Inaugural Family Backpack

In order to get the family more involved in my current passion, backpacking, I arranged a short intro trip to Arroyo Seco in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park.  We drove up on Friday afternoon stopping at Diego's Taco Shop in Alpine for a quick dinner (good food, by the way).  We got to Green Valley around 6:30p, registered at the entry station and parked at the picnic area.  It was a quick but vigorous hike uphill for the 1.5 miles to camp.  The pump is broken at Arroyo Seco so we all carried extra water.  After getting to camp, we setup tents, tarps and bedrolls (for us cowboy campers).  We talked and laughed for a while as dusk settled in.  It is amazing how kids react in the wild!  The night started out very pleasant with millions of starts.  It ended up getting very windy however.  The morning started warn so we quickly packed up and headed back down to the car.  It was a short trip but a very good harbinger of things to come.

Mt. Laguna Camping

With only a week off, T774 had its last event of the season, a car camp in the Laguna Mountains.  We had a group camp and it was very nice, with tables and a fire ring.  In the morning, we did a fabulous 5.5 mile hike on the Big Laguna Trail.  This trip was our pioneering campout so after lunch we all built a tower from all the staves we had brought up.  It was bit shaky at first but some redone lashings made it solid enough for the scouts to climb it.  The day was pretty warm but tolerable.  Coming back Sunday, it was my first time hauling the trailer.  It was a bit low and bumped the ground a couple times; I will have to get a higher ball for next time.

Bengt's Bakery

Bengt has been fascinated by the legalization of recreational marijuana in Colorado.  Last night he was contemplating possible names for a hypothetical shop.  My favorites were "Bengt's Bakery" and "Gabe's Grass".

Jo's Birthday Activities

• Dinner at Thai Society, our favorite restaurant.
• Family exercised our new Balboa Park Explorer passes and saw exhibits at the Fleet Science Museum, Museum of Man and MOPA.  Had a great lunch at the SDMA cafe.
• Hiked Rancho Penasquitos Canyon to the waterfall and back.  It was a bit warm but still a very nice hike.  No rattlesnakes this time and Sophie didn't fall into the creek.

• Dog took naps

Afghanistan in the rear-view mirror (looking forward)

Interesting take on the legacy of the international mission in Afghanistan.

T774 Backpacking Trek

T774 headed on our spring backpack as a tune-up for our summer Sierra trek.  The original idea was to do San Jacinto but that fell through due to lack of permits.  We chose to return to the Mt. Laguna to Cuyamaca route we did last year.  Starting from Penny Pines trailhead, we heading east on the Noble Canyon trail.  With some shade, the trail was quite pleasant.  However, as we went a bit lower and left the pines, it got quite hot and sunny.  Indian Creek was damp but had no surface water near the trail.  The last uphill section into Cuyamaca Rancho State Park was tough as we were beat from the heat.  It was great getting into camp at Granite Springs as we were low on water and needed dinner!
The next morning, Raymond, the unofficial troop dog, had sore paws and wasn't up for walking much.  He made the first mile along the East Mesa Fire Road.  We then fashioned a stretcher from two pairs of trekking poles and our dining tarp.  The dog was luxurious carried the next 4 miles to Hwy 79.  After Ray was taking home and some shuttling to get the cars back from Penny Pines, we had a long break at the picnic area.  In late afternoon, we headed up the trail to Arroyo Seco camp.  The camp was dry so we carried some extra water; good thing it was only 1.5 miles.  After making camp among the meadow and having another tasty dinner, we had an early night.  Arroyo Seco was a bit buggy and I had a few bites; lots of ants as well.
Early the next morning, we broke camp and heading back to the Green Valley parking lot and home.  Can't wait for the next trip!

Weekend Activities

• Long walks around Encinitas

 

• Awesome dinner party with scouting friends

Dixon Lake Camping

T774 went up to Dixon Lake for a great weekend camping.  It was a perfect venue to get teach some skills to the new scouts.  There was fishing, wood tools, knots, lashings, first aid, cooking and all sorts of stuff.  The weather was a bit hot, but tolerable due some shady spots in the site.  Nights were perfectly cool with awesome views overlooking Escondido.

Books, Videos and Audios

Some more books, etc...

