See Do Think and Feel

Sandy and I had a scooter date the other night. Grandma and Grandpa hadn't had Sean over since the pandemic began. They've been looking forward to hang out like they used to. His visit with them gave Sandy and I an opportunity to go on a date. I suggested we scooter from Carlsbad to Oceanside, get some ice cream and cruise along the beach. There are several "Rail Trails" that have been established in San Diego. This is just one of them in Carlsbad. These smoothly paved trails make great scooter paths through the city. Found this Big ol Chair on our way to ice cream! Handel's Ice Cream Store  is a well visited local stop. Some of the BEST ice cream ever. The most difficult thing is deciding which flavor to choose from the many unique offerings they have. We found several Geocaches along the way, but sadly didn't get any photos with them. Instead, we present to you this mural of a girl poking a hornet's nest with stick.  We reach Oceanside! Our turnaround sp...

The other day, my family and I hiked around Lake Calavera.  Carlsbad’s Lake Calavera Preserve features wetlands, a lake, coastal sage-scrub, and volcanic Mt. Calavera. This oasis tucked into the suburban sprawl of North County offers satisfying diversity for a hike this brief, as well as a few adventurous moments and surprises on the trail. This 3.2 mile lollipop loop visits the most interesting and attractive features of the preserve. A Geocache Another Geocache Lots of Geocaches in this wilderness area! This Geocache container was in bad shape. Bent and mangled, the lid no longer fit on which meant that water from the next rain wouldn't be kept out. My Leatherman Wave Multitool to the rescue. One of the most useful things I carry. I used the tool to re-shape the cache so that the lid fit on properly once again. Mount Calavera is 513-ft volcanic plug that was created 22 million years ago in what today is now Carlsbad, Ca. A volcanic plug, also called a volcanic neck or lava neck, ...

What do you bring with you when you go scooting? I suppose the answer might depend on the type of scootering you do. On short scoots, all I need is my helmet, my Bluetooth speaker, my wallet and keys, a little water and not much more. On long scootering adventures of many miles, I carry more gear.  I'm going to share 2 strategies that I'm using for those longer treks. The 1st configuration, I've used many times and the 2nd is currently in the primary stages of experimentation and evaluation. Setup #1 Click on any image for a larger view This is what I carry when I go on a "Long Distance Scoot". It's what I carried on my recent 32 mile circumnavigation of Mission Bay. I carry as little as possible and only bring "essentials". Since all of this is attached to my body, I'll be lifting it up and down on EVERY stroke. The lighter the better. 1) A CamelBak backpack with water bladder. It'll hold up to a liter of water and a reasonable amount of gea...

Hoover Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the U.S. states of Nevada and Arizona. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression. The dam impounds Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the United States by volume (when it is full). The dam's generators provide power for public and private utilities in Nevada, Arizona, and California. Hoover Dam is a major tourist attraction; nearly a million people tour the dam each year. We visited the Hoover Dam in September, 2017 as part of our vacation. Walking around the outside provided some spectacular views. In addition, we took a tour of the inside, inner workings of the dam. It was a fascinating, educational tour. Well worth it!  Our next stop was the North Rim of the Grand Canyon The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is 277 miles (446 km) long, up to 18 miles (29 km) wide and atta...