Camping weekend at Figueroa Mountain Camp 7/10

This past weekend (7/23/10-7/25/10), Addy and I went camping north of Santa Barbara. We'd been wanting to get out of town and camp and got our opportunity. We've camped in Los Padres National Forest before, but up north by Big Sur, so I was winging it. I have never been so annoyed at LA traffic as I was during the 4 hrs it took to get up to the Santa Barbara area (it should take 2). It was almost dusk by the time we looked at the first candidates for a place to stay. All 4 campsites along Paradise Rd, SE of Lake Cachuma were full. So, after stopping by the Lake Cachuma Rec Area to find it full as well, we decided to head further north to the Figueroa Mountain Area. A seemingly treacherous (in the dark) 30 min drive later, we arrived in at a great campsite at 4,000 ft. We pitched the tent and crashed under the stars, on top of our air mattresses.

The next morning, we woke early and got a good look at the campsite. It was great, only 30 or so sites, maybe 12 of them full, all given some privacy by the stand of trees the campground was tucked into. We got a small fire going, made coffee and Addy made some delicious breakfast burritos. After breakfast, we went looking for a hike. We first drove up to the day use areas near the campground. We stopped at Alto Pinos, before continuing up the mountain to Figueroa Mountain Lookout. We got some great photos there, but they can't quite capture the wild expanse that we saw. We found a hiking trail, closer to the Ranger Station, that started out cutting across a tall grass field, reminding us of a western plains prairie. We followed it as it followed the ridgeline down the canyon to a steam. We only passed one other group coming back up from the canyon floor. Apparently, we could have followed the stream to another canyon and from there hike to the top of Zaca Peak. That would have to wait for another day as we had not packed all the gear we would need for that long of a trek. Having gotten nice and sweaty, we decided it was time to find some water to cool off in. We drove back to Lake Cachuma Rec Area, only to be told that swimming is prohibited in the lake. We made the best of it, by relaxing lakeside, in the sun, with our books and then showering before heading to our Wine Club winery, Roblar. They are our favorite winery in the area for several different reasons, not the least being that their wines are delicious. The grounds are also beautiful, pastoral and comfortable. We have great memories there from visiting with my parents to sitting on the veranda planning our wedding. This time we sat out on the porch reserved for wine club members and sat enjoying the sun, the wine, and each other's company. Once we enjoyed our tastings and picked-up our wine shipment, we decided to head to Los Olivos and do at least one more tasting at another favorite in the area, Saarloos & Sons. Unfortunately, they had stopped doing tastings for the day, but we were able to have a mini cupcake each, which was almost as good. We walked down Grand and found another tasting room to try, Coquelicot. By the time we finished our tastings there, hunger had come over both of us, so we headed back to the campground. The drive was much less treacherous in the light and provided some great views. Addy had been marinating some great looking rib-eyes that we grilled over the fire with some asparagus and made an amazing dinner, camping or not. The syrah from Roblar was a great pairing as well. We retired after sitting by the fire for a little while, bathed in the silvery light from the full moon.

Sunday started out similarly to Saturday, a bright, sunny morning with coffee and breakfast. We broke camp and left the site better than we found it. We took the road we had not taken yet, which ended up leading us along the ridgeline, over a pass to Cachuma Saddle and provided some amazing vistas of the surrounding wilderness. The road from Cachuma Saddle led us down the other side of the ridge, then through some ranching lands, then vineyards on Happy Canyon Rd. We ended up back at Saarloos & Sons, this time enjoying the wine tasting and their adirondack chairs in the sun. Since we didn't get to go swimming in the lake the day before, we decided we wanted to go to the beach in Santa Barbara for the afternoon. After the drive back to town, we found the beach at Arroyo Burro Beach to still be overcast. We decided to give it some time and hope that the marine layer was still burning off. Luckily, we were right. The sun came out and it was gorgeous. It was not too crowded, which added to the relaxing environment. We just enjoyed the sun and read some more of our books, occasionally pointing out sailboats or paragliders to each other. After a few hours in the sun, I was ready for a cold one, so we headed to the Brewhouse. We had been here the summer before and really enjoyed it. It did not disappoint, providing great beer and delicious food, with outdoor seating. Unfortunately, we did not have much time to relax there, as we needed to get on the road before traffic got increasingly worse. We must've beat some of the traffic, since it only took us 2 3/4 hrs to get back.

