Montana de Oro (Aug 1-3rd, 2014)

We had a great weekend hanging with a few of my college buddies and their families, camping in Central California.  I had convinced Lou Doo to stay for the week to join us camping after seeing Real Madrid vs Inter Milan the weekend before.  We had a pretty full week, which involved a night mtn bike ride with Toro, Funk & Metres; a kayak/SUP commute into the city; having Mendelson over one night, and Fred over for the day one day.  

As I hadn't seen Pat for such a long time, I made reservations for Montana de Oro, which is between LA and SF.  I had also heard that this was a nice spot from a few friends familiar with the area.  The drive could've gone a bit smoother (as we hit a bit of traffic, and with the stops it took close to 5 hours...)  But, I got to go mountain biking both mornings, take off on an awesome trail run with Pat, beach time with everyone, and chill time at camp.  We definitely need more time here... next time... 

some pics below:

Nikko flirting with Pat.

Seth with his arms full

Jules on the slackline

That's a handy little bin!

Nikko wants in on the bin...

At Spooner's Cove near by... if you camp at Env sites 1 or 2, or the normal sites, you can just walk here...

Kai going for it...

Fun beach day!

We went to a different beach the next day... where we think Kai broke his arm.  Looking at this pics, after the group shot, I don't have a pic of Kai with his right arm lifted.... but he continued playing in the sand, and didn't complain the rest of the day.  We took him to the doctor 4 days later... and it's broken...

Next time, I'd like to.....

• Prevent Kai from breaking his arm...
• Leave Thur evening, so I can enjoy Fri, Sat & Sun... 
• Maybe get an AirBnB place near by?
• Los Osos, Morro Bay, Cambria, Cayucos?
• Or explore a different state park
• Morro Bay State Park - 2 group sites - 100$/night - doesn't seem like a good spot to camp...
• San Simeon SP?
• Camp at either Env camp 3 or 4 (7 mo in advance), or the normal campground (not too far in advance), then you could just walk to spooner's cove.
• Explore a bit more of the area... check out the other coves, beaches
• Carolina Cove, Quarry Cove, etc...
• http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/592/files/MDO-Brochure-lr.pdf
• take a kayak or SUP to explore
• kayak fishing?  We saw a ton of folks fishing and catching lingcod, snapper, etc... that looked awesome
• diving for sea urchins? mussels? clam bake?
• climbing?
• http://www.weekendsherpa.com/issues/san-luis-obispo-vacation-itinerary/
• do a bit more mountain biking.  
• Something like this loop
• http://ridewithgps.com/routes/5532266
• http://ridewithgps.com/routes/5532299
• Get this trail map
• Just remember to avoid bloody nose & hiedra trail... too sandy
• other links
• http://www.singletracks.com/bike-trails/montana-de-oro.html
• http://trails.mtbr.com/cat/united-states-trails/california-trails/california-all-other-areas/trail/montana-de-oro-east-boundry/prd_165119_4518crx.aspx
• http://www.slostateparks.com/montana_de_oro/mdo_cccmb.asp

Next time in the Canadian Rockies....

Oh I will return... fo' shizzle.... you can bet your sweet tush on that...

• Huts - If you've read my blog, you know that I love huts.  The history, the uniqueness, the setting, the cozyness... and the Alpine Club of Canada operates the largest network of backcountry huts in North America!
• http://savouritall.com/2013/07/23/savour-life-time-in-nature-a-list-of-back-country-lodges-in-the-canadian-rockies/
• Some of the nicer posh huts listed at the end of the link above would be good for a special occasion...
• Other Links
• http://www.summitpost.org/canadian-rocky-mountains/215361

