End of Hiatus

Long hiatus on posts. Sorry. I'll get to this in the next few months. I have switched jobs and we have lost Ziwi and our next rescue elderly pooch, Turq. We now have an excited 2-5 year old rescue named Ixtapa, or Ixxi for short. I have lots of travel to get in, so this will take a while.

Bristlecone Pines, Big Pine, CA July 9-11, 2010

After cruising through on Memorial Day, we decided this was the weekend to go. We figured the crowd would be less than 4th of July weekend, and it may have been, but it was a new moon weekend, so the astronomy buffs were out! We left at 3:00 PM, but it was still a 5.5 hour ride to the campground, which is strictly first come, first serve. We drove around counter clockwise until we found a spot. As it turns out, a better shaded spot was just a bit further, but we never bothered to move. Rodney set up the tent in the dark and we went to sleep. The next morning, after breakfast of oatmeal and coffee and tea, we saw that the ranger station had 3 programs at 10:30, 11:30, and 12:30. So, we drove over the Schulman Grove and attended all 3.

The first was a lesson on Dendochronology and Paleoclimatology. The Bristlecone Pine trees are up to 4400 years old, and when they die, their wood weathers like stone. By lining up the tree rings, they have a record, with missing gaps of less than 200 years, of the relative climate all the way back to the ice age! The trees are special indeed and were not protected until the 1950's. Even after they were protected, a student filed the proper paperwork to cut down one to study and once they started studying it, discovered it was over 5000 years old (whoops)! The second program was a tree ring demonstration, which was anticlimactic. The third program was a guided hike on the Discovery Trail, which is a short (1.5 mile/2.5 km) hike through the grove. The trees are beautiful in the 10000 ft (3050m) elevation.

We went back to the campground and took a nap and cooked dinner while enjoying the light rainshower that afternoon and evening. We were able to enjoy our camp fire anyway. It rained off and on during the night, which likely spoiled the star gazing.

On Sunday, we drove past the ranger station, on the dirt road all the way to the end. There is a University of California research station and Naval High Altitude Research station at the end of the road. It has a gate preventing vehicle travel after about 12 miles (16 km). You can hike this road all the way to the top of White Mountain, which is 14300 ft (4360 m) tall, just 300 ft (100m) or so shorter than Mt. Whitney. It is only a 7 mile (11.2 km) hike. Rasila had some effect at the 11000 ft + elevation, so we'll have to work up to that hike. We also stopped by the Patriarch Grove, where the Patriarch tree is. It is not the oldest, but it is the biggest Bristlecone Pine tree in the world. This grove is otherworldly, with the light dolomite soil and scattered trees. The elevation is 11300 ft (3440 m) and worth a visit! After a light lunch, we headed back down to the 105 F (40C) valley floor and back home. It was a fun trip!

New Mexico for Rasila's Aunt's Birthday in June 2010

Five years ago, we made a trip to Lake Tahoe for Rasila's Aunt's 65th birthday. This year, the trip was to New Mexico. We took a 4 day weekend, like 5 years ago, but flew instead of driving. We flew Southwest, my new favorite airline, through Phoenix, and arrived in Albuquerque at about noon. We headed over to the Country Club to meet the family for lunch at the pool. Compared to the unseasonably cool weather in Southern California, it was hot (95 F, 35 C)! Rodney got to have his green chili cheeseburger for lunch though. Later that afternoon, we went over to her Aunt's house mid afternoon to prepare for the party that evening. The party was held at Brian and Mary's house, and it was a great party. Lots of friends and relatives and great Mexican food and margaritas. It rained a bit mid-evening, but that cooled off the weather nicely. Since we had woke up at 4 AM, we left early (about 11 PM), and headed off to sleep.

The next morning, we went looking for a coffee shop since Nancy doesn't drink coffee. We knew we weren't in the OC anymore when we had to drive 5 miles to the nearest one! It was a Starbucks (Rodney was hoping to find an independent shop), but it hit the spot nicely. We then headed back over to pack up the party remnants and supplies for a trip to spend the rest of the weekend in Chama, NM. It was a beautiful drive to the place we were staying, Corkins Lodge. We shared a 3 BR cabin with Rasila's Mom and Aunt. It is a beautiful part of the Rocky Mountains, and wonderfully cool in the 8000' (2440 m) elevation. We had a great meal at the largest cabin (the Log Cabin), and slept wonderfully in our cabin.

On Sunday, we drove that morning down to Chama and bought some coffee and checked out the Cumbres and Toltec Railroad station. It was closed due to an arson fire that burned down a trestle, but it looked like it would have been fun to take it to Pagosa Springs, CO. After driving back to the lodge, we hiked a short trail, hung out at the stocked lake, and played horseshoes, among other options. There were 2 deer that wondered the grounds like dogs, and plenty of fishing to have. This evening was another celebration, just for the family, and we had a spectacular meal along with playing some games that evening.

