Our home-away-from-home, in photos...

Hal and I are spending a lovely rainy Labor Day all cozy and relaxed in our truck camper and wanted to show everyone just how nice it is inside!

Here are some quick photos of our "Home is where you park it"...!

This is my spacious kitchen sink, complete with 3-burner stove top, oven, and microwave - I even have a large fridge and freezer!

And this is our quaint bathroom, complete with a separate shower (this was a must-have upgrade for me!)

And here's Hal, relaxing at our slide-out dinette...and miss Delta Rose!

There's even enough floor space for one of us to do yoga!

Oh yeah, and how about our queen bed?!

So really, we haven't been "camping" all summer, we've just been living in a mobile house! All the comforts of home, plus the ability to up and go...

We've been loving our Lance 1050S truck camper, thanks for reading!

SALTROIDS, performance enhancer?

Sodium: How to tame your salt habit

Find out how much sodium you really need, what high-sodium foods to avoid, and ways to prepare and serve foods without adding sodium.By Mayo Clinic Staff

Reading this makes both of my legs cramp simultaneously.

I am writing this for those of you who are 'active to extremely active' and get muscle cramps, lethargy, and seem to recover poorly. These are my observations and experiences with years of adventure and racing in my legs. I am in no way an expert in the field except that I have cramped a million times and have had to sacrifice great race results for mediocre finishes and just having to roll into the finish line because of severe cramping. I also have had to skip workouts and rest extra days and miss days outside, unnecessarily.

Here are some examples of newer mixes to try if you don't want to make your own, ranging from 100mg of sodium to over 1700mg per serving.

You should research and know, or at least have an idea of, the pros and cons of altering your body's blood serum. Talk with your physician (a sporty doc that studies healthy bodies). Most doctors know a lot about pathology and normal function, however endurance racing in healthy individuals and pushing your body is another realm of study and data altogether. There have been huge recent advances in the tracking of this data, from iron-man type events and ultra running, as well as cycling events, that punish bodies and push them to the brink.

This information is for those who have experienced some of the negative sides of being sodium depleted...muscle cramps, lengthy recovery, overly tired, weak.  This is not for everyone, but if this sounds like you then keep reading.

I have cramped during almost every hard ride in the previous years, my back was stiff, and it seemed like my recovery was taking longer and longer. I thought it was my old age. That has something to do with it but is not the whole story. Every time I worked out hard in the gym or riding or running, I cramped. My favorite cramp was in the arch of my foot after a shower and while putting on my sock. I will miss you bastard cramp! I have tried drinking Gatorade and traditional "hydration drink mixes", but nothing seemed to work. After talking with a keen guy, who happens to run ultra distance events, he suggested getting a sweat test - BOOM!

After searching for and reading a hundred articles on sodium, sweat rates and eating too much salt, I mixed a batch of 1lb of baking soda (sodium bicarb) with some sugar crap "Sports drink". I was immediately rewarded with a crazy hard three hour ride. I actually got tired and did not cramp. I slept well and woke up the next day feeling totally recovered. Long story short, it has been three weeks of four-hour rides, two to three gym workouts a week, sometimes two-a-days, travel and work. No cramps to speak of.

I ended up drinking nearly 3000 milligrams of sodium the first day and 6000mg the second day. I was feeling great. So great in fact I rode seven or eight days in a row and still felt great. Over 20 hours of exercise in the first week with awesome results, no cramps and tons of energy, a clear head, and a new perspective on hard rides. Sounds like way too much sodium huh? Most hard days I was still depleted and cramped a little bit so I increased my sodium a bit more and voila-no more cramps! This was a crude method of learning but it worked.

This is what I learned:

Get a sweat test- this will let you know how much sodium is in your sweat. This is a pretty constant number. Yes, sometimes you will sweat more or less, however the percentage of sweat will remain the same, unless there is a problem. For example, my number is 1620. This means I sweat out 1620mg of sodium/liter of sweat. This is the format the tester will give you. This number seems to be on the higher side. KC only sweats out 750mg/liter, which is significantly lower than me. I am a pig and she is a princess. We did our sweat test at Colorado Multisport. Tim was great and easy to work with. If you mention our blog they will give you a discount!

