California Sleeping-By Hal Clark...

We are home from the last trip to California and we are both very tired. This is the point of this post. Dealing with the stress of traveling and burning the proverbial candle at both ends.

We left from Frisco, CO at about 8:30am after two days at the firehouse for me and two days of work for KC. Delta Rose really wasn't feeling the weight of her career as a pet.



Who me?



 So the trip starts with fatigue and we drive for two days and now we have four days of accumulated stress. But we are on vacation and must get out to see everything right? Well, sometimes maybe... other times not so much.
The thing with the "living simply" mantra means that you will have the time to see so much stuff that it will hardly matter if you miss a sight or two during your travels. Who cares. The point is to get out and enjoy your time in a different place or the same old place for that matter. We sometimes feel a little guilty for slowing down and missing something but enjoy being rested and energetic. You will be surprised by the things that enlighten you that you could not have planned on. If you find yourself antsy, get out and see everything you can... if you feel like just slogging out to a coffee shop to people watch, then so be it. The best way to relax is to be present and not thinking about your stocks, job, mortgage, and other pending dumb obligations you have set for yourself or even worse, that others have set for you. I am not saying that having obligations is bad, I am saying to control those things so there is room for the unexpected. In this you will find freedom and time to give.

Silver Back behind glass. They are critically endangered.
A visit to the Santa Barbara Zoo.

That being said, we still will wear ourselves down and resting our brains and bodies becomes a must. Whether or not you are forced to because you get sick or you manage yourself well and learn what you need to do to stay healthy, longer sleep hours, nap, meditation, writing, whatever. You will need rest at some point. In the name of health and balance KC and I prefer to rest before we need it. We think it keeps us sharp and contributes to a steady level of high energy.

When you fail at this, and you will at some point, the trick is to not have so much scheduled nonsense that you get worse and drag a day of recovery out to a full blown sickness that takes you out for weeks.  Take time to recover, time for yourself and time to reflect and slow down. If you know me you may be thinking, "I am full of shit". But I assure you I take time to recover and rest.

Today we had a special visit from our friend Rob Montgomery. He is healthy, happy and has a smile on his face every time we see him. He really likes to meditate and uses it on a regular basis to maintain his energy and mental clarity. Try it!

We drove for four days, visited 12 relatives, worked with Primal Wear at Sea Otter for four days, rode on the road a bunch, hiked, ran, worked out in the gym, hung out in the hot tub (a lot), had bed bugs in our hotel in Mesquite, snuck Delta into multiple hotel rooms, hit up Moab and the antique car show, then went straight back to work.

KC made Cadel Evans throw a bean bag to win a Primal Wear water bottle and he did. Very humble guy.

 

Hanging out with some serious dudes in the Primal tent.
Dave Wiens and yours truly.

 

 

During a ride in Santa Barbara we stopped at a place that had a catchy outdoor sitting area complete with an antique airstream, umbrella table, and fake grass. I think there was a motorcycle parked in the setting as well. We saw a bunch of Airstream trailers in different stages of awesomeness. While checking the place out a man came from the office to greet us and happily agreed to let us spandex clad, slippery shoe wearing folk behind the gate for a tour. Glad we stopped. After the tour and a million fielded questions, Wally told us the story of his son Mathew Hofmann who wanted to live in an Airstream and did so. Mathew has a cool story and used his architecture skills to provide really great, elegant and livable trailers, with lots of help of course. Here is another link in case you missed the first one. http://hofarc.com/

We wanted to share with you this sweet place because they share the same spirit and passion for life as you do.


Thanks for reading.

Point Lobos State Park

After four exciting and busy days working at Sea Otter, we decided to check out Point Lobos State Park before we head south to Santa Barbara.

If you walk into the park, they only ask for a donation, no required entrance fee. We left Delta in the car, because they don't allow dogs in the park.

There are dirt trails circling the park boundary, making it a great easy hike.

Completely beautiful place, like nothing back home! 