On Monday, Rodney decided to run while Rasila walked down the NM highway that lead back to the US highway. At that elevation, it definitely was a workout! We then joined all for breakfast before heading back to Albuquerque to catch our plane home. It was a great trip!

Rosarito-Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico April 17, 2010

We missed the 2009 ride due to the fact that it was cancelled, then by the time they reorganized, it was too late to coordinate anyone to go along. We've always felt safe in Mexico, but I also like riding with our friends on this ride. In the distant past, we'd have 20-30 of us doing this ride, but this year it was just the 4 of us: John and Ginny from Denver, and Rasila and Rodney.

Rodney and Rasila both took Friday off to pick up John and Ginny at the San Diego Airport. We strapped the tandem and 2 mountain bikes on the back of the Explorer and were waiting in the cell phone waiting lot by 10:00 AM. We picked up John and Ginny and headed to Trader Joe's for bagels, bananas, and water. We topped off on gas and then headed for the border.

Rasila and Rodney usually head off in the afternoon and are crossing the border at rush hour, so it was pleasant to breeze right across and through Tijuana easily. We headed for lobster burritos at Puerto Nuevo, specifically Puerto Nuevo II. It was empty! People are so afraid to go to Baja that the businesses are on the verge of failing. It was very sad to see. We had a wonderful lunch and headed for Ensenada about 2 PM. We arrived at the Best Western El Cid and checked into our normal patio rooms, then John and Rodney went for some beer. The day was great weather for hanging out on the patio and relaxing. We then went for dinner at the restaurant that has the rotating chickens in the window (can't find the name of it) where dinner and a pitcher of margaritas was only $25! A quick trip to Hussong's and then to bed for the ride.

The next morning we got up and made a trip to coffee shop around the corner, then bagels and bananas for breakfast before heading over to catch the shuttle bus to Rosarito Beach. It is a short 1 hour drive up the Toll Road to Rosarito. We were dropped off about 2 miles north, then had to ride to the start line. We skipped the customary pre ride beer since John and Ginny had to register. Rodney took the opportunity to buy a jersey since this year's had a desert scape, a jumping marlin, the outline of the Baja peninsula, and wine grapes to make a great looking jersey. We stopped at our favorite first stopping point, Cantamar, and were once again, the only patrons. The owner said spring break, normally a wild time, was dead, and that he would be out of business by the fall if things didn't change. We had our drinks and pressed on, stopping at the tamale stop, at just past 30 miles, for lunch. There was a cute Australian Cattle Dog there that Rasila fed. We then hopped back on and made it into Ensenada for a total time elapsed of about 3.5 hours. We had fish tacos at the fiesta, then headed back to the hotel and hung out on the patio waiting for John and Ginny. Ginny always is slightly lagging since she never trains for this ride. Since she runs, she has the general good shape, but I'm always impressed she can do it that way. We had dinner at the taco shop next to Hussong's. John and Rodney enjoyed Hussong's while Ginny and Rasila had wine at the wine shop across the street.

The next morning, we got up, packed up and headed back to San Diego. The line was fairly short (45 min) for crossing back into the US. We then met folks at the Cass St. Bar and Grill for lunch before heading to a friends place for the afternoon. We then dropped John and Ginny back at the airport before driving back to Irvine. It was a great weekend and we're looking forward to next Spring's ride!

New Orleans in March for NCAA 1st and 2nd Round Basketball

San Jose and Spokane didn't appeal much to us this year. Since we'd had such a great time in Chicago 3 years ago, we decided to go out of region again. The choices were pretty much New Orleans or Wilmington, NC. For us, it was an easy choice: New Orlens!

Rodney had enough frequent flier miles to get a free ticket and we found hotel suites in the Residence Inn just off the French Quarter. He arrived in the late afternoon, since the only other option was to had to be at the airport at 5:00 AM. He met others in the airport to share the cab ride to the hotel and contact David and Jim, who had been at Patty O'Brian's all afternoon! Needless to say, they were a bit along their way already. After a quick hit of Happy Hour at the Residence Inn, we all met at Dickie Brennan's for dinner. It was spectacular! Rodney had a rib eye smothered in crawfish.

The next day was the full day of games at the New Orleans Arena. The slate was a good one with Notre Dame vs. Old Dominion (Old Dominion won in OT), Baylor vs. Sam Houston State (Baylor won after SMS got tired in the second half), Kentucky vs. East Tennessee St (Kentucky blew them away) and Texas vs. Wake Forest (Wake Forest won in double OT). The food was great, with Po' Boy Sandwiches, BBQ Pork, Catfish fingers, etc. We had Abita Amber beer and some Sierra Nevada Pale Ale to quaff as well.

