Xmas in 'Murica!

It's Christmas time and that means that pretty much the day after Thanksgiving the townfolk started covering their houses and yards in Christmas lights. It is an annual tradition which I have been looking forward to from the moment I knew I was going to be here for this time of the year. The annual competition of who shines the brightest is something the US is famous for - we keep it much more low-key in Germany, either because we don't want to put in the effort or we dread the resulting electricity bill. (It must be noted at this point that electricity is much cheaper in the US, especially if you have access to a time-of-use rate with lower nighttime prices. Please refer to the respective literature for further reading...)

Be that as it may, I decided to take my camera and my bike for a ride one night and document what the people of South Davis had brought to the table in 2017. It's truly impressive and really made the occasional late-night return from work much more enjoyable. Hope you agree! :)

The Minimalist:

This speciman wants to pretty up a specific part of his house or yard - just enough to avoid sceptical looks by the more ambitious neighbours. These pictures are already some of the more elaborate designs, usually its just some lights on a bush near the garage. This level is usually the highest reached in Germany...

 

The Third Dimension:

Some people have more artistic depth and build up multiple layers in their designs. Entrance ways are illuminated all the way to the backyard, garages finally have a purpose other than stereotypical "workshops", or weird landing strips are put on the front lawn with a crash-landed sleigh. At least that's how I interpret the last picture.

Double Rainbow all the Way:

Who says green and red are the only Christmassy colors? Exactly! Give me your blues and purples. And pinks! Don't forget a bunch of super cold white LEDs. The more the merrier! What else did we bring these f****** bushes through the drought for??

The Blow-Up-Doll:

If your bushes didn't make it through the drought, you can still inflate some festive monstrosity and illuminate it from within. There is no snow - ever - so how else are you going to build a snow man to greet your visitors? Global warming and stuff. Also, Snoopy is a legend and even fits the color scheme. Let's just hope no "young adult males" readjust their testosterone level by testing his structural resiliance...

The (almost) Silicon Valley:

Are you an early adopter of every new technology, always looking to test humanity's newest device? This should also be reflected in your Christmas decoration. It does not matter if you projector Santa and his elves building toys for the children on the windows of your living room (didn't get a great shot here, sorry - it was cold) or beam a Christmas tree laser-rave on your garage door. You have a Facebook-/ Twitter-/ Snapchat-/ Instagram-account to maintain and time is Bitcoins!

 

The Classic:

If you're tired of all the colors, spinning lasers and just want to focus on the eggnogg, why not tune it down to a nice yellow, candle-like colour and plaster the edge of the roof with it. Every edge you can find, actually. Add a few deer-shapes in the yard and get ready for the festivities.

 

 

The Sky is the Limit - literally:

This guy has got it all: Roof rims, hedges, sleigh AND star on the roof, herd of reindeer in the yard, the tree has a light-snake as far as the cord reaches, and even the roof itself is puking rainbows. Go big or go home! The neighbors have been complaining about sleep deprivation and migratory birds have started nesting in the illuminated redwood - but NASA started useing this natural landmark as a navigation point for the western seaboard so it is now a matter of national security. So sorry, neighbour!

 

A Christmas Wonderland:

It might not be quite as bright as the one above, but this one is a lot more fun: Not only is the color scheme slightly less erratic and the lights lead all the way around the side (incorporating the 3D-specimen from above), but also Christmas carols are playing in the background! If you zoom in really far, you can see a moving train choo-chooing by in the upper window and I swear some of these elves are waving back at the camera. All evening families stop over to enjoy this gem of Christmas spirit - my personal favourite!

Congratulations to all (unvoluntary) participants. Keep it going, it's a fun tradition!

Frohe Weihnachten! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

The wonderous adventures of Jessi-the-Trailblazer and Chris-Coldknuckle

A week ago, my housemate Jess had finally managed to not have to work on Sunday - and of course we capitalized on that opportunity. It was a beautiful day and we wanted to go hiking near Lake Tahoe, some 2h east of Davis. It's a famous holiday destination, with great ski resorts in the winter, hiking, water sports in the summer and a few casinos on the east bank in Nevada. Protected nature reserves are scattered all around the lake.

Lake Tahoe was formed in the ice ages and is the second deepest lake in the US at 501m. At around 1900m above sea level, nestled in the Sierra Nevada, it contains so much water, that it could flood the entire state of California to a depth of 35cm (or so they say). Also - it's really pretty!

