Carlos Almendárez Jr

After 6+ years of living in SF, Sofia and I moved to Walnut Creek, California.

The most common question I get is: why?

So far, I really like Walnut Creek.

Some reasons:

1) Warm weather. Walnut Creek seems to be 10-15 degrees warmer than SF. Being from Los Angeles this feels more like home.
2) Proximity to BART. Since we are right across the street from BART it’s a 40-45 minute BART ride into San Francisco where both of our offices are off BART stations.
3) Cheaper rent. Our combined rent in SF was $2,200+. In Walnut Creek for $1,600 we can get a relatively new apartment with parking, pool, gym etc whereas in SF you live in an old, small place with no parking or amenities.
4) Walnut Creek has tons of open space and access to great cycling.
5) Suburban people. So far everyone has been really nice. Crime seems nonexistent around here and at the risk of sounding like a snob I like the idea of being in a place where I don’t have to worry about those things like I do in larger cities.

Am I deluding myself into thinking Walnut Creek is better than SF? No. I LOVE the city. Since I am in SF Monday - Friday for work I feel I get the best of both worlds.




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Let me start by saying that moving sucks.

This is the before:



Video of the new place finished:











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I am still a part of the Divis up or shut up challenge. The things we do for a free shirt.

http://app.strava.com/activities/7832809

The idea is you run up and down Divisadero from the bottom (Lombard) to the top and do it as many times as you can for 30 minute. So far I’ve been able to get 3 laps.



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I am really struggling with my swimming. I’m not doing a humblebrag here. I can do the bike and run confidently. Not fast, but I can confidently do them. The swimming flat out scares me. I don’t have a swim background and don’t get out to the pool enough like I do the bike and run.

I need to be able to swim 1.2 miles by July 15th and I am not confident that I can do that. I know I can do it but it may take some time. The next month or so will tell whether I pull it off but so far it’s not encouraging.





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Another Mount Diablo ride with some SF Tri friends:



Reads: Sexy men on bikes.



Summit: 3,849 feet.

http://app.strava.com/activities/8887735


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Poker night!

I learned to play poker about a year ago and have really enjoyed meeting up with the guys to play. I’ll be the first to admit that any winning is 90% luck and 10% skill and my 10% skill is very shaky. Half the time I win I’m not sure of it until others let me know. Oh well, winning is winning, right?








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Many moons ago I was working for the Marin Education fund and was a mentor a great young student by the name of Miguel.





This weekend he graduated from the College of Marin. I am very proud to see how far he has come since I first met him through hard work and dedication. I wish him all the best.

My mother was in SF in April. The timing was excellent as El Salvador played Honduras in a world cup qualifier. Sadly, El Salvador lost in a close game but it was a good opportunity for me to spend time with her and dress up in our Salvy jerseys.





Pupusas + soccer = heaven.



Fans celebrate a goal.


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I am skeptical of hype when it comes to openings but Mission Bowling Club is legit and has earned the hype.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/mission-bowling-club-san-francisco

There is bowling, awesome drinks and great food. I don’t mean good food like “yeah, they didn’t f up the burger” good. I mean, actually good food. I believe it was started by the people who did Mission Chinese Food and it certainly shows. Top notch cocktails and top notch food.

We were at Mission Bowling to surprise my buddy Danny for his birthday.













This was the week Instagram was released for Android so we were instagramning everything. Very hipster of us being in the Mission and all.



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The three major mountains in the bay area are:

Mt. Hamilton (4360 feet)
Mt. Diablo (3,864 ft )
Mt. Tam (2,574 feet)

To date I have done Mt. Diablo and Mt. Tam.

I finally attempted to do Mt. Hamilton...and failed. I don’t doubt that I could ride it. Unfortunately what happened was we did 75 miles BEFORE actually climbing Hamilton. The biggest factor that prevented me from finishing was the 85+ degree weather. It doesn’t get that hot in the bay area so I’m not used to riding in that kind of weather.

I failed on so many levels with this ride:
Not enough sleep
Not enough liquids
Too hot
Mechanical failures
Got lost on the ride and added an hour for no reason

What’s more important is that I will one day finish this ride. It just wasn’t my day.

What ended up happening is I got 75 miles in to the base of the mountain and had to stop. I thought I was going to pass out. I was given a ride in a car to the top of the mountain and did the descent so I missed out on 10-15 miles of climbing.

