Category — adventure

I have been spending a little too much time relaxing on the patio furniture these past few weeks and I am starting to feel like the extra holiday pounds are hitting me a little earlier this year, so I am thinking about fun ways to motivate myself to get back into shape.  There are a couple of interesting local races and maybe if I can muster up the energy to do a little training, I will try one.  Here’s a rundown:

San Dimas Turkey Trot and Turkey Tri

Dana Point Turkey Trot

Gene Galindo Memorial Turkey Trot Cross

Topanga Turkey Trot

Lake Balboa Turkey Trot in Van Nuys

Whew, I am a bit exhausted just thinking about it.  I will blame it on the daylight savings time change this past weekend and not all the Halloween partying.

The first episode of MSN’s web series Fearless is all about rock climbing, and I have to say, I think I might be hooked on Fearless after seeing this episode.  I love how open and circumspect some of the participants are in talking about conquering the fears that arise while on the rock.  I have felt the same way and it is really encouraging to see how others recognize that fear and deal with it.

I’ll admit that I have been a bit lazy about climbing in the past few months, but Fearless makes me think I should at least grab my chalk bag and climbing shoes and spend some time at the rock gym, if not on real rocks.  It’s time to face down my fears once again!

It’s time once again for Silver Lake’s world famous Sunset Junction Street Fair. That means lots of great people, great food and drinks, and of course, great music. If you don’t live in Silver Lake and are just visiting for Sunset Junction, it’s also a great time to take a walk up some of the amazing Silver Lake stairs and hills. The climbs up Micheltorena St., Golden Gate Ave. and Maltman Ave. all provide amazing views of the city and a nice leg workout. Just remember to wear a comfortable pair of walking or running shoes, and have a great time!

I had so much fun kayaking while I was on vacation. It was my first time in a kayak, and while it did take me a few minutes to get the hang of it, I eventually learned and had a great time trying. The kayaks allowed us to get some great close up views of nature, including blue herons and some unexplored rock formations on the river’s steeper bank. We paddled about a mile upstream and circled an island before letting the river carry us back to the bank we started at.

Kayaking is a surprisingly tough workout, though: I was sure my occasional climbing and pretty regular weight training would have helped get my muscles into shape for paddling, but I was very sore around the shoulders the day after kayaking. I started looking into some workouts that are specifically designed to help kayakers so I am in better condition next time I go out for a paddle. Check out these great links for training info:

Body Results: Kayaking, Canoeing & Paddling Exercises

Rapid Ascent: Gym Exercise for Kayak Strength

Body Shop: Strength Training for Paddle Sports

I am off for my East Coast vacation! I’ll report back next week with tales of kayaking adventures and gear reviews! See you next week!

I know I said I would blog more about my Route 66 road trip months ago, so my apologies that is has taken me this long to get around to it. I have decided to go through the states along the way in no particular order, starting with New Mexico.

I LOVE the New Mexico section of Route 66, even if it has been mostly consumed by I-40. It was great to have the GPS system in the car because my obsession with sampling biscuits and gravy at various Denny’s restaurants between Los Angeles and Missouri got us off track more than once. I know there might be plenty of diners and restaurants along the way that some people consider “better” than Denny’s, but I am not interested in those places. I am a huge Denny’s fan and I don’t care what anyone says. I didn’t care that someone scribbled anti-Denny’s graffiti in one of the rest rooms in Joshua Tree National Park, I still ate at that Denny’s later that evening. Which happened to also be Christmas Eve. THAT is how much I like Denny’s.

But anyway… my final point is that I believe the best biscuits and gravy were at the Denny’s in Santa Rosa, NM. That alone is enough for a ride through New Mexico along Historic Route 66, but here are a few more good reasons:

Gallup - Part of Natural Born Killers was filmed here! Also, there is a rumor that if you take a detour onto Highway 666 (now 491) north of Gallup, you might meet some ghostly hitchhiker, so consider yourself warned.

Albuquerque - Home of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.

Tucumcari - Clint Eastwood has made many cinematic appearances in the area.

The Teva Mountain Games were held this past weekend in Vail, Colorado. I have been a big fan of Teva sandals ever since my first pair, and I especially love the company’s community activities. Sadly, I did not get to attend the Games, but luckily there was plenty of blogging to keep me up-to-date on the action. It’s one of my goals to get to the Teva Mountain Games in the next few years because it seems like a really great gathering of cool people who are all into the same thing: enjoying the great outdoors, having some fun and getting some exercise. Maybe if I step up my training now, I’ll actually be able to participate in some of the events. They have cycling, trail running, climbing, kayaking, bouldering and even fly fishing, so there are activities to appeal to every personality. They have events for dogs too, but I am pretty sure Big Old Dog is more content to be a spectator.

Here are some more links about the Teva Mountain Games:

• Active.com: 2008 Teva Mountain Games
• IFSC Bouldering World Cup Coming to the 2008 Teva Mountain Games

Looks like this holiday weekend will be filled with lots of local activities. I think that maybe we’ll do some bouldering at Stoney Point, but I can’t see traveling much further than that at these ridiculous gas prices. At least the rising gas prices will help put a curb on some traffic though - that’s one way to help the environment!

Thankfully we have access to a lot of great biking opportunities here in Santa Monica, like Sullivan Canyon and the bike path on the beach. I cannot help singing the Three’s Company theme song whenever we are on the bike path, but luckily Partner-in-Climb claims not to find this behavior too embarrassing. However, we tend not to ride the bike path too often, and maybe that it part of the reason. The other part of the reason may be all the people who disregard the “Bicycles Only” signs and use the path as a sidewalk, creating a dangerous situation for bikers and walkers, but who can say.

It is also a bonus that it is drizzling right now and it’s supposed to be much cooler this weekend than it was last weekend. I was sweating buckets by the end of our ride last Saturday! I also rapidly depleted the water in two bottles, so now I am thinking it’s officially time for a CamelBak. Luckily, my Memorial Day holiday starts early and I can make a trip to Helen’s or Performance this afternoon to pick one up.

I am hoping it stays damp and hazy through tomorrow, because this is my favorite kind of weather to ride in. The trails don’t get really muddy and soft, but there is a nice cool mist and it adds a sense of adventure to even really familiar trails. Riding up the Westridge-Canyon Back fire road without sight of the usually expansive vistas somehow transforms the experience and makes it more focused. You can’t see the road ahead or behind, you have no way to gauge how far you have gone or have to go, and so you are really forced to be in the moment and commit to just accepting what lies ahead as it comes. It makes it really fun to come upon a slight downhill and cruise down it when you aren’t expecting any temporary relief at the moment. It’s like a great surprise. Sigh. Too bad I can’t hit the trail right now!

Only 5 hours til the weekend! Happy Memorial Day!

Here’s a great way to plan your next hike: Google Earth! Lifehacker recently posted about the Trimble Outdoor Trips layer-feature on Google Earth that makes it easy for hikers, backpackers, and bikers to preview an upcoming route.

My favorite feature: if your cell phone has GPS tracking, you can have coordinates sent to your location with just a click.

We got some great pics while driving through Mojave National Preserve. Partner-in-Climb has a very reliable Canon PowerShot A640 that really takes some great photos. The thing I like most about Canon digital cameras is that they are so easy to use and durable. Plus, the pictures consistently look great.

Here are some great Mojave links:

• The American Southwest
  
• GORP Destinations: Mojave National Preserve
• USGS Virtual Field Trip: Geology of Mojave National Preserve
• Hiker Central: Mojave National Preserve
• 3-D Geology Tour of Mojave National Park
• Road Trip America: Hole-in-the-Wall & Kelso Dunes in Mojave