The Early Bird and the Old Dog

DAY ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY NINE

After last night's late night moonlight hike, I got to bed really late. Then at six a.m. this morning my eye's opened and I was wide awake. Don't ask me why; it doesn't happen very often. The wife noticed that I wasn't snoring as I normally would be at this time of day and suggested I go for my hike. I thought it a good idea especially since the temperature was 71º, perfect.

As I start out the sun is very low on the horizon--causing me to cast a long shadow--and there's a slight breeze. It is actually cooler this morning here than it was the other day in Newport Beach.

It is a beautiful time of day even if I normally don't ever see it.

I am tempted to take the trail to the right but I still have some sleeping to do. After I finish this morning I am planning on going home and hitting the sack.

After heading up the trail a bit, I drop down in the canyon for a nice little loop that I did a couple months ago. I enjoyed it then and I especially enjoy it on this cool morning.

Someone has been here since my last visit and built this little monument.

The little canyon narrows and I keep my eye open for snakes. Thankfully, there are none.

Toward the end I go a different way than the last time I came and see this big pile of boulders. I would imagine there's some work planned on the flood control catch basin. While the desert is dry the vast majority of the time, it is known for cataclysmic storm that can cause incredible damage.

As can be seen by the erosion of this channel. This area was once completely filled in and there is now a gap here that is up to twelve feet deep. I hope we get some storms later this summer because I'd like to see what happens here during a flash flood. Of course, I'll be watching it safely from higher ground.

I had a very pleasant little outing this morning and as the temperatures really heat up in the next couple months I may have to consider becoming a temporary morning person. Of course, after my hike I went home and slept for another couple of hours. This old dog can't change his ways overnight

Minimum Day

January 4, 2009

Day Four

Today I worked all day and it was crazy.  We are undergoing a couple of major renovation projects and it's a mess.  Everything is out of place and doing even the smallest thing is a major undertaking. 

I'm so glad I went on a hike this morning before work. The peace of mind one gets from even a short little walk in the wild is transformative to a person's attitude.

This morning  I went for a hike up to an area where our town's water supply used to come from. It hasn't been there for years but the remnants of the road and some of the old pipes are still there.  You can see the pipes on the left.

There were some palms but since the water tank has been removed they've all died and only the trunks are left.

A couple of doves enjoy the morning with me.

A peaceful city sleeps below.

Even though this morning's hike lasted only 32 minutes--just over my minimum time for a hike--the peacefulness of it lasted all day and helped me deal with the chaos we had at work.  I can't think of any better way to start a day.

Ring In The New

I was up before dawn this morning to do my first hike of the new year.  I thought it would be great to bring in the new year watching the sun come up on 2009.  I think it was great but I'm not really sure because I'm still not quite awake.  And I don't want this feeling of weariness to pass so I'll write about my adventure later.  Right now, I'm going back to bed