Ride date:

Part 1: http://app.strava.com/activities/7201151

Part 2: http://app.strava.com/activities/7200609



Common sighting if you live with a cyclist: drawer full of bottles.




Long day. Woke up at 430am to eat, on BART by 610am to start ride at 830am in San Jose.



25+ Sf tri IronChattes ready to start



Our new uniforms. Thanks Terry! They look great



Damn you Sierra Road. Damn you. No, I'm not angling the camera. It's that steep.



Great views. Some of the best views I didn't photograph since we were descending.




Reaction in a car: awesome. Reaction on a bicycle: f********ck.



Damn Strava junkies marking up the road. haha



GGTC'er joins us for the ride. Picture courtest of Tona.



Tona sporting a new SF tri kit and new bike



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After my Mt. Hamilton debacle I had to redeem myself. The last time I had done Mt. Diablo was in college in the pre Strava, Facebook, Garmin days. As they say: if it wasn’t on Strava/Facebook/Garmin...it didn’t happen.



Since we moved to Walnut Creek on April 7th, 2012 I have a feeling I will be doing a lot of Diablo rides.



This reminds me of that Windows screensaver from back in the day.







Great vistas on this ride.











Sofia also got a new ride.



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I am proud to be a part of a new program that SFUSD is funding.

Young Dancers was created to capture the spirit of the film "Mad Hot Ballroom" a film documenting the joy of young students participating in New York City's ballroom dance competition. Started in 2011 by San Francisco School Board of Education President Norman Yee, the program began with 4 schools and
was created to provide access to quality dance instruction to public school children. In 2012 Young Dancers provided programming to 12 SFUSD schools. Over 12 weeks program students learned tango, salsa, merengue, waltz and swing. The final was held at Lincoln High School and over 400 parents and students were in attendance for the dance competition showcase and finals.

Below are some videos from the semifinals that will give you an idea of how excited the kids are to be a part of this program:









What I find truly beautiful is exposing children who may not otherwise had access to these dances and seeing them interact with other students who they may not usually interact with. Any time we can spark a love for something new we feel we have done our jobs. While this was a side project for us I am proud to have been a part of it.

Since I’ve been busy procrastinating on my training I’ve taken to the bike.

In November 2011 my Orbea Orca was stolen. Thankfully, I was able to replace it. My old bike was a white and black Orbea Orca and I was able to replace it with a matte black Orbea Orca.





Our go-to ride in Marin is paradise loop. I sort of take for granted that when I first started biking this ride kicked my butt. It’s a credit to training that this is my go-to ride now.





This is us with the 0-60 newbies group doing Paradise Loop.

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Solvang has been a jinxed race for me. Back in 2009 I signed up but tore my ACL two weeks before the race.

In subsequent years I was out of town for the race.

Finally, in 2012 I was able to complete the race but it was not without its challenges as my bike was stolen and I was struggling to replace it.



Avert your eyes from the awesome bike collection behind my bike. Solvang was the first time I had ever been on nice tires. I usually ride on the cheapest tires I can find or those that will protect against flats. Mr. Hendrix set me up with some Michelin Pro 3’s. They rolled very fast compared to other tires.





Ride data: http://app.strava.com/activities/5042453
108.2mi
Distance
5,570ft
Elevation
07:29:13
Moving Time
4,058
Calories


Solvang kicked my butt. I found this surprising because I have completed other 100+ mile bike rides and even some that are more difficult. I wanted to quit by mile 70. Had it not been for Sofia’s dad I probably would have. So many things worked against me: uncomfortable seat, handlebars were the wrong size.








In the end, I finished though it pointed for the need to do longer rides and get my bike right. When my bike was stolen I had set everything up exactly the way I wanted it: stems, handlebar, seat, etc. When you miss with any of those things and spread it out over 8 hours it becomes very uncomfortable.





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Wildflower training weekend is one of my favorite weekends. We get to drink, swim, bike and run and hang out with 125+ members of the SF tri club.

Thanks to Loren Geller this year’s training weekend was taken to a new level. We normally bring our own food but this year we had catered meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I doubt we’ll ever go back to the old model.







Nasty grade had “what hill?” spray painted on it. Coming from SF, I don’t think nasty grade is that nasty. That’s not to say I was quick up it but I’ve seen a lot bigger hills in the bay area on a regular basis.



The gentleman at Big Swingin cycles were awesome as usual and put on a great bike clinic.



The best part of the weekend is meeting fellow triathletes.




Woke up in the middle of the night to my tent flooding. FAIL. Oh well, went back to bed.


