (after the huge lunch).


Tuesday, December 23, 2019

After waking up at 06:30, I showered and dressed for breakfast at our Sierra Lodge. I ate a bowl of hot raisin and spice oatmeal and drank some hot coffee with a Danish. Alex had the same breakfast items but a different oatmeal flavor (as he prefers maple & brown sugar).

After getting dressed in our snowboarding gear (including our inner layers), we headed for the bus shuttle stop #14. We ended up boarding the 08:10 shuttle bus to the gondola.

We arrived at Canyon Lodge right before 08:30. Canyon Express (16) started running when we arrived, but Could 9 was still inoperational.

We decided to snowboard to Chair 22, followed by Chair 25 (one of our favorites). The fresh 5 inches of powder was immediately felt. It was a fantastic feeling - gliding effortlessly and smoothly over freshly fallen snow, making my new tracks!

We snowboarded around Chair 25, enjoying finding and exploring trees and the new regions of freshly fallen virgin powder.

Here is a GoPro Hero7 Black video of the first part of the day snowboarding:



At around 11:00, we returned to Canyon Lodge for an early lunch, as we were both a bit tired and starving. I ordered the Panzole Mexican soup, while Alex selected a Giant Burrito. Alex's burrito was genuinely enormous, and he devoured it readily. My Panzole soup was delicious, as usual. Surprisingly, the lodge was not as busy as the day before, despite 5 inches of freshly fallen snow.

After lunch, we returned to Chair 9 (Cloud 9 Express), which is now fully operational.

I recorded a GoPro Hero7 Black video of the second part of the day snowboarding. I used an Alaska Life selfie stick for a 3rd-person point of view.



When approaching the top of the lift, the wind increased dramatically. In addition, even though there were 15 inches of fresh snow, some rocks were still uncovered. We needed to carefully navigate the stones to prevent them from scratching our snowboards.

On the first run to "Wazoo" and "Dragon Alley," I followed Alex but quickly lost sight of him. I proceeded independently through the trees and deep, freshly fallen powder. Getting stuck in the deep snow was easy, and I mostly followed other people's fresh tracks.

Alex wanted to try recording his snowboarding run using my GoPro Hero 7 Black, and he recorded the following video:



With the sun clearly shining, snowboarding through the forest of trees was exhilarating and breathtaking.

On the second run, Alex and I decided to try a different section of the mountain (on the left when facing downhill). We also found a lot of deep, fresh powder there,, and made many new tracks through the trees. It was so much fun!

We spent the rest of our day here, returning to Canyon Lodge at around 15:00 for a helping of hot chocolate and cookies (I drank hot Apple Cider instead of hot chocolate). What a satisfactory ending to our four-day snowboarding trip!

We returned to our favorite Smokeyard BBQ and Chop Shop restaurant in Mammoth Village for dinner. Since seats were unavailable, I left my mobile phone number, and Alex and I walked down the street to a nearby coffee shop to drink hot tea. The temperature kept dropping, and we both felt freezing (my iPhone weather app indicated a low of 8 degrees Fahrenheit).

This time, Alex ordered a "Flame Grilled Burger," which was huge! I called my usual "Potjiekos" South African beef stew, which I enjoyed. We had a fine dining experience at Smokeyard but were sad that our vacation was over.

Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Merry Christmas!

After waking up at 07:00, I showered and dressed at our Sierra Lodge for breakfast. It was time to return home to San Jose, and I had a lot of packing to do. Once I removed Alex's Burton Custom snowboarding bindings from his Jones Ultra Mountain Twin snowboard, I packed our two snowboards into our Dakine snowboard bag and loaded them into Alex's Lexus RX350.

I ate a bowl of hot raisin and spice oatmeal and drank some hot coffee with a Danish. Alex had the same breakfast items but a different flavor of oatmeal.

Since there was still chain control on 395 North, and I wanted to avoid having to install/remove chains multiple times, I decided to drive home using the more roundabout way through Bakersfield.

We checked out of our Sierra Lodge at 08:45 and started our long drive to San Jose, arriving at 16:00. We stopped briefly in Bakersfield for lunch - Alex wanted to eat at The Five Guys burger restaurant (but it turned out to be closed on Christmas Day). Our long drive took about 7 hours (instead of the 6.5 hours using the northern, South Lake Tahoe route).

Mammoth Trip Report

Highlights

• Excellent powder on Monday (December 23, 2019) and Tuesday (December 24, 2019) - we were lucky!
• Amazing Mexican soups and burritos in Canyon Lodge
• Excellent entrees and appetizers at Smokeyard BBQ in Mammoth Village

Lowlights

• Some trails have very light snow coverage with exposed and hidden rocks (causing damage to our snowboards)
• Expensive lodging (Christmas season) at Sierra Lodge
• Breakfast at Sierra Lodge could be better
• Crowded at lunchtime (hard to find a table at Canyon Lodge, especially on Monday, December 23).

Damages

• $70 - Ride Berzerker 162 snowboard required major base repairs at REI (due to uncovered rocks)
• $70 - Jones Ultramountain Twin snowboard required minor base repairs at REI (due to exposed rocks)
• $19 - The GoPro Hero Battery was lost during a GoPro battery change (I forgot to zip the backpack pocket)

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Filoli Gardens Holiday Lights

Excited to see Holiday Lights at Filoli Gardens, Inna and I decided to visit Filoli on Sunday, December 15th. Luckily, unlike the previous day, it was not raining, and we enjoyed strolling through the winter gardens festively decorated with ornaments and lights.

At first, we strolled the beautifully decorated mansion, marveling at the Christmas decorations.

There were 22+ Christmas Trees delicately decorated with flowers and other ornaments.

At around 5:00pm, young gentlemen played a few Christmas songs to entertain the audience.

At around 6:00pm, when the sky darkened, we walked to the gardens to enjoy the colorfully lit gardens.

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