Florida

We just got back from a delightful visit with family in  Florida.  We went to Disney World and Universal Studios.  Our schedules were packed with too much detail to go into here so this will just be a picture blog.  I think I took about 300 pictures but I'll just post a few. Sorry, but alot of them are sideways and I'm too tired to fix them.  Hard copies have been ordered for Mom, Eric, Aunt Pat, and Aunt Katherine.  And myself, of course.

Lake Poway via Blue Sky Reserve

Pico and I had an adventure today!  We walked around Lake Poway via the Blue Sky Ecological Reserve.  It was a nice 62 degrees with good cloud cover when we started.  We were not even half a mile in when we passed a group of four dudes and after about a minute after we passed them, I heard "Hey Miss!"  I turned around said "Yeah?"  One dude responded and said "There's a coyote up on that hillside tracking your little dog."  Being the stoic that  I am, I replied with an "Okay, thanks" and continued walking.  Meanwhile, I was freaking out on the inside!  Scanning the brush and the hillside for any sign of this coyote.  Pico seemed none the wiser but he was busy peeing on everything to notice any stalking coyotes.  After we got out of that general vicinity, I started to calm down a bit.  Plus there was a crap ton of people and dogs out and about and I felt confident that a coyote wasn't going to jump us from the side of the trail.

We took the little side trail up to Lake Poway and did the loop clock-wise.  It started heating up pretty good and the clouds burned off.  There were a ton of people fishing.  Even more people, like hordes of people, taking the turn-off to Mt. Woodson. 

We encountered some goats!  This guy brings his two goats down to Lake Poway to mess around and the goats are friendly and he just lets them roam around and greet people.  Seems like he enjoys talking to people who approach as well.  Pico loved the goats.  He touched noses with one and it was so stinkin' cute, I just couldn't stand it!

Pico lasted about an hour and 45 minutes before I had to put him in my backpack.  It was HOT.  When he's done walking, he just stops and looks beseechingly up at me and I know he's done.  In the pack he went and I carried him down the last stretch that connected back to the Blue Sky Reserve Trail.  Once I got him there, I let him back out because the rest of the way was shady and he was fine.

We made it back to the car in 2 hours and 21 minutes for a total of 5.46 miles.  74 degrees at the end.



This information board was creepy!

Black Mountain

Pictures before writing this time!

I went up to Black Mountain and did the 4 mile round trip in 2 hours.  No Pico this time because it was still too hot!  It's like summer out here with the Santa Ana's.  I felt really good, much stronger than the timed hike the other day. 

Monserate Mountain Evaluation Hike

This morning I had an evaluation hike for a wilderness class i'm taking.  We had to make it to the top of m onserate mountain in under 55 minutes to qualify for snow camp.  I was worried because that sinus infection I had totally sucked out all my fitness.  I fell behind pretty quickly and took lots of breathing breaks.  I made it up in 47 minutes so now I can go to snow camp and learn how to backpack in snow. I'm not sure yet if that's a good thing or not!  Not too many pictures this time since it was a timed hike. These are from my new phone.

testing

Testing out posting in my blog with my new android phone!