Endearing inappropriateness

I am currently a manager at a busy Toys R Us store in a Los Angeles neighborhood and was working the closing shift on Saturday night. It had been a busy day, but everything was winding down the way its supposed to, until . . .

I was informed by a flustered guest that there was a woman walking around the store with no pants on. I requested more information by saying, "What?!". I proceeded to the area where the guest directed me. My immature boy's dream of a supermodel kicking it half-naked in my store came crashing down around me as I took in the scene. Half-way down the aisle stood an adult woman wearing only an oversized t-shirt featuring airbrushed kittens. In stark contrast to the smoothing effecting the airbrush had on the kittens (or on super hot super models), this "lady" was rough. Pale, chunky, and obviously not someone that gets a lot of cuddling. She was even sporting a medium sized band-aid on her chin. I mustered what remained of my patience and professionalism and asked if she was alright. Of course, she said she was fine. I took a deep breath and decided it was going to be that kind of conversation. I told her that I was sorry, but her state of undress was inappropriate for a children's store and that I would need her to leave. She started to argue and say that her "companion" was going to meet her shortly. I informed her I could ring her up if she wanted to purchase an item, but she would not be able to wait for her companion in the store. She begrudgingly agreed to come with me to the service desk to purchase her barbie item.

I started ringing her up and attempt to act as if she is just another guest, asking "Do you have your rewards card?" (Really going through the motions here. Trying to act like Officer Barbrady "Nothing to see here. Move along") Just then, I hear "Catherine . . . Where are your pants?" I looked to my right to see what had elicited this response from someone just walking in the door to find a short, professional, middle-aged women staring, slack-jawed at my half-naked guest. Realization smacked into my brain a half-second later when my guest responded to the question with "They got wet; I had to take them off. . . . I'm sorry." Apparently, my half-naked guest's "companion" had arrived.

I knew after she arrived that this older woman would be taking the half-naked one off my hands. And for that I was immensely grateful, because, looking back, I'm not sure how I would have felt about kicking this lady to the curb half dressed. The older women, who at this point, I'm guessing is either the younger one's mother, caretaker, or both; continued to look at "Catherine" in disbelief. I continue going through the motions of the sale, trying to wrap up the transaction and the whole ordeal. The "companion" turns to me with a look that says, "Did you notice that she doesn't have pants on?". I flash her my best smile and turn to ask Catherine if she needs a bag for her Barbie. She says yes and her caretaker asks to have a couple more to prevent the carseats from getting wet. I happily oblige. I hand Catherine her change and thank her for coming in, apologizing for requiring her to leave. The older lady gives me one last look, like she can't believe I'm not blind, decides instead to thank me for the way I handled it and leaves with Catherine (who is happy that she purchased her own Barbie, but feels bad that she disappointed her mom) in tow.

I let out a long sigh and looked up to see the guest who told me about Catherine in the first place. He thanked me for taking care of the situation. I told him that is what I am there for, which is not usually true, but in this case, I guess it is. He then informs me that he first spotted her when she came out of the MEN'S restroom. That just topped it off for me and I finally lost it, laughing for a solid minute.

Moving to Los Angeles: part 1 leaving oregon

We got up on Monday, threw on some clothes and drove to the Budget truck rental place. Addy had made a reservation, so we figured it would be in and out in 30 minutes, tops. We were renting a 16ft truck and a car dolly to pull the Honda. We had to wait for the ONE GUY in the shop to finish helping one customer, so I ran to get some coffee. While I was on the way back, Addy began getting helped, but needed her ID (which I had). We got things underway when I got back, but found out quickly that they did not have the car dolly (that we had reserved). There was not much he could do, he called and found one at a "nearby location" and gave a us a discount. So, we signed all the papers and the guy ran out to get our truck. He drove it to the front of the shop, stopped, and then hauled-ass around the corner to the back of the lot. We had no idea what was going on, until he came back in and told us that was his only 16ft truck and the check engine light had come on. So, now he had to call and find a 16th truck. We ended up having to drive up by the airport to get both the dolly and truck. The guy gave us the most discount he could, but it still seemed ridiculous that we were having to drive somewhere else to pick up the equipment Addy had reserved weeks ago. When we got to the other shop, we asked if they could throw in some furniture covers and a handtruck as well. They did, without much fuss, since we had driven across town. I finally drove home with this huge truck and the tow dolly. The whole ordeal ended-up taking 2 1/2 HOURS! This was a big set-back for our timeline for the day, as we were scheduled to do the walk-thru with our new tenet at 1 pm and wanted to leave town before traffic started backing-up.

