Shasta, A Blue Bottle, and Some TRX'n!? Oh Yeah!

     Alright, so it has been a little while since our last blog, but not to worry!! Christian and I have been hard at work with the wedding and jobs, but NEVER too busy for some time at the cabin. We headed up north early Saturday morning (April 17) after Christian's short shift at the gym and made our first stop on our weekend vacation: coffee! I have found that, since starting to enjoy coffee, trips to various coffee shops, cafes, and bakeries have provided inspiration for some of our more fun and active adventures (more on that later!). When you enjoy something, you quickly realize how many other great things are attached to that one activity and, if you are willing, it can lead to great things! For instance, I love mountain biking. Simple enough, right? But enjoying a great ride comes not only from being on my bike and exercising, but also because I'm usually on some beautiful mountain or riding through a grove of trees that I would have never discovered otherwise. It is awesome how, when you take the time to enjoy something and really DO it right, other enjoyable things follow. Okay, WAAAAY off topic. Where was I?
     Oh yeah, the cabin! So, Christian, my dad, and I got up to the cabin in the early afternoon and were treated to fantastic weather. Christian explored the surrounding property while my dad and I took to clearing some brush around the property (by the way, it is a lot of fun watching a pick-up yank brush right out of the ground!). That evening, we all treated ourselves to Say Cheese Pizza and salad in Mt. Shasta. What a way to start the trip! The following day, we headed right for the 7 Suns Coffee Shop to give us a bit of a boost for the hiking that lay ahead. Once again, a simple trip to a coffee joint provided more than just caffeine. We talked for over an hour, enjoyed one of the best breakfast burritos we have had since Tucson, and were inspired by the high number of people we saw who were either headed out to do something active or had just returned from an adventure. It was awesome.
     We took to the truck and headed into the woods to find the trailhead for Black Butte, a local mountain whose summit is accessible by a 5.2 mile long trail and about 4 hours worth of effort. After quite a bit of looking, we finally found the trailhead and a couple who were heading up the mountain as well. Although the views from the first part of the trail were gorgeous, we were quickly halted by snow. The north face of the mountain was blanketed and the trail had all but disappeared. With intelligence (Christian) prevailing over any ill-conceived attempt to press on (Dad and I), we turned around and headed back down the mountain. We met up with the couple again, who were quite relieved and not the least bit disappointed in our scouting report. We chatted for awhile and discovered that they were from Chico. We passed on some of our favorite local outdoor spots to them and moved on. As far as traveling goes, I think that is the best way to do it! Get out there, start trying something you've heard about, and talk to local people about it. You really never know what cool insights you will discover along the way. If you want adventure, you've got to be willing to HAVE an adventure! Getting out of your comfort zone can reap great rewards! Okay, enough soap-boxing for a little while! Hahaha
     We wrapped up the trip with some great BBQing, a trip down to our favorite waterfall, a little more hiking, and of course, more coffee. Oh, and did I mention the snow?! On our last morning, as we were leaving, it started to snow! It was beautiful. As always, the trip was way too short. But, as always, we have great plans for when we return. That is what is great about this and other blogs or journals: you remember what you've done and look forward to what is coming. It is a great way to stay motivated.


     A few days later, Christian and I were at it again. Motivated by our trip to the mountains, we sought a more urban adventure. Christian now has her own computer (yay! a lap top she can take with her and find even more coffee shops.... with WiFi! ;) ) and needed a bag to carry it. So, knowing that bag manufacturer Timbuk2 was made right here in the Bay Area (San Francisco actually!), we hopped on BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit- if I haven't explained it before) and headed in to the city. We got of downtown and made a mandatory stop. Prior to departure, Christian had found the address of a place that we had wanted to try for sometime, The Blue Bottle Cafe. We had definitely tried Blue Bottle before but the cafe was new. The coffee, as always was delicious but the food.... was AWESOME! We had small sandwiches and a chocolate cookie to dip into our coffee. Perfection. With that, we headed out on our urban hike through great San Francisco neighborhoods and found Timbuk2. Christian found the perfect bag and we walked back to BART. All together we walked about five miles, discovered some great food, and enjoyed a new part of one of our favorite cities- I'm not sure that a short half day trip gets much better than that!


     With that, we finally arrive at the present! Yesterday, the little lady and I went in to Berkeley to drum up some more adventure. What better place, right?! We made our first stop at a Chilean restaurant called Cafe Valparaiso (does everyone else realize that most of our adventures involve food? :) But they also usually involve a workout, walking, riding, or something so that makes it okay right? Haha). Christian was immediately excited when she saw Lomo Saltado and Inca Cola on the menu, two of her favorites during her stay in Peru. I had a delicious sliced beef sandwich on homemade bread with an awesome cilantro sauce. I also enjoyed my own Inca Cola (they aren't kidding when they label it the "Golden Cola"! I have never seen a more fluorescent soda!) to wash it all down. It was delicious! After our meal, we walked around the local shops, all the while keeping our eyes open for some ice cream to really finish off the meal. Not twenty minutes later, we were greeted by a sign that promised organic ice cream. Since it was Berkeley, we were expecting a twist. And did we ever get it!! Immediately we noticed flavors like Avocado, Cardamum, and Bay Laurel. We were in! Christian ordered up a double scoop, Blueberry Mint and Ginger Caramel, in a black sesame waffle cone. It was amazing! Definitely not vanilla! (Although, for you less-daring types, they do have chocolate and vanilla flavors) I ordered myself a double scoop of Blueberry Mint and White Pepper Chocolate Chip. Crazy right?! The White Pepper was a sweet and spicy mix that was incredible. A definite must if you are ever in the Berkeley area (Tara's Organic Ice Cream, Berkeley, CA). After some more walking around and scoping out places for return adventures, we jumped back in the car and headed up to Tilden Park in the Berkeley Hills.
      Our original destination was the Botanical Gardens at Tilden Park, although they closed before we could get there. Nevertheless, we had a great time driving through the Berkeley Hills neighborhoods, admiring the views and the amazing homes. As the day came to an end, we stopped at Inspiration Point on the Contra Costa County side of Tilden Park and admired the view (not to mention Christian made a friend in a busy groundhog near our bench). Another great half day trip!


      This morning, Christian and I met two friends of hers from Oakwood for a workout at the local high school. Christian and one of the other girls brought their TRXs to incorporate some suspension training to our track workout: yeah baby! I love combining different workouts and making a whole new training regimen. We all used the track and the TRX to their fullest extent: 6 different TRX workouts, the track itself, the bleachers, AND the football field. Needless to say, the workout kicked all of our butts but it felt great. The weather was beautiful (80 degrees, clear blue skies) and it felt great to get out in the sun on the first REAL spring day we've had. We all headed to Jamba Juice for some refreshment and post-workout protein, and enjoyed the sights and sounds of downtown Walnut Creek. Christian and I parted ways with the other two girls and headed out to do some wedding prep. What a day! I love being able to keep the day changing, constantly exploring  and finding new things right in our own backyard. Weekends like these definitely keep Christian and I motivated to try new things and keep bloggin' it up! Thanks for reading!

John

San Francisco Giants, Polish Keilbasa, and TRX

I work from 5:45 to 12 noon on Saturdays. I usually roll out of bed around 4:50 so I can fall into the shower and be ready to leave by 5:20, which is when my amazing fiance picks me up. He is a little bit crazy in the head for wanting to take me every Saturday morning when he could easily be sleeping in until 11, but I would be lying if I said I didn't love it. Who wouldn't want their fiance to pick them up for a quick cup of coffee before an annoyingly early shift? Spoiled you say? Totally! I am not afraid to admit it!
Anyway, after setting my alarm on Friday night and pleasantly drifting off to sleep, I was awaken by a phone call from my man. "How cute," I thought, "He is calling me to say good morning before he comes to get me." I answer and he asks "Are you up?", I reply with "No, should I be?"
Oh No! Apparently I had set my alarm for 4:45 PM instead of AM. Not a good way to start my weekend but thankfully John saves me again! I slowly rise and get ready in a record ten minutes so we can still grab coffee before work. Work goes well but what I am really looking forward to is the Giants Game!
I always love a good Giants game, heck I love a bad Giants game because what it really means for me is a Giant Grilled Polish Keilbasa! With EVERYTHING on it, and a cold beer of course. Unfortunately, the Giants did not win this time, but they still ended the game with the most amazing fire works show I have ever seen. Plus, I got to see Tim Lincicum win his second Cy Young award in a row! History in the making! And as if that was not enough, our seats were right behind home plate in the special section where there are NO lines for the women's bathroom! I know, you think I'm lying, but its true! No lines! The game ended around 10:30, fireworks around 11, and because we are so fitness minded, we still had to walk back to bart! The 1.5 mile walk put us back to the bart station at 11:30, not bad for a regular Saturday night. Oh yeah, what I forgot to tell you was that this was no regular Saturday night. It was the night before my TRX training in the city, which I needed to be at around 8:30 the next morning. SO, I rode bart back to walnut creek FROM the city, only to turn around and ride it BACK at 7:00AM the next morning! Or so I thought...
Turns out Bart doesn't operate until after 8 on Sundays! Who knew! Well probably plenty of people except me and John. Oops, poor John, the amazing fiance who already drives me everywhere, has to take me into the city after only FIVE hours of sleep. Needless to say, caffeine was in order so we made a quick stop and were on our way. The roads were empty, which was nice, and we made great time! I was a little nervous starting out but I immediately warmed up and pushed thoughts of sleep and tiredness aside. Doug, the TRX master, triathlete and ironman was leading the class; his functionality principles and movement philosophies took me back to being at Providence Fitness in Tucson. (If you are ever in the Tucson area, check them out! They are truly amazing!) All of my frustrations of machine based exercises and indoor training routines were banished. Could I really use these straps of webbing to get a great workout outdoors? Well, I know now from my aching muscles that Yes I Can! After a short, but intense workout, some lecturing that made me excited for training again, an amazing sandwhich for lunch (if you are ever near Van Ness and Pacific in San Francisco, try Cheese Plus, super cute little place and great food!), and some practical application, I had completed my TRX training! I can now use this tool to show people how to get a great resistance workout while still enjoying the outdoors! I can now show people how to get up and get out! How to stand more, move more, and enjoy life! (The average American spends 10-16 hours a day sitting by the way! INSANE!) So even though I only had 5 hours of sleep, and I had to spend 8 hours of training on my day off, I am excited to use what I learned and can't wait to get started on my new workout routine! Guess my weekend wasn't so bad afterall! =)

Dog Dayz

So today is day two of Christian and my dog watching assignment for a couple we are friends with. We both love dogs, so it was an easy favor to take on. However, this of course makes our desire for our OWN dog that much stronger! Lucy, the dog, is a great dog to have to watch, and because of this, is a great dog to be active with!

She and I headed out this morning for a trip to the dog park while Christian stayed behind and made a delicious breakfast. Lucy and I hit the park running, and she had to fight me for the ball. The park had a great setup: Paved pathways for the bipeds and plenty of trees, ivy, and dirt to satisfy the canines. The park itself is built into a hill in a semi-urban neighborhood in Piedmont, CA and actually feels like a nice escape for a half hour or so. The park also provides some well-loved tennis balls and Chuck-It ball-tossers for the play-fetch-minded mutt (Lucy and I definitely got our playtime in! Although, here is a secret: If you want to avoid throwing a tennis ball over the 30+ foot wall at the back of this particular dog park, make sure that you keep the Chuck-It low and you control your velocity. Those suckers fly! Sorry to any passing motorist on the roadway above us!).

Aside from getting our morning exercise in (and various other morning routines!), I realized that having a new dog for a week was going to provide a whole new set of adventures and discoveries. It is very likely that I would have never discovered this whole side of Piedmont and the challenging running hills that it had to offer had we not signed up for this Dog Watching assignment. So at the risk of sounding like I know best (I can assure you, this is probably not the case... unless it has to do with Legos...), I would like to offer a follow up to that sage piece advice, "take the road less traveled:" Take the stairs. Take the long way home. Offer to watch a friend's dog for a week. You really really never know what sorts of opportunities will arise from it. And if that is always your attitude, I challenge you to NOT run in to adventures at nearly every turn! This week is going to be a little more stressful with the added responsibility, but with a positive, adventure seeking, healthy living attitude, it IS going to be a lot of fun!

-John

New Pages! New Links! We're Movin' on Up!

Hey! I just wanted to let everyone know that we added some pages to our blog. You can use these to get some additional inspiration or offer up some of your own. I hope everyone's day is going well and you are all looking forward to your next adventure! Get out there and find something new!

-John

Fitness, Fun, and Sun in San Francisco!

This is why I love living in The Bay Area! Perfect weather, great people, and endless opportunities to be healthy! This all sounds hokey, but yesterday was truly an awesome day and the perfect catalyst for a blog about healthy living.

Christian and I have never found it terribly difficult to be healthy, but recent events have have inspired us to be even more proactive in our quests for a healthy, happy life. As strange as it may be to think that inspiration to be active and on-the-move can come in the form of a TV show, Jaime Oliver's Food Revolution has done exactly that. Scenes of terrible eating habits and almost no organized exercise programs for school children of all ages shocked us within the first five minutes of the show. It was not only incredible to see the terrible state of health in our country, but equally incredible to see the passion Jaime Oliver brings to the subject. So, fueled by the events on a Friday night cable show (Fox, 9 p.m. Pacific, Friday), a recent mountain bike ride that rekindled my love affair with off-road riding, and a true love of all things fitness, Chrisitian and I embarked on a fitness crusade adventure!

First stop: San Francisco! The weather was b-e-a-utiful throughout the entire Bay Area yesterday! Clear blue skies, 72 degree sunshine, and a cool breeze greeted us as we headed down the street on our bikes. We left from my house after Christian got off of work and headed toward the Walnut Creek BART station. The first fitness task: humping our bikes up the stairs to the BART platform (work those calf muscles!)- it was a great warm-up! We rode the train into the city and arrived at the Embarcadero Station. Again we hiked our bikes up a flight of stairs to busy Market Street. The street vendors were out in full force! We pined over a few paintings, black and white photographs, and even a white tu-tu before we headed toward the Ferry Building. The Farmer's Market at the Ferry Building is an amazing collection of fresh food and drink on Saturdays and Tuesdays. Our recommendation? Get there early and enjoy fresh, free samples of fruit, cheeses, and honey before bellying up to the bar at Blue Bottle Coffee Co. (The coffee is incredibly smooth and rich! And for a different taste, try the New Orleans style Iced Coffee and get the scoop on how it is made! Awesome!) We had to pass up the Farmer's Market this time but we WILL be back!

We jumped back on our bikes and braved the weekend traffic (Christian was bustin' moves that would make a New York City bike courier jealous!) to Pier 39. Once again we jumped off our bikes and took a walk down towards the marina. A nice Italian guy offered to take our picture for us, and once again, we were off. We walked by Christian's favorite, the Sea Lions (she does a great impression!), said our hellos and continued towards Fisherman's Warf. The crowds were at summertime levels and proved an exciting challenge, even for Christian's wicked moves!

Finally, we made it to Hyde Street Pier, made our way around the cove, and successfully climbed the ascent above Fort Mason! Christian was on a roll! I have to say, the Insanity! program has really helped with our cardiovascular ability! With our legs aflame, we made it to The Marina District, ready to tackle the TRX for the first time! Christian and I were ready to go and made a quick change to ready ourselves for the workout. After about an hour of suspended training moves surrounded by other like minded fitness freaks (the day was amazing and brought out athletes of all shapes, sizes, and abilities), we packed up our gear and made room for a group finishing up an active day with some CrossFit training. It was awesome to be in and amongst so many active people!

We pedaled down the multi-use path towards Chrissy Field, all the while being greeted by post-card worthy vistas of the iconic Golden Gate Bridge. Christian saw the Sports Basement store at the Presidio and had to stop by. Bikes filled the racks out in front of the store and active people filled the aisles inside. After drooling over nearly every item in the store, we asked an employee about gift registry, with obvious hope in our voice. No such luck yet although plans are in motion! I mentioned that we were curious for OUR wedding and all of the employees at the front counter became SUPER excited! We bought some Cliff Rock Shots, an FRS Citrus Pomegranate for Christian (not her favorite), and a Mango Zico Coconut Water drink for me (despite how it sounds, it was actually really tasty- light, refreshing, and didn't leave a sticky film in your mouth like some sports drinks).

We enjoyed our snacks on some benches outside of the store, took more pictures of our adventure (the photos will be available to peruse soon if they are not up already!) and headed back out on the path towards our ultimate destination for the day: The Warming Hut. We stopped briefly to take another picture with the beautiful bridge in the background and continued on the dirt path that lined the beach on the Bay. We rode past a new Bride and Groom who were taking pictures on the beach, which prompted Christian to quietly say to me, only HALF jokingly and with a laugh, "I look WAY better in MY dress!" Hahaha I have no doubt! Finally, we made it to the Hut.... only to find that it closed! (Note to self and others: The Warming Hut closes at 5:00 p.m. ;) ) Undiscouraged, we stopped to take in the view of the Bridge to the West and the skyline of the City to the East. I have lived in the Bay Area nearly my entire life and I have never seen a more clear day! And Bay Area residents were not letting it go to waste! We saw yet another wedding party taking pictures, and tons of families enjoying BBQs and picnics on the grass. Since it was getting late, we headed back towards the BART station. We made great time on the return trip and chatted about how awesome our day had been. When we made it back to Hyde Street Pier, a few guys on mountain bikes stopped us and asked if had any tools to help with a minor bike repair. See, THAT is what being active outside is all about to me. The opportunity to meet like minded, active people, swap stories, and offer whatever you can to make sure that they continue to enjoy their day outside. After much appreciation, and a now-stable crank, the group headed on their way and we ours. We hopped back on BART and graciously accepted the seat of a man who knew what it was like to travel on the trains with a bike. Back in the Creek (Walnut Creek for all you not in the know), we grilled up some Carne Asada and enjoyed some delicious, home made tacos! What a way to end an amazing day on the move!

-John