For all of my readers in the U.S. and Canada, YAY for Labor Day weekend! I'm looking forward to what seems like it'll be a pretty low-key next couple of days. Today I decided to try getting back to my usual Friday routine of going for a hike with Harley girl. I haven't hiked lately since getting a boot on for my foot injury, but now that the cast has been off for a week and it's feeling pretty good, I figured I'd try to do a somewhat easy & short hike. Quite honestly, I've been dying to go hiking. The views are so gorgeous around here, and I just adore getting some fresh air and clearing my mind during a hike. After a nicely productive morning of work, I took Harley to our usual nearby park that we hike at for a lunchtime workout. It's pretty toasty out today - about 90 and bright ... [Read More]
hiking
Best Easy Day Hikes San Jose: Miller Ruins Loop in Mount Madonna County Park
Now that I've lived in the San Jose area for almost 3 months, I've developed a couple of favorite spots for hiking and biking. But since I like to explore as much as possible, I recently made a trip to the book store to get a hiking guide for the area. I was a bit disappointed at the selection - or rather, the apparent fact that there aren't all that many awesome hikes in my immediate vicinity. A lot of the Northern California hiking books had mostly hikes that were hours away. This isn't good for me because 1.) I like to hike with a certain canine, but she's an absolute nightmare in the car, therefore I avoid long car trips with her unless necessary... and 2.) while I like to do all-day hikes, there are definitely a lot of times when I want to do a hike but don't have the whole day ... [Read More]
Hiking Mantra of the Day: Just Hold On
Per my usual Friday outdoor workout theme, this afternoon I took Harley for a hike. We went to Mount Madonna Park to do the same hike we ventured through recently, and I quickly remembered why we've been going at 7 am and not 2 pm... it's damn hot around here! I'm a complete wuss in the heat. It just sucks the life out of me. I'm not alone, as Harley has little endurance in warm weather too...so we were quite the pair today! Besides it being hot and the sun being strong, I worked out my legs at the gym yesterday and they're feeling pretty damn achy today. 30 minutes into the hike, already dripping with sweat, I debated whether we should just turn around and call it a day. I was thinking that just an hour is okay with me. I had my iPhone music shuffle on, and just then, the Alabama ... [Read More]
Hiking the Merry-Go-Round Trail at Mount Madonna County Park
Hope that everyone had a great weekend and Mother's Day! My hubby gave me flowers for being a wonderful canine mother. ;-) I was thinking a lot about my mom yesterday and how much I appreciate her. Even though we live on opposite coasts, we talk at least once a day and are really close. She was on vacation with my dad in Aruba the past several days, so I kept thinking it was strange not getting to call her and wish her a happy Mother's Day. I love my mama! Yesterday Adam, Harley and I went hiking at a new spot nearby, called Mount Madonna County Park. Adam and I were just recently talking about how neither of us have really seen Redwood trees before - because we're planning a trip up to Redwood forests very soon! - and we were pleasantly surprised when we got to the ... [Read More]
Today’s Eats: Keepin’ it Simple
Some days my eats are awesome meals & snacks that I put an artistic flair into. Other days, the food I eat is not quite as exciting. It may be because I was just too busy to spend time or energy getting creative, or perhaps I just wasn't in the mood to be. Today is a good example of a pretty boring yet healthy day of eats: My breakfast was a bowl of Kashi Go Lean cereal with sliced banana + almond milk: For lunch I reheated some leftover veggie chili. I crunched up some multigrain crackers with sea salt from Crunchmasters on top. It was a little snack bag I got in my KLUTCHclub box shipment. The verdict? Light, yummy, and the mini bag was the perfect amount for adding some crunchiness to my soup. Late in the afternoon, I took Harley for a hike. After experiencing ... [Read More]
Red Rock Canyon, Las Vegas
Greetings from Vegas! I flew to Nevada first thing this morning for work. I've been here a couple of times on work trips, and to be honest, the Las Vegas strip really isn't my thing. While I can have fun gambling or seeing a show, it really doesn't do it for me. That's why when my co-workers and I carved out time this afternoon to visit Red Rock Canyon and hike around a bit, I was really looking forward to seeing a different side of Las Vegas. And Red Rock did not disappoint! It was beautiful here, and I found the rock formations and colors to be so neat. Here are some photos from the excursion: There were a lot of bikers and hikers around, and I definitely would love to come here sometime and do a day full of outdoor exercise! Well, I'm exhausted and have a ... [Read More]