John Brown's Body.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: there's no place like the Bay Area.

Last weekend brought the missus and I to Butano State Park, smack dab in the middle of the Santa Cruz Mountains. We took a 5 mile hike full of stunning contrasts--from misty redwood groves nestled into dribbling streams to arid ridgelines specked with scrub brush. It's a great way to escape urban concrete, and less than 2 hours from the city! The best part is that trail camp never fills--a definite rarity for Bay Area weekend camping.

Tonight... It's off to the Independent to see the boys of John Brown's Body -- a reggae group from Ithica. Don't know that it'd be at the top of the list were it not for Brooke's aggressive recruiting, but what's not to like about good reggae on Thursday?

This weekend... Pride. Stay tuned for the lurid details