Chicago

Thanks to Rockwell, I got to take a trip out to Chicago this weekend for the DEW Tour. I'd never been to Chicago before, but I'd heard a lot of good things, so I was excited. Unfortunately I was working most of the time, so I didn't have much of a chance to do many touristy things, but I was able to check a few things out.

Timmy G, our CFO played a pretty good trick on me. He told me public transit was the way to go in Chi-town and I totally fell for it, so he didn't rent me a car. I wish I had a picture of myself logging some serious mileage hauling my OGIO 9800 (great bag, by the way) though the city, but I was way too tired to even think of it. I had to bring a bunch of product to set up our booth, so the weight in addition to 90 deg + heat and maxed out humidity left me hammered after 3 days.

I will say this, public transit in Chicago is really good. If I were there just to hang out, I'd be all about it. But when you're toting the entire contents of a booth, you gotta have a car. Don't tell my boss, but there was no way I was hauling all that stuff back to my hotel, so I left probably close to $15,000 worth of watches completely unattended in my booth overnight. Luckily no one stole them. Unluckily there was a torrential rainstorm right after I left (which I got caught, and soaked, in) that got most of my shirts wet, ruining a few. I was, however, still able to sell them all the next day, minus the ruined ones of course.

All in all it was a great trip. My flights were interesting. I had the polar opposites in flight attendants on each trip. Heading out to Chicago I had a beautiful Australian flight attendant who came and sat next to me and chatted most of the way. She was amazing. If anyone knows the hot Aussie flight attendant that works for American Airlines and lives in Chicago, tell her to freaking call me.

On my way back I had a total doucher for a flight attendant. He got mad at me on two separate occasions and took his job way too seriously. Just because my bag isn't all the way under the seat in front of me doesn't mean I'm a threat to national security. I'm kind of tall. My legs have to go somewhere.

But all-in-all it was a fun trip. I definitely want to go back soon to just check out the city. Hopefully I'll make it back this fall, once it has cooled off a bit.

Mt. Olympus - Salt Lake City, UT

Seriously, don't do this hike. It's brutal.

You sure? You really want to? This is masochism at it's best. To get here you take the 4500 South exit off of I-215 in Salt Lake and then head south on Wasatch Blvd about 1.5 miles until you see a sign that reads "Mt. Olympus Trailhead" on the east side of the street. That's where the fun begins.

Don't let the first mile or so of meandering pathways through meadows and rocky outcroppings fool you. This trail really bares it's teeth at the very end. You'll know you're about to be punished once you reach the small creek that runs at about the half-way mark of the ascent.

You'll spend the next couple of hours on a thin trail through dense foliage. The climb is steep and unrelenting. The hike boasts a 7 mile trip out and back. You'll climb over 4000 feet in just 3.75 miles. Maybe it was just because I was getting more and more tired, but it seems to get continually steeper as you climb.

If I haven't scared you off yet, I will say this. It is beautiful. Once you get far enough up to escape the dull roar of the freeway, the arid landscape gives way to a lush and dense forest. This summit is no joke either. From the top you can see the northern part of Utah Lake over Point of the Mountain, as well as the majority of the Great Salt Lake. This would be an amazing view at night, but I don't recommend setting out for a sunset summit, as the terrain to the peak is very steep and somewhat treacherous. A misstep in the dark would likely lead to a long and deadly fall. During the day you'll be fine, just exercise caution and remember to keep three points of contact while climbing.

I was in no shape to being doing something like this (I actually had no idea what I was getting myself into when I started) but I was still able to make it. It took me about 4 hours to summit and about 2.5 to descend. Unless you hike a lot and are in pretty decent shape, be prepared for a beating. When you feel like giving up and turning back, just keep going until you really think you can't go any further. By that point you should be close enough to the summit that you'll convince yourself you might as well finish.

I'm not going to lie, I spent the last part of the ascent telling myself I should turn around. While the decent was faster, it was no less punishing. I spent the entire time cursing myself for not turning back. In the end though, it was worth it. I got back to my car and was amazed that I was even able to do it. Hopefully I keep this up and I can look back at this blog in a few months and laugh at what a wuss I was, because I was seriously pushed to my limit on this hike.

Bring lots of water. I packed 2 liters in my CamelBak and ran out on the summit. The water I left in my car was no less than 100 degrees, but the 7-11 down 45th South was selling ice cold Gatorade two for $3. Delicious.

If you think you're up for it, I say go for it. At the very least you'll end up with some seriously sore legs and a healthy sense of accomplishment.

Hike to Mary's Lake

I'm on a quest to experience some of Utah's grandeur. I've spend over 5 years here in this great state, but I've really only been to a few places. I found a great website cleverly called Utah.com that has a pretty good list of different hikes. I looked for something that would be decently strenuous, but not too hardcore. Also I wanted something accessible. Mary's Lake was the winner. The description on the website says the trailhead is at the back of the Brighton parking lot, marked by a marquee with trail info, but after about 30 minutes circling the area in my car and using my phone's GPS, I figured out the trailhead is actually right next to the lift ticket office. I didn't see any marquee other than the resort map.


Yeah. Pretty obvious.
I didn't expect there to be as much snow as there was. A lot of the trail was like this:

But really, most of it looked like this:


Mary's lake was the first stop on this hike, about 1.5 miles (I'm guessing) from the trailhead. The trail continues on to Martha Lake and then further on to Catherine Lake, which apparently is the best of the three. Because of the amount of snow still on the ground, I only made it as far as Mary's. I actually lost the trail on the way up and just cut my way through the trees to find the lake and ended up coming in around on the back side. It would have been hard to find my way any further up.
Here's a few photos of Mary's Lake.