And right now the seals are having their pups and you can see the mama seals and their babies out in the water and lounging on the beach...so neat to see marine animals since we don't have them in Colorado! And we learned that the easiest way to tell seals apart from sea lions is to look and see if they have visible ear flaps. Seals do not, whereas sea lions do! 

They kind of look dead, but are just very relaxed ;)

This is also a great place for scuba diving, assuming you have a 7mm wetsuit, complete with hood and gloves. We didn't have time this trip, but want to dive/snorkel here next year! 

Monterey in a Day...

We are sitting in the lovely Carmel Mission Inn, in Carmel, CA, getting ready to work/have fun with Primal Wear, Inc. for the next four days at the Sea Otter Bike Expo.

We decided to turn this "work" trip into even more fun by driving out a day early and visiting my relatives in Bakersfield and then spending a day in Monterey.

I haven't been to Monterey since I was a little kid, and I only remember the aquarium.

So, we spent last night at the awesome and affordable Monterey Hotel!

We unloaded the car and grabbed Delta and some warm jackets and set off for an evening run. We went out on Fisherman's  Wharf, ran through Cannery Row, and had authentic Mexican food at Chipotle-ha ;)

It's amazing how much you can see by running!

Then this morning we took Delta on a run in the opposite direction and saw the beach and a cool downtown park and beautiful cypress trees.

Then on to see if my childhood memories served me well by revisiting the Monterey Bay Aquarium! When you look up a list of things to do in Monterey, the aquarium is at the top of every list. We don't usually patronize places that display captive and captured wild animals, but this aquarium is different-I hope...

They are non-profit and most of their animals are rescued from bad situations, nursed back to health, and released back into the wild, if possible.

We saw all the exhibits and a short documentary on great white sharks. Obviously I'm not super excited about swimming in the waters around here anytime soon...!

And like the little kid in me, I had to get a commemorative stuffed penguin!

Thanks for reading, and if you happen to be at Sea Otter in the next four days, come by the Primal booth and say hello!

Cenotes, Iguanas, Ruins and Mayans!

Kasey playing fish in Grand Cenote

Whatever the pictures look like, the real version was better. Blue/ turquoise water warm enough to swim comfortably in, for a little while anyway.

 

A brief 6 day jaunt to the Yucatan Peninsula for a history lesson, diving, snorkeling, and not a lot of relaxing.

 

                                     

Last day heading out taking in one more town-Puerto Morelo.

 

Getting here was fairly fast and painless. Flight from DIA to Cancun was about three and a half hours. A rapid exit from Cancun to avoid Spring Break type folk. Picked up a rental car which is only recommended if you plan to move from place to place. I think next time we may try to stay in one place and venture out each day from there. If you get a car make sure you get all of the information like: Do you need two types of insurance and is the tax rate 25%? You may find that your  $100 rental car ends up costing more like $400. Either way the water is still blue.

 

We recommend heading straight to Tulum, bedding down and finding some nice people to take you diving in a cenote. This will most likely not be a Mexican or Mayan. Probably a dirty, smoking Frenchman that has cave diving certs. Mexican authorities will only let you go with a certified guide, which is good when you can't readily access the air or land. We found a nice dude named Andy (not French) from North Carolina. Check him out on Facebook 1-800-CaveDive. We paid $100 bucks each for two dives. I am not sure what the going rate is however that seemed very fair.

 

 

Some highlights were: Big turtles

 

Coatimundi??? KC's favorite

 

 

Old Mayan Ruins... as opposed to new ones? I have a theory that some of these were thrown together 20 years ago for effect.

Our first $10 burrito. Shocking I know, times are a changing.



 

It seemed almost more expensive to eat and drink in Mexico. HHHmmm... I sometimes wonder about the lack of running water in some of the facilities, but I still feel great! Maybe over-rated?!

 

 

KC sits after a run around the COBA ruins and up this thing.

 We ran while lots of people got rides from the bike guy above. They ride in jeans. We recommend seeing COBA. It seems more rustic and less contrived than Tulum Ruins.

 

Gravity test in COBA.

Organic swing.

