Monday is my Saturday

I currently have two part-time jobs and dog-sitting duties for these next few summer months.  Most likely my weekends will be Monday and Tuesday, which is nice because I’ll be able to run errands and play outside when most people are at work.  Then again, school is out for the summer so I’ll probably be out with families as well.   National Trails Day is this Saturday the 7^th, but I’ll be working.  Thus, I decided to celebrate on my day off.  I really had no idea where I was going to go hiking.  I thought about Santa Ysabel out near Julian, but when I saw the Iron Mountain trailhead parking lot practically empty I decided to that instead.  That lot is always full and has been a topic of debate in the local hiking community.  Do we build another lot?  Shuttles?  Anyway, I took advantage of the opportunity.  I quickly got my gear ready and headed out for the Ellie Lane Trail.  It was a beautiful day, not too hot like the weather we had last month.  Most people take the direct trail to the summit of Iron Mountain, but since I wanted to get extra miles in, I took the Ellie Lane Trail, which I really enjoy.  The views are amazing and the boulders and rock formations are spectacular.  Once I got to the summit, I took a break, snapped some photos and then headed back down to the trailhead.  My Saturday was turning out to be a good day.

View from the Ellie Lane Trail

Facebook Check-In?

End of hike

 

Walk for Homeless

Hi there. I know, it’s been a while. Yes, I’m still walking. Last few months have been stressful with job hunting, but hiking and being outdoors has continued to be therapeutic. I’ve also been doing a lot of volunteer work i.e., Feeding America, Meals on Wheels, and Just Call Us Volunteers. We help others to help ourselves, right? Today I did a 5K walk through the San Diego neighborhood of North Park to support the Uptown Faith Community Center. The event helped to raise funds for providing needed services to homeless and low income people. A few friends and I started the walk at 8 a.m. in Hillcrest. We walked through the neighborhood of North Park carrying signs and receiving honks from passersby. At the completion of the event we were greeted with medals and a hearty breakfast of ham, eggs, pancakes and coffee. This was a lot different from the Bikes and Beer event I did last weekend! Just doing my part in supporting the community. 🙂

Fellow walkers

 

Keep smiling! Half way there!

 

We passed by San Diego’s famous Chicken Pie Shop. I have eaten there once. A long time ago.

 

The flowers are blooming! San Diego received much-needed rain this week.

 

A stop at Mission Brewery during the Bikes and Beer event on March 29, 2013.

Urban Hiker!

Sometimes I feel guilty for driving long distances to the country/mountains for a 10-mile hike.  Sure it’s nice to get away from the city and enjoy the peace and solitude of the mountains, but I need to be a conscientious oil-consumer as well.  So last week I managed not to drive my car for three days, which means I did a lot of urban walking.  On Saturday morning I woke up saying to myself, I’m going to do a 10-mile hike in the city today.  So I packed my day pack with the usual 10 essentials and hit the streets of San Diego using the smartphone app MapMyWalk to chart my course.  I live in North Park, which is about four miles away from downtown.  I walked to Whole Foods in Hillcrest to check out their 25% vitamin supplement sale.  Unfortunately, they were out of cod liver oil.  From there I walked down to Little Italy for the farmer’s market.  I’m currently on a budget so I managed not to buy fresh goat cheese for $15.  At that point I needed a cup of Joe and a bathroom break.  I stopped into a Marriott Hotel, used the restroom, and then sat outside with a coffee and oatmeal cookie I had brought from home.  So far so good.  After my short break I walked to the Convention Center and to get some elevation I walked up and down the stairs that they have outside.  I passed by Petco Park and then hooked onto Park Blvd., passing by Balboa Park and the San Diego Zoo.  I then reached my quaint neighborhood of North Park and finally found myself back in my humble studio.  I did 11 miles that morning.  After much pondering, I decided that I would try not to drive my car 2 or 3 days out of the week.  If anything, I’ll be saving money for bigger backpacking trips in the summer.  🙂

Urban hike in San Diego

2013 Holidays in northern California

I was up in northern California visiting my mom during the Christmas/New Year’s break.  She lives in the small town of Manchester on the Mendocino Coast.  Now this is truly northern California as Manchester is about a 3-hour drive north of San Francisco.  Whenever my uncle phones her he jokingly asks, “So, how is Oregon?”  The terrain is quite different from southern California.  The area is covered with dense forests of redwood trees rather than open desert terrain.  There are some hiking opportunities in Mendocino County, but after a while I think one would miss the challenging rugged trails of southern California.  In any event, one can manage to stay active by walking along the coast or along country roads, or go for a bike ride and brave the traffic on Highway 1.  During my two-week stay I explored the coastal Stornetta Public Lands, hiked in Sugarloaf Ridge State Park and Mendocino Woodlands State Park, and of course I couldn’t pass up a tour of Anderson Valley Brewing Co.  If you plan on driving through this area, then I recommend visiting these places.

15-mile road hike on Philo-Greenwood Road

 

Stornetta Public Lands with view of Point Arena Lighthouse

 

Hiking in Sugarloaf Ridge State Park with views of the town of Kenwood outside the city of Santa Rosa

 

Tour of Anderson Valley Brewing Co. in Boonville, California

 

I felt very little when we were hiking in the Mendocino Woodlands State Park!