Category — outdoor activities

One of the more surprising moments of our vacation came when when spotted one of the neighbors cruising around in the river on his ATV. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it. Since I have been back from vacation, however, I have done some research, and it seems like it’s actually not that difficult with a little waterproofing and some driving skill.

I am not to anxious to try it out myself, but here’s some interesting information about water crossing for ATVs and off-road vehicles:

• About.com: Water Crossing & Waterproofing Tips for 4×4 Offroad Vehicles & ATVs
• ATV Connection Magazine: Hidden Danger From Playing “Submarine”
• IGOATV.com: Avoiding Drownout

Fighting off those annoying mosquitoes can really get in the way of enjoying your outdoor adventures. If you’ve been looking for natural bug repellents to use, consider some of the following (you might have some or all of these already in your home):

Cedar oil is a natural insect repellent that is good for you, your pets and children. A bottle of this spray is a little expensive, around $4 for a half ounce bottle. You can find it in your local herbal shops and some department stores. Some use this product for keeping away fleas. It is suggested that you wash your cat or dog if fleas are already present, to allow the cedar oil to work.

Rubbing alcohol is an old remedy for keeping unwanted insects away. The strong odor repels many insects and getting a bottle is very easy (if one isn’t in your bathroom). Just rub it over your exposed areas and watch the mosquitoes keep away!

This may be a bit of a surprise, but Vicks VapoRub is a good way to keep away ticks and other bugs while hiking the trail, camping out or having family time in the yard.

No, not Yoda. Yoga.

Much to my delight this weekend, I discovered that Neesha at Yoga Today has combined two of my favorite things into one awesome workout called Star Wars Yoga. Neesha’s use of Darth Vader as an example of ujjayi breathing really helped me wrap my mind around it, which was great, because my big problem is that I tend to hold my breath. It was a great, relaxing and much needed yoga workout after a very stressful week, so I encourage everyone to check it out. I also LOVE Neesha’s workout top and would love to know where she got it.

My only complaint is that she nicknames her friend/yogini Ben “Ben Solo”, whereas I would have gone with “Ben Kenobi.” But that’s just the Star Wars nerd in me coming out. All in all, this is another great, inspirational workout from Yoga Today.

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

I have seen quite a few mentions of the Mike and Maaike Baja BBQ Firepack (NotCot, Core77, MoCo Loco, Josh Spear, et al) and I am really interested in seeing one in action. According to the Mike and Maaike site, the firepack is:

“made from 100% recycled biodegradable paper pulp, the package contains 2 lbs of natural lump charcoal and features an integrated chimney that creates perfect hot coals without the aid of chemicals or lighter fluid.”

That sounds fantastic. But I have yet to find a price or details on where to buy it, beyond “gourmet supermarkets.” However, I have found a few links about eco-friendly outdoor cooking that might be useful as I wait for the Baja BBQ Firepack:

• Buy eco-friendly charcoal
• Get Your Grill On at Sierra Club
• Use a Bucket Grill to conserve space and energy
• Use solar power! Make your own solar oven or buy one from Sun Oven

The Memorial Day weekend actually worked out fantastically for fun close to home activities. We hiked the Gardenland Trail to the overlook at San Vicente Mountain Park, which was a great variation to our usual Sullivan Canyon routine. The Garden Land Trail is a lot steeper than the fire road, so I was very happy in my last minute decision to change out of flip flops and into hiking shoes. I was also quite happy to be hiking it rather than biking it on my first visit. The climb is quite a workout! The Gardenland Trail isn’t as popular as the fire road so it gets a lot less traffic, which is great if you want to feel like your outside of the city for a few moments.

Here’s some more info for hiking in the Santa Monica area:

• Trail Map from Canyon Back Alliance
• Info from the Mandeville Canyon Association

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 fun weekend activity: archery lessons! There are a bunch of places around LA that teach you the basics and let you practice for free or . Here’s info on a few:

• Rancho Park Archery Range on Yelp
• Southern California Archery Clubs and Ranges
• SoCal Archery
• Pasadena Roving Archers beginning archery class information

The best part is that some of them provide archery gear, like compound bows, arrows and arm guards, for practice, so you don’t have to drop a bundle of cash to try it out.

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.

I got a new yoga mat over the weekend and it has totally re-invigorated my interest in yoga. I spent the weekend stretching and studying poses, and I came across this great site called Yoga Today that has free high-def yoga videos. Each of the videos is an hour-long workout set against the beautiful backdrop of Jackson, Wyoming. I did one of the workouts last night, and another today, and they are really fantastic. The instruction is easy to follow but the workouts were very vigorous and challenging. I love the scenery, too. It’s the perfect complement to the yoga, and really creates a sense of peace and relaxation.

This has all inspired me to practice yoga outside more often. Luckily, there are several outdoor yoga classes on the beach in Santa Monica in the summer. The Accidental Yogist provides details about some classes, but her info is from last year, so it’d probably be worthwhile to call first. Since I live so close to the beach, I think I may just ride my bike to the sand and practice some sun salutations on my own whenever the mood strikes.