California is one big National Park. In total we have 9 National Parks with varying scenery, from the desert terrain of Death Valley and Joshua Tree, to the Giant Sequoias in King and Sequoia, granite rocks with waterfalls in Yosemite, volcanic rocks of Lassen, and the shores of Point Reyes and Channel Islands. Today we … Continue reading Redwood National Park
Joe has a soft spot for Japanese gardens, and I have a particular fondness for Japanese maple. And what better place to go than to the largest Japanese garden in the US - the Portland Japanese Garden. Entrance to the garden Unlike most gardens, one thing we noticed about this one is the absence of … Continue reading Beauty All Around
Wherever we travel to we try to imagine ourselves living in that place. At the end of the day, we always ultimately decide that Laguna Beach can’t be beat. We joke that in SoCal, the thing you can always count on are sunny days. That lack of precipitation is reflected in our brownish and not-so-pretty … Continue reading Multnomah Wahkeena Trail
My 6-week work stint lasted a grand total of 7 days! The ever efficient government VA failed to submit paperwork to request funding for the month of May. Finally government bureaucracy working in my favor. I am re-retired! How do I let my recruiter know that he can no longer make money off my back … Continue reading Watson & Toketee Falls
After almost a year of retirement, I was hit with a minor bout of existential crisis. I was surprised that it would hit me because I made a point to never let my profession define who I am. I guess more than 2 decades of doing the same thing, one’s profession inevitably becomes part of … Continue reading A Change In Pace
I feel like I’m just planning trips and not going anywhere. The reason why we’ve stayed put the last 4 months was so that I can train for Boston, which is happening next Monday. Unfortunately, a mid-January injury has lingered until now. I have resigned to the fact that 2 decades of marathon training and … Continue reading Third Redemption
Not even a year has passed since getting in the travel rewards game, and I have managed to make 2 redemptions with points and miles I’ve earned through credit cards. The first redemption is a pair of round trip business class tickets to Taiwan on EVA through Membership Rewards. The more recent redemption is a … Continue reading Capital One Miles Redemption
With the Russo-Ukrainian War and persistent inflation, gas prices have skyrocketed this past week. We’re used to the $4/gal price tag here in California, but when prices hit $5+/gal I was forced to make some behavioral changes. Instead of barreling down the 405 HOV lane at 80-90 mph, I am now finding myself in the … Continue reading Unintended Consequences
Faith came to visit this week, and managed to drag my lazy bum out of the house to go whale watching. In the 11 years we’ve been in SoCal, never once did we go whale watching, even though the migrating whales are just off our coastline. Whales migrate down south from their feeding grounds in … Continue reading Pink Floyd
Having been introduced to the miles and points in the past year and a half, I’ve learn quite a bit of travel tips and tricks. Blogs and travel forums are full of acronyms, and one particular one is HUCA, short for Hang Up & Call Again. Essentially what this means is if you don’t like … Continue reading HUCA
When in Miami, eat Cuban sandwich. Despite its name, the Cuban sandwich was invented in Miami. We were told by a native Cuban that this sandwich doesn’t exist in Cuba. The famous Cuban sandwich at Versailles located in Little Havana The rest of the day was spent strolling along the ocean path and Ocean Drive. … Continue reading Sights of Miami Beach
It’s been 2 and a half months since we last traveled. Joe’s perfectly fine staying at home, but I’m getting restless. So, I jumped at the very first chance to fly out to Miami to meet up with Juin without my better half. With the luxury of time, I opted to not fly direct to … Continue reading Transcon Travel
When it comes to traveling I am rather brand agnostic. I will fly with whomever offers me the best value. It doesn’t necessarily mean the cheapest flight, but the best money spent for the best route, schedules, and amenities. With that said, I still make sure to sign up for each respective frequent flyer programs. … Continue reading Miles From The Sky
Since opening the Amex card in April, I have finally made my first Membership Rewards redemption. Transferring 189k points to ANA allowed us to booked our round trip business class seats on EVA between LAX and TPE for next fall. With RT EVA business class seats going for $6,800 per person, I got 7.1 cents … Continue reading First Membership Rewards Redemptions
Ton Ton Katsuya, New Asian BBQ, Eataly, Big Dan Shangxi Taste
The big day is here. I had been thinking of hiking to the Wave for a few years, but never got around to entering into the lottery for a permit until this year. Tried the online lottery twice without success, and finally won the walk-in lottery on our first try. I will admit we were … Continue reading Coyote Buttes North – The Wave
We decided to sandwich an off day in between yesterday’s Angels Landing hike and tomorrow’s Wave hike. Nothing was really planned for today until the very last minute. I had initially thought about doing a short hike at Bryce Canyon, but we changed course at the last minute when we realized that Page is about … Continue reading Horseshoe Bend & Toadstool Trail
Angels Landing is Joe’s favorite trail, and a tie for second for me (the other being Bright Angels in Grand Canyon). Today is our third, and likely final, Angels Landing hike before the lottery permit system takes effect in 2022. It is unfortunate that a permit system needs to be implemented, but due to overcrowding … Continue reading West Rim Trail – Angels Landing & Walter’s Wiggles Viewpoint
We are back at Zion National Park. The thin November crowd makes the park visit much more pleasant. Here’s a view outside our hotel room. Before heading out for any hikes, we had to go to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) office in Kanab to see if we could get lucky with getting one … Continue reading Our Happy Place
BAA announced today that there will be no cut off for the 2022 Boston Marathon. Prior to this, I wasn’t confident that my 2:15 min cushion was good enough to run next year’s race, but looks like I’ve been given a chance to redeem my performance at the 2021 Boston Marathon. Back to training next … Continue reading 0:00
FIRE'd @ 47 