Most everyone has heard of La Jolla, the community of San Diego, also known as the Jewel By the Sea. Well there is a place along the coast in La Jolla called the Children's Pool, and what brings a lot of people to see this area (besides of the beauty of the coast itself) is the 50 or so seals that can be seen laying on the beach here. As most people know, there is not very much of the Southern California coast that has not been taken over by people, so for many this sort of place to see wildlife is quite a novelty.

The reason this area has attracted the seals is that a big sea wall was built many years ago to shelter this part of the beach, which is what makes it desirable for the seals. Well, the problem is that this sea wall was initially built and funded by Ellen Browning Scripps in the early 30s to create a protected place for children to play in the area, since a large part of this area is rocky and has strong currents. Thus the name Children's Pool.

So the problem now is that a Superior Court judge has ruled that this should be given back to the children, for it's original purpose. So now the seals have to go. This has been an issue for many years and has worked its way through the court system, only to have this ruling just the other day.

See this article here http://www.10news.com/news/19581131/detail.html.

My problem with all this is that humans have everything, we have swimming pools and the majority of the rest of the coast. Not to mention how many other cases there are everywhere every day of animals getting screwed by human development. Why are we wasting our time kicking seals off of our beaches? Sure, the "pool" was created with other intentions, but it is one of the few places in a city this size that people, both tourists and locals, young and old, can come see a bit of nature. I say let the seals stay.

Labels: environment, news, San Diego, seals

What is the American Dream?
Photo by hellochris.The other morning on the way to work I was listening to NPR and they were having an interesting discussion about the American Dream. What they were considering was the idea that the American Dream is now outdated in the face of current events and the current state of the economy. It was an interesting discussion and one which I am glad that I caught. And I have to say that I am happy that people are looking for the Next American Dream rather than the old one. I have thought for a long time that the pursuit of the American Dream is making people unhappy, and this conversation really was able to help me put my finger on why.

According the the discussion, there are (or were) four pillars of the American Dream.

• education and the ability for anyone to go to college
• opportunity and mobility
• home ownership
• retirement

The basic premise that they were exploring was that the New American Dream is becoming less about materialism and more about personal freedom. Which to me means choosing to live life as each of us wants to, with less emphasis on what we have and more emphasis on what we do. So the idea of trying to keep up with the neighbors and constant yearning for more "things" is less important, and people can focus on doing and experience rather than accumulating.

But to go back to the four pillars that they discussed, it does seem about time to consider that these all mean very different things than they did when the term "American Dream" was coined in 1931.

I think that education is still very important and should still be something everyone strives for, however the idea that going to college means success is not really accurate anymore. In the age of the technology and the internet, self learning is much easier than it ever was, and college is also a different place than it was 50 years ago. In today's market, having a college education doesn't guarantee much, nor does lacking one keep you from lofty achievement. There are plenty of successfully programmers, entrepreneurs, and multi-millionaires out there that prove that.

Opportunity and mobility, in my mind, are still mostly the same, however again, due to technology and globalization, the game is an entirely different story.

The ideal of home ownership has certainly changed just in the past year. I think it is still part of the dream, but many are reconsidering the lengths that they will go to reach that dream. With rising oil prices, urban sprawl, climate change, and the foreclosure crisis, the way that people approach home ownership is sure to change over the coming years. Some may choose to rent in cities rather than own in the suburbs, some may reconsider where they live to save their commutes, and hopefully many will pass on the McMansions and opt for modest homes that bring them happiness and enjoyment rather than headache and debt.

As for retirement, that should remain a goal, however again in the current economy and with the inevitable demise of the social security system many are having to look at the goals for their future through different eyes. I have been a long time fan of Tim Ferriss, and he goes so far as to challenge the whole notion of retirement, instead suggesting taking mini retirements throughout your life. Certainly the idea of sabbaticals is nothing new, but this could be something more people will consider when they see that their traditional retirement at 65 may not pan out, if it does at all. Enjoying life in younger years may become more important than trying to skimp and save for just the possibility of an easy retirement.

See the NPR American Dream report here.

Labels: 4HWW, 9to5, American Dream, lifestyle, work

I've put up a new page about my travels last October in Tarifa, Spain. Here is an excerpt:


View from top of hotel, looking across Strait
of Gibraltar towards Morocco, Africa and
Atlas MountainsI woke up early after a couple of days in Granada, hopped the bus to the bus station for one Euro, where I then bought a ticket to Algeciras. This is where I thought my trip would get confusing, but it turns out it went quite smoothly. I think it was about 2 hours to Algeciras, and I was a bit nervous since I'd heard that city is nothing but a port city, with a fair amount of shady characters hanging around. But as it turns out it was ok, and I was able to then get an ongoing to to Tarifa -- only a short 30 minute bus ride away. Somehow I missed the first bus, but they run every
half hour so it was ok.


