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