Iron Mountain Memorial Day Hike 2009

I create some overlays using Google Earth (I love that program), that shows the path I took today on my hike up Iron Mountain in Poway. The path I took up Iron Mountain today was shorter than one I took last year but longer than the usual trip up. From the trail head, follow the red line to the purple line. The purple line is a short-cut that merges with the Ellie Lane trail (in red), which connects to the IM main trail and the junction. Then I took the blue line to the top and back to the trail head. Be warned, the short-cut was very steep and narrow in places. I was worried about rattle snakes, since May is peak rattle snake season they say.

The short-cut was nice because I encountered only three other hikes on the trail. The main path had 100's of hikers. It was also more scenic, with ponds, ducks and small groves of trees.



Small grove of tress. Taking this path also added more elevation gain. Because you have to hike over a ridge at 2400 feet and then down to the junction at 2000 feet, the total elevation gain is about 1500 feet instead of 1000 feet. The end result is a big blister on my left big toe. And more calories burned.

Ducks. The path I took added 1.5 miles to the hike, making the hike about 7.5 miles. It took about 2 1/2 hours total.

Me at the top of Iron Mountain. Only a few other people at the top by the time I summited. Most of the families with kids must have started hiking earlier and were off the mountain by 3 PM.

Clear but hazy day. Good view of San Diego none-the-less. Plus, the air was cool and refreshing.

No Doubt Video

Again, No Doubt sounded as good as ever. They played nothing but their hits, since they are not promoting a new album.

Paramore Live

Too bad the audio is so distorted. Paramore sounded great.

Paramore Concert Photos

Paramore opening for No Doubt

Paramore opened for No Doubt and put on a great show.

No Doubt Concert - Best of my Photos

No Doubt - Best of Photos

Great show last night. We had third-row seats right in the center. No Doubt and Gwen sounded better than ever. The opening act, Paramore, was also very good. I might buy their album from iTunes today. Talk about marketing! I'll post some videos I took last night soon.

Video at top of Oakzanita Peak

This time I made sure the video setting was set to high resolution. I know it is hard to hear me talk with the wind blowing, but what counts is the 360 degree view of San Diego.

Oakzanita Peak Hike

Yesterday I went on a hike with three friends. We hiked to the top of Oakzanita Peak which is located in the Cuyamaca Mountain Range. The trail-head is at 4000 feet and the peak at 5050 feet, with a 5.5 mile round trip. The trail is pretty well maintained and never very steep. It was still somewhat green and there was water flowing in the small creek you have to step over near the bottom. This trail was way less crowded than others, partly because it is located on the edge of the park. We only saw five over hikers on the trail. Overall the hike too three hours, but we spent about 20 minutes at the summit. It was warm, but there was a nice breeze to cool you off. The view was excellent, but because there was fog near the coast you could not see the ocean. On a clear day you can see much more I was told.

On the way down we encountered three hikers headed up. At first I didn't think it was strange that they asked if there was anyone else on the trail, but later we began to wonder why they wanted to know. At first I said the other hikers looked like mountain men because on had a beard. But pretty soon the story grew and we said they were hillbillies with chainsaws looking to sacrifice some unsuspecting hiker. It made for a good laugh.

On the drive back home, one of the Marks wanted to stop in Alpine to fill a jug with been from the Alpine brewing company. I had never heard of this brewery, and while we were there they gave us a free sample. I had the Captain Stout which I liked. Mark filled his jug with the Bad Boy double IPA. Later we drank a pint of this 8% alcohol and it was definitely a double IPA. For lunch we ate at Casa De Pico in La Mesa, the restaurant that used to be located in Old Town San Diego. I had the fish enchalada with rice and been, plus a strawberry margarita. A great after-hike meal. By the time I got home I was exhausted and took a short nap. I felt like I already had a full day. The hiking and eating and spending time with friends took my mind of the nightmare I face at work every day. Now I'm looking forwards to a four-day weekend next week.

Star Trek Series 5 Action Figures

Another big box on my door step meant my eight new Star Trek action figures arrived! However, upon further examination, Diamond Select Toys sent some of the wrong figures. I did get the four Series 5 TNG figures, but instead of the four DS9 Series 2 figures, I get three of the TNG Series 3 figures, which I already have. So I just sent an e-mail off to them and I know they will fix this problem because Diamond Select Toys is good company.


I have Ro Laren figures from previous releases, but this figure is one of the better.


My first Nurse Ogawa, and I must say, not a very good job on the face! I don't know how the actress could have approved this figure.


Nothing much to say about Dr. Beverly Crusher from Nemesis. A good likeness of her.