We got to work and started packing the furniture in the truck. We were taking the fridge from downstairs, since we had found out that some apartments in LA don't come with one provided. (That's what we needed the handtruck for) Everything went in easily and fit snugly. We put the boxes under or on top of the furniture and made sure everything was protected and stable. It took longer than I thought it would, but we did a good job. Our new tenet showed up at 1 and walked around for a minute, before deciding to grab some lunch and let us finish packing. That was really nice of her, because we were frantically trying to get everything packed up and Addy was finishing cleaning the baseboards and a few other last minute touches. When she came back, we were pretty much ready and she did the walk-thru with Addy and was satisfied that everything was in good shape. She left and wished us luck, saying that she was really excited to move in. It is definitely a weird feeling to give your house keys to someone else and realize they are the ones that will be coming "home" to your house for the next year. She seems great and I'm sure it'll all be good, just a weird feeling. Another weird feeling is packing up your whole "life" into the back of a moving truck, which we finished soon after she left. Those that know me, know this isn't the first time, by a long shot, that I've done this. But just because you've done it before, doesn't mean you don't still have a weird feeling about it.

I got the Honda (which was also full of stuff) on the tow dolly (following the directions to the letter) and Addy got the pets loaded into the Corolla. We said goodbye to our home and hit the road, around 5pm. I started out driving the truck really conservatively. The tow dolly said not to exceed 55 mph. I followed that for the first 2 hrs, then as I got more comfortable, I was able to go a little faster. Just had to keep it under control and stay comfortable. We had decided that Addy would just drive like normal, not waiting for me, so that she could spend some more time with her folks. We would not be seeing them for a while and it was the first time she was moving this far away, so I wanted to give them as much time together as I could. We kept in touch via phone, but everything went fine. I listened to a bunch of music and focused on driving the "big rig". I got to her parents house around 11pm. They were all up, hanging out. I got a drink and had some supper, thanks to her mom. She always has food ready for us, she's so great. We got to talk and hang out for a little bit, but it was late and we wanted to get an early start in the morning, so we called it a night.

We got up in the morning, had breakfast and lots of coffee and hung out with Addy's parents, enjoying our time together. Then Kim had to go to work and it was time for us to get going. Mark helped me try to back the truck and trailer out of the neighbor's drive, which we ended up not being able to do. We realized that there were too many pivot points for my level of expertise. We ended up having to unload the Honda and re-hook-up the tow dolly by hand. We went inside and found Addy about to freak out, because she couldn't find Ciara, our cat. We let her out in the bedroom for the night and now couldn't find her. Just as Addy was about to start getting emotional, I found her under the bed, in the box spring. I finished packing the cars and getting all prepped to go as Addy fought Ciara to get her out from under the bed. Finally, we were ready to hit the road. So, with a final round of well-wishing and hugs, we got in the car and headed to California.

The Move to Los Angeles 9/09: The Prequel

So, if you haven't heard already, Addy and I have moved to Los Angeles. I know I'm WAY behind on my blog (as some of you keep reminding me), so this is where I'll start. This whole adventure started when I was making plans for our summer trip to SoCal. I was talking to my buddy, Bowman, about getting to see him when we were down there, since he lives in Newport Beach. As we were talking he jokingly asked if I wanted him to set up an interview for me with his boss at Toys R Us. This was in June. Later in the month, he brought it up again. I agreed to it, thinking that I had nothing to lose and maybe something great to gain. You see, Addy and I had talked about moving to California before. We both love the sun and the beach. When we vacation, its either to a beach or to see my friends and family in the Midwest. Therefore, why not always have the beach and move to Cali, right? Also, one of Addy's items on her life's to-do list is to live in another state than Oregon, since she had always lived there. This opportunity with Toys R Us, would make it possible for us to move to Cali and fulfill those wishes.

