27 May 2019 - Laguna Hills, CA, USA - Memorial Day Half Marathon

Last year I heard about a challenge for Orange County races and hoped to go for it this year. One of the required races is this annual beauty in Laguna Hills. One thing I should have realized from the name of the city is that this Half Marathon would include a bunch of hills. The race started at the old mall near "the 5" (Californian Jargon for Interstate 5). It was a wonderful sunrise and a great day to remember our fallen veterans. The start had us running through some neighborhoods I have never seen before.

The race continued mostly along Alicia Parkway, over the 73, and into Wood Canyon. The last few miles were the scariest. At mile 6 we started going downhill and it stayed downhill until we turned around at mile 8. Everything else was uphill to the finish. I like a challenge but was strangely reminded of the suffering I endured in 2012 during the Sweet Corn Challenge bike ride.

18 May 2019 - Electric Daisy Carnival - Las Vegas, NV, USA

For the second time, I have now attended the Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas. I was looking forward to going back as I now had some expectations of how the event worked and how to have a good time. For the most part, I was there for the music. I really appreciate the art and like to enjoy the feelings and emotions that are evoked. This year still had some surprises, however.

First, on many of the nights, it got super cold. Next, due to high winds, there were a few cancellations. Finally, they sold an additional 20k tickets so the crowds were bigger. In spite of all these challenges, we made the best of it and had a great time.

Here is a playlist of the experience. Enjoy!

15 May 2019 - Western Grand Canyon - Arizona

It's EDC week in Las Vegas and while we have already arrived in town we decided to do a day trip to walk on the skywalk glass bridge loop at the Grand Canyon. It is about a 2-hour drive from Vegas and worth seeing at least once.

While it is not as much fun as the south rim in the national park, this Hualapai/Hopi/Mojavi Native American reservation does have some fun hiking and history for the whole family to enjoy.

The Sky Walk was worth trying out once. My girlfriend is slightly afraid of heights and had a bit of a rough time of it. However, she powered through and we had a great time.

Link: West Grand Canyon Skywalk