The Not-So One Year All Encompassing Catch Up Blog

My plan to add one massive blog to cover the last year's worth of adventures failed miserably. I was going label this thesis "The One Year All Encompassing Catch Up Blog," or TOYAECUB, for short. It appears this is more operator error than anything. Figuring I could use one post to share my adventures for a year was a joke. I determined that it's absolutely impossible to hold each adventure to one picture and a short caption. There's too much fun and back story to limit to just one! So I changed my mind and will be posting a series of back-dated posts for the past year. It would have been a shame not to share so many good times. One could easily go back even further but there's no time for that. I have come to realize that it's not until you take a step back and reminisce on some good times that you truly appreciate what life has to hold-- taking opportunities when they arise and taking note of what adventures are still yet to come! Stay tuned for some new, or rather, past, posts. 

Blueberries and a Weather Station

Tonight a few of us friends from work hit the local Taco Tuesday down in Newport Beach, complete with our own standing keg and draft Pale Ale. Upon downing the brews and inhaling some killer tacos, it was time for some good old fashioned trivia. Seated about 50 yards away from the nearest screen was a challenge in itself, even with brand spankin' new contacts in. Who knew that turning your head sideways can actually boost your vision, not to mention freak the person out next to you who thinks you've been eyeing them the whole night. Ok, back to the vision test. So as we proceed to kick arse in endless trivia about everything from Dante to the depression, the font used to deliver the questions on the screen seemed to get smaller and smaller. Or perhaps it was our pints were getting emptier and emptier. So small, in fact, that one question seemed to have Diana Ross singing with blueberries. And then of course at the pivotal moment comes head himself, straight out from "So I Married An Axe Murderer." I mean, come on, the text is small enough, and now we also have to look through this giant cranium standing in our way. "Head, move, now!" Only scored 863 points on that one.

A Random Adventure

After talking with our friend Brian about local hiking adventures, my buddy Jon and I decided to piece a one-day super adventure together. We wanted to push ourselves yet also enjoy the trails of our nearby mountains. We decided on a local mountain hike and bike. 

Details of our mini-adventure are below:

1. Wake up at 4:30 a.m. and carpool from Jon's house. Coffee to be plentiful and hot.

2. Drive to Forest Home, located near the bottom of San Gorgonio Mountain, and lock up our road bikes and gear to a tree. 

3. Drive up the highway just beyond Angeles Oaks to drop off the car.

4. Hike up San Gorgonio Mountain and drop back down the other side of the mountain to our locked up bikes.

5. Ride up the highway back to our car.

Total hiking miles and elevation gain was around 22 miles and 5,000 feet, respectively. Total riding miles and elevation gain was around 15 miles and 3,000 feet, respectively. We were finished in 8 hours and even made it to a dinner party that night. Jon crashed but I somehow stayed awake. What an incredible adventure and I hope to do another mini-adventure soon. We talked about a snowshoe up and snowboard down this winter... 

Vivian Creek trail convergence near the top of San Gorgonio Mountain. 

Jon and I chillin' near the top and taking in some much needed calories!

The view from the top and San Gorgonio ridge. Our goal was to travel light. The winds were cold up top, but the sun was warm down below. I can't tell you how many times we put on and took off our windbreakers.

Jon says: "Take a pic of me here. You see that slope in the background? That's what we're boarding down next time!"