Hanging out in Chicago

Today Sean and I went to downtown Chicago and explored for a while. We went to Wrigley park and walked around. We then went to Millenium park. It had this really awesome mirror bean thingy. The pictures do it more justice then I can explain.

It was fun just walking around and seeing Chicago. The vibe in Chicago is much more laid back then towns like New York. I would say it much calmer then San Fransciso. Although it is a very big city it doesn’t feel overcrowded at all. The public transit is efficient and runs until 2 am and starts back up again at 5 am.

One of the things about Chicago during this time of year is the color of the trees. The leaves have an amazing yellow color to them. I also like walking around and seeing all the leaves that have fallen on the ground. There are some sidewalks that are flooded with leaves.



Arriving in Chicago

I got to Chicago at about 4:00 pm and took the CTA (this is their public transportation). My buddy Sean grabbed me at the Belmont Station and then took me to his place.

Sean and I met in Kindergarten. In first grade an event occurred that set the base for a friendship that would last to this day. I fell in love with his cousin. I don’t remember the exact events but I do know that in my first grade head I felt feelings for this 2^nd grade woman that I had never felt. I outwardly responded like any first grader in love would… I explained to Sean that I hated his cousin and she was the ugliest person I had ever seeing in my life. After a series of insults thrown at his cousin Sean understood exactly what I meant. He ran over to his cousin during recess and informed her that I was in love with her and wanted to marry her.

So here I stand in Chicago visiting my friend Sean. Him and his wife Chayada bought a nice place in the Lakeview/Rosco village area.

When I first got to town Sean had a class. He dropped me at his place and I took a run around town and read at his place.

This is my sleeping quarters. This bed is insanely comfortable

Riding the Silver Bullet

On Saturday morning Quinley and I headed to the Coors Brewing Company. This is about 20 minutes away from downtown Denver in a small town named Golden. The town is real relaxed. There is about a total of 19,000 people in the town. In the town is the largest cobblestone building in all of the United States.

The Coors Brewing Tour starts on a bus that takes you through the town. You then end at the Brewery where we were able to partake in a self directed tour. Everything is free. They even give you three free taste sample of different beers.

I was shocked to discover the amount of detail that is taken to develop a Coors Beer. The creator of Coors was Adolf Coor (might have an “s” on the end). He started the company when he was 26 years old. Before any Coors is put on the market it has to pass the test of 200 independent taste testers. This Brewery is the largest Brewery in the United States.

We basically walked around and read about some of the history. At the end of the tour we had a few beers and relaxed.

Though I have never been a huge fan of Coors this experience definitely changed that for me. Though it doesn’t taste any different to me, I now have a much better understanding of its history which consequentially makes me like it more.

Going Out in Denver

On Friday night Quinley invited over some of his friends from the Denver area. We played some games, had some beers and then went out on the town.

The nightlife in downtown Denver is fun and easy going. The bars are large and spacious. We went to multiple bars with multiple stories.
We started the night at Quinley’s place. There were people from Denver, the bay area, Alaska, Seattle, and Mendocino County (me). The thing that stuck out the most to me is that everyone there simply wanted to have a good time. Everybody was friendly and welcome to conversation. We all just kicked back and had a good time.

After a series of bars and partaking in a variety of activities that tend to occur at bar’s we decided to make our way home. This consisted of me identifying and analyzing every single food vendor on the way back home. After much analysis and consultation I opted to get the burrito from the lady on the corner. This choice had nothing to do with “great taste” but instead my hunger finally peaked and I needed to take the next closest item in front of me. This happened to be the nice lady with the premade $3 burritos that she kept in a cooler (ironically to keep heated). I gave her $3 and she gave me a burrito. I walked away happy with my purchase… that is until I got back to Quinley’s place and smelled the pizza that had been ordered.

One burrito and 2 giant slices of pizza later I concluded that I maybe should not have ate so much.

Heading to Denver for the Weekend

This is me at the BART at 4:20 am in the morning.

I woke up at 3:50 am so I could make it to the Bart Station to get to the 4:30 am train. I had a 6 am flight that seemed like a good idea when I booked it. After a flight from Oakland to Salt Lake City, a one hour layover and then onto Denver I finally arrived at 11:00 am. My old college buddy, Kevin Quinley grabbed from me from the airport.

First thing we did when we got to town was head to 16th street and grabbed a burger and a beer at a Brewery. Denver is filled with Breweries everywhere you look.

I only stayed near the downtown area for the entirety of my trip so I can only speak about that. The vibe of this area of the city was surprisingly laid back. Of course, my natural comparison in my head is to cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York so it makes sense that I would perceive much of the world’s cities as “laid back”.

This is Rockies Stadium. It is about 150 Yards from Quinley's Apartment.

