Some friends and I went for a 20-mile bike ride in Mount Laguna yesterday. I use an app called We Live to track where we went. Click the link below to watch a video of our ride. https://www.relive.cc/view/1333697936
Sunday, December 31, 2017
Monday, December 25, 2017
Sunday, December 24, 2017
Winter In Colorado
Michelle and I are visiting her parents in Fort Collins, Colorado. It snowed last night, and it gave me a chance to try out the snow blower. We also visited the dirt jumps at Lory State Park. Kind of hard to see what condition they ran because they were covered in snow but they still looks fun to ride.
Sunday, November 26, 2017
Nine Carts
Last week we had our palm trees trimmed. The tree trimmer had a truck load full of Ash he wanted to get rid of. It was from a tree we cut down in La Jolla.
My friend Ryan across the street had a half truckload of pine that his friend dropped off a month ago plus some old eucalyptus. We decided to rent a wood splitter and for four and a half hours on Saturday we split all of the wood.
How much? I took nine cartloads over to my house. See the photos for how much wood we split. The firewood next to the fireplace represents one cartload.
We should have a lot of good wood to burn by New Years.
Monday, October 9, 2017
Noble Canyon
This summer I bought a mountain bike and since then I have been trying to take one ride a week. I have put in almost 600 miles since July. Mountain bike riding is a nice blend between jumping and getting a good cardiovascular workout. The uphills are tough and the downhills are exciting.
This weekend I drove up to the Laguna Mountains and rode down Noble Canyon. The 10 mile ride takes you through pine groves, oak groves, shaded forests with streams and ferns, chaparral, and very rocky terrain and dry terrain. This all occurs within about two hours. See below for a couple of highlights. One photo is taken approximately 15 minutes away from the other.
It is amazing how remote you can quickly get on a mountain bike.
This weekend I drove up to the Laguna Mountains and rode down Noble Canyon. The 10 mile ride takes you through pine groves, oak groves, shaded forests with streams and ferns, chaparral, and very rocky terrain and dry terrain. This all occurs within about two hours. See below for a couple of highlights. One photo is taken approximately 15 minutes away from the other.
It is amazing how remote you can quickly get on a mountain bike.
Sunday, April 2, 2017
Super Bloom
Michelle and I spent Spring Break camping in the seven sisters area of Baja. Our main goal was to revisit a surf spot we found a year ago and see what it was like during a decent west-north-west swell. The surf wasn't too exciting but the camping was the best we ever had.
We drove down to Santa Rosalitta and then turned north and drove approximately 30 miles on dirt roads to our destination. The surf spot is a lava rock finger that juts out into a larger bay. We took a turn off the graded road, drove 2 kilometers on single-track road through the desert, then down a mesa to the point itself. At this point we put the truck in 4x4 and drove out onto the sand point. Here is a view of the point looking towards our truck. Our truck is in the upper right corner.
The finger is covered with sand and crushed muscle shells. The constant wind blows the sand into the bay helping to groom the right-hand waves that break on a large west-north-west swell. A close up of our camp-spot is below.
The larger sets would break over the rocks.
The point is facing directly south. The bay the waves break into faces east. The general area is blocked by Cedros Island from the south-west so the only swell that gets into here has to come from the west or north-west. Anything too south gets blocked. Anything too north doesn't wrap around the point. The photo below is looking east into the bay itself. You can see other points that below to the "seven sisters" on the horizon.
Our campsite was behind a sand-blown hill. It is pretty windy on the point so any protection you can find helps. Notice the black netting around the back of our camper. The netting helps cut down on the blowing sand and wind. Can you see our "kitchen" in this photo?
A close-up of our kitchen is below. We strategically placed rocks in order to provide a wind-break as well as places to stack hot coals for use with our cast-iron dutch oven and frying pan. We cooked breakfast and dinner every day using our kitchen set-up. The clam shells around the base of the rocks helped to decorate our set-up.
Wondering about the bathroom? I'm sure you have noticed the lack of houses, human structures, and other people. We were basically alone on this point for four days. We saw one other group of campers who were approx. 500 meters away and we only spoke to them once. Other than that....we were alone. Using the bathroom involved hiking into the desert and digging a hole. We found a trash can in the middle of nowhere that gave some valuable advice. The goal is to keep the environment as pristine as possible.
We arrived on Sunday and enjoyed the sunshine on Monday and Tuesday. The swell was supposed to arrive on Wednesday so I decided to try out my new board. The unobstructed view from our campsite allowed us to look approx. 20 miles down the coast. On Wednesday morning we could see a fog bank making its way up the coast. I decided to catch a couple of waves before the fog bank hit our area. You can see the fog bank approaching us in the photo below.
Fortunately the fog never made it to our area. I caught a couple of waves but unfortunately the swell wasn't large enough to make the make the point show its true form. The rides were long and mushy. I would have had a lot of fun if I brought a long-board.
To be honest, I wasn't bothered by the mushy surf because the camping was world class. Michelle and I spent our days exploring the beaches on either side of the point. Michelle picked up muscle shells and sand dollars for her friends. Our camping spot is named after the point on the horizon, even though it is a couple of kilometers away and inaccessible unless you have a 4x4 jeep or other light-weight vehicle.
The photo below shows the waves breaking against the west-side of the point we were camped on. While it looks exciting, the surfing took place on the east side of the point, where the waves were a lot smaller. Regardless, the views were beautiful.
