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A year of blogging sacrificed for the sake of a dissertation, now recapped in a single post. Here it goes…

January was spent hunkering down at my desk in Michigan, trying get everything I needed to do on my dissertation before my move to California done.

February brought even more snow to Michigan (a view from my balcony), which made my winter bike commute a daily adventure.

Here is my trusty Trek steed.

I would look pretty normal once I was dressed for work….

…but this is how I’d have to look before I was ready to depart. I will always snicker inside when I hear California cyclists complain that it is too cold to ride.

March was marked by the event I had waited 6 long months for - I got to move back to California and be reunited with Krishna. YIPEEE!!!

What better way to celebrate having just turned 31 and my move to California than buying myself a sweet new ride?!!? That is exactly what I did in April when I purchased Dreamcycle. It has been true love ever since.

In May Krishna and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary by climbing Mount Shasta (elevation 14,162 feet). He had even smuggled a bottle of champagne to the summit without my knowing it.

Yes, I was back in my element at last, as documented by this photo taken while tidepooling in Montara in June.

In July, Krishna and I took a wonderful trip to Monterey where we visited with dolphins while kayaking in the bay.

In August the Doles set out on a long-planned bicycle camping trip on our much loved tandem. We set out from our home in San Mateo destined for Big Basin Park (view map).

Unfortunately, 55 miles into our 60 mile trip, we destroyed the rear hub of our bicycle while hammering up a dirt road.

It was not the worst fate to suffer, since, after getting a lift from Erik (the nicest rancher you’d ever want to hitch a ride with) we ended up camping out on a private beach near his ranch. We were “rescued” the next morning by my brother Troy and his wife Kristen.

For our September bicycling adventure, we rode in a Rallycat sponsored by Box Dog Bikes! of San Francisco. It was an awesome ride starting out at Fort Mason and winding over the top of Mount Tam, through Fairfax, and then back over the Golden Gate Bridge to San Francisco.

A total 60 miles and one of the best rides of my life.

In October, I worked off the stress of my impending Ph.D. dissertation defense by entering a cyclocross race organized by Bike Monkey of Santa Rosa. Krishna was also racing that day.

Oh my, it was fun…

…I mean really really fun…

Did I mention that it was fun? Oh, and I passed my defense later that month, of course.

November adventures were a little more low-key, as I prepared my dissertation for final submission and attended the Entomological Society of America meetings.

I did get to watch Krishna race in a Bay Area Super Prestige cyclocross race.

December closed the year with a bang. On December 5th, I graduated with my Ph.D.

I say, let there be cake!

AND on December 17th, Krishna and I learned that we are going to be parents!!! (More on this development in my next post)