Quinley and I have the type of relationship where the common formalities no longer exist. Everytime we see each other it doesn’t matter if we spoke 4 days ago or 4 months ago, the conversation flows just as naturally.

During this trip I had the opportunity to experience Denver’s nightlife, the Coor’s Brewing company, see a haunted house, make some new friends, and catch up with an old one.

The Bottle Shop- Taking Advantage of the creation of sliced bread!

Today I went to the Bottle Shop. This is a very well known sandwich joint in Ukiah, California. Let me start here with a little story. As I was ordering my sandwich a man walked in. He worked his way through identifying his own personal struggle verbally. I don’t think he was talking to anyone specifically. I think he was just putting it out there in hopes that someone in the room would hear him and get him a sandwich. This is the type of situation that can eventually become very awkward. If the man continues to verbalize his problem and no one steps up… Well, that’s up to the imagination what may happen. But before things could turn awkward one of the ladies behind the counter said “I’ll get you a sandwich”. This single act represents the character of “The Bottle Shop”. This is a great place with great employees and extremely well made sandwiches.

I got a Roast beef sandwich with Jack cheese, Lettuce, pickle and tomato on a Sourdough crunchy roll. On the side I got a bag of Jalapeno Kettle Potato Chips. The cost out the door was around $7. Bottomline: My sandwich was awesome! The ratio of the portions on the sandwich were nothing short of perfect. There was the perfect amount of lettuce, pickles, tomato, and mustard. The chips were an outstanding compliment to the meal.

The service was professional and handled with integrity. The individuals behind the counter take their time with each sandwich. While I watched them I felt like my sandwich was in good hands.

In short, The Bottle Shop is flat out really good. I have ate here many times in my past and have always had an excellent experience. There is a comfortable seating area inside and outside. It is peaceful enough to read a book but alive enough to people watch. The bottom line: Eat Here!

Mendocino: On The Coast of Somewhere Beautiful

Today I went with my buddy to the Mendocino Coast. When we entered the town we immediately decided to head toward the coast. I can’t get myself to call this coastline a “beach”. When I think of beaches I think of hot weather, families on the coast, swim gear, and beach sports. The atmosphere here is very different. There were very few people on the beach. Those that were wore sweatshirts and long pants (except for Zach and I). There were no beach sports. People don’t go to a beach like this to play around.

It is a mixture of peaceful and slightly scary. I think the fear deals with the overwhelming power that the ocean presents. The ocean constantly thrusts against the coastline and rocks with immense power. When I looked at the ocean I could see nothing living inside of it. This intensified the fear of the ocean. It is a visual statement of “all who enter no longer exist”. Though my brain knows this is not the truth my eyes and ears tell me otherwise.

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This is the type of coast that is constantly inviting one to sit upon it’s rocks and just watch. At the same time, I have moments where the immense power of the ocean brings me a desire to “flight”. As quickly as the instinctive “flight” response comes it is gone when I realize I am on land.

In the background you can see the town of  Mendocino

I enjoyed walking along the coast and just trying to feel the power of the world that was in front of me. There is something special about this place that my words are unable to express. It reminds me of a line by Kenny Chesney when he says “on the coast of somewhere beautiful”. This is what this place feels like… I’m not exactly sure where I am but I know I’m “on the coast of somewhere beautiful”.

Montgomery Woods: Lord of The Rings?

Today my friend Zach and I went to Montgomery Woods. I recently got a new camera and wanted to head somewhere that could capture some good pictures. Using Orr Springs road we came from Ukiah. As we exited Ukiah and slowly entered the mountains there was that feeling of “I’m not in Ukiah anymore…”

After being there I cannot imagine any location more suited for great pictures.

The trees in this location are massive. In some ways I felt like I was at “The Land of the Dinosaurs”. While I was walking I was floored by the massive size of a bed of Clovers… Never in my life have I ever been “floored” by clovers. But these bad boys were huge. In fact, if it weren’t for my background in martial arts I would have feared for my own safety…

As we walked through Montgomery woods Zach and I were constantly saying “woah!” “look at that” and “woah”. One of the most exhilarating things to do was to just look up. The trees are so tall that in many cases they nearly block out the entire sun. Some light shines thru.

The environment felt like I was inside a Lord of The Rings movie. Eventually we left the woods with no sightings of hobbits… Though the next time I’m there I expect to see two (not one!) hobbits!

The Country, Pizza, Videogames, and My Hometown

Tonight I went to my good friend Zach's house. Zach lives near Potter Valley. The interesting thing about Zach's location is that his house is the only one up his road. Therefore he is truly in an isolated countryside. From his house, I can see all around Redwood Valley but I see no houses. It is peaceful and at times slightly eerie being out in the country where no one can hear you, see you, or accidentally stumble into you.

This is a massive tree right next to Zach's house. Look at the car by it.