Bike date for Wildflower long course bike ride: http://app.strava.com/activities/5732163
60.0mi
Distance
4,277ft
Elevation (?)
04:50:02
Moving Time
2,059
Calories

Somewhere along the way I heard the expression that we stand on shoulders of giants. For some these giants are famous historical figures. For others, athletes, politicians etc. Being in education – for me those giants are educators that have helped me throughout my life. I think of those teachers that have a special place in my life like that angel in It’s a Wonderful Life. The Fairfax High School community lost a great teacher, coach, mentor and person this weekend.

I woke up yesterday to learn that my soccer coach and latin American history teacher had passed. His family posted on his Facebook:

“Mr. Donlucas's purpose in this life has come to an end. Fairfax lost a great teacher and God welcomed an excellent human being! On behalf of his family we thank colleagues, students, friends, and everyone who had him in their prayers.
His wishes were for all of you to remember him like the great teacher, uncle, son, brother and friend that he was and to cherish the best memories that you experienced with him. Upon his wishes, there will be no funeral services.”

To say he was simply my teacher would be a disservice to the role he played in my life. You could walk by Mr. DonLucas’ class on any given day to at least a dozen students who * wanted * to be in his classroom hanging out at lunch when they didn't have to. Not too many teachers commanded that sort of respect from latino students.

It’s about 2:47am on a Sunday and I couldn’t really sleep. I kept thinking about the years I spent playing soccer under Donlucas and the several classes I took from him. I dug up my old yearbook and sure enough he wrote in it. He famously told people “your past is not your potential”. Those were words that resonated with me as an 18 year old and words that still ring true as I approach 31. Donlucas was one of the first teachers in high school that ever believed in me. Some teachers believed because they saw promise in a student. Donlucas believed in you the moment you walked in the door; as you were. Therein was his power. Even students who some suspected may one day drop out or didn’t do so well in school gravitated towards him. Today I talked to cousins and my brother about him. We all have fond memories of Mr. Donlucas.





I wouldn’t be where I am without educators like Mr. Donlucas. No doubt. It was teachers like him that forced me to believe in myself to get good grades and go to college. For some that is something that is a foregone conclusion but it wasn’t something that was a sure thing for me growing up. Donlucas was a pretty radical figure at the time. He forced us to be proud of who we were as latinos through his latin American history classes and he worked hard to get us to be proud of ourselves. Before I looked at my yearbook one I remember sitting next to his desk once and he was telling me I should have respect for myself. I think I had said something stupid to someone in class and sure enough he wrote some in my yearbook about having “el nombre de Almendarez en alto” which again really resonated with me. He was all about having respect for yourself and taking pride in who you are.

It’s strange to cry over someone you last saw over 13 years ago. I am thankful that we had been emailing earlier this year when I heard he was sick and I was able to express my gratitude to him for all he did for me and countless other people who came after me at Fairfax. I think he started teaching at Fairfax in the early 90’s so I was probably in some of the first classes of students he had in 1995. I wouldn’t be the last as two of my cousins and my little brother would also have him as a teacher and he would also leave a great impression on them. As my younger brother said “I think I’ll go read Always Running now”. That cracked me up. I will forever link that book to him. Donlucas taught us that latinos could be writers, teachers and historians; that latinos had a voice and that latinos had a place in U.S. history. He taught me that I could hold on to my identity as a latino and be proud of that yet still pursue “success” (however I defined that). That wasn’t something I knew before I met Mr. Donlucas. I was also thankful for his guidance in talking to me about teaching at Fairfax if I ever wanted to do. It’s still something I think about and hope to one day do and follow in his giant footsteps.

I wish it weren’t true that Mr. Donlucas had passed but he leaves a legacy of caring, empowerment and love. He is respected by thousands of students who walked through his doors and one can only hope to be as loved as he was.

Gracias por todo, professor. Que en paz descanse.

Carlos Almendarez
Fairfax class of 1999

The Kaiser half marathon is one of the races I look forward to every year. It’s a good gauge for me. It’s the first race of the year for me and as a flat race it’s a great way to see how fit you are. This year the news isn’t so good. I came in at 2:08 versus my sub-2 hour time last year. Not to worry. It is what it is.



Race data: http://app.strava.com/activities/3913208






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It’s always great to have my mom in town. My mom comes up to San Francisco about 2x a year and I always try to come up with things for her to see.