We decided to climb Maggies Peak (2600m), mostly because it was convenient. There is a trail head at a parking place and a summer camp ground near a great lookout over Emerald Bay. There were a lot of people there, most of them enjoying the view or playing around in the thin snow cover. Yeah, snow. We did expect some snow, but when the hiking group next to us put on gaiters (= Gamaschen) over their shoes and pants we started to get a bit worried. I was basically wearing all the warm clothing I had brought, but I did not have my proper hiking boots that went over the ancle. Jess, of course, was fully equipped, ready for any weather or terrain, and probably already spotting for mountain lions to neuter - you know, since she was already here. (She's a vet and epidemiologist. They do such things, apparently.)

So we set out with a song on our lips and the need for burning calories in our legs (for mere warmth). The snow was only a light dusting in the forest and it was pretty easy to follow the path. But the trail was steep and as we gained altitude, the snow gained depth. It was fairly chilly in the dense pine forest, but the exercise kept us nice and warm. The trees grew more sparse the higher we got and we were able to catch a few rays of sun. We came past a small frozen lake before we were led up another steep slope looking north. So far the path had been well-used and we did not have to work too hard. When the snow got to a depth of around 30cm around the turn-off for the peak, Jess took over as trailblazer utilizing her superior footwear and badassery. We were able to use some old tracks of previous hikers but noticed how much harder we had to work now. It was not far though, and we soon reached the Maggies. Rocky outcrops pierced the pines and rewarded us with a beautiful vista of the southern shores of Lake Tahoe and the surrounding mountains. After trying (and failing) to cope with the awe-inspiring size of the valley and taking a few pictures on the drafty rocks, we went to the south side of the hill and found a sheltered spot for the traditional Vesper (= mountain picnic). The sun warmed our noses and we could enjoy the westward view, comfortably warm.

Nevertheless, the fact remains that it is December and the sun would not stay up forever. We went back the way we came, meeting more people on the trail now than on the way up. Some "young adult males", as Jess noted disparagingly, had gotten off the track near the frozen lake and sped up their steps when they heard about how much further they had to climb. We didn't have to hurry though, and arrived back at the car soon after. With a warm coffee and some free candy for the road, we headed back. My socks were dry by the time we arrived in Davis. 

 

 

Walking among Giants

Another weekend - another excuse to flee Davis and experience some more of California's Wonders of Nature:

After an exciting (and tasty) Cantonese brunch and a stroll over a farmers market, my friends Karen, Sara and Irving took me to Muir Woods, a small "National Monument" just north of San Francisco. Named after famous naturalist John Muir, it is home to the last giant Redwoods in the Bay area around San Francisco. The Redwoods are the tallest trees on Earth and can grow up to a hight of 110m - although the ones in Muir Woods usually don't go beyond 80m. The giants are nestled in a cute little valley in the Coastal Ranges and thrive on the waters of a small creek.

It is a popular tourist spot. The park asks visitors to be quiet in certain areas to protect local animals and preserve the serinty of the place (the UN charter drafting commission commemorated Franklin D. Roosevelts efforts in one of the groves in the 40s). We were having a bit of a hard time with this specific request out of pure joy over the scenery and nature in general. I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking.

 

Amazing trip, thanks for taking me out, guys!

 

Hiking above Lake Berryessa

Lake Berryessa is a large reservoir only a handy half hour's drive from Davis. It was created in the 1950s by the construction of the around 100m high Monticello Dam blocking the Putah Creek and providing irrigation water and around 10MW of electricity to the area. Lake Berryessa was my first small excursion into the Coast Ranges, the mountains running along the mighty Pacific. And it was great!

Katrina, a friend from work, picked me up in her beloved Chevvy Volt. We had planned to do the Blue Ridge trail, which climbs to about 450m and offers a great views of the lake embedded in the rolling hills. The path leads through Cold Canyon to a "homestead", I'm guessing some sort of delapidated logging or mining camp, before climbing up to the ridge over giant wooden steps. It was obvious that the area had been burned in recent years. Charred trees reached leafless into the cloudy autumn skies. A wildfire had come through here in 2015, destroying the trail and the respective infrastructure. But it is amazing how much vegetation has already regrown in the two years since. The path had been restored by the UC Davis, who manage the Natural Reserve and use it for research purposes.

Up on the ridge we discussed past hiking experiences, German grammar and theories on the surprisingly meticulous divide between sparse brown shrubs on the east and greener bushes on the west side of the hills. The path was easy to walk, climbing bluffs and dipping in between, offering ever different vistas of the lake and the Coast Ranges. A couple of black hawks soared above while we were having a snack on a some large rocks taking in the beautiful scenery. The lake has a smaler, narrower part right at the dam and fills a wider valley further in the distance. To the east, we looked over the plains of the Central Valley and could just make out the skyscrapers of Sacramento in the distance. The sun came out to play and it was a beautiful little hike through amazing landscape.