Needless to say at this point, I got the job at Toys R Us. But I'll still tell you the story, since the events that fact put into motion were interesting to juggle. I had an interview with the DM of RUS on Aug 17, the day after Bowman's wedding. It went well and he said that he was very excited to have me on his team. I then had to fill out an online application and when that was completed, I was scheduled to have a phone interview with the district HR. After a long game of phone tag, on both of our parts, I was able to have the interview on September 2nd (for those of you in the know, you may realize that part of the reason for the phone tag was that I was participating in Hood to Coast the weekend of Aug 28!). But she called me when I was at work, so I ended up taking the call in my car, in the parking lot. Again, it went well and she told me I would be hearing from the recruiter for an offer. I wanted to leave Target on good terms, so I was going to work 2 whole weeks after receiving an offer from RUS. Time was of the essence now, because of our housing situation. As you know, we bought a house last summer. As we were planning for this move, we decided we did not want to sell. Not that we even could have, if we wanted with the market the way it is. But we really like the house and would like to have it available if we were to move back. So, we decided to rent it instead. Addy took the initiative and put up a Craig's List ad and after a few showings, found someone who wanted to rent it for at least a year. They needed to move in by the 1st, so we needed to be out, obviously. To make everything fall into place correctly, I needed an offer by the 11th, at the latest. Not to say that would be easy, but it would at least work. On my way to work on the 11th, I got the offer. And after talking it over with Addy, accepted. Once I got to work, I gave my notice. My boss and boss's boss were both disappointed and tried to change my mind. It was nice to have them try to dissuade me and they said they would take me back, if this didn't work out.

Now that the timing was set, all we had to do was execute the plan. The plan depended a lot on Addy. I was still working 55 hrs/wk at Target, and to get everything ready to go, Addy stopped selling insurance. She worked on getting everything together for the move, from setting up our stop date on utilities, to getting a lease together, to packing, to selling things we didn't need anymore, and probably a hundred other things that I don't even know about. Oh yeah, she even traded-in her car. She had leased a 2009 Acura TSX (it was sweet. the first new car either of us have ever "owned") the summer before. She traded it in for something more utilitarian and affordable, a 2007 Toyota Corolla. We had 2 yard sales, sold a bunch of stuff on craiger's (including our bikes and our bedroom furniture), and donated LOTS of stuff to Goodwill. Besides working frantically to get everything ready for the move, we spent time in the city that we loved and with our friends that we were leaving behind. If you didn't know, Addy's got her own blog going. You can see what she wrote about the end of our time in Oregon here:

http://addylynn.blogspot.com/2009/10/last-days.html

Trip to Black Bar June 28th 2009

Since we've met, Addy's been telling me about this lodge in southern Oregon on the Rogue River that she used to work at late in high school and early in college and saying that we should go down to see it. Its called Black Bar and its is mostly used as a lodge for people rafting down the Rogue River, which has up to class I-V rapids along a 16 mi stretch that has been designated as a Wild and Scenic River, so it is protected from development. It sounded awesome and I was excited to finally get to go this summer. Addy got in touch with her old boss, the owner, John and he graciously arranged for us to stay one night in one of the cabins at the lodge.

We drove to Grant's Pass on Friday, taking the dog with us, so Addy's parents could watch him, while we were on this little trip. We arrived at their house and Addy's mom had dinner ready, carne asada and "chopped-up" (her amazing, super fresh, chunky avo, tom, onion, cilantro salsa). After eating way too much of her good food, we just hung out, talking and laughing having a beer. The next morning, we got up, had a little breakfast, and heading out to the trailhead. They had to drive us through the country to a river dock, where many of the river rafting outfitters put in to start their adventure. They left us their with our backpacks and water and plans to rendezvous back in 30 hours.