Mary's is actually a reservoir for Salt Lake water, so there's a man-made dam.





I did a bit of fishing, but after an hour or so without so much as a nibble, I gave it up. I'm going to go back in a couple of months when all the snow has melted off so I can make it all the way up to Catherine's.

Mary, Margaret, and Catherine Lake Hike
Recommended time of year - Late July - September
Accessibility - Very easy
Difficulty of Hike - Pretty easy, even in the snow
Length - Reported at 4 miles out and back, but I'm not sure if that's accurate
Level of Awesomeness - Mary's lake was actually pretty cool. I'd like to see Catherine's
Money - Parking is free at Brighton, no access fees
Fishing - I really have no idea if there are even any fish in the lake...
Crowd Factor - There were quite a few people at Mary's, even with the poor trail conditions. I bet it's pretty crowded once the snow is gone. I'm not sure how many people would make it all the way to Catherine's though.

My Rating (1-10) - 7 - Great day hike, especially if you only have a few hours.

Holiday Top 5

Alright, so Christmas is behind us, New Years is just around the corner. I figure it's time for a Holiday Top 5 list..

#5 - Going somewhere warm

Living in Salt Lake City is cold. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. I actually love the snow, wearing jackets and beanies, and winter-time activities, but coming to San Diego for a few days and wearing shorts in December is wonderful. I'm taking a two week vacation this year.

#4 - Shopping Online

Holiday traffic, both on the roads and in the stores, freaking blows. I'm glad I jumped on the online shopping bandwagon a few years ago. No headaches, just a little planning ahead.

#3 - Drift racing

I love it when I don't have to be somewhere by a certain time and there's snow on the roads. It's the one time that my 9 year old 4Runner becomes a rice rocket. Don't be surprised to see me completely sideways on the road as I drift past Paul Walker and Vin Diesel on my way to glory.

#2 - Trust funds

Okay, so maybe I don't have one, but I kind of feel like it this week. I am doing absolutely nothing, but I'm still getting paid. This is the first time I've had a job that gives me paid time off, and I'm milking it and blowing it all while I sit around my parents house. I feel like a king.

#1 - Cookies

Christmas joy, spirit of giving, love unto your fellow man, yadda yadda yadda. That stuff is great and all, but the real spirit of Christmas is cookies. My mom just made some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies that would melt your face with their deliciousness.

Audiophile

I recently made two resolutions.

1. Stop stealing music.
- I'm going to actually buy music rather than download it. I decided this for two reasons. One of the reasons is my 2nd resolution, the other is for honesty's sake.

2. Stop listening to downgraded music.
- Okay, so this is kinda nerdy, but once you start, you can't go back. .Mp3's are compressed versions of CD quality audio files. They basically chop a big chunk of the sound spectrum off each end and just give you the meat of the music. Most people don't notice the difference, but I do.

I've started ripping all my music in Apple Lossless format, and the sound quality really is a whole lot better, especially through a semi-decent pair of headphones. You'll hear things in songs that you've never noticed before if you do it. The music is much fuller.

The downside? File size. A full album in lossless is around 300mb.

The other downside? I didn't realize how many of my favorite albums I've never actually owned, or bands for that matter. I've never bought a single CD by Brand New, who is quite possibly my favorite band... Weird. I've got a lot of music to buy.

I just can't stop...

So I have a little problem...

The other day I was perusing the local Barnes and Noble and there was the most soothing and happy music playing over the sound system. I had never heard it before, but it sounded a whole lot like Mr. Ben Gibbard from Death Cab For Cutie and The Postal Service. I thought maybe it was a new album spawned from his genius. Seriously, everything that guy touches is gold (including his fiance).

After a little while a nice lady came over the PA and announced that we were listening to Owl City's new album "Ocean Eyes."

I had heard of these guys (or guy, I should say. It's just one dude) on the interweb, but had never listened to them. I went back to the music section to check it out. It was about $15, so being the cheapskate I am, I went over to FYE and picked it up for $9.99 (No, I didn't download it on limewire, I don't do that anymore.)

Anyway. I can't stop listening to it. It's quickly climbing the charts in my iTunes most played list... If you like happy, slightly cheezy, synth based music with vocals by a guy who sounds a lot like Ben Gibbard, you should check it out.

If you're into Metallica and like to rip the heads off of stuffed animals for fun, well, go listen to it anyway. I might calm you down a bit.

Being a kid again.

So the nerd in me totally geeked out the other day when I randomly came across this:

That's right. It's the Collectors Edition LEGO Millennium Falcon. It's only about $630 on Amazon.com.
I'll be honest, I want it. The only problem is, there is no way for me to justify getting something like this. There are a lot of better ways to spend $630. Nobody is going to be impressed with my $630 collectors edition Millennium Falcon. I really just can't pull it off.

I was thinking about how lame it is that I'm not allowed to be into all the stuff I was when I was a kid when I came up with the perfect solution.

I don't have to be a kid to play with kids toys, I just have to have a kid to play with. It's genius. I can "be a good dad" and buy my kid stuff that I secretly just want to play with.

Things like:



And



So get over here baby mama, and let's do this thing.

Oh, and it had better be a boy.