Hanging with danger on crocodile pier.





 

Lagoon time where all the guide books said there would be a nature preserve with a big visitor center and a lot going on. I guess it is no longer there. We did see a few other folks wandering in search of this mysterious place too.

 

 



 

This cenote we found on accident. Nobody was there and it was super creepy. It was in the middle of a huge mangrove forest and had a sketchy swamp walk for access. I was afraid to go in but KC insulted my masculinity and so of course I went in first. I am still scared. I thought we would find a body for sure.

 

KC sits atop a cenote.

Tulum Ruins

A chicken sits next to us as we eat...you know what.

 

Stormy beach





 

Any chance to swim through an obstacle,  note I had to ditch my SCUBA tank for speed.

 

KC returns from the depths.

Random people.





  

KC in Casa Cenote. Endless coolness.

  

 

 

Cenotes are where fresh water is obtained in the area. They are open holes that are for the most part all linked together by underground system of caves and rivers. Exploration of the cenotes are still very much going strong. Mapping of these only started in the late 80s and early 90s.

 

On the surface after what seemed like a million miles of swimming.

 

Unfortunately we couldn't get any pics of the cavern dive because our camera is not sufficient to be submerged in more than 10 feet of water. But here is a link to some photos that mirror our experience.

 

http://www.divedosojos.com/dive_sites_30.html

 

Thanks for reading.

 

 



A quick mountain bike trip in winter.

Here we are in in the new version of HAM (doesn't have a name yet). For simplicity I want to keep the name the same, KC wants it to have a new name. Oh what a great problem to have I guess. 

Either way it rocks and this post isn't even about that. Check it! This is home! 

Use the Fruita welcome center to ready your rig, fill up with H2O or just pee. This place is fee free and awesome! 

This is just some helpful-or-not information to get you off your ass and riding in the desert. 

Oh look nobody else around, they must be working or something?!

Two days is plenty of time. Here is what to do: 

get in your car, truck, camper or whatever and drive to Fruita or Grand junction, get a hotel in Fruita or Junction (off season should bring lower prices on rooms) negotiate with them because they are vacant and should be desperate. We know because last month we tried sneaking into the hot tubs at the motels or hotels and not a trace of humans anywhere.  Leave on Friday night or other night of your choice around 3 -5 pm, get to Fruita and have dinner at The Hot Tomato Cafe. Bring snacks if you can't wait that long. The Hot Tomato http://hottomatocafe.com is on 124 North Mulberry St., downtown Fruita. If you choose to stay in GJ there are lots of choices for food but you're on your own. 

Get up the next morning but not too early. It's winter and cold early morning and your ass will be sore if you ride too much anyway. Drive to Rabbit Valley and park on the north side at The Trail Through Time. If you camped you have camped on the south side of I-70 and there is a sign there to direct you where camping is allowed or just stealth camp and move in the morning when light is abundant. 

You will be riding the Zion Curtain but skip the first section because it seems to be missing as of 2/19/2015. We spent an hour looking for the trail but with the rain, moto heads riding cross country and cattle, it vanishes. Trust us. Go to the right on double track from where the trail head map is located just after you exit the wash and have passed under I-70. You will meet Zion Curtain on the left about a half mile after leaving the sign. Ride it all the way to the Kokopelli Trail. Wee! 

Expect this to take a tad bit longer than expected because the trail is techno in spots and radical in others. Over 32 miles you can breathe the winter from your soul while negotiating steep short climbs that total about 3,400 feet in ascent. Awesome fast winding and hair raising descents, walking a few crazy sections because it's not that fun to carry a bike 15 miles with a broken collar bone. Great single track called Parallel 2. This section follows along side Kokopelli for the remainder of the ride. Sweet rolly fun! Bring the newer version of the Fruita/Grand Junction Latitude 40 map for reference. 

You should finish in about 5-6 hours if you're not lolligagging. Back to camp or car to drive the 30 minutes back to The Hot Tomato for beer and a slice. Try not to over eat because it will kill your buzz and you don't want a fat belly poking out every where back at the hot tub. 