Caption (above): Mom and I in Golden Gate park


Caption (above): At the Conservatory of flowers in Golden Gate Park


Caption (above): Beautiful flower


Caption (above): On the tour. Docent looks puzzled while Sofia looks intrigued.


Caption (above): Whoa. Very pretty colors.


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Caption (above): Stop and smell the…whatever those are called.


Caption (above): Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park


Caption (above): Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park


Caption (above): When in Japanese tea garden do like the …japanese?


Caption (above):When in Japanese tea garden do like the …japanese?


Caption (above):Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park


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As I head into my 30’s it has been interesting transitioning to a phase in my life where I look towards the future: career, family etc.

I was happy to hear that my good friend Brenda who I met at Berkeley summer bridge in June of 1999 was getting married. Brenda and I go way back and she is like a sister to me. I am very happy for her and her awesome husband Larry.


Caption (above): Picture with the bride


Caption (above): The wedding party


Caption (above): The guys


Caption (above): Rehearsal


Caption (above): The bridal party


Caption (above): Beautiful setup


Caption (above): I am very happy for her parents who are such lovely people. Felicidades!


Caption (above): The Berkeley crew




Caption (above): You know you’re a hardcore Cal fan when you get a Cal garter for your wedding.


Caption (above): *Insert jokes here*


Caption (above): First dance


Caption (above): Cutting of the cake


Caption (above): My Berkeley sisters from SoCal!


Caption (above): Managed to get the tossing of the bouquet


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Good ride today with the San Francisco Triathlon Club (SF Tri Club) 0-60 group. My first time offering to lead a group of newer members.


Caption (above): Our 0-60 group training for their first triathlon. This is on the Paradise Loop ride.

This year we decided to pass on the crazy New Year’s eve party (we call it the uncchh-unchhh-uncchh fist pump parties) and go with a dinner with friends at home.


Caption (above): Our lovely hosts.


Caption (above): Sofia trying out for the next season of Mad Men.


Caption (above): Dinner is served.


Caption (above): The ladies



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While I do a lot of riding in Marin and sometimes in the Peninsula we decided to switch it up and go easy and scenic and ride the 17 mile drive down in Carmel.



Caption (above): How many bikes can you stuff into an SUV with no rack?


Caption (above): Gorgeous Pacific Grove



Caption (above): Kiss break


Caption (above): Swiss approves


Caption (above): Posing with the lone cypress


Caption (above): After my Orbea Orca was stolen in November I went with a Cervelo. While I had been on Shimano for 10+ years decided to try out SRAM Red. While it was lighter and cheaper than Dura-Ace it just wasn’t for me. Ended up selling this bike after 2 months and going back to the Orbea Orca with Shimano Dura-Ace.



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You have to love California. It has been unusually warm which means...more biking and running.


Caption (above): One of my favorite views in SF.


Caption (above): An unusually clear shot of the bridge.


Caption (above): First time biking through Fort Baker. Very scenic.


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My new favorite annual trip is heading to the Sundance film festival in Park City, Utah. For starters we head over with good friends. What I love about Sundance is it is a mix of Hollywood combines with a film festival and you sprinkle in a bit of Tahoe (with better snowboarding).


Caption (above): Sundance Marquee


Caption (above): Main Street in Park City


Caption (above): Sofia's first snowfall caught on camera.


Caption (above): SoCal people in the snow


Caption (above): At the premiere of Beasts of Southern Wild. Great film. Ended up winning the top of prize.


Caption (above): The ladies



Caption (above): Relaxing at the cabin doing some reading


Caption (above): Sigma Nus


Caption (above): Sofia snow angels



Caption (above): The guys


Caption (above): St Regis Deer Valley is an amazingly beautiful property. No, we didn’t stay there. I wish.


Caption (above): St Regis sightings: Liv Tyler and Tony Hsieh CEO of Zappos


Caption (above): Sofia and I


Caption (above): Sofia *whistles*


Caption (above): Obligatory Park City sign shot



Caption (above): So many comments can be made about this picture.



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I have been really happy with the open Ironman training rides this year. The tri team has an Ironman Nice group that has been great about posting rides. We did Old La Hona / Tunitas early in the year.

Ride data: http://app.strava.com/activities/3688091


Distance: 57.3 mi
Elevation: 5,522 ft
Time: 05:13:31



Caption (above): Climbing!


Caption (above): Pescadero


Caption (above): Parade of bikes. Must have been 60+ cyclists stopped for artichoke bread


Caption (above): I don't like artichokes but the artichoke bread in Pescadero was awesome.