Tim, Cali and Hal

The next thing to do is to get a handle on your sweat rate - To do this requires exercise in the environment you normally exercise in. There are plenty of variables here, however the more you do it the closer you can get to perfecting your hydration. If you ride, ride for one hour. Weigh yourself before your ride and after bathroom time. Be naked to be precise, and for fun. Drink and eat nothing on your ride. After one hour of exercise weigh yourself again. If you ate or drank, just minus the weight from your naked post ride weight. If it is hot you may be surprised. I lost 6 lbs on a hot day with moderate effort, crazy huh? 

How to put this together- For example I weighed 150 lbs naked, go ahead and let your mind wander...OK, after our ride which was not naked and happened to be three hours, I weighed in at 144 lbs. For a net loss of six pounds. You can assume that most of this loss is sweat. Yes, the composition of sweat is not just sodium and water, but for our lesson, sodium and water is all we are discussing and will be most of what we lose. Water and sodium is what we need to stay hydrated and avoid hyponatremia. Most people in the know seem to recommend replacing each pound of sweat loss with 16oz of water with your concentration of sodium during exercise.



Now you will combine your sweat loss with your sodium loss to create an electrolyte replacement drink to match your sodium and water loss. A drink just for you. In my case, I lost six pounds of water which equals approximately three liters. Now I will add my sodium loss to the liter of water which is 1620mg. Now I have a drink that replenishes exactly what I need to keep going strong.

One liter of water with 1620mg of sodium. Use this to fill your bottles.

You can add some sweetness to the mix if you need to. I do not normally do this. You will get used to the flavor.  Sometimes I will still use a little more. For example, before a big ride like the Kokopelli Trail, which is about 140 miles, I would consume 4-5g which is about 4,000-5,000mg of sodium the night before and the morning of the ride, in addition to my personal hydration mix. This method has worked wonders for me. So much so that I chose to let y'all in on it. 

My racing days would have been significantly better had I figured this out 10 years ago. I have experienced far more days outside going hard since I have figured this out, creating more fun times spent enjoying riding, running, lifting, hiking etc. A few friends have had significant gains by incorporating this sodium replacement program as well.

The benefits of replacing sodium for athletes or those who sweat like mad are many. It increases thirst which aids hydration, it makes it possible for your body to use the water you drink, which is not the case if you're hyponatremic. You don't always know if you're hyponatremic in test results because a healthy body will compensate so be aware of the signs and symptoms I mentioned earlier. 

Side note: there are many different forms sodium can be in. I prefer sodium bicarbonate. It seems to help with acidosis which appears as tired, sore muscles. Not sure if there is any scientific truth to this, however I have been riding harder than I have in years and I can ride much longer at a much higher pace and I feel better than ever with much shorter recovery times. Be careful the first few times with the sodium bicarbonate as it can be a little weird on your stomach, taking too much at a time. 

If you have any questions or comments please leave them so I can respond. Also remember to talk with your physician and monitor your blood pressure, heart rate, signs of fluid retention, swollen ankles etc. Don't just blindly do this! Thanks for reading!

I-Da-Ho..

When Mom and Dad told us last year that they were moving to McCall, Idaho, we first asked, "Where is that?!" Turns out it's almost 1,000 miles from our home in Colorado. So, we promised to visit, once.
Hal was able to take a shift off work in early August, and so we loaded the camper onto the truck and headed west, and north, and then west again, and then north some more...

We have always heard great things about Sun Valley, ID, which is about four hours from McCall. We decided to spend a few nights there on our way to Mom and Dad. They came over to meet us, and we all had a great time. The Ketchum/Sun Valley area was very appealing to us. More of an open valley, with mountains that looked like soft hills. Not as many trees either, so the whole area felt free and unenclosed. We spent the first evening hiking, and when we got to our destination, Pioneer Cabin, we saw some sharp, awesome mountains!

The best thing about this hike was that the cabin was open, as a shelter to passing hikers, and inside was a guitar! Hal tried to tune it, in vain, but it made for a nice photo op.

The next day we tried the 'quintessential' Sun Valley trails, dragging Dad along with us. Now maybe we're spoiled living in Colorado and spending time in Moab (okay, I know we're spoiled!) but none of the mountain biking trails excited us. Kind of a disappointment, for me at least. The trails seemed like they would have been great a decade ago, but not any more. Anywho, Dad was a trooper and lugged his fat bike up about two hours of climbing in the 90+ degree weather!

Overall, the Sun Valley area was accessible and easy to navigate, and the hiking was great, but maybe we missed the epic biking trails...

Back in the car, for the drive to McCall...North again.

