This very early day of October, the signs of a 2009 year well into the throes of fall are all around. The daytime temperatures are pleasantly warm but with a nice breeze, and the nighttime cools down to a brisk and invigorating climate. The leaves are turning fall foliage colors and many migratory birds are on their way down south. The MLB playoffs are about to begin. The Raiders and the 49’ers are hitting the gridiron. The NBA season is just around the corner in a month. These are all signs of yet another wonderful Bay Area fall.
And with this fall setting, 15 of us NSC members took to the Coyote Creek bike trail in south San Jose just this weekend on October 3 to enjoy the scenery and test our legs with 30 miles of the gentle bike path. Karen Soo and Curtis Otaguro led the bike event and a great time was had by all. The lunch and the apres event snack was great as usual and the cross-training for the upcoming ski season is a great help. Thank you Curtis and Karen for leading this event!
On Sunday, Saturday 20, on what was forecast as a very hot day, Dick Wong led a small and enthusiastic band of hikers on a pleasant hike through the Picchetti Ranch and Vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains near Saratoga. As it turned out, the weather was warm but not hot, and so the small NSC band had a great time and showed that quality of comrades always trumps quantity of hikers. Thank you Dick for reprising this hike for the second year in a row!
As proof that the NSC is also about tending the cultural side of the human experience, Angie Fong led a nice sized group on Sunday, September 13, to the San Francisco Asian Art Museum to take a NSC tour of the “Lords of the Samurai.” Thank you Angie for leading this very interesting NSC event!
Coming up in this month of October, David Tom is leading a NSC Bocce Ball event on Sunday, October 11. This event is an ideal low key event to introduce your friends to the great group that comprises the NSC. The price includes appetizers and, of course, great Bocce ball competition. A good sized group has already signed up but there is still room for more players!
The NSC will hold another hike at Huddart Park near San Mateo on Saturday, October 17. This moderate hike is about 5 miles in length and will highlight the incredible fall scenery we have here in the Bay Area.
On Saturday, November 7, Greg Wong will lead us in “NSC at the Races” at Golden Gate Fields in Berkeley. Price includes a great dinner and for the first few who sign up, a picture with a wining horse. I don’t know which end of the horse you’ll get to be seen with! Sign up and maybe you will win enough for a future NSC event! So far, interest has been great so don’t delay and sign up early.
The Preseason event, to be held Saturday, November 14, at the Mountain View Buddhist Temple Social Hall, will be a potluck and the theme is centered around the 2010 Winter Games. W will hold a General Meeting where all members and friends will have a chance to see the details on the exciting ski season that the Board has planned. Please sign up early and bring a dish to this potluck and get ready for a great time.
The initial signup deadline for our annual weeklong trip to Whistler (January 24-31. 2010) has passed but there are a few spots still open as we need to have a total group headcount that is divisible by four to correspond to the 4-bedroom deluxe condos that we will be occupying. So for the many of you that have been sitting on the fence on this trip, please sign up immediately so you do not miss out on this trip! Our condos are located at the base of Whistler mountain and this location is one of the most convenient as far as amenities go while being away from the crowds.
Trip Director, David Jensen is leading the long weekend trip to Mount Bachelor in Oregon. Besides the great snow, we will take a train to the resort. Please sign up early for this March 24-30 trip as I have gotten the feeling from most people that this will be a popular trip.
Also the Board has approved four Tahoe weekend bus trips for this coming season. Please hit http://www.niseiskiclub.org/trips/ for more details and see info in this letter.
Finally, webmaster, Morgan Hua, has led an effort to reinvent the NSC website for this modern era with tie-ins to Facebook, Twitter, and RSS. The plan is to enable useful content on our website so that people can get a better view of the added value of the NSC. Please take a moment to visit this continuing work-in-progress and send us some feedback.
And with that, I will take leave of you. Until next month! And see you at our events!
