Mt Baldy Skiing

Have you ever heard anyone say that you can surf and snowboard on the same day in Southern California? Well, it's true and I know people who actually do it. And even though I'm not a surfer, Saturday I did my own combo of multi season activities that made for a completely random yet fantastic day.

Saturday morning Rob and I headed up to Mt. Baldy (about 1 1/2 hours east of LA) to snowboard and ski. Prior to moving to LA I was a very avid skier. Between this and that, plus a few other excuses, I haven't made it up a mountain to ski in about 4 years. So I was excited, yet really nervous, wondering if skiing was like riding a bike, do you never forget how to do it? So after being told repeatedly by Rob that "No, I did not need 4 layers, a ski jacket and long johns," I put on my ski pants donned a sweatshirt and was ready to find my ski legs again.

Mt San Antonio (commonly known as Mt Baldy) is the highest peak (10,068 ft) in the San Gabriel mountains and the highest point in LA County. Many people go there to not only ski but hike, boulder and cycle the steep grade. Rob and I both agreed as we zoomed past the cyclers that we could think of about 100 things we would rather do than cycle up that mountain. Anyways, the further we drove the more snow we could see and the more baffled I got knowing I just left 70 degree weather in west LA.

After getting all checked in, Rob (the avid snowboarder) and me (the skier coming out of retirement) took to the slopes for a few hours in the snow. Since winter has been fairly dry this year not many slopes were open but it was still nice to find my ski legs again and realize I still have it! We skied enough for me to renew my desire an have a taste for more soon!

Afterwards, we headed back down Mt. Baldy and decided to hang around Rancho Cucamonga and have dinner with some friends that night. We had a few hours to kill so we decided to hit some golf balls at the driving range thus completing the second part of our multi -seasonal activities.

All in all it was a great day to be a Californian!

La Jolla: Torrey Pines

Last weekend, my good friend Lindsey visited from Portland. She works for Hilton hotels and recently won a overnight stay at The Hilton Hotel at Torrey Pines in La Jolla. She invited me and a couple of others girls to share this prize with her and also celebrate her birthday.

La Jolla is one of my favorite retreats from the city. Nicknamed the Jewel City, La Jolla is a affluent seaside resort community, occupying 7 miles of curving coastline within the northern limits of San Diego (which I affectionately call the promised land). La Jolla boasts of rugged coastline, sandy beaches and a host of wild seals.

Specifically, our hotel sat on the Torrey Pines golf course which plays host to the PGA tour (which was there the weekend prior to our arrival). Two golf courses sit on this property making Torrey Pines a total of 36 holes. An interesting fact is that the golf course has remained public over the years but it is highly sought out. To maintain public continued access to the course, on weekends, golfers arrive as early as 6pm the prior night to get in line for the first come/first serve tee times given out at sunrise.

We didn't play golf and I wish we had more access to the course (being the daughter of a driving range owner, it peaked my interest) but nevertheless it was incredible to even overlook such a famous golf course.

Our overnight retreat was short but it was fabulous. A sign I found at a wine bar we visited while there summed it up nicely: Good Friends, Good Wine, Good Times.