McCall is a quaint town, much quieter than the mountainous tourist towns of Colorado, with the Payette Lake being its main attraction. Mom showed us her SUP'ing skills one evening, when we wandered down to the lake after dinner for an evening paddle. The water was the warmest non-ocean water we've ever been in, so it was actually pleasant to hop in and swim around for a bit.

Turns out, the mountain biking in McCall is awesome, and Mom and Dad discovered some great trails with us! We spent two days riding the cross country ski trails at Bear Basin and Jug Mountain. Both places were super fun. 

Less than two miles from Mom and Dad's house is a cool park, Ponderosa State Park, which juts out into the lake. There's another good ride through there, with scenic views of the lake.

Dad's fat bike is finally put to good use on the sand ;)

So the riding turned out to be way better in McCall, not to mention the added bonus of quality family time. Many thanks to Mom and Dad for the great rides, delicious food, and memories!

Oh, and the bonus was that we were driving home via Salt Lake City when the men's Tour of Utah (road bike race) was going through. We parked and got to watch them suffer up a 20% grade! Did not make me miss road bike racing...! And the race finished right before an epic squall rolled in...Perfect timing all the way around.

It was a nice break to see something completely new and travel in a different state. Funny how we were only gone 10 days, and yet it seemed like we hadn't been home in months...Oh wait, Hal hasn't been home in months....! Well we are home now, and enjoying it, thanks for reading!

Racing the Firecracker 50...

Since I joined a race team this year, I figured I'd better at least do one race! That race was yesterday, up in Breckenridge, CO, and it is called the Firecracker 50.

Basically 50 miles of mountain biking, all above 9,500 feet altitude, and with a combined total elevation gain of 6,329 feet! Whew!

And of course my ego would only allow me to race in the Pro field, which meant I was practically coughing up blood and dirt for five hours...

There were 11 women registered for the pro race, but I only counted 8 on the start line. They all dropped me in the first 10 minutes of the race, which was humbling. I struggled on, and toward the end of the first lap (2-25 mile laps) I was able to pass 2 girls. Feeling stronger on the 2nd lap, I held what little lead I had and hung on for 6th place. 

I finished in 5 hours, 11 minutes, and 54 seconds. Ouch! My lap times were only 3 minutes apart, so at least I was consistent ;) 

When you haven't raced for over 2 years, it's hard to remember just how much it hurts! My new hero is the female pro winner, who took 60 minutes off my time! One hour faster-completely crazy and impressive!

The race was very well organized, extrememly well marked, and the aid stations were fantastic. Thanks to Honey Stinger for not only fueling me, but for supporting the whole race!

Now I am recovering, trying in vain to loosen my stiff back and arms. Funny thing, my arms never used to cramp when I raced road bikes...!

Thanks to my wonderful teammate, Erin, who raced it as a 2-woman team, and who stuck around to watch me finish! It was so wonderful to see her smiling face at the finish line :)

The Other Side of Racing...

This past Saturday I had the pleasure of "working" for Primal at the Bailey Hundo, a 100-mile mountain bike race in Bailey, CO. They also offer a 50-mile version, the 'Hundito'.

I was tasked with manning an aid station for the racers. I worked alongside another fantastic Primal ambassador, and we had our tent and supplies set up by 8:30am, just in time for the first racer to roll through right before 9.

Primal, all ready to roll at Aid Station #5!

We had tables of food and water out, along with energy gels, sports drink mix, and all manner of sweet and salty snacks. A couple more volunteers joined us throughout the day, people who just donated their Saturday to help feed a bunch of sweaty bike racers-amazing!

Yummy snacks!

My point to all this is that, as a racer, you never quite realize how much work goes into putting on a single race. And how many people graciously volunteer their time just because they enjoy cycling, or their spouse or friend is in the race, or because they are just good people.
And watching some of the first professional racers come through, and seeing their less-than-stellar attitudes, it was a good reminder to me to always be nice to the volunteers and race marshals. ALWAYS!

Unfortunately, it was the professional men who were the least gracious, didn't say thank-you, and who griped about the course, lack of directions, etc. They stormed through the station, took what they could find, and left a trail of dust in their wake. Not the best way to show your appreciation for the volunteers who made the aid station possible.
Now, on the flip side, once the pros were gone, the remainder of the racers were exceedingly thankful and grateful that we were there. They all said their 'pleases' and 'thank-you's' and were much more fun to help! They even let us pour water all over their heads and necks!

So that's the end, just be nice and thankful for the people who make racing possible. Myself included, I will now always, always thank all the volunteers and race directors!

