What is this Disc Golf you speak of?

My disc and shirt match!

How does one go about explaining disc golf? Well, it is like golf except it lacks the etiquette and “prestige” of regular golf. But do not become alarmed, as these characteristics have been replaced by more pleasurable characteristics. For one, rather than feeling constantly on edge of breaking some rule the disc golfer will find himself sharing pleasant conversations with other disc golfers whom he has never met. These conversations range from “how you shooting?” to “what’s your dog’s name?” (yes you can bring dogs) to even the occasional “Want a beer?”

bunch of dudes playing some disc golf.

It is impossible to explain disc golf without comparing it to golf. There similarities are as a like as there differences are different. For one, both games use the “par” system where a player is trying to get it into a hole within a certain amount of shots. But with disc golf a disc is used while with golf a ball is used. In Golf the players attempt to get the ball in a hole in the ground while in disc golf the player attempts to get the disc into a chained basket that is above ground. In Golf, silence is more important than breathing. In Disc golf massive amounts of silence would just make for unnecessary awkward silence.

There is a constant tension and frustration I feel when I play golf. There is a constant relaxation and an “oh well” type of attitude when I play disc golf. For me, golf is perpetually painful. Even, when I make a great shot I am still stuck with the ever present anxiety of “I still have another shot” yet with disc golf there is the ever present excitement of “Can I do something awesome with this shot?”

Me next to the basket that you have to make the disc in.

When I make a lousy shot in disc golf I simply shrug my shoulders and move forward. When I make a lousy shot in golf I must listen to my peers explain the miniscule details which lead to the massive error in my shot.

Though both games could be simply summed up with “put that thing in there” I find one incredibly enjoyable while the other flat out painful.

We all define “making it” in life in a different way. The day I hold my first “business meeting” on the disc golf course I will “have made it”…

Let me sum it up with this simple analogy. If Golf were a woman I would go against all the lessons I have learned in my life. I would go ahead with my impulse and kick it really hard in the shin! If Disc Golf were a woman I would take it on a date and even pay for her when she ordered the expensive salmon on the menu!

In Places Where Gnomes Live

A-W-E-S-O-M-E!!!

Today we went on a hike up in the Clairmont Hills. Don’t ask me where in the hills because I have no idea. I simply followed the person in front of me.

By “we” I mean Mari (my sister), Drew (my friend) Lindsey (also my friend), and myself. We started the hike into what looked like an elaborate entrance to a backyard. Then before I knew it we were in the midst of the forest.

Left to right: Drew, Lindsey and Mari.

If gnomes exist this is where they live. It’s hard to explain this. It’s just as I walked around I kept thinking to myself “if I was a gnome, this is where I would live”. There may be some flaws in my logic.

this is after i beat up Drew.

The element that fascinated me the most was the constant changing scene of the environment. We started on a road, went to a small paved path, to the forest, back to a residential area, and back to a different forest.

beginning of hike

In what can only be called an episode of all cosmic greatness Drew and Lindsey had brought “The Chicken Sandwich From Betty’s”. This is the most awesome sandwich ever created in all of the universe. We ate that as we sat in the forest.

middle of hike

In a perfect world our lunch would have been peaceful and pleasant. But this is not a perfect world. As I whipped my torso to the left  to double check where my water was I clumsily dropped my remaining chicken sandwich to the dirt. An adult tempter tantrum would have been a totally acceptable response to this horribly tragic event.

Near end of hike

Luckily for me Drew and Lindsey communicated to me the exact words I needed to hear: “Dirt don’t hurt”. All I thought was lost had been saved. I picked up the sandwich, took my time removing the dirt, and finished it.

Super totally hecka totally not lying awesome hike!

Warriors Game + Contradictory Perspectives + Crazy Guy=Awesome!

Steph Curry

Tonight I went with my sis to the Warriors basketball game.  This was the first professional basketball game I have attended. How was it? A-W-E-S-O-M-E only begins to explain it. Basketball players are incredible athletes. They flow with such grace. They even “sit down” in a cool way.

Me and Ms. Mar

My sister is not near the basketball fan I am but she had a positive attitude and found entertainment in the atmosphere. Our dialogue probably would have been rather comical to an outsider.  She would point out her observations in all areas in the court except stuff going on in the court. I, being the complete contradiction, notice nothing in the environment and put all my focus on the court.

We both continually failed (though attempted) to welcome the other into each of our worlds. She attempted to point out things to me while I virtually at the same time explained what was happening on the court. The end results: I now know where a Budweiser sign is in the audience and my sister might know a few new names of some warriors players. All said and done I can confidently say we had a great time.

If you look closely you can see the warriors post game guys.