Allow me to get slightly off topic. This is a travel blog. I write about my experience that relate to travelling. In my eyes this incorporates a wide body of experiences. It could be a fair question to ask: How does this relate to travelling if this is your hometown? Simply put, I don't have to travel 3000 miles to be "travelling" and "exploring". There is beauty and awe to be seeing from the second I open the door of my home in Redwood Valley. I grew up in an area that goes beyond the imagination of many people. Therefore I would argue that my hometown has just as much a right to be part of my travel blog as any other location.

A view from Zach's Porch

One of the really cool things to do in the country is to go outside and look up at the stars. In cities the lights make it difficult to see the stars in the sky. Out in the country the only light is from the moon and stars. It is quite humbling to stare at the stars. I often become baffled when I try to gain an understanding of the actual size of the universe.

We had pizza from a local take and bake place. The pizza was excellent. All of the ingredients were fresh. This is the type of pizza where every ingredient counts because it is so fresh that every ingredient adds it's own life to the pizza.

We then played Madden. It came down to a final drive where I was up 28 to 21. Zach made it all the way to the goal line. It was 4th and goal on the 5 yard line with about 15 seconds left. I then stopped him.

When I was younger I thought I would eventually grow out of videogames because when I looked at my parents and all their friends none of them played videogames. Now, that I am an adult I have realized two things: First, I am the the first generation of adults that grew up with videogames and Second, I think I will be playing videogames until the day I die :)

The Final Stats from our Madden Game

Sleeping Quarter and Rose Gardens in Oakland

So while I have been at Mari's place I have had an interesting sleeping arrangement. Let's just say that there are a variety of things placed in Mari's house that happen to take up quite a bit of space. I sleep in the living room on the floor. I design my own bed. This is how I do it. I take remove 3 couch cushions. This is my mat. I place them on the ground. I try to make them pretty snug. I then place a blanket over the cushions. I also tuck the blanket underneath the cushion. This keeps everything in place. I then put another blanket and grab some pillows from Mar and "voila!" I have a bed.

This morning I went with my sister to the Rose Gardens near her place. Mari lives in Piedmont. The Rose Gardens are about a 10 minute walk from her place. We both wanted to do some exercise. I did some push ups, abs stuff and took a run. Mari did the stairs. This is where she goes up and down these long stairs for like 35 minutes.

The rose gardens were cool. I think I was a little bit more focused on my run then on the rose bushes so I didn't completely take them in. But this is the beauty of pictures. Pictures allow me to partially remember the experience.

I ran up a really large hill because I knew that the view from the top was really cool. When I got to the top I was exhausted but it was worth it. The hill had a pretty steep gradient. This made the view that much nicer because I could see further into the community.

Alameda Park and Beach

Today my sister and I went to the Alameda Park. It was really green. I was shocked at how few people there were considering this is the Labor Day Weekend. Parking was really easy. While we were walking around there was enough people so we felt safe but not so many that we felt burdened or crowded.

At first we just walked around the park but then we eventually made our way to the beach. The beach kind of snuck up on us since it was blocked by a large structure that spread apart horizontally for a pretty good distance (I have no idea how far it was). Immediately after we crossed the structure we realized we were right next to the ocean. It dropped us about 25 yards from the ocean.

We walked along the coastline for a little bit. I enjoyed being near the ocean and feeling it's power. The ocean is crazy because there are so many wild crazy looking creatures inside of it. I love looking at the ocean but sometimes it scares me.

Good Friends that are Good People...

Tonight my sister and I went over to my good friends Drew and Lindsey's place. It is hard to provide textual characteristics to people like Drew and Lindsey. Both of them are extremely fun. They also are very ambitious but they are quiet about it. Only through questioning do either of them really go into detail about some of the great things they have done. Drew often enjoys informing people that he is quite "handsome" and is very willingly to openly discuss his journey to attain an 8-pack.

We went over to there place. They live in Rockridge. There place is really nice. I don't know how they keep it so clean. Every time I have been to Drew and Lindsey's place it is always super clean. I feel like it has been clean an improbable amount of times.

We hung out and Lindsey made dinner. The food was great. I wish I could remember what one things was called. I know that there was a large type of Macaroni with some cheese on it and some meat was in there too. Bottom-line is that all of the food was insanely awesome.

Lindsey made this really interesting appetizer that was white bean, garlic, and artichoke Bruschetta. It was super awesome.

Later on in the night we out to Ben and Nick's. We hung out and talked. I like hanging out with people like Drew and Lindsey because both of them are inspiring the way they live their lives. I have never meant anyone who is more efficient with his time then Drew. I will never forget when I walked out to the basketball court to see Drew. I sat down next to him. He had his computer open, he was keeping all 60 kids in check, he was writing up the unit plan and lesson plans for an upcoming unit, and talking to me about a paper that we had due in our Masters class. Lindsey is great because she is laid back and just has fun. Plus, she is very smart and she handles her sh&t!