Thanks for reading, I will step down from my soap-box now...

Fun riding and camping in Eagle, CO!

Hal and I have been enjoying the trails around Eagle, CO for the past two days.

We've been parked at the Brush Creek Pavilion, where it appears you can car camp overnight...(hope we don't get kicked out tonight!)

*Oops, I spoke to soon...we just got the boot from the Pavilion, driving to visitor center now...!!!*

You can also car camp (but not tent camp) at the Eagle Visitor Center. 

Yesterday we rode from the Pavilion over to the Pool/Ice Rink Trailhead, where there is a fun little BMX course, not to mention a sweet network of singletrack. 

My personal favorite was the Haymaker trail. For a challenge, you can ride up the Boneyard trail and then descend the actual Pool/Ice Rink trail-super fun. We picked up a free trail map at the Visitor Center, but be sure to stop into the local bike shop, Mountain Pedaler. 

Today we explored the trails above Eagle, from the Horton TH. Had a harder time finding our way to the top, due to inconsistent trail markers, but once we got up to Mike's Night Out, it was straight downhill for over an hour! But it did take almost three hours of climbing for that reward ;) From Mike's Night Out, we followed Abram's Ridge down-so FUN!

To us, the town of Eagle seems like how Louisville was when we moved there over five years ago-quaint, friendly, and not crowded. Everyone we've met has been extremely kind, and there are kids riding around without their parents late into the evening! 

Can't wait to explore more great places in Colorado this summer!

Getting lost on the Kokopelli Trail/Still Having Fun/Loooong day in the saddle...

Because I can't figure out how to download my Garmin file, here's a picture of our route...
See the little tail that goes right, into Colorado?! That was our scenic, 30 mile, 3 and 1/2 hour detour...

The picture above of our ride really says it all. Where we got lost, how far lost we really got, how long we were out (too long, almost 15 hours!), and our impressive 13,000+ feet of elevation gain!

Yes, the end of the Kokopelli Trail is in Colorado, just not the part we ended up in! 

The irony of all this is that Hal has done about 1,000 of these night-time epic events, and never ever has he gotten as lost as we got. Also, we kept saying how the Kokopelli is so well marked that it would be difficult to get lost-ha. Not funny.

But, this just goes to show me that these loooongg events, of which I have done not very many, are far different than any road bike race! In the dark, at 4 am, we missed our turn, which, on the map, didn't look like a turn at all. Not to mention there are identical trail markers up in the La Sal Mountains that are for "Paragon Trail", and they are the same font and color as the "Kokopelli Trail" markers-damn! 

So we didn't see our left hand turn, and since going downhill felt so good at that point, it was 15 miles later that Hal put his foot down and said we were lost. So lost that we weren't even on the sections of map that we brought! So lost that we had to climb almost 2,000 feet back up into Utah, back to the La Sal Mountains, and then head down toward Dewey Bridge. 

When we reached Dewey Bridge, it should've been mile 60 of our 142 mile ride. Instead, it was mile 90 for us. With over 80 miles still to go, and it getting late in the afternoon, not to mention that Andy and I were out of food and water, we decided to call it and head back to Moab. Turns out, the paved 30 miles back to Moab were riddled with hail storms, epic headwinds, and traffic....Not the easy coast home we were hoping for...

The hard decision to head back to Moab...

          

All good rides end at Milt's!

So, now we have to come back and try again, in the fall, when the temps are under 90 degrees. Maybe the 3rd time's a charm?! 

I was impressed with how well our bodies held up under the conditions, how strong we felt while riding, and how great our gear worked. The trail is NOT easy! Tons of climbing, hard technical parts leading up to Dewey Bridge, and extreme weather conditions.

Mandatory 'hike-a-bike' up Rose Garden Hill

I suppose it's as Hal says, "If it was easy, everyone would do it." Well, it wasn't easy, and we only saw two other mountain bikers out there, with big packs on their bikes-they were probably doing it in a few days. They didn't look happy when they passed us, either.

I was most sore on my shoulders, from my heavy pack. And heavy for me is about 13 pounds...Not to mention my sit bones, which aren't used to 14 hour days in the saddle...Took almost two days for me to be able to sit, without wincing, on my bike saddle again!

All loaded up.

The best part about getting ready for the trail and attempting the trail was the family time we got to spend in Moab! It was SO great to have my parents there, to help us with the shuttle, have meals with, and ride with when we got skunked the first time due to unseasonably wet muddy conditions.