Caption (above): Amazing views. Love January in California.


Caption (above): Stolen from Tona. Amazing views of ocean.


Caption (above): Stolen from Tona. I was only smiles until we started climbing.

Since we have a couple of weeks in December off I always struggle with ideas for things to do while home in Los Angeles. One of the things I have always wanted to do is run our place in Hollywood to the Santa Monica Pier. After 30 years I finally did it. Thankfully Los Angeles has long avenues you can run across the entire city. Melrose avenue to Santa Monica runs 13 miles all the way to the ocean. Definitely makes navigation easy.



See run data here: http://app.strava.com/activities/2856077





I’ve started realizing that if I take it easy and my body doesn’t break down I can actually run pretty damn far. Long and easy runs for me I can hit up to 20 miles or so. The key is making sure my body doesn’t break down.


Caption (above): Start point: Whether in SF or LA it's nice to live near icons. We live off of Melrose and Normandie so the Hollywood sign is in view.




Caption (above): End point: Santa Monica pier.


Caption: The end. 70 degrees in Los Angeles in December. Unreal.

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Not usually one to cheat on Six Flags Magic Mountain we decided to take a trip to Knott’s Berry farm to mix it up. Tip: go on December 24th and NOBODY will be there. You can get on rides in minutes or less.




Caption (above): Pink’s Hot dogs at Knotts minus the 90 minute wait versus the one on Melrose.

In November was lucky enough to partake in the SF tri club Eco Challenge. The eco challenge involves biking, running and kayaking through Marin county.


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One tradition we’ve managed to keep up is going to the Los Angeles auto show.

We’ve been going since about 1999 so it’s been cool to see the show evolve over the years. Not to be left out, I tend to go to most SF auto shows as way.




This was awesome. The Dyno’d a Mustang inside the convention center. That engine was LOUD.



This video is my buddy hamming it up as a sportscaster.


Caption (above): This BMW concept car was very popular. It’s an electric car.




Caption (above): Gucci Fiat! I find it funny that there is a branded Gucci car. Even the seatbelts were Gucci.



Caption (above): Have to admit – it’d be cool to throw my bike up on a Porsche.


Caption (above): In the WTF were they thinking category.


Caption (above): Ah yeah, I’ll take one of those.

Caption (above):

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I messed up and left my camera in Chicago so didn’t have a camera for Thanksgiving weekend. Took this one with my phone. This is the set up for our thanksgiving dinner.

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R.I.P. to my Orbea Orca. It was stolen from my garage while I was in Los Angeles over thanksgiving. Looks like I won’t be on a bike for a couple of months now until I can pick up another one. Will keep you posted. Will definitely mean more runs and swims in my future.

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I had the privilege of being a part of the SF Tri end of year party this year.

I’ve been on the Social Committee the last two years so it will be cool to transition in 2012 to being on the Board of Directors.


Caption (above): MC’ing the awards ceremony.


Caption (above): With Benko award winnder Mr. Conrad Chan


Caption (above): Female runner of the year.


Caption (above): Vulanich is a beast! 5 minute miles and change…on a hilly Wildflower course. Whoa.


Caption (above): Winners


Caption (above): With Ms. Presidente of the SF tri club.

I have been wanting to go to Chicago for many years. I’ve been before but didn’t get to spend much time there so this was a great opportunity to spend several days. I always feel that big cities evolve over time and the way you experience them also evolves as you age. Being in Chicago at the age of 20 isn’t the same as being there when you’re 30. You’re older, have more resources, different tastes etc and all those things play into the experience. In my case, LOVED my time in Chicago this time around. If it weren’t so damn cold I’d totally consider living there.


Caption (above): Odd but tasty looking eggs benedict with prosciutto at M.Henry. This place was solid. Traditional dishes with creative variations


Caption (above): Like most good places a 45 minute wait at M. Henry


Caption (above): Chicago theater. Strange to see the real thing when you've seen icons on TV for so long


Caption (above): How to be a true Chicagoan


Caption (above): The bean (aka Cloud gate) at Millennium park


Caption (above): Views from Willis Tower (aka Sears tower). From 103rd floor



Caption (above): Not afraid of heights - but 103 floors is damn high


Caption (above): This one captures how high up we were well


Caption (above): Sofia looking cute with Chicago skyline



Caption (above): My pick over Lou Malnati's and Gino's. Next time: Pequod and Piece. Stuffed my face and eat pizza all weekend.