Riding 6.5 miles, roundtrip, to hike the Ruby Canyon overlook trail the first evening we arrived. Start before 4:30 otherwise it gets very dark and frigid. Bike from camp 3.25 miles, hike a lollipop of 5.5 miles, then back to camp. Bring the dog of course, yours may need to run beside you. Ours fits in a pack. Take note. 

Go to bed at a reasonable hour, 10:00PM, then repeat on day two only this time ride the Western Rim. This is a shorter ride of about two to three hours as your legs may take a little while longer to warm up. What you will be looking for is fantastic single track that weaves along a rim, maybe the western rim?!

A heck less climbing than the previous day, think recovery. Reverse the direction of yesterday's finish and ride out the same sweet single track but backwards! It is like you have never ridden it. See Lat 40 map for easy route finding. Finish by riding the Parallel 2 or stay on Kokopeli back to camp or car for something different. 

Hopefully you're back at I-70 at 11am to blast home and BOOM! Having dinner at home by early evening.

Kasey after passing under I-70.

These trails have rich and deep history going back long ago. Try and imagine having multiple wives and 15 children. A Zion Curtain is a curtain that gets servers of alcoholic beverages out of view of drinking customers at restaurants as to discourage them from drinking too much! Mmmmm! So smart! 

Winter Mountain Biking in Colorado...

We have been very fortunate this year to have had so many mountain bike-able days here in Colorado! Not only have we been able to ride from home, we've had 60 degree + sunny days in Pueblo and Fruita, CO.

Here's a recap of the best places to go mountain biking during the Colorado winter...Let us know if you have any favorites we can add to this list!

Fruita, Colorado:

We headed out to Fruita in January, for a sunny stretch of 3 days, following some heavy snow. We went straight out to 18 Road, and promptly accumulated enough mud to last me the season. We didn't even bother to get the bikes off the camper, since our shoes were so coated in thick, gooey mud that we could barely lift our feet.
Apparently, 18 Road is good only when it has been dry out for a LONG time...We will revisit in the late spring...

So, we went back into town and set up camp at the wonderful James M. Robb State Park campground, right off the interstate in downtown Fruita. You can drive, if you are sane, or ride, like us, from town to the Kokopelli Trailhead. It was about an extra 45 minutes of riding each way, but we didn't have to take the truck and camper apart. From the trailhead, you can hit a variety of awesome loops (called "Mary's Loops"), rated beginner to insanely unrideable. These trails were completely dry, much warmer, and tons of fun!

Kokopelli Trailhead

On Rustler's Loop (beginner loop, but fun for anyone!)

Of course, it's not all about the bike. What would true camping be without a little bit of R & R...?!

Getting his daily Vitamin D dose...

 Lake Pueblo State Park, Pueblo, CO:

Probably our newest and most exciting place to ride is down in Pueblo, at Lake Pueblo State Park. It seems that few people have caught on to the awesome riding down here, maybe because it's Pueblo, and maybe because it's the devil's furnace come summer...
No shade, completely exposed - totally perfect for winter riding!

We recommend camping at the state park, because then the trails start literally from your campsite!

Home sweet home...

There is something here for everyone, including crazy log drops, homemade scary bridges, flowing singletrack, you name it! Perfect place to work on skills and get in some hours.

Straight shot to Pikes Peak!

There's also a cool dam that we walked out to. Note, it took almost 2 hours to reach the dam from camp, definitely not what we were looking for in our "recovery walk"...

Needed to sit down after all that walking...



Wouldn't have believed us if we didn't have photographic proof! A bent piece of driftwood sitting in exactly this position below the dam!
 

And of course, we wouldn't be camping if Hal didn't do this...



 

Hi Delta!

That's our brief list. We are heading soon to Rabbit Valley, just west of Fruita, to ride the trails over there. The Western Rim Trail was great fun when we did it last year, hoping it's as awesome on the second go-around.

Thanks for reading and let us know if you have any hidden winter mountain biking gems that you want to share!