blog
When I was 15 years old, my family hosted a Brazilian exchange student, Renato (Jr). We are so grateful oh have been blessed with meeting him as we have become family over 20 years. After Jr left went home to Brazil, he married his girlfriend, Aline. Soon after, she gave birth to Izabella. Now, Bella is 19 years old…
Our triumphant return to Monterey and Big Sur. We spent the day along the coast and went down to Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. This is the site of the world famous McWay Falls, which drops over a cliff of 80 feet into the Pacific Ocean. We then cam back up and spent some time in some local art galleries. We ended our day on the Cannery Row and indulged in some great dining...
Heather and I love wildlife and have never been to the San Diego Zoo. This was an awesome experience but I can't help but feel the confinement of these animals is lightly cruel. I fully understand they are well cared for and their habitats are remarkably well maintained and spacious but it still makes me just a bit sad...
This is the first time Heather has been to Monterey. We decided it is one of our potential living places as the coast line and hiking opportunities are right in-line with our style. We did some of the tourist stuff like the 17 Mile Drive, Lone Cypress, Pebble Beach and the Cannary Row. We also went out to Point Reyes National Seashore for some light hiking...
A quick get away to Yosemite in September. It was last minute but turned out to be a great adventure. We only came up to finish the hike to the top of Nevada Falls that we were unable to complete in our last trip because of ice and snow blocking the trail. We are hardcore but choose not enough to risk getting killed or injured just to finish a hike. So, we came in for an overnighter and crushed the trail the next morning and came home. Fun!
This was my fourth Tough Mudder and Heather's second. We had so much fun but it was so crowded that the lines for obstacles kind of took the momentum and and fun of it. I appreciate so many people trying to do an physically active event but there is also a point where "doing it just to do it" not only puts the deconditioned person at risk, it also reduces the enjoyment of the course for everyone around them. …
One of our favorite out back places is the Desolation Wilderness in South Lake Tahoe. This is because most people in California don't like to hike out here as there are no bathrooms or Prada boutiques. Plus, there are no campfires allowed so it keeps out the tourists and those who tend not to respect the wild lands…
This is one of our favorite weekend trips for several reasons. Not only was it halfway between winter and spring but it was my 2015 Christmas gift to Heather. However, not everything went according to plan because when we got outside the park, the road in was closed! We had to circumnavigate the whole park to get in putting us hours behind...
