Brief Trip Report: Puerto Rico 2009

Sorry for the delay with the Puerto Rico report. In brief, there was some airport excitement with the weather that the east coast was experiencing. Canceled flights, delays, etc. In the end of it all Nicole and I as well as the rest of the family arrived safely in Puerto Rico.

group shot on the back porch, complete with 4 hammocks and an ocean view

The house was literally on the beach and high tide waves occasionally hit the basement walls.

view from the rooftop looking away from the ocean

Nicole and I spent a day in Old San Juan. It reminded us of Old Town Pasadena in some ways. Of course in others...it was nothing like it.

looking between fortress walls onto an ocean-side cemetery.

great art museum that we checked out

flags in Old San Juan


Old San Juan at night

much of our food was prepared at the house courtesy of Mr. Special, a local supermarket.

One of the days a group of us went hiking in Maricoa State Forest while another group hit up the zoo and some local shopping. During the hike the rain threatened but held off. There were many different kinds of trees, birds, and plants - some of which are not found anywhere else in the world.

ranger station at the park entrance


Nicole peaks over the top of a huge stone tower on top of one of the mountains

the first leg of our trip home we were upgraded to First Class!

greeted home with a sunset over Los Angeles

I think I took around 450 photos, so this is just a glimpse. I may post a couple more here and there. I hope that you all had safe and fun holidays. Happy New Year to all.

4am

We got up at 4am to drive across Puerto Rico, drop off the rental car,
and catch our flight to Atlanta...then LA. We are at SJU airport and
through security. That's a good start.

On waves and trails...

Got out on the boogie boards today. You can't tell from this photo but
the waves were brutal. Tomorrow we hit a nearby beach that is supposed
to have great waves to ride. The family is healthy and having fun.
Time for burritos. Happy holidays to all.

p.s. I used google earth to find some farm roads and dirt trail
nearby. It made for a hot, humid, wonderful run.

Old San Juan

After another airline scare that Nicole might not make it due to more
flight complications, she has arrived. I picked her up earlier today
and we visited Old San Juan. The picture in this post was taken during
a cliff bar break at the fort. When we get back to LA I'll post more
pics of the whole trip.

Snow. Run. Fly.

My flight out of LAX left an hour late. My connecting flight changed
gates and concourse. I ran 30 gates and one concourse away and am now
on my plane. Lots of snow in DC. I don't miss it. Slept about 45
minutes total. That will be about all I get now that I'm on EST. Next
stop. San Juan.

LAX

I am waiting for my red eye flight at LAX. Nicole's flight out of
Hartford was cancelled due to weather but she was able to get one the
following day thanks to her mom and no thanks to the airline.

Winter Blues...Nope.

drying out the footwear

It rained pretty good late last week and on the weekend. Well...good for southern California anyway. The steep trails turned into temporary raging creeks. It was pretty cool.

Update for the 2009 trail running goal.
1085.9 miles of California mountains
349 days
3.11 miles per day (average)
16 days remain
45.6 miles remain

Under 50 miles to go? No problem...even though next week will likely be more about surfing and relaxation than logging miles.


Oh yeah, I may have forgotten to mention...Nicole and I are celebrating the holiday with her family...in Puerto Rico. No doubt there will be some excellent photos and stories to follow.

Flow...

Wow. This takes me back to my BMX days as a kid, but I never did anything like this. Also, nice touch having a great tune by Band of Horses in the background. Seriously, check out the first minute and a half of this video...then get pulled in to the rest. The bike becomes a fluid extension of the rider Danny's body and even the surroundings become part of the bike. He is truly in his element.

Walk Alaska...

Andrew Skurka is planning a new adventure. He will do a long distance backpacking loop. In Alaska. 4,500 miles long. Details are on his site. While you are there check out the Great Western Loop and the Sea to Sea Route. This guy is all about epic adventure. He was an excellent resource in planning my gear and technique for the Appalachian Trail thru-hike.