Leon Turnbull Photography

I debated whether to share this photo or not. In the end I decided the picture is not really too horrible and it is worth it for the story.

It was a frustrating weekend. For myself. For Tara. For Nekoda.

My wife Tara is seriously sick. A long story but your prayers would be appreciated for her recovery.

In the meantime Nekoda had her big dance competition this weekend in San Jose. This is a huge deal for her. Tara would normally be the one to take her but obviously she could not do that this year. Enter the dad. Certainly I did not mind doing this and happy to help both of them out. I’m sure Nekoda would have preferred having her mom but I think she was quite satisfied with me being there.

In addition, I would actually have time to hike while she was dancing (or sleeping). Since she did not have to start in the morning until 10:30AM or so, I could go for a quick morning hike both days as long as it was close enough to the hotel.

I had an epic plan for Saturday morning. There was snow! We had very unusual low elevation snow in California this weekend. It really was going to be an epic hike. Except all the roads were closed! But were they? Apple maps was showing closures with no possible way to get to my planned destination on either side. However, Google maps was showing different. Some roads were open. There was a way. I suspected Google would be the one that was correct so off I went on Saturday morning with high hopes. But alas, I came to the closed road well before I could reach my destination. Google was wrong. I returned to the hotel in defeat and waited for Nekoda to wake up so we could go get breakfast together before her dance class.

In the afternoon I had more free time. I did not have to pick Nekoda up until 8:30PM. I decided to drive to the coast. I knew those roads were open. I planned to hike to Purisima Creek Falls and wait until sunset for taking photos. Enter my new frustration: the San Mateo County park system. All the parks in this county do not open until well after sunrise and close at 5PM, well before sunset. There were big and plentiful signs saying the gates closed at 5PM promptly and do not be late or you will get locked in. Ugh. Sunset was at 6PM. I waited at the waterfall viewpoint for as long as I possibly could, hoping for some clouds over the sun. It was not to be. I ran back to the trailhead in order to get back to the car by 5PM and not get locked in. I did not get the good sunset photo that I wanted.

I thought about coming back the next morning in the dark and sneaking in before the gate opened. I probably should have done that but instead I went on a different hike closer to the hotel. That one did not work out either because the creek was almost completely dry. (I won’t be sharing that photo). Strike three.

What about Nekoda? Her big day was on Sunday. She had a solo dance and two group dances. Last year she won an “honorable mention” award for her solo dance and hoped for the same or better this year. She danced absolutely beautifully and perfectly. She did not win an award this year. I am sure you can imagine her disappointment. I was upset. She was ripped off. She totally deserved an honorable mention at the very least, if not better. I’m not just saying that as her dad (but of course it is true I’m biased). Well, she can still be pleased that she danced her best and we are all very proud of her. It was a nice father daughter weekend in the Bay Area.