Snowboarding - It Didn't Happen

In This Post: Alpine Skiing, Big Bear Mountain Resorts, Snow Summit, Snow Valley Mountain Resort, Big Bear City 

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End of the day at Snow Valley

Last week we were trapped inside, first by tropical storms that dumped more rain in Southern California than we usually get in a whole year and then by colder storms out of the north that dumped a couple of feet of snow in the local mountains. Being that the local ski season can be unpredictable, Simmons and I decided to take advantage of the fresh snowfall and get to the mountains while the get'in was good. We went to the  Snow Summit website and signed up for a "First Time Beginner Board Package." The package included equipment, lessons and an optimistic guarantee that we'd be snowboarding down  the bunny sloops by day's end.

Gear Report: Why Buy A Heart Rate Monitor/Fitness Computer?

In this post: Heart rate monitors / fitness computers, Polar FT60, Polar RS300x, Polar G1 GPS, fitness improvement, weight loss

Mine is a common story.  Somewhere in my mid forties, during a routine annual check-up, my Doctor pointed out that I had gained 3 pounds during the past year.  He warned me I had reached the age where my metabolism was slowing down and predicted I’d be packing on a few pounds every year, unless I made some lifestyle changes.  He was right.  Over the next decade my blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar went up right along with my weight.

Then, early in 2010, I was introduced to heart rate monitor/fitness computers (thanks Kathy!).  These cool gadgets consist of two parts: 1) a chest strap with a small heart rate monitor/transmitter attached; and 2) a specialty wristwatch/receiver/computer that gathers, stores and interprets your heart rate data while you’re exercising.


The basic reason for using a heart rate monitor is to maximize the weight loss, health and fitness benefits of the time you spend exercising.  In a nut shell, this is accomplished by monitoring your heart rate while exercising and varying the intensity of your exercise so as to keep your heart rate in the specific range that has been determined by the computer to most efficiently address your personal fitness goals (e.g. weight loss, cardio fitness

improvement, performance improvement, etc.). But wait…
there’s more.

First 50-Mile Bike Ride!

In this post: Bicycling, Billy's At The Beach (Newport Beach), La Palapa del Mar (Long Beach)
Note: This post is a follow-up to, "Beach Bike'n Fandango" (Dec. 5th) 
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WE DID IT!  Our first 50-mile bike ride!

The night before, the weather forecast sounded perfect; sunny, warm and no typical afternoon headwinds.  A.R., Kathy, Janet and I had never ridden our bikes further than 40-miles in a single day, but we felt like we were ready to push our "personal bests" up.  With a perfect day in the offing, we planned to get an early start, ride at a slow-to-moderate pace, take plenty of breaks, make a day of it and push our previous high mark up by 25% to 50 miles.

When we got to Newport, we decided to take the ferry across
the bay & ride to Billy's At The Beach for lunch.

More Treasure Found At Point Fermin

In this post: Freedom Bell, Lookout Park
Note: This post is an update to "The Treasure of Point Fermin"
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I was checking out the satellite view of Point Fermin on Google Maps the other day and I noticed a few points of interest we had missed on our previous outings in the area. Today A.R., Kathy and I set out on an exploratory run/walk to check out the sites firsthand and evaluate the potential for adding yet another short loop to our menu of route options in the vicinity.

Korean Bell of Friendship

Beach Bike'n Fandango

In this post:  Bicycling, Long Beach, Huntington Beach, Sunset Beach, Seal Beach, Newport Beach, La Palapa Del Mar, The Crab Pot, River's End Cafe, Sandy's Beach Grill, Rockin' Baja Lobster, Billy's At The Beach, Jax Bicycle Center, Trek Bicycles

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This 50 mile round-trip bike ride, which connects three of Southern California's beach bike paths via some street riding, isn't a good ride if you're in a hurry.  For one thing, there aren't nearly as many restaurant/bar/cafes right on the beach in SoCal as you might think and this route takes you right past three good'uns.

Winter wetsuits are de rigueur for the holidays in SoCal

The Treasure of Point Fermin

In this post: Cabrillo Beach Park, Point Fermin Park, White Point State Park, Brooks running shoes, walking, running 
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If your over 50 and trying to get in shape or stay fit, it’s nice to have a running or walking route close to home that you really enjoy for its special esthetic qualities; a route that speaks to you for some personal - probably unknown – reason; your own little get away; your personal retreat; your happy-place where you can’t help but stop and smell the roses. It’s especially nice around the holidays when we’re all pinched for time. The Point Fermin area in San Pedro (CA) is my close-to-home, treasured place.