The hike in to Black Bar is 10 mi along a ridge trail that follows the river and is not busy, at least that time of year. The preferred method of getting down the river canyon is by boat or raft, but some do it the way we did. The weather was hot and clear and made for breathtaking views and a refreshing journey. On the hike we saw few other people, particularly once we past a small campsite near Whisky Creek Lodge. It was my first time, so I marveled at the natural beauty (which Addy likes to make fun of me for) in the canyon, from the different types of trees to the little lizards that were constantly running across our path, to the vistas of river, tree-filled valleys, and stone-sided canyon. The 10 mi went quickly and we arrived at the sand bar, where we were to meet John to get rowed across the river. We got in the water to cool off and laid in the sun, like the lizards, for a short time, then he showed up, with two cold beers all ready for us. What a great welcome!! He showed us to our cabin, we got settled in and then Addy gave me the tour, narrating as we went. It is a pretty amazing place. The lodge was built back in 1912(ish) and until recent years, the only way to get there was to hike, boat, or fly in. John has added a few cabins and added a better kitchen, but the main cabin is still original and has that distinctly rustic feel. We hung out on the lawn, which used to be the landing strip, until dinner was ready. Dinner is served family style around a large table. That night we were the only ones that weren't part of the large party that were rafting and the guides that were leading them. They shared their wine with us and we all shared conversation and fried chicken. John spoiled us, making us truly feel like guests of honor, by bringing Addy extra veggies and keeping a full beer in front of us the whole time. After dinner we shared beers with John, while he and Addy caught up and he got to know me enough to approve. Addy warned me that it got dark there, but with no power after 10pm and being in the canyon dark is not a strong enough word, it got blindingly dark. It was so dark, I nearly went blind, trying to see my hand when it was held six inches in front of my face. It was so quiet and still, that it had a certain effect on me, which my friends would recognize (I slept like a rock, a really, really old rock).

The next morning, we arose and had breakfast with everyone (John gave Addy 3 pancakes compared to everyone else's 2). Again, spent some time with John until it was time to get packing and start hiking back. He rowed us across, we thanked him profusely and we got back to it. It was another hot, clear day, but the views going the other way were just different enough to make it worth going back the way we came. We stopped a few times, because we knew we were going to get to the rendezvous early, but still got there way early. So, we kept walking back toward the little "town" on the way to her parents house. Shortly after we started, we realized that we were not going to make it all the way there without water, so we hitched a ride with an old hippy couple. They were really nice and were just out for a drive near where they had once lived. They dropped us off at the resort/lodge/restaurant/gas station where we had the weakest nachos I think I've ever had. They were more like chili fries, but nachos. Weird. Addy's parents met us there after a little bit and we headed back to their place for dinner.

I had taken Monday off, so that we could have a little longer weekend, so we decided to go out to Applegate Lake. We tried to stop by an old corner market that Addy used to get sandwiches from, but when we got there, they were in the act of tearing down the building that used to house it. We went into the new building next door and found that they had moved into that building. The sandwich was great, but Addy could not get over the building being torn down. The drive out to the lake was interesting. We apparently went the back way, as it was nearly all gravel roads with lots of "No Trespassing" signs. We ate our sandwiches as we travelled this long-cut, enjoy each other's company. We eventually came to the lake, greeted by an amazing view of the lake, cradled by the valley, the peaks snow-capped in the distance. We followed Addy's directions by memory, which led us not to the beach on Applegate lake, but eventually to a mountain lake called Squaw Lake. I swear it is the lake where they filmed "Indian Summer". It is so picturesque, it is only fitting that we forgot the camera. We didn't forget Jackson (the dog), though, and he had a blast. We all got in the cool, refreshing spring-fed water and it felt great. Jackson was hesitant at first, but once we got him in, it was hard to keep him out. We taught him to swim and fetch, to rescue (acting like we needed his help in the water), and to put his head underwater to get a rock. After spending an hour or so there, we got in the car and headed back home. This time, the fast way, on paved roads. We had dinner at Circle J, the local artisan pizza joint with the best sweet potato fries ever!

We had to head home after that, but it was another great weekend adventure for the Dergmuttons!