• Winter....There are many lifetimes worth of skiing here.  And with so many huts, I don't think you can go wrong. Here's a good resource with a map.  And below are two huts, I'm itching to visit.  
• Fairy Meadow Hut (http://www.alpineclubofcanada.ca/huts/fairy-meadow-bill-putnam-hut/)
• http://earlyups.com/fairy-meadows-an-earlyups-adventure-to-b-c/
• http://earlyups.com/earlyups-fairy-meadow-redux/
• http://www.powder.com/stories/best-day-ever-fairy-meadows-hut/
• http://www.explosion5000.com/2014/01/the-best-ski-trip-of-my-life.html
• Kokanee Glacier Hut
• http://backcountryskiingcanada.com/index.php?p=page&page_id=Kokanee-Glacier-Cabin
• http://powdergangster.ca/7-days-paradise-kokanee-glacier-experience/
• http://www.leelau.net/2008/kokanee2008/day3/
• Another thing I love are hut to hut trips.  Even when the weather is bad and the snow conditions aren't great, hut to hut trips make up for it with it's beauty and adventure.  Plus you get to check out multiple huts in one trip... Here are some that piqued my interest.
• Bonningtons Traverse
• Wapta Traverse LINK
• Icefall Traverse
• Spearhead Traverse

• Summer (Aug-Sept)
• With so many options for hikes & climbs, the following links are a good place start to find huts with climbing near by:
• http://www.summitpost.org/alpine-club-of-canada-huts/290865
• http://www.summitpost.org/canadian-rockies-alpine-climbs/371653
• http://www.mountainproject.com/v/bcs-canadian-rockies/106984138
• http://bobspirko.ca/OtherScrambles/canada.html
• Cycling
• Brevets
• Banff Jasper Banff 600
• Rocky Mountain House 600
• STORM 1000
• TORA 1000
• Backpacking trips/trails
• Skoki Circuit
• Banff Highline Trail
• Rockwall Trail
• Berg Lake trail
• Mt. Assiniboine area...
• Esplanade Track (hut to hut)
• Mountains I'd like to climb...
• Mt. Assiniboine
• The Three Sisters in Canmore
• Mt. Chester
• Rundle Traverse
• Mt. Temple
• Mt. Deltaform Traverse
• Mt. Edith Cavell
• Mt. Robson
• any of the other 11k ft peaks up there...
• other climbs on the 50 Classic Climbs?
• Lotus Flower Tower
• Howser Spire

Radium Hot Springs! (Canada - July 2014)

There is an abundance of hot springs in the Canadian Rockies.  In fact Canada's first National Park, the Cave and Basin Historic Site in Banff, is a geothermal feature.  After passing hot springs in Banff and Jasper, we decided a good way to wind down our trip would be to jump into Radium Hot Springs... and come out radioactive.  

But when we arrived in Radium, it was HOT.  So we went down the road to Invermere and jumped in Windermere Lake.

Radium is also known for the co-habitating Big Horn Sheep.  These guys aren't very scared of you and can climb anything!  I was about 3 ft away from this guy when I took this pic...

Behind the hostel we stayed at...

Getting water at the mini-golf course...

Kai liked them... and the raspberries

The next day it cooled off with an afternoon thundershower and we got to go to the hot springs twice!  Once before nap and after... 

The owners of the Misty Mountain Lodge where we stayed had met while bike touring around the world... they were on their bikes when they found this place for sale and purchased it several years ago.  She has since biked across Canada solo on this yellow bike.  The place is up for sale again so they can resume their life on the road...

The bighorn sheep scaled right up the sheer dirt cliff behind the house...

Our first rain of the trip.  And boy did it pour!

Lake O'Hara (Canada - July 2014)

This is another post that's like a month old... BUT...the place is amazing... and a bit tricky to get to.  To get there, you have to get one of the 42 day use permits they lease 3 months prior to your visit, or have to have a reservation at one of the campsites (even tougher to get than the day use permits), alpine huts (even harder still... you have to get it through an online lottery in Oct for the summer months), the Lake O'Hara Lodge (have to be loaded)... or hike in on the dirt road.  

At first I wasn't sure about the place, but the more I read about it, it sounded like it would be worth a visit... as I was doing research on this place, I figured out that the reservations were going to be coming up while we were in Japan.  So we volunteered Kim's folks for the task of getting a permit... and from the sounds of it, it sounded like medieval torture (thanx Mama Margie & Papa Steve!).  But we did manage to secure some spots... albeit not on the desired date (as Steve wouldn't be with us at this time... and this would be when the World Cup finals would take place...)  Yes, it was a tough decision, but I reasoned that I had watched plenty of world cup action and this was very limited opportunity for me to go into Lake O'Hara.  Although... I will be back.  For sure.  

