30 December 2018 - Dana Point to San Clemente State Beach, CA, USA

In a few days I, the girlfriend, and a few others will rein in the new year with a concert at the Exchange LA dance club. We are going to go rave to Jeffery Stutoious (formerly of Dash Berlin). I am a little reticent about going as I don't like "clubbing". However, I am forcing myself to go and to get out of my comfort zone. It's going to be a good time and I know it. Let's go for a run...

My next race is at the start of February so I need to keep up with my running training. Today I went exploring at Dana Point State Beach and San Clemente Pier. I only wanted to run 4 miles but ended up with a round trip of 10. It was just too beautiful outside:

28 December 2019 - Denver, CO, USA

Some years I look at my travel and have to make a tough decision to make what is called a Mileage Run (MR). It is where you take a flight somewhere and back for the sole purpose of earning frequent traveler status. This year I found myself about 400 miles short of Delta Platinum. While I am saddened to lose my top Diamond status, I might still have an international trip or two next year. Platinum will at least make those long flights a little more bearable.

I started my MR by visiting Red Rocks Amphitheater. Many of my favorite bands and artists have played here and I also know of it to be a nice hiking spot too. Having never visited, I took the opportunity to finally go.

Later on in the day I met up with my awesome step-brother John and headed out for some exploring of Downtown Denver.

We spent our time at one of these newfangled Arcade Bars popular with people from my 80s generation. It feels both weird and fun to play Pacman and drink whiskey. After we got our fill of games we went out for some pizza. What a fun evening!

The picture is blurry on purpose to simulate how I felt at the time. - Pretty Good

17 December 2018 - Eau Claire, WI

December is always an odd month for me at work. My customers have training budgets that are expiring and I have vacation days that I want to use. I've had a lack of work travel for the last few months so I decided to take this opportunity. Wisconsin at the start of winter is definitely a huge contrast to Puerto Rico and Home (Cali) but I try to keep an open mind. It was cold but reminded me of Ohio winters.

I enjoyed some midwest BBQ too! Overall it was a nice business trip.

7 December, 2018 - Puerto Rico - USA

I've been visiting Puerto Rico on and off since 2012. Last year they had a major Hurricane which resulted in all kinds of problems from rolling blackouts to a loss of general services. I have friends who live on the Island. They keep me up to date how things are going.

This year, as a birthday present for mi novia, I decided on a half week trip at the end of hurricane season. It ended up being a great trip.

We spent some time sampling the food and drinks in San Juan, visited the Cueva Ventana, the massive radio dish in Arecibo, and took a nice road trip to the northwest part of the island (Isabella). Here are some of the highlight photos.

Remember Goldeneye 007? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HFkF8904Uw

Cada Bicardi

26 October 2018 - Escape Festival - San Bernardino, CA

The same group, Insomniac, that presents the Beyond Wonderland and EDC festivals has one heck of a Halloween party each year. Though the variety of artists was not as complete as other events, there was still plenty to enjoy. Also, costumes!

So the theme of this dance music festival is Psyco Circus. It features crazy clowns, freaks, and other circus oddities. Between multiple stages, you can also go on rides and experience a really well-done funhouse.

Since this was Halloween weekend, we decided to dress up. Ok, in all reality, we would have dressed up even if it wasn't Halloween.

As usual, I created another one of my hastily made tourism videos... Enjoy!

5 October 2018 - Orange County International Auto Show - Anaheim, CA

Every once in a while I like to pay a visit to one of the international auto shows. I am fascinated by the technology, engineering, and innovations. My father and I used to frequent classic car shows. He shared with me a lifetime of stories about muscle cars and what a few years of working as a mechanic had taught him.

I mostly go to see the Mustangs, Challengers, and a few of the goodies from Jeep, Hyundai, and VW. I think we are going to see a major change to electric vehicles over the next 10-20 years. Part of me will miss the old gas guzzling muscle cars. But I have had my fun. Here are a few of the cars I liked at this show...

Here is both a weird and innovative idea from Toyota. I think BMW tried something similar a few years back with a machine called the Clever. I like the idea. When you look around in average traffic, most of the time people are by themselves in 4-6 passenger vehicles. Why not create a car for one?

19 September 2018 - Tokyo, Japan - Part 7

I returned to Tokyo in preparation for my flight home to LAX. This trip has been good for me as I was able to truly relax and recover from my busy life. My only regret is that I wish my girlfriend could have joined me on this adventure. So, what to do on my last day?

I started with a walk through the Asakusa area. I wanted to see the Kaminarimon, with its giant chōchin, at the outer gate of Sensō-ji temple.

I did a little bit of shopping at Don Quijote. This store has everything including a smattering of weird Japanese products.

As I headed for the airport, I enjoyed a cold beverage from last few vending machines I would see on this trip. Gonna miss my Milk Teas, coffees, sports drinks, and other unique flavors...

Here is a video I made during the trip...

17 September 2018 - Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan - Part 6

Today, I arrived for a few days of exploring the city of Kanazawa. I'd like to say it makes me think of a miniature Kyoto. It has some serious historic charm and context. As I departed the Shinkansen station I was greeted by a rather interesting archway...

After checking into my hostel I walked a few blocks to explore Omicho Market. This is a traditional Japanese seafood market similar (yet less crowded) than Tokyo and Kyoto's versions. You can see numerous stalls of stores and restaurants. I enjoyed some fresh sushi from a local shop here.

After lunch, I walked east to find the Higashi Chaya district. This historic area contains a number of former Geisha houses. Most of the buildings are now shops and restaurants.

Next, I hiked over to the Kanazawa Castle. Once again I wanted to learn more about Japanese architecture; moreover, there is some amazing wood joinery here to explore. The original castle dates back to 1580, but most of it has been burnt down and replaced. The current restoration is based off the 1871 history.

I finished my tours with a walk through the Kenroku-en Gardens. It is one of the top 3 gardens in Japan. I enjoyed a snack at one of the local tea houses and took my time on a relaxing walk. I'd like to visit this garden again someday.

15 September 2018 - Hakuba, Nagano, Japan - Part 5

I've always wanted to visit the Swiss Alps so when I heard that there was an alpine range in Japan I naturally wanted to see it. Turns out this place is mostly about ski resorts, so my visit in September is during offseason. Good enough for me as I just want to relax in peace and quiet. Maybe I'll do some hiking too. I decided to start with a good dish of Curry...it seems that my stunt at the start of the trip has not soured my love of this food.

Over the next few days, I would do some hiking around the resort areas and enjoy two of the local Onsens. I needed it as I was still sore from my epic hike a few days earlier.

The small town feels here was fantastic and reminded me of the small town I grew up in. On my way to one of the onsens, I found a Buddhist graveyard and temple along the edge of the woods.

The first Onsen I visited was more of a place for the locals, hidden amongst the back part of the town. It was small but met my needs. I did luck out however because as I was leaving from my bath, an entire high school tennis team showed up (noisy teenagers...oh crap...I'm old).

Here is another Onsen I visited the next day. It was more of a roadside rest location for tourists. While larger and nicer quality, it lacked some of the rustic charms the other location had. I enjoyed my hot bath nonetheless.

Off to Kanazawa in a few days...