24 February 2019 - Awesome 80's Run - San Diego, CA, USA

"Do you want to go to San Diego in a few weeks for a 5k?", my girlfriend asked. At first, I didn't want to. Here I am, Mr. Half Marathon par excellence, a 5k is the distance I use for my short training runs during the week. But, I swallowed my pride and looked up the event. Turns out there was a 10k distance too. Now we're talking! (By the way, any distance is fine...what's important is to be outside and to be physically active).

We headed down Saturday Night, enjoyed some tacos in Old Town San Diego, then retired to a hotel. The next morning we met her sister and ran our races. I had a really good experience and was happy with my time.

After finishing the race we had lunch at a Korean BBQ. Nothing like stuffing your belly with lots of grilled protein to refuel after a run. With lunch out of the way, the girlfriend and I started our journey back to the OC. Along the way, we took our time and visited a few of the State Beaches.

Torrey Pines State Beach was one of our first stops. We also stopped at Solana Beach, Cardiff Beach, and Tamarack State Beach. At each one, we took off our shoes and took a few very cold steps into the Pacific Ocean.

Once we made it to the city of Oceanside, one of my favorite stops, we headed out on the Pier to enjoy the view. Oceanside is one of my favorite places because it is about half way between LA and San Diego. It is a bit of a military town due to the nearby bases.

As we were heading back from our walk we had the pleasure of witnessing a random wedding occur right on the beach. In a world where I feel disgusted by couples that spend thousands of dollars on churches, flowers, and photographers, this was downright refreshing to see. My guess is that this couple didn't have to spend much at all for their special day. It was just a small gathering of family and friends, lasted only a few minutes, but was probably one of the most beautiful weddings I have ever seen. 

To top it off, about 30 minutes later, we got to enjoy one of the best sunsets I have seen so far this year. Another perfect day in the books!

9 February 2019 - Ventura and Solvang Road Trip, CA, USA

My sweetheart had once told me a story of a common road trip her family would take every so often. There is a town a few hours north of Los Angeles called Solvang. It is one of the largest Danish-themed towns in the USA. After hearing her stories, I wanted to see it for myself. So we took off one fine Saturday Morning and headed north. After a few hours of driving, we stopped in Ventura and wandered out on the pier.

After this stop, we continued northward. Eventually, we arrived at Solvang. It was a perfect day for a road trip and a tour of this town.

We enjoyed a wine tasting, explored a few of the antique shops, purchased some sugar cookies, and generally had a good time. This trip was spontaneous so as the sun set we headed back down the coast.

On the drive home, we stopped at Arroyo Hondo Vista Point around 9pm. There were a few #VanLife people parked here and the view of the ocean was obscured by the night. However, the light pollution of Ventura and the greater LA area did not reach this place so the stars were shining brightly. What a wonderful day!

3 February 2019 - Surf City Half Marathon - Huntington Beach, CA USA

For the 3rd year in a row, I am working to earn my surfboard medal. This is usually my first race of the year and serves to keep me accountable through December and January. This race is a nice flat course that mostly follows the Pacific Coast Highway. The Saturday before this year's race was rather scary with lots of rain and colder temperatures. However, race day weather was much more forgiving.

As I lined up for the start, once again I marvelled at how many other crazy people wanted to run 13.1 miles this early February day.

I got my usual mile seven selfie of a selfie. Not sure why I like to do this other than I find it mildly entertaining.

As the run progressed, I settled into a new pace. Rather than do my 2018 interval of 2min run/1min walk, I started doing 2min run/30sec walk. Mile 12 appeared rather quickly with this new pace.

Once again, I earned myself another race completion. I'm not sure if I will do the fourth year of this event.

1 February 2019 - San Juan Capistrano, CA, USA

Every time I have driven or ridden the train to and from Oceanside or San Diego, the town of San Juan Capistrano has caught my attention. There is a 240-year-old Spanish mission at this location that I have wanted to visit. I recommend this as a must-see for history and architecture fans.

The grounds and gardens were wonderful. The old foundation of the stone church was interesting to inspect up close. There were lots of school groups there for field trips.

Finally, the old chapel, still a functioning Catholic church was a delightfully peaceful place to visit.

31 January 2019 - Hollywood, CA, USA

On a rainy day in late January, I decided to finally take a trip to visit Hollywood. My mom and uncle were visiting me this weekend so I wanted to show them something fun about this part of the country. I am a little embarrassed to say that after living here for 3 years I had never been to this famous place. I'll admit, however, the warnings about it being a tourist trap were well founded. We started our day by walking along the walk of fame. I picked my favorite star!

The buildings here have rather interesting architecture.

 Of course, I wanted a selfie in front of the Chinese theater. The ground here had all these boot and handprints of famous actors, musicians, and directors. It reminded me of a graveyard I once encountered on a trip to Ireland.

 After an hour or two at the walk of fame, we loaded up to drive up the hills to the Griffith Observatory. Now, this is not a tourist trap. I recommend it as a must see location if you visit Los Angeles. Even in the rain, the view of the city was amazing.

I could finally see the Hollywood sign too...

There were a few science exhibits at this location. It was fun to learn a little bit about radio astronomy. There was a reference to the Aricebo dish...ha, I was there last month.

As a jest, I also made sure to make good use of the shirt my girlfriend's sister got me for Christmas. Rick and Morty 4 ever!

26 January 2019 - Dodgers Fan Day - Los Angeles, CA, USA

I've never much fancied myself to be a sports person. Usually, what happens is if I happen to be trapped somewhere and a game is on, I'll get sucked into it until the game is over. Then, I return to my blissful ignorance.

A few years ago I took an old friend to an Anaheim Angels vs Cleveland Indians game as a gift. I had not been to a stadium for about 20 years. That game reawakened my interest in Baseball. I choose to continue rooting for Cleveland even though I am on the other side of the country.

My girlfriend and her family are diehard LA Dodgers fans. I have chosen the Dodgers as my second favorite team. Recently, we took a drive up to Dodgers stadium for fan appreciation day.

We met up outside the main gate and entered with an excited sense of anticipation. Part of the day included getting to walk out onto the field as well as explore the dugout. My only regret of the day is that I did not try a "Dodger Dog" but at the same time had the self-control not to get nachos. What a fun day!

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: