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