After making our way back down the far side of the ridge we made a quick stop over at the "Glory hole" behind the dam, a round spillway which prevents the lake from overflowing. Unfortunately the waterlevel was too low so instead of a seemingly infinite sink hole it was just a sad round wall of concrete. Somewhat disappointed we drove towards Davis and stopped over in the cute town of Winters. A great burger at the annoyingly popular "Putah Creek Cafe" replenished used-up calories and topped off a fun Sunday in beautiful California. 

The Old Sac

The previous weekend granted us another beautifully sunny day, although not quite as warm anymore. A friend from the institute joined me on a quick trip to California's capital city, Sacramento. We had planned to go to the famed California museum to learn about the Golden State. But the weather was too nice, so we ended up walking through town, looking at old trains and old houses and the capitol and hipster coffee places.

Sacramento is a sizeable city with around half a million people living in the area, but it cannot compete with thriving San Francisco only an hour and a half away. Today the capital, it used to be the staging ground for the infamous Gold Rush to the West. The Sacramento river flows into the bay of San Francisco and was easily navigated and offered itself for transporting bulk goods. The Old Town is right next to the river and consists of throw-back Wild Wild West houses and brick warehouses. Everything is merchandise, tourists and muesums. And candy stores. Tons of them, for no apparent reason. It felt a bit like in Lucky Luke, even though no one seems to know these comics here.

We walked around a bit and then headed to the Capitol, seat of the Governor, House of Representatives and Senate of California. It's basically a smaller version of the one in Washington, DC, only that the palm trees are healthier and the tourist count is reduced to a minimum.

While talking travels and politics, we ended up in Midtown. This part of Sacramento has had a bad reputation but is now in the firm grip of gentrification. And of course we ended up in a coffee shop that tried quite hard for a warehouse look - and actually pulled it off! There were open bean sacks lying around and steam rose out of kettles. People were playing board games, catching up on the newest trends, tiping away on their Mac Books and I actually saw one guy deeply immersed in a crossword puzzle, sipping an espresso. He didn't wear a barret or smoke a skinny cigarette but I could swear the air around him shimmered in black and white and a melancholic, ghostly accordion tune seemed to vape in from nowhere in particular. Ah, la cité sur le Sac ...

Yes, it's the guy with the eagle jacket. 

More about Davis

I wanted to write a little more about Davis, just to give everyone a bit more of an impression where I ended up here. And it's basically all summed up in this driving billboard parked in my street:

I have already written about the bike-friendliness and the large campus. To make sure that the student-dept-laden students don't save money at the wrong end, Campus police hands out free bike lights. And a bike shop hands out free helmets as long as you sign a "Helmet hair, don't care"-pledge and promise to sacrifice your hair-do every single day. However, people keep telling me that Davis is not representative of the US or even California. The campus makes up a good third of the town and students and researchers are everywhere. Things seem pretty liberal and hipster. Oh yeah, and large wild turkey roam the streets constantly.
Other things are a bit more cliché: incredibly wide streets (even in backalleys) to accomodate the huge cars, which are parked in front of mostly one-storied individual houses with garbage disposals (bone-crushing meat grinders in the sink) and gigantic washing machines inside. Exhibit A to C can be found below.



The washing machine photo is from my house by the way, where I live with a super fun vet and epidemiology PhD-student. It's a bit far from campus but the good bike paths make up for it.

Unlike my brother, who spent a few months in Michigan towards the end of his university days, I did not end up at a sports university. I asked one of my colleagues if she wanted to come to the (american) football game with me. She replied drily: "I don't call what they are doing here football." I asked another colleague who had never seen the sport live either - and we went anyway.

And it was a spectacle. It was homecoming weekend and a beautifully warm day, so the relatively small stadium was fairly packed. A sizeable portion of the crowd seemed to be made up of the marching bands for the two team, plus an alumni band of UC Davis. We were playing Cal Poly (like half way to LA?) and it was a pretty tight game. UC Davis ran away with three touchdowns in the first few minutes but then the Cal Poly ponys (or stallions?) came back. We are the Aggies; our symbol is also some sort of horse. Probably a more fearsome horse. Fair enough.

So they were playing football and taking time outs and throwing balls and flags and smacking into each other and taking time outs and jumping around with towels in their hands and marching bands marched and the coaches took time outs and cheerleaders cheered and dancing groups danced and then the other marching band marched and rolled on the ground a little and then some more playing and maybe another time out ... and in three hours later UC Davis had won 31:28. In short: it was fun! The sun was shining, the beer was good, everyone had a good time. Except the horses. The ones with the white helmets...

I guess I'll stick with Baseball.