Have you noticed the flowers in some of the photos above? One of the most special aspects of our trip was the impact the recent rains have had on the Baja desert. Everywhere we went, the entire desert was in bloom.
The purple flowers found on the plants in the sand dunes where we camped were beautiful. As a matter of fact, flowers of all different colors could be found everywhere. Various succulents were popping up everywhere. The natural colors were impressive.
After a few days we decided to travel south and find another surf spot that was more exposed to the west-north-west swell hitting the area. The photo below demonstrates the amount of bloom in the entire desert. Normally this area is brown and dry. Instead it was covered in green and yellow. We drove through the desert with the windows rolled down allowing nature to fill the cab of our truck with the sweet fragrant smell of desert flowers.
Baja California is a beautiful place. The people are friendly and welcoming. I hope we can return the favor by being respectful neighbors.
This wasn't the end of our trip. We spent some time south of this campsite surfing more powerful waves. We made friends with a family from Ensenada who traveled south to surf as well. We are waiting to receive photos from this portion of the trip and will post them once they become available.
We drove down to Santa Rosalitta and then turned north and drove approximately 30 miles on dirt roads to our destination. The surf spot is a lava rock finger that juts out into a larger bay. We took a turn off the graded road, drove 2 kilometers on single-track road through the desert, then down a mesa to the point itself. At this point we put the truck in 4x4 and drove out onto the sand point. Here is a view of the point looking towards our truck. Our truck is in the upper right corner.
The finger is covered with sand and crushed muscle shells. The constant wind blows the sand into the bay helping to groom the right-hand waves that break on a large west-north-west swell. A close up of our camp-spot is below.
The larger sets would break over the rocks.
The point is facing directly south. The bay the waves break into faces east. The general area is blocked by Cedros Island from the south-west so the only swell that gets into here has to come from the west or north-west. Anything too south gets blocked. Anything too north doesn't wrap around the point. The photo below is looking east into the bay itself. You can see other points that below to the "seven sisters" on the horizon.
Our campsite was behind a sand-blown hill. It is pretty windy on the point so any protection you can find helps. Notice the black netting around the back of our camper. The netting helps cut down on the blowing sand and wind. Can you see our "kitchen" in this photo?
A close-up of our kitchen is below. We strategically placed rocks in order to provide a wind-break as well as places to stack hot coals for use with our cast-iron dutch oven and frying pan. We cooked breakfast and dinner every day using our kitchen set-up. The clam shells around the base of the rocks helped to decorate our set-up.
Wondering about the bathroom? I'm sure you have noticed the lack of houses, human structures, and other people. We were basically alone on this point for four days. We saw one other group of campers who were approx. 500 meters away and we only spoke to them once. Other than that....we were alone. Using the bathroom involved hiking into the desert and digging a hole. We found a trash can in the middle of nowhere that gave some valuable advice. The goal is to keep the environment as pristine as possible.
We arrived on Sunday and enjoyed the sunshine on Monday and Tuesday. The swell was supposed to arrive on Wednesday so I decided to try out my new board. The unobstructed view from our campsite allowed us to look approx. 20 miles down the coast. On Wednesday morning we could see a fog bank making its way up the coast. I decided to catch a couple of waves before the fog bank hit our area. You can see the fog bank approaching us in the photo below.
Fortunately the fog never made it to our area. I caught a couple of waves but unfortunately the swell wasn't large enough to make the make the point show its true form. The rides were long and mushy. I would have had a lot of fun if I brought a long-board.
To be honest, I wasn't bothered by the mushy surf because the camping was world class. Michelle and I spent our days exploring the beaches on either side of the point. Michelle picked up muscle shells and sand dollars for her friends. Our camping spot is named after the point on the horizon, even though it is a couple of kilometers away and inaccessible unless you have a 4x4 jeep or other light-weight vehicle.
The photo below shows the waves breaking against the west-side of the point we were camped on. While it looks exciting, the surfing took place on the east side of the point, where the waves were a lot smaller. Regardless, the views were beautiful.
Have you noticed the flowers in some of the photos above? One of the most special aspects of our trip was the impact the recent rains have had on the Baja desert. Everywhere we went, the entire desert was in bloom.
The purple flowers found on the plants in the sand dunes where we camped were beautiful. As a matter of fact, flowers of all different colors could be found everywhere. Various succulents were popping up everywhere. The natural colors were impressive.
After a few days we decided to travel south and find another surf spot that was more exposed to the west-north-west swell hitting the area. The photo below demonstrates the amount of bloom in the entire desert. Normally this area is brown and dry. Instead it was covered in green and yellow. We drove through the desert with the windows rolled down allowing nature to fill the cab of our truck with the sweet fragrant smell of desert flowers.
I can't remember a time when Baja was so beautiful. Michelle and I were in love with the scenery and weather. The experience was unforgettable.
The recent political situation in the United States has made an impact on Baja as well. The graffiti on the abandoned building below demonstrates the impact of the recent political events have had on the people of Baja. We felt nothing but love from the people we met but it is easy to see how the recent nationalistic statements made by our politicians have hurt our neighbors to the south.
Baja California is a beautiful place. The people are friendly and welcoming. I hope we can return the favor by being respectful neighbors.
This wasn't the end of our trip. We spent some time south of this campsite surfing more powerful waves. We made friends with a family from Ensenada who traveled south to surf as well. We are waiting to receive photos from this portion of the trip and will post them once they become available.
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