Great weekend!

[cjsmith]

This past weekend's surprise destination was Hearst Castle. Wow, people sure knew how to do "rich" in those days. I waaaaaannnnt that indoor swimming pool and several of the ceilings from the guest houses, too.

There's nothing to do in Cambria/San Simeon after Hearst Castle closes except eat. So we ate. :-) Intended to go walk on the beach in the moonlight afterward, but I had had just a little too much of the yummy Chianti for that.

Sunday we drove up the coast and did two hikes. The first one was just over an hour long, though the book said two hours. I had my heart rate monitor on. I put a LOT of weight in my fanny pack in an effort to help keep my heart rate up. What it did instead was give me a raw spot just above my tailbone, where the fanny pack ground the four-way jeans seam into my skin as I jumped and skipped around. That fanny pack is definitely not designed for that much weight. It helped with the heart rate, but now I know I need to use a real pack for that sort of thing.

My knee was twinging, so we opted out of any more longish hikes. My cardio fitness will be all right. I don't want to lose any more stability in that knee.

The second hike was a short scramble over some rocks to see a lovely waterfall, just north of the county border. Before we went to the trailhead, Rob recognized the adjacent hairpin turn on Highway 1 as a place where a semi had once been lodged in the ravine on the downhill side. We crossed the street to look, but the truck had been removed. On the way back across, Rob stumbled and fell. I had a bad moment as I tugged on his arm -- there was a CAR COMING around a BLIND CURVE and he wasn't STANDING UP YET -- but fortunately it wasn't even close, just scary for a moment. He's got a scrape the size of a half dollar on his knee, all the way down to the dermis. Bled like the dickens. Thank goodness for first aid kits and gauze.

Once that was doctored up, we picked our way through poison oak and over some slippery boulders to the base of the waterfall. It was gorgeous, multiply-braided and mossy and tall. I do love waterfalls. I managed to get all the way around the pool at its base and stick my hands in the flow of water. This was made difficult by the fact that I was clothed and therefore didn't want to swim. Some almost-teenage kids were having a wonderful time splashing around. It's amazing how much fun I can have just by watching THEM have fun.

Then a quick snack at Ragged Point and the drive back home. I played C4 tapes in the car to quiz myself. Lee Kopman called a tip boring enough that even I could have danced it. It's nice to know that the most basic of the basic stuff is now approachable. Wow, the light at the end of the tunnel.

Comments

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Good ideas, thanks! Fortunately, I have a backpack that works well for me -- I simply didn't think ahead to bring it.

I've wanted a Vest Of Pockets for a long time, but the smallest one I've ever seen will collapse around my feet as my entire body passes through the neck hole. Next lifetime, I SWEAR I will come back as a real human.

[lkeele.livejournal.com]

Nope, sorry, you're not allowed to trash talk CJ in my presence. You're not only a real human, you're a fabulous one, with a body that's kept you going this long! :)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Well, ok, I was exaggerating a LITTLE bit. The vests fall as far as my hips and kind of wedge there. All right, I admit it, now I'm just being silly... :-)

Re:

[lkeele.livejournal.com]

Trade ya too-big clothes for too-small clothes! :) I can't find cover-alls that actually reach my ankles to save my life!! Guess I should check out the farmer store, eh?? :)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Definitely! Are you one of those "lucky" women who's tall enough that nothing will be long enough in the leg unless it's men's clothes?

Re:

[lkeele.livejournal.com]

Yup, that's me all right. Some times I can find a pair of pants that fits for about a month, then it shrinks too short. :P

[wcg.livejournal.com]

Buy one you like, in a size that's as close to you as you can find. Send it to me with your measurements, and I'll cut it down for you. Gratis. Guaranteed one month turnaround. If you decide to take me up on this, let me know and I'll tell you exactly which measurements I need.

Alternatively, you might ask britgeekgrrl if she'd be willing to make you a custom vest. She's in your area, and impresses me as a pretty accomplished seamstress.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Thank you -- many thanks -- although I should just get off my sorry butt and do my own alterations. My sewing machine needs a serious overhaul and once it gets it, there's only one project in the queue right now (a pair of quilty wall-hangings).

I should meet britgeekgrrl. She's a friendfriend through more than one path, I think...

[(Anonymous)]

Ah, was wondering if you just didn't have time for cloth-hacking anymore or what (or just didn't have theater connections anymore.) The ranger vest is a pretty basic design, I'm actually thinking of doing a custom one of my own with a set of pockets that match the load I carry in it. (Most stuff fits, but a custom pocket for the monocular and some of the tools would be a win...)
There don't seem to be any military-surplus places in Cambridge anymore, that's where I've gotten mine in the past (could never bring myself to mail order one, none of the online places have enough detail on the *important* bits, like where the pockets hang, and which you can reach from where, and how well the shoulders redistribute weight....) _Mark_