The Big Splash

One Wrong Turn

In this Post: Hiking, Crystal Cove State Park, Perimeter of the Park Trail, Brooks running shoes, Keen hiking boots 
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A little over a year ago, AR, Kathy, Janet and I (Alan) hiked the Perimeter of the Park Trail in Crystal Cove State Park on a warm summer day. Today we decided to drive down to Orange County and see what this 11 mile trail through coastal hills looks like in the fall.

 A wrong turn took us into Moro Canyon

A Death Valley Tale - Day 2

In this post: Bicycling in Death Valley, Furnace Creek Ranch

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Today we thought we'd tackle a 40 mile round-trip bike ride to Badwater. Biking in the Valley was fabulous, but the road consistently alternated between uphill and downhill.  We were never on a level grade.  It wasn't long before we started thinking, if half of our planned ride was going to be low speed uphill riding, 40 miles might be a bit too much for us.

It looked easy from here.

A Death Valley Tale - Day 1

In this post: Running in Death Valley, Furnace Creek Ranch, Brooks Ghost 3 running shoes

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It was our first morning in Death Valley. We could see rays of sunshine lighting the highest peaks of the Panamint Mountains from our room at the Furnace Creek Ranch. Sipping coffee and tea, we watched the sunlight slowly descend from the peaks, down the parched mountain slopes and onto the Valley floor. It looked like the beginning of a hot day.


Hoping it was still early enough to beat the heat, we headed out for a morning run. About 1 ½ miles into our run, we spotted the ruins of the Harmony Borax Works just off the highway. We turned onto a trail that led us around the ruins and gave us a slightly elevated view of the valley floor.  From here, we spotted a dirt road wandering off into the desert.  We decided to follow the dirt road and see where it led to.

Harmony Borax Works

One Mountain In The Bag

In this post: Hiking, Peak Bagging,  Mount Baden-Powell, Angeles National Forest, San Gabriel Mountains
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How To Climb A Mountain

A “Peak Bagger” in mountaineering circles, is a person who gets to the top of a lot of mountains, usually by the easiest and fastest route.  You can identify a serious, active peak bagger simply by asking, “How many peaks have you bagged?”  If they instantly come up with a precise number, you know they’re into it.

Today, A.R., Kathy, Janet and I are heading up to the San Gabriel Mountains, hoping to bag 9,399 foot Mount Baden-Powell, one of southern California's highest peaks.  Technically speaking, you only “bag” a particular peak the first time you reach the top of it, so Janet and I won’t be doing any bagging today, but A.R. and Kathy will… if they reach the top.

It's just a hike in the woods, right?

Swimming Pools, Dinosaurs and Bicycles – Day 3

In this post: Borrego Springs, bicycling, Peg Leg Smith Monument

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Questions: "When is a pile of rocks not a pile of rocks?"

Swimming Pools, Dinosaurs and Bicycles - Day 2

In this post: Bicycling, Borrego Springs, Ricardo Breceda sculptures, Pablitos 

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The flower bloom this year, lacked the volume and intensity of some of the really spectacular years, but even in an ordinary year like this one, the road side flower displays are diverse and beautiful and so were the saber tooth tigers, elephants and horses.  What?  Saber tooth tigers, elephants and horses in the desert?   That's what we were wondering.

Swimming Pools, Dinosaurs and Bicycles - Day 1

In this post: Anza Borrego Desert State Park, Borrego Springs, Circle of Art, Stanlunds Resort Inn & Suites

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Borrego Springs Weather

The desert isn’t for everyone. To some the desert is a beautiful, mysterious, enchanting seductress; to others it’s just a bunch of dirt, rocks and weeds… or even less. My observation is, “There’s no learning to like the desert. You either like it or you don’t.” Janet and I happen to love the desert and the Anza-Borrego region of California’s low desert has long been our favorite desert destination.

Downtown Borrego Springs... it's a really small town!

Gear Report: Yakima Car Top Bike Rack

In this post: Yakima Car Top Bike Rack , Borrego Springs, CA, REI

We left Long Beach about 8:00 in the morning and arrived in Borrego Springs 3-hours later. Prior to this trip we had made a few local trips transporting our bicycles on top of the car, but this was our first out-of-town trip to put our Yakima rooftop bike rack to the test. The Yakima rack system is advertised to work on almost any vehicle and adapt to carry all kinds of fun outdoor toys. We bought ours on sale at our favorite outdoor adventure store, REI.

On the way to Borrego Springs - Montezuma Grade