Caption (above): Freezing my ass off.



Caption (above): The buildings in Chicago are seriously spectacular.



Caption (above): Art institute of Chicago. My new favorite museum.


Caption (above): So cool to see painting you've only read about.


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Caption (above): Enjoying some jazz at B.L.U.E.S.



Caption (above): View from our hotel room.


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I got some shots from Levi’s Gran Fondo. Pictures were actually decent and unlike most races you didn’t have to pay $80 for a picture.


Caption (above): The fact that there’s an ambulance behind me cracks me up.


Caption (above): Don’t know why I’m smiling.


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Rahim was in town from Denver so the gang got together for dinner in the Mission. Impressive showing!






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We were lucky enough to check out the USC v Cal game. I figured we needed to go. How often are Cal games in SF? Never. It was something we may never see again in our lifetimes so I thought I’d check it out.




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When the weather is good in SF it really can’t get any better. Nice weather on weekdays is torture. Sometimes you can just feel like getting up and going for a run or bike or lounging by the bay.


Caption (above): Views of the bridge never get old.


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Caption (above): Biking to the top of the headlands is my new favorite ride thanks to the Strava ( www.strava.com ) Hawk Hill challenge.


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Even though I’m 30 now, Halloween is a fun holiday if only to try and come up with amusing costumes. We didn’t really think about it but we came up with Scarface and Scarface’s wife Elvira Hancock. Didn’t think about it as an inter-racial couple costume but it just worked out that way.


Caption (above): Anonymous mouse girl


Caption (above): Group photo


Caption (above): Looking tough; Scarface style.


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Caption (above): Piotr’s face is priceless.


Caption (above): Polaroid shot.


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Just as much as Halloween is a yearly tradition…so is the post-Halloween bike ride with SF tri club.


Caption (above): Ninja cyclist. Damn that thing was warm.



Caption (above): Karen as a maid.


Caption (above): Group shot


Caption (above): I laughed so hard when I saw him dressed up as a maid.


Caption (above): Cookie monster!


Caption (above): Ah, so cute and handing out cookies at the ½ way point.


Caption (above): Group shot


Caption (above): At brunch. Love my helmet hair.


Caption (above): On the bike getting into Tiburon.

For the longest time now my mom, brother and I have been talking about taking a trip to Catalina Island. My mom has lived in Los Angeles for 30+ years but we’ve never had a chance to visit this island an hour away from the coast of Los Angeles.




Caption (above): Our ferry with the San Pedro bridge (not the actual name of the bridge) in the background.


Caption (above): Catalina made me think of being in the Mediterranean somewhere. Not as nice…but definitely reminded me of pictures I have seen. Wishful thinking?


Caption (above): Catalina coastline


Caption (above): Mom taking part in some mini-bowling


Caption (above): My brother with his best tiger woods impression during mini golf.


Caption (above): Mom mini-golfs


Caption (above): Mom and brother. Steve kicked my butt at mini golf.


Caption (above): Glass bottom boat was pretty cool.

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Caption (above): Mom is always a good sport. I was dying to see a Costa Rica v USA game at the Home Depot Center in Carson (near LA).


Caption (above): Mom and I in line to meet Cobi Jones


Caption (above): Mom



Caption (above): The Ticos were a fun bunch to play against. The fans were passionate but there were no fights breaking out like when the US plays Mexico, El Salvador or other more feisty countries.



Caption (above): I’m a sucker for those foam fingers.


Caption (above): Only in LA (or Central America) would there be a Pollo Campero at a soccer game. Awesome.


Caption (above): Cool to see a lot of latinos supporting team USA. I would say 80% of the crowd was pro-USA and over half of the US fans were latinos.


Caption (above): Got a picture with my favorite US soccer player of all time: Cobi Jones.



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There are few places I would rather be than Yosemite National Park. So close, so stunning and so many things to do.


Caption (above): The tent cabins at Curry Village. Awesome if you want some comfort. They have beds, lights and a safe for your stuff inside. They also give you linens.


Caption (above): The drag race on our 40 pound cruiser bikes. Mike won.


Caption (above): May consider getting one of these for my road bike


Caption (above): Swiss and I cuddling at the wifi cabin.


Caption (above): Largest fireplace I have ever seen. At the Ahwahnee.


Caption (above): Guys at brunch. All guy trips are advisable. Definitely has a different feel when women are around. The bar for appropriateness definitely drops. Loved brunch at the Ahwahnee. A bit steep though.