Taking It All In

-

I could have slept in and stayed in my pajamas all day as a reward for surviving March and opening April with less than 6 hours’ sleep in two days. Instead, I was pulling on my hiking shoes and driving out to Escondido to finally take in Daley Ranch.

I’ve wanted to visit this city-owned preserve a mile from El Norte Parkway for years. I was particularly interested in seeing how it rates for trail running since I know of several local runners who rave about it. So when our “Happy Hour” group elected for something different -- a hike in Daley Ranch, followed by a stop at Stone Brewery -- I was in no matter how much my feet hurt, head throbbed and stomach ached.

This was Victoria’s suggestion – and backyard – so she led us on a figure-eight route that had us initially climbing for some terrific views before we finally hit the Ranch House (under renovation) and set up our little picnic. She also pointed to a more level path popular with runners.

Along the way we carried on as we normally would after work hours in a wine bar or trendy restaurant. I got to relate details of a major fundraiser last night that I helped organize. Everyone left the event in good moods and a little lighter in the wallet. Our vendors were amazing and really deserve a lot of credit I received as the de facto organizer. I was never so proud of my co-workers and my friends who volunteered, including Melissa, who is standing next to Victoria in the opening shot. Katie arrived a few minutes later.









We never did make it to the brewery. That's OK with me. I was still riding high on my recent success (and caffeine!) and delighted to mark Daley Ranch off my must-hike checklist. Now it's on my must-return list.

Popular posts from this blog

I Leave You With This

-
Image
There's this social media post some guy put up on Instagram. I almost scrolled past it, but I'm glad I didn't. It asked what question we should ask ourselves when we die. In retrospect, ChatGPT's response was basically pulling from Eastern philosophy, but, still, I couldn't stop thinking about it in the hours and days since I first heard it. Here's a partial transcript I cribbed using -- what else? -- AI. Some guy set up the prompt, which was long and convoluted. The following picks it up from there.  Some guy : I'm assuming most people would ask, 'Where am I going? What's next?' Something like that. Is that a good question?  ChatGPT : No, because they don't matter. Some guy : W hy don't they matter?  ChatGPT : If there's a heaven or hell or some next phase, you're likely already heading there. Asking won't change your destination. It's a wasted question.  Some guy : That's a good point. Um, what about 'Did I do en...
Read more

What's Your Slavery Footprint?

-
I just came across an app that immediately intrigued me because it brings awareness to something way too often overlooked in this country. It's called The Slavery Footprint , and I found out about it this morning courtesy of this post . Living in California, and traveling regularly through the Central Valley where a bulk of everyone's U.S.-bred fruits and nuts are produced, I became keenly aware of how poorly farmhands are treated in this country. I even blogged about it several years ago . Some of us tend to feel morally superior because of the foods and lifestyle choices we make. After taking this "test," perhaps that piety will recede a bit. After you take it, you can share your score if you wish. Personally, I'm embarrassed by mine.
Read more

Do Mom and Dad Make You Run?

-
I know of a lot of middle-aged running friends who are motivated by their parents to run. Their mother or father was in poor health for many years and it ultimately cost them their lives (or at least a higher quality of it), and so one reason they initially put on a pair of running shoes was to avoid the same fate. However, that's not the sort of parental connection outlined in a provacative post about the link between exercise and genetics in this morning's Daily Beast. It reflects a couple of scientific studies that show we may be genetically encoded to favor workouts. That means some of us will never enjoy exercising like others, nor will our children. If this is true, then those of us modeling good behaviors by eating well and exercising in moderation may merely be passing along the endorphin baton to those with our "exercise gene." And that might also explain why some parents who push their kids into sports end up disappointed that their child never "takes...
Read more