• Understanding Greek and Roman Technology: From Catapult to the Pantheon by Stephen Ressler- a fabulous lecture series on engineering; a must see if you are interesting in architecture, design or construction
• Understanding the World's Great Structures by Stephen Ressler - a deep dive into structural engineering; learn how buildings work
• The Skeptics Guide to US History by Mark A. Stoler - very interesting contrast to "Lessons of History"
• Skepticism 101: How to Think like a Scientist by Michael Shermer  - great course on critical thinking, I especially enjoyed the lectures on UFO's
• The Trail Life: How I Loved It, Hated It, and Learned From It by Julie Urbanski - one of many good books on the PCT
• Three Victories and a Defeat: The Rise and Fall of the First British Empire by Brendan Simms - too big and too British - a good history but it was just too much for me now
• Cardiff-by-the-Sea by Wehtahnah Tucker and Guy Bujkovsky- great pictures of Cardiff
• Lighthouses of San Diego by Kim Fahlen and Karen Scanlon- covers the 3 lighthouses in SD county; I like the Ballast Point one best
• The Myth of the Great War by John Mosier- a very different take on the Western Front; essentially states that the Germans were in near total control of the west until the AEF arrived.
• Europe's Last Summer by David Fromkin- a blow-by-blow account of the days leading up to the start of WWI.  Somewhat monotonous at times but squarely puts the blame on the Germans and Austrians, specifically their respective foreign ministers.
• The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown- re-read
• Let Me Off at the Top: My Life and Other Musings by Ron Burgundy- a book just like the movies, pretty funny at times
• Creme Brulee by Lou Seibert Pappas- tasty recipes
• The Men who United the States: America's Explorers, Inventors, Eccentrics and Mavericks, and the Creation of One Nation, Indivisible by Simon Winchestor- only got through the first few chapters but will finish this interesting book soon
  

Mt. Woodson Dayhike

T774 hit Mt. Woodson for a nice day hike.  Great day and great pix of Potato Chip Rock.

DOS source code

The Computer History Museum has the DOS source code.  I wonder how fast that would run on a new computer.  Probably has very few vulnerabilities.

Weekend Activities

• I missed the T774 event at Paso Picacho, but I went up on Friday to reserve spots.  While I was up there, I bagged Stonewall Peak.  Great hike!
• I missed the scout event since I was at work.  At least it wasn't snowing.
• Got to finally walk by dog and enjoyed the awesome Encinitas weather.

Weekend Activities

• Dog walk along the tracks with lizards, squirrels and snakes
• Awesome family hike up Cowles Mt.
• Wine tasting at Solterra
• Family movie night

Joshua Tree Climbing

Troop and Crew 774 (including Jaya) had its January event at Joshua Tree National Park.  We had done the climbing merit badge in December at Solid Rock so we wanted to get out for the real thing!
The drive up is long but all highway.  There was some rain along the 10 that made me nervous but we had blue skies the entire time.
Our camp sites at Indian Cove were right up against the rocks.  We had some climbing instructors along that brought the equipment.  They put up the ropes in the morning so the kids could get going right away.
After climbing, the instructors took everyone to a cave.  I did not go but everyone loved it and it was the highlight of the trip.  The few of us who stayed went on a hike along a nature trail.
This was the first trip for our new Alps Mountaineering family tent.  It was a breeze to setup and worked great.
We are definitely going to Joshua Tree again!

Books

I haven't posted my reading list lately, but not for lack of reading...
* The Settlers of Catan by Rebecca Gable - an intriguing fiction based on the game; it took me a while to figure out the robbers
* Wisdom of History by J. Rufus Fears - interesting to see how history repeats itself, even todays
* The Golden Shore: California's Love Affair with the Sea  by David Helvarg - although one-sided at times, still a good read about California's best asset, its coast
* Emeril at the G'rill: A Cookbook for All Seasons by Emeril Lagasse - some good recipes but most call Emeril's spices
* Sunday Soup: A Year's Worth of Mouth-Watering, Easy-to-Make Recipes by Betty Rosbottom - some very nice soups
* Ready, Fire, Aim: Zero to 00 Million in No Time Flat (Agora Series) (audio) - by Michael Masterson - similar to the lean startup movement but a bit broader in scope
* Two Years Before The Mast by Richard Henry Dana - timeless classic of California two hundred years ago
* U.S. Military History For Dummies by John C. McManus - quick summary of our long military history
* Inferno by Dan Brown - Dan's Brown latest is not as good as Da Vinci Code but much better than Lost Symbol
* State of Change, A: Forgotten Landscapes of California by Laura Cunningham - compelling book comparing the natural history of ancient California with today; fabulous artwork
* History Decoded: The 10 Greatest Conspiracies of All Time by Brad Meltzer - more of a transcript of a TV show rather a standalone volume; some interesting stuff especially on the JFK assassination
* A Storm in Flanders: The Ypres Salient, 1914-1918: Tragedy and Triumph on the Western Front by Winston Groom - interesting book on the Flanders Front from the author of Forrest Gump; hopefully I can get out to Ypres during my travels to Belgium
* The Italians Before Italy by Kenneth R. Bartlett - great history of Italy prior to unification
* The Emperor's Tomb (with bonus short story The Balkan Escape): A Novel by Steve Berry - somewhat incredulious adventure tail
* Native American History For Dummies by Dorothy Lippert and Stephen J. Spignesi - a bit too much commentary and not enough history
* The I Love Trader Joe's Party Cookbook: Delicious Recipes and Entertaining Ideas Using Only Foods and Drinks from the World’s Greatest Grocery Store by Cherie Mercer Twohy - some great recipes for our holiday parties
* Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Aslan - interesting history of Jesus and his time; Ehrlman is somewhat easier to follow though