Family dinners!

The day after we mustered enough energy to hike to Corona Arch

So there you have it. Too muddy the first time, got lost the second time, third time maybe, maybe?!

Thanks for reading, and following our adventure! 

Please let us know if you have any questions about the trail, we would be more than happy to provide detailed intel!

Kokopelli Mountain Bike Ride Gear List and Prep Sheet...

As some of you may know, Hal ran, yes, ran, the 142-mile Kokopelli Trail in May, 2013. He started in Loma, Colorado, and ended in Moab, UT.


As is our pattern, we now must reverse this trail and ride it on our mountain bikes! We did this last year, when we ran the 100 mile White Rim Trail, after having mountain biked it the previous fall.
We find that the trail is entirely different when you do it in reverse, especially when you change up the mode of travel.


So, we are leaving in less than two weeks to ride the Kokopelli Trail, starting this time from Moab and ending in Loma. We hope to finish in under 15 hours, which is an average speed of 9.5 mph.


Sounds easy from the couch!
But that basically means being on the gas, the entire time. Not stopping unless we have to pee or get more food out of our packs. No dilly-dallying.

We do have the advantage of knowing the route fairly well, since we studied it before Hal's run, two years ago. The trail is very well-marked, according to Hal, so that is also in our favor.

Weather looks like it will be chilly during the night, when we are riding through the higher altitude La Sal mountain sections, and then in the 80's during the day, as we make our way through the desert to Loma.

For 15 hours, we are planning on bringing 5,000 calories worth of food each. For me, this will mostly consist of my delicious Honey Stinger waffles and energy chews!

We are also planning on bringing roughly 170 ounces of fluid, with a combination of water and electrolyte drink mix.

We are going to try out the Camelbak MULE NV for Hal, and the women's equivalent, the LUXE NV for me.

For lighting systems, we got the Nite Rider Pro 1800 Race lights. They should be bright enough to confuse any animals we happen to run across on the trail!



For clothes, we are going super-light. Just a pair of bibs, a short sleeve jersey, some long-fingered gloves, an emergency rain/wind jacket, sun sleeves, knee warmers, and a headband.

                                               

And here's a look at our safety/tool kits...Can't ride too far without our trusty Enzo's chamois crème!

We have a Sol Bivy, a patch kit, pump, and Hal's patented "Convenience Packs"! These contain only the essentials to keep moving, nothing more, nothing less. They weigh in at less than three ounces and can be made right in your own home using snack-size ziplock baggies! Message Hal if you want to know more about these convenience packs...He's banking on hitting it big in the endurance sports market when he tires of being a firefighter :) 

                                     

And here's a final list of everything we've thought of, thus far:

Kokopelli Gear List

• 3 tubes (29er)
• 2 chain master links
• 3 link sections of chain
• 2-25g big air
• 2 patches with glue
• 1 tire lever each
• Credit card and 20 cash in each bag
• 2 convenience packs ( 10 Ibuprofen, 1 Benadryl,  1 anti-diarrheal, 3 wet wipes, Tums, 2-12 hr Sudafed, water purifying tablets, big bandaid, 2 matches, 1 rubber band)
• Lighter small Bic, with Lueko tape around lighter
• Fire starter
• SOL bivy
• Small package of lube
• Helmets, with visors
• Sunglasses, with clear lenses
• Mountain bike shoes, make sure cleats are tight and lubed
• Spare cleat/bolt?
• Maps?
• Chapstick, small sunscreen, hand sanitizer

9- 13 Liter Packs with 200oz capacity, whistle, 2 bladders, 1-2 bottles.

CLOTHING:

• Short sleeve jersey
• Bibs-Shorts for KC
• Sleeves
• Emergency jacket
• Head band
• Buff
• Riding gloves-long finger
• Chamois cream at start and one each in pack
• Knee warmers
• Warm gloves
• Nite Rider 1800 w/ battery
• 350 lumen light-make sure all lights are fully charged
• Small pump
• Phone???
• Maybe additional insulation layer
• Sun sleeves
• Garmin-fully charged
• Garmin watches-fully charged

FOOD:

• Honey Stinger products, enough for 15 hours (~5,000 calories)
• Skratch drink mix, either mixed in the bladders or single serve pouches
• Bars and homemade ‘go balls’

As always, thanks for reading! Please let us know if you can think of anything else we might need to mountain bike for 142 miles, other than common sense ;)

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!