We sat right behind “super crazy coked out guy”. Let it be known that this is an observation that Mari made (as she was the “environment observer”). Also this is merely speculation. Here is what led us to this conclusion: 1) He got up to go to the bathroom at least 5 times. 2) When his partner was not present he spent the entire time standing (consequentially blocking our view), walking back and forth, and yelling at the players. 3) He got into an argument with the “It’s It” vendor about the price of the delectable desert. 4) He informed the small child sitting to my right that the “$5.50 you paid for that “It’s It” was a total rip-off”. 5) He later turned around to explain to the small child that the greatest combination in the universe is an “It’s It and coffee”. 6) He did not stop talking the entire game. If he wasn’t “coked out” then I would change his name to “Extremely Poor Boundaries Person”

As for the game, the warriors lost in overtime. All things considered “fun” would be an understatement of epic magnitudes. I think “total awesomeness” will suffice.

Nature our way: Golden Gate Park and a Windy Road

On our way across San Francisco I saw this cartoonish looking winding road. I asked Leanne, “What is that?”. She replied “Oh, that’s the curviest road in the world”… With an introduction like that we had to check it out.

Us driving down the curvy road.

Unfortunately, I was on the phone with my brother getting directions to our next location. I commited the cardinal sin. I was on the phone while seeing a sight for the first time. The thing is that my brother is a human GPS system for San Francisco. He had to get to class so if I didn’t get the directions at that exact time then I’d have been “F’ed”. When I say a human GPS I kid you not. He literally was able to pinpoint our exact point based on the street corners. He then proceeded to identify the upcoming streets by name. It was super duper awesome! I actually would have to say his incredible GPS-esque super human map skill was more impressive than the curvy road. 

Golden Gate Park was the opposite. I was able to give my full attention to it. The nature was a really nice break from the city. There also was a really cool white tower in the midst of the park.

A crazy looking tree in Golden Gate Park

Park’s in cities crack me up. Civillization has spent thousands of years to get out of nature. Now that we have accomplished leaving nature we now have developed nature with certain ramifications. Nature can be peaceful and relaxing. These are qualities we have decided to keep in our gated nature communities (also known as parks). But then Nature also has wild animals that can “F” your day up. This has conveniently been removed. Nature doesn’t have bathrooms or water fountains. We have decided to add these to our nature experiences. As humans we have managed to create a man made nature that incorporates all the good of nature, added in some good from society and then removed the bad of nature... This equals up to total awesomeness.

Leanne laughing about something funny

Coit Tower

Today I went to Coit Tower with my friend Leanne. I headed out via BART and got off at Embarcadero Station. From there Leanne picked me up and after a series of turns and the unavoidable dance with death that all drivers in san Francisco face, we made it to Coit Tower.

This is some of the art on the walls in Coit Tower.

On the outside it was really relaxing and nice. Since it was on the middle of a Friday there weren’t too many people there. Eventually we went inside. There was amazing art all over the walls inside on the bottom floor of the tower. The art portrayed life during this time frame (1933-1934). It was interesting to look at the details of some of the pictures and realize I have no idea what some of the major industries were during that time (even after seeing the art).

The Tower itself was finished around 1933. But some of the art was apparently controversial. Some believed that some of the art pieces inside conveyed communist support. Once these pieces were removed the Coit Tower was open to the public in 1934. 

The Piedmont "Rose" Gardens in Winter

Today I walked to the Piedmont Rose Gardens. It was very quiet and peaceful at the Rose Gardens. I feel like at this time of year calling it a “Rose Garden” could not be further from the truth as there are no roses in it. Looking at all of the Rose bushes without any roses gave an eerie horror movie feeling. 

I walked around for a while and took pictures. It was really quite beautiful. There were trees of many different types. The most common thing I noticed people doing while I was there: working out. People had their tight black spandex on, and they were running up and down the stairs, doing push-ups, and walking their dogs. 

Laying Low in Piedmont

Today, I walked around Piedmont. This is a small city in the Bay Area. It is a very peaceful community. The weather was cool but warm enough to walk around in a short sleeve. I felt real safe as I ventured around on Piedmont avenue (the main street in the area) and checked out the stores. 

It is incredibly green in this area. It is a city that is surprisingly relaxed considering how lively it feels. I enjoyed just walking around and exploring  the area.

I have been here many times before but I have never taken the time to walk around by myself. I was shocked to see the colors in the trees this time of year. The leaves showed fall reds but it is late January. 

While I was walking around  on Piedmont Avenue there was this crazy looking car. I don’t even think it could be called a car. It had written on it “Mog”. What is a Mog? Just look at the picture. However weird it looks it was way weirder in real life. 

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.

1. 

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.