The bus drops you off near the Le Relais Day Shelter.  If you can score a summer job here, you are soooo lucky.  

a bald eagle on top of a lone tree on Lake O'Hara greeted us to this magical kingdom.

Check out that backdrop... Mount Schaffer

We decided to take a tough trail... there are 3 alpine routes around Lake O'Hara, involving steep hiking, some scrambling, and some via ferrata.  The trails are really beautiful and well maintained, but I think we got in a bit over our heads with the kids and Mama Margie's knee got tweaked.  

the trail is a bit exposed ... I held Kai's hand here...

a traverse over there looks fun.

some sort of Columbine?

Kimbo dosing up on some SPF...

Kai had a lot of fun on this trail!

Back at the lake... the day was beautiful

Banzai!

Kai couldn't stop running and giggling

This is the view from the lake side cabins on Lake O'Hara... which start at 900$ CDN per couple.  Yikes. 

I got both boys!

Kai levitating over the bridge!

HDR action...

Family pic at Lake Louise

Mama margie & Nikko

Weehaw!

Nikko sure was tired after a long day of being carried around!

Next time: I'd like to camp out or stay at one of the ACC huts

• Definitely go to the Abbott Pass Hut (check it out!!!!)
• http://www.hikebiketravel.com/19935/daunting-hike-abbott-pass-hut-bcalberta-border/
• A fun 3-4 day trip would be to...camp at the Lake O'Hara campground (or Elizabeth Parker Hut), then hike up to the hut, spend a day or two climbing the SE ridge of Mt. Victoria, the West face of Lefroy, Huber, etc... then out to Lake Louise...

• I'd love to do all the alpine routes... spend a day or two at the Elizabeth Parker hut just trail running/scrambling during the day.

Japan: Hiroshima!

Kim about to dragon kick a deer at Miyajima, a UNESCO world heritage site... I haven't looked it up, but I'm sure it's a punishable offence.

BTW, these posts are quite late... as this was back in May... alas... so it goes.  better late than never right?

This was my second visit to Hiroshima, a beautiful city where Kimbo's sister Rebecca has been for the last 17? years?  We went together to Hiroshima in 2009, and you can see the posts here if you are interested.  Rebecca was really excited to meet Nikko, and see Kai again.  And she didn't mind seeing us either....

The first day we went to Miyajima, where the deer are tame, gifts plentiful, along with the tourists, stairs, and nature.  I'd like to go back there to do some trail running on those steep trails.  The other days in Hiroshima, I got to go trail running every day.  Hiroshima is such an amazing city... with so many trails/mountains/rivers that are so accessible, yet very urban if you want.  I need hills, and Hiroshima has them.  

On the cab from Obaachan's house to the train station.

And the train...

Nikko was excited to meet Auntie Becca as well.  

The shinkansen comes with it's own powder room...

...

In Hiroshima!  Kai was ready to get back in the car after a long train ride.  

A Japanese Child Seat... pretty sure this thing doesn't meet US standards...

Kai showing off his pagoda jacket infront of a pagoda...

We went back to Mie-jima, a place Kai fell in love with.  

With it's tame deer...

Shrines...

even an An Pan Man Ojizosan

Deep Fried Custard filled snacks...

The best sno-cone in the world.  Seriously.  There are stawberries frozen into the ice block... then some simple syrup, with some condensed milk on top.  Amazing...

Nikko in front of the Great Torii

Kai contemplating life on the ferry ride home.

The JR rail pass works for this ferry!

Hiroshima city center - at the A-bomb dome.

The Nozomi Shinkansen!

On our way home we stopped by the Anpanman muserum!

in Kobe... there are like 5 of these...

with a hair salon...

pretending to be Baikinman

Nikko was happy on the train ride...