Computer Memory Lane

PC Mag has a great trip down computer memory lane.

Weekend Activities

Got back in town from the reunion cruise and had a nice San Diego weekend.

• Moonlight beach time
• Dog walk to Swami's and J Street - saw some whales
• Wandered Old Town for Jaya's school project
• Hiked Torrey Pines to Razor Point and Yucca Point

Family Reunion Cruise

Over New Year's we joined the Chaudari clan for a Caribbean cruise.  We left from Miami on the Carnival Victory on a 5 day voyage to Jamaica and the Caymans.
The first two days were sea days.  I spent a lot of time laying out on the main deck reading and people watching.
The second day we stopped in Ocho Rios Jamaica.   Most of us went to a beach just off the dock.  The water was warm and calm.  All the small children had a great time swimming and playing together.  Guru got coconuts and sugar cane for everyone.  A few us then walked around a bit.  We noticed many of shops were closed and one mall was nearly empty except of a Margaritaville Bar.  I guess the economy is not doing so great in Jamaica.  After some great jerk chicken and a Red Stripe from a street vendor, we boarded the ship.
The next day was a stop in Grand Cayman.  Cayman was the opposite of Jamaica in terms of wealth and prosperity.  We took a bus to an excursion and the driver kept telling us where all the rich and famous lived (mainly business people like Bill Gates).  Our first excursion was snorkeling at Stingray City.  It was very cool to swim with the rays on a sandbar in the middle of the bay.  The next stop was a turtle farm.  This was a real farm in that they were raising the turtles for food.  Yummy!  Turtles are always cool even when they are on the menu.
Back to the ship and a sea day getting back to Miami.  One evening happened to be New Year's Eve.  The main deck was pretty crazy going into midnight.  Jaya was with her friends while Bengt was styling in his reed hat and tie.
We decided to spend an extra day when we got back to Miami.  I used some points to stay at a hotel on Miami Beach.  The kids were pretty tired so we didn't do whole lot.  We walked on the boardwalk to dinner and back then go some much needed sleep.
The next morning we headed to airport and home!

Villager Peak Hike

I did my first hike with the local Sierra Club chapter up to Villager Peak.  After reading about the Villager and Rabbit Peaks in Schad, I have wanted to hit these peaks. However, the trip seems pretty daunting due to the lack of an established trail.  Having a guided trip was the perfect solution.
The nine members of the group met at Kendall's Cafe in Borrego Springs at 6:00a.  After breakfast (just coffee and chocolate milk for me), we headed out to the trailhead along S22.
The first part of the trail is quite flat as you cross a plain to get the "trail".  The trail is started up the ramp via a series of switchbacks.  It then leveled a bit for the next 5000' of elevation.  There was a faint use trail and ducks for most of the way, but portions, especially along the knife edges were mostly cross-country.
After several false peaks, we finally got to the summit in 4.5 hours.  All but one of us made it (the other stopped due to injury).  After a lunch break, we headed down.  Going down the step and rocky trail was at times more difficult than going up.  My carpool partner and I made it down in 3 hours.  The others came in over the next hour.
Overall, this is one of the most difficult day hikes I have been on.  It is essentially 7 miles and 5000' feet straight up.  One of the highlights was seeing a pair of bighorn sheep.  Although it was a from a good distance, they were unmistakable as they cross a canyon wall.  I enjoyed the hike to Villager, but don't intend on going back anytime soon.
See my track and pix here.

Weekend Activities

• Plenty of beach time - water is still warm
• Safari Park - loved the new Lemur Walk exhibit
• Hike with the kids and Sophie in the La Costa Preserve - dusty but nice views
• Dart practice after a long layoff