I love being around good people because it makes me want to be a better person.

The Rose Bushes in Berkley

Today I went to the Rose bushes in Berkley with my sister. The rose bushes are very relaxing. It is much more than a few roses lined up. There are steps and steps filled with the Rose Gardens.

Walking around is really relaxing. There are families there, old friends, romantic couples, first dates, kids running around and many other types of people. It is an environment that is welcoming to everyone.

This is a shot of the hillside of the roses. Look at how the roses are placed on large steps.

Across the street from the Rose Garden is a really awesome park. The park has a basketball court right in the middle of it. I have never seeing a basketball court with so much green surrounding it. There also was a super large slide that kids grabbed pieces of cardboard to slide down on.

This is me and Mari.You can see the awesome slide in the background.

Boxing for the First Time

I recently began boxing in Mendocino County. I train at the Mendo Combat Club near Big Lots. The training here has a relaxed intensity. Everyone here is focused on getting better. People's ego's are left at the door. Everyone is extremely helpful. I get very regular feedback and supportive encouragement from the individuals that have been training longer then me. While doing drills the other individuals will often cheer each other on. It really does make a difference when sucking for air to hear in the background people pushing me on with encouragement.

I am just a beginner and at first when I started I was tentative and a little nervous because I didn't want to make a mistake. The other members quickly made me feel comfortable and allowed me to make mistakes without judgment. They have given me encouragement when I do things well and correct me when I need feedback. The thing that has been the most amazing to me is the manner in which they give feedback. Nobody brings their ego into it. They are giving me advice for the sole purpose of improving my skill set. This has allowed me to develop much quicker because I feel comfortable taking risks and trying things because I am not afraid of being judged.

The training itself is really fun. We start out with shadow boxing. This is where we stand in front of the mirror and box the air. During this time we are warming up but also making sure our technique is good and strong. After this there are a series of drills that we may do. We often end up hitting the bag for 1 to 3 minute intervals. I have been shocked at how much 1 minute can work my arms when I'm hitting the bag. It definitely gets my heart rate pumping. It also allows me to refine my comfort with combinations and movement. This is because the bag sways with each punch which forces me to move to get the correct spacing.

The trainer is also really encouraging. His relaxed energy allows everyone there to feel calm while training. At the same time he pushes us to develop. He also varies the training based on your skill level.

One of the things I have really enjoyed about boxing is the opportunity to improve my striking ability. It is amazing to me the amount of detail that goes into a correct punch. Boxing also has provided me the opportunity to improve my hand speed.

I will give further updates as I better understand the art of boxing.

Crazy People, Horse Races, Money, and Crazy People

This past weekend my father and I went to the Sonoma County horse races. The horse races are a fascinating place due to a variety of things. There is the obvious fun of betting on horses, studying the equestrians, and just being at the horse race. But the true fun of the horse races is in the combination of subtle characteristics that are flowing throughout the air.

There are not many places in this world where it is common place for the wealthy, the poor, the middle class, the lucky, the unlucky, the hopeful, the hopeless, the young, the old, the weekend warrior and the desperately depressed to all meet in one location. The horse races is one of these few places. Within 1 minute a man can go from faithfully hopeful to desperately depressed. Other people are simply there for a weekend getaway. The air is filled with so much energy one cannot help but be fascinated by the many personalities encompassed in such a small space.

This is one of those unique characters that the horse races pulls out of the cellar.

Now obviously this wide disparity of people can be found at other sporting events but due to the lack of popularity of horse races the amount of physical separation between the people is rather small. It is so much fun just looking from north to south to east to west. One never know s who their eyes and engagement will bump into.

The horse races themselves were a blast. My father had asked me earlier in the week if I was interested in going. I excitedly said "yes" (This pleased my mother immensely as it excused her from a undesired attendance at the horse races). In addition they were offering $1 beer and $1 hot dogs. You could stick me in a room with an empty wall and a chair and if you give me $1 beer and hot dogs I would have a blast… But this event included horse races. It would be impossible to not have fun.

One of the very enjoyable aspects to the horse races is the opportunity to make lots of money. My father loves studying the horses and the race sheets. His favorite type of bet is to choose one horse as a winner and then choose a combination of 3 horses to get an exacta. An exacta is when a person chooses 3 horses. These 3 horses must get first and second place in any order for the person to win the exacta bet.

We got there at about 1230 pm and left at 5 pm. At the end of the day I had lost 3 dollars. My father on the other hand had made a profit of $82. One of my father's favorite things to say is "they owe me money". Well today he was able to happily walk out of there stating "they still owe me money but at least they paid me some of it".

This is a picture of my dad studying the horse races so they can pay him his money.

While we were there we bumped into a good friend of mine and his family. They invited us to sit in their box with them. It only made the experience that much better.

This is my dad and me with the Stephens Family