Helvetia Half Marathon June 13th 2009

Addy and I had signed up for this run months ago and now that the day was here, we were excited, but nervous. This would be the longest we had run (13.1mi), the next longest being the Pear Blossom (10mi). It is really not that much longer, but the words, half marathon, make it sound so much harder. We left with what we thought was plenty of time to get to the start, but hit race traffic 2mi from the actual exit. I was having a stubborn, high and mighty day, apparently, because I refused to cut into the left lane and cut back to bypass all the traffic. It drove Addy crazy because it was getting closer and closer to the start time, but we were still sitting still in traffic. The race started at 8am and we didn't get parked until 8:15!!! From there, we had to walk to the start and still check-in. As we walked past the starting line to the packet pick-up, we heard the announcer say that they were going to start taking down the timing apparatus in 2 minutes. I felt pretty bad about getting us there late. We got our packets and put on our bibs and got to the line just as they were taking the timing strip away. We swallowed our disappointment, stretched, and got started.

The weather was great and the course was as beautiful as they advertised. It is 13min through the "countryside" outside of Hillsboro. It was basically a course of gently rolling hills and had some nice pastoral vistas. I felt great during the race. One thing that I'm learning about my race habits, is that I like starting at the back of the pack and passing everyone that I can. Having started 30 minutes late, I got many opportunities to pass other runners. Just before the turn around point, I saw Faith and got excited that I was catching up to runners who were running at a good pace.

At the end of the race, I was ready to be finished. I was tired, thirsty, and famished. I got some water and a banana and went back to watch for Addy to run into the finishing chute. I never saw her finish through a fluke of the universe. But we met up and grabbed some grub and sat on the lawn for a while cooling down and easing our appetites.

We both did great and set PB (personal bests). We don't have official times (since we didn't get to cross the start line when the timing apparatus was up), but Addy was wearing the Garmin and I was able to use the finishing clock to get a fairly accurate time.

Brett 1:45

Addy 2:07

We got pretty nice "technical tees" with the Helvetia Half logo on it and medals to say that we completed it. I don't know how I feel about the medal, I don't feel like I necessarily deserve a medal just for finishing, but its a nice gesture.

All in all, it was a fun, challenging experience and we did it together!! Next race, Hood to Coast!

Addy's Birthday '09

Addy's Birthday was June 9th, last Tuesday. She didn't want to do anything big or crazy, so we kept it low-key. We went for an easy 4 mile run first thing in the morning, to get it out of the way. We decided that we were going to start our marathon training, so this was our first run. Addy had scheduled a few appointments for the morning. We went to those together which didn't take much time, really. Then we went to Tin Shed (on NE alberta) for breakfast, which we have talking about since we started dating. The sun was out and they have great patio seating. We sat outside waiting for a table with our coffees and enjoyed the slow pace of our morning. Breakfast was good, Addy's wrap and my veggie scramble with rosemary gravy. We decided to go back home for a minute and water the lawn, while we let digestion do some work. After a short break, we went to Portland Running Co. to get some new running shoes. It was the kind of place that sells real running shoes, the ones have certain design elements that make it a better shoe for certain runners. For example, by watching Addy run for a half block, the saleslady was able to tell Addy that she pronates and fitted her with shoes that give her more support to accommodate for that. After picking up some nice new shoes, we drove back toward home, but stopped in Woodstock for some frozen yogurt at the Surf Shack. We walked down the strip with our yogurt and checked out a few of the little shops that we still hadn't been in after living nearby for nearly a year. One of them was Otto's, a small deli that specializes in sausages and during the warmer months, always has a grill going out in front creating the pleasant aroma of grilled meats drifting down Woodstock. A pleasant surprise is that they have a small, but good beer selection, as does the small wine bar/deli further down the block. The short stroll came to an end when we realized it was time to go meet Addy's friend Daryl for drinks. We met him at a local pub on 82nd, appropriately named 82nd Street Bar and Grill. The place was not hip, not a big surprise given its locale, but seemed friendly enough. And the bartender, Wes, was all about serving us the $2.50 well drinks that were the special during happy hour, which didn't end the whole time we were there. My neighbor on the barstool next to me was pretty funny and kept us entertained and laughing. We started getting hungry and decided that it was finally time to leave. We went to a new restaurant called Eastburn. It is a neat place with different areas to hang out, good beers on tap, and, as we found out, good food. We had the fry basket, which was a mix of sweet potato fries as well as regular, skin on potatoes. Addy had a wrap (surprise) and I had a portabello sandwich. Everything was delicious and the ambience was chill, it was just a little loud. When we finished our food, we left for the night to retire. I had a great day, but more importantly, Addy said that she had a great day.