The next day started with the free breakfast at the hotel, followed by the tradional off day basketball game. The weather was mercifully low humidity, so we played 3 games. We followed this by heading into the French Quarter to find games to watch. We landed at the Crescent City Brewery for lunch (baked Saffron Oysters, yum!), beer, and basketball. That night, we had reservations at Muriel's on Jackson Square. They had a 3 course meal for $35 that couldn't be beat!

The next morning, we ate at the hotel again, then had lunch at the Irish Bar around the corner while watching more basketball. The games started latest for us, so we had until about 4 PM to burn. The Baylor - Old Dominion game was first and was a good game, but Baylor won. No upset. Kentucky killed Wake Forest in the second game. I though for sure they'd win it all, but they ended up losing in the elite 8 and Duke won the tournament this year. Next year, Denver?

Other Ski Trips of 2010

Late January, we went to Mammoth for a 3 day weekend with Lisa and Joe and Rasila's brother Seton and his roommate Marilyn. We all drove up in my Explorer and stayed in Summit Condominiums. We got a condo in the building right next to the slopes. Saturday was snowing and kind of tough on Seton's roommate. She ended up tweaking her knee, and sat out Sunday, which ended up having fabulous weather!



The following weekend, we went to Salt Lake City to ski with Roger and Julia. Roger had been spending many weekends on the road for work, so we had little choice but to make a trip immediately after the trip to Mammoth. It ended up being decent, but Mammoth had better conditions than Alta, which is highly unusual. Rasila, unfortunately, broke her arm on the last run of the day. We had a fun experience at Urgent Care, then St. Marks Hospital, for a total of 6 hours in the medical system. Luckily, it was all covered by our insurance, but we have blown through our Flexible Spending account with in less than 6 months!



In late February, we went back to Mammoth with Lisa and Joe, and Lisa's friend, Dave and stayed at Snowcreek Condominiums. It was dumping as we arrived and a foot dropped easily as we unpacked. I cleared the walks and around my car before I went to sleep, but still woke up to a buried car. I cleared out my car, while Dave blasted out. Unfortunately, he encouraged others to do the same, including some guy in a Subaru Outback, who got really stuck. I spent the better part of an hour helping others out so I could make it to the slopes. It was fabulous conditions and I got a lot of steep in since Rasila was still recovering.



The last trip was on Memorial Day. We stayed at Summit again, even though Eagle Lodge was closed for the season. The was still 6-10 feet (2-3 m) of snow. It actually snowed the Thursday before, giving a nice 4 inch (10 cm) dust on crust. Rasila was fully covered and the conditions could not have been better. It was like March spring skiing, and we had a great time. It was just the 2 of us with Ziwi. On the way home, we visited the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest in the White Mountains. It was so impressive, we vowed to come back and camp (which we did, but that's a later post).

Christmas in Rochester, WA

I know, I know. I'm very late in updating our recent travels. I'm going to start this weekend to catch up, so look for multiple updates.



We celebrated Christmas 3 times. Once in Irvine, before we left, once in Rochester, WA, where Rasila's mother and sister live, and once in Seattle, where Rasila's father lives. We flew from Orange County to Portland, OR, where we rented a car from Dollar Rent-a-car, for the 2 hour drive to Rasila's mother's house. It was a wonderful little Ford Fusion, which we liked since I invested in Ford this year. We arrived, after a stop for lattes and a snack at a bakery on the way, in the early afternoon. It was wonderfully cold and clear, unlike the rain I was expecting (but did foresee).

Rasila's mom has a nice little house in the country, with a guest house that her sister Cyrena lives in. We had a nice dinner and played with our nephew, Alec until he went to sleep. Then Rodney assembled his new trike for the morning.

The next day was Christmas Day. We celebrated Christmas after breakfast. It is always fun to watch kids enjoy Chirstmas and this one was no different. Alec got lots of lego-like blocks and a great train set that Rodney played with more than Alec. We left for Seattle about 11, since the car had to be dropped off at Seattle-Tacoma Airport by 1 PM. While we waited for Rasila's mom, we hiked up the hill to a nice little coffee shop that was open on Christmas and allowed us to take Ziwi in since he was good. We then all went up to Rasila's father's house and had a nice Christmas turkey and another Christmas!

Rasila's father, girlfriend, and brothers headed to Whistler for the week, while we went back to Rochester. We spent the time helping entertain Alec, which was quite a task. A 2 1/2 year old can wear out 4 adults easily! We did take one day and go skiing at White Pass Ski Area, which was a lot of fun. We had been there once before to attend a wedding of one of Rasila's friends in the summer, so it was fun to ski there. It is undergoing a major expansion and will be interesting to visit again sometime.

About 2 days before we returned, we went skiing at Crystal Mountain, on Mount Rainier. Rasila's dad and girlfriend joined us. Both days were snowing all day, but classic Cascade cement, so we would have really preferred the cold weather to stay.

We flew back out of Portland with a day to take care of the garden before starting work again.