Beach in Tarifa, Spain, Atlantic coastThe ride itself it quite nice, very scenic with rolling green hills and the Atlas Mountains of Morocco in the distance across the Strait of Gibraltar. I was unsure of where to get off the bus, but it seems as though you just ride it as far as it goes into town. From there you really only have 2 ways to go, away from town or towards town. If you walk back the way the bus came from you'll walk directly into the old town area. There are a few hotels outside of the old town, but I found quite a nice hotel right in the center of the old area for 20 euros per night, with shower and even a rooftop patio with views to Africa.

For the most part everything in Tarifa is within walking distance. From where I was located I was able to walk to both coasts (Mediterranean and Atlantic), quite a few bars and restaurants, the ferry terminal that has boats to Morocco, and all the surf shops that are up the road right outside of the the old town. The town itself it pretty small, it seems as though most tourists are either there for the windsurfing or to make the trip to Tangier.

I enjoyed some time on the patio of my hotel, sipped coffee at a bar for breakfast, enjoyed some tapas for dinner, and just wandered around town enjoying the sights. It was a slow and laid back town this time of year, and just relaxing and wandering the coastline and the beach was beautiful. One thing to keep in mind is that this a kite surfing mecca, and for good reason. The winds can blow quite strong on the coast, and since there is not much between the ocean and the town, it can be windy. And while the weather was pleasant, it was not warm enough to spend all day on the beach (for me at least), but the sunsets sure are nice. And it was the first and only sunset I've ever seen over the Atlantic.

And I can't forget to mention what brought me to Tarifa in the first place -- Morocco. In my opinion, there would be no reason to go to Algeciras, which is a larger and more industrial port city. Tangier is a great base city for a day trip or even an onward trip south into Morocco. The ferries run all day (see my post about Tangier for specifics), take only an hour, and the terminal is convenient from anywhere in Tarifa. And upon arrival back in Tarifa there is plenty to do, whether you are looking for food, drink, or just a place to relax.

Read more and see the photos here.

Labels: photos, spain, tarifa, travel

I just got back from my latest adventure this weekend. This one was something totally different from anything I had ever done before. A co-worker of mine had decided a while back that he was going to quit work and move back east. But he was going to ride his bike back. Immediately I liked the idea, but I wasn't ready to ride across the whole country, nor was I in a position to quit my job. So I decided that I would take one week off and ride with him.

As it turned out, we spent a few weeks training before his trip was to begin, though didn't get into the shape that we wanted. The most we had ridden was 32 miles in training, and he was hoping to average 50 a day over the course of his 3 month trip. This was perfectly manageable, considering that he would no doubt get into good enough shape pretty quickly to be able to knock out 100 miles a day. But could we do that the first week, and could I make it to Phoenix in order to get picked up?

Turns out that, yes, we could, and yes, I could.

We left San Diego at 9AM on a Saturday, and I made it into Phoenix by mid afternoon on the following Friday. It ended up being just a little of 400 miles in 7 days, for an average of 57 per day. Not bad considering ascended from sea level up to 4500 feet and back down to below sea level then back up to over 3000 feet over the course of that first week.

Obviously, as I write this I am back home, but he is still out on the road and will remain so for another couple months. All in all it was a great adventure, and one I would certainly welcome again. Which is actually ironic because after a few days I was thinking how I never wanted to get on a bike again, only to be sad to be done when I arrived in Phoenix.

I think the best parts about the trip for me were (obviously to finish, and) the ability to be so self sufficient and also to see people's reactions when they heard what I (and especially my friend) were doing. The fact that you can ride your bike for 400 (me) or 44000 miles (him) with only a few packs of gear and supplies totally breaks some people's view of the way the world works. Some were surprised, some didn't believe it, and others were blown away that such a thing was even possible. Of course there were some who were shocked, but in the same breath thought that it was the coolest thing to be able to do that. I don't live a very non-traditional life, but to be able to open other people's minds once in a while and show them the possibilities that are out there if are for their own life is a good feeling.

If you want the details, following is the breakdown day by day of what we did, and here are the maps, each destination is where we stayed for the night. The sixth day is when my friend and I split ways, he headed north, I to Phoenix.

MAP - First two days

Day 1. San Diego, CA to Alpine, CA
Day 2. Alpine, CA to Jacumba, CA

MAP - Last five days

Day 3. Jacumba, CA to Glamis, CA
Day 4. Glamis, CA to Blythe, CA
Day 5. Blythe, CA to Wickenburg, AZ
Day 6. Vicksburg, AZ to Wickenburg, AZ
Day 7. Wickenburg, AZ to Phoenix, AZ

Questions? Feel free to ask!


Related Links:
Mt Whitney in One Day

Labels: adventure, biking, green travel, travel