Joshua Tree National Park

The young men and women in our ward go to Joshua Tree for an annual rock climbing trip with Brother Briggs. I had never been before because I either didn't go when I was in YW or it wasn't going on back then -- I don't remember. I would also like to take this introduction to confess that I am listening to Christmas music right now and loving it. It's the gospel-y type, so it felt more acceptable when I changed my Pandora station to it. I just had to get that out there. I have been fiercely in opposition to the listening/celebrating of Christmas before it's due time; namely, after Thanksgiving because everyone seems to go straight from celebrating zombies and vampires to the Savior's earthly mission. Interesting, no? Anyway, I must be getting older and becoming less passionate about frivolous causes. Christmas music is good and Thanksgiving doesn't have great selection, let's be honest. And, as I said, it is gospel-y, so it's not the stuff focused on greed and reindeer.

On the subject of getting older, Glen and I both enjoyed our birthdays last week/end. It was Bronson's first birthday, so we mostly did things for him haha. We've always been pretty low key on the whole birthday celebration side. 

The weekend we went out to Joshua Tree, it was blistering hot back home and a cool 88 degrees of heaven out in the high desert. It has been incredibly hot this year and I am seriously looking forward to like 70 degrees... That isn't asking too much, but it feels like it is possible for the weather to never cooperate with that request. We arrived a little later than expected, but CA traffic, ya know? Plus, our car kind of missed the exit because we were enthralled listening to Carrie Underwood's rendition of "How Great Thou Art" and couldn't be disturbed by directional signs. 

We got there and a couple of the girls and I went exploring up a rock until we realized we didn't have flash lights or proper shoes for the conquest of the rock. We had a devotional after dinner about the different ways to go about climbing and how it relates to staying securely fastened to the commandments of God. 

We were interrupted in our attempts to go to sleep by the inebriated, male neighbors next to the girls' campsite. Them, and the stars. It was hard to close my eyes because it has been since moving from HI last December that I had really seen stars. Well, both of those and the coyotes howling and cackling all night; I had a dream that it was the girls doing it, but woke to find no one awake. But I did get some rest and we got our courteous neighbors back by getting them up before dawn because we were readying breakfast and our things to head out to our rock climbing adventure. The sunrise was gorgeous and it was my first one in a long while. 

After all the youth had their chance to get up the rock, there was still some time for me to try my hand. I tried on all of the climbing shoes, but none of them fit. I tried going up with shoes that were three sizes too small, but my toes felt like the Hulk in a straight jacket; ready to burst. So, I came back down, freed my feet, put back on my New Balances, and climbed up with a ton of slips.

 I just really like this rock formation.

This is Scotty climbing on the left and a girl from the Euclid ward on the right, Mikayla (that is spelled wrong for sure).

Glen belayed everyone all day. In the hot, hot sun. He's such a stud. Also, look at those freaking Chum's hanging off his ears. So awesome. We found them in the carnage that is his parents' garage. We've been trying to clean out and organize with little-to-no success up until last month when we got rid of the storage unit and have more room in the garage than in years... Oh, the joys of the D.I. and recycling bins. I love purging so much. Also-also, Glen's gonna kill me for putting this picture in because, well, because. But, it's the only photo I took of one of us and that's just how it goes sometimes.

We had tons of fun and can't wait to go back and take more pictures of each other doing awesome things haha. We got home and took a long nap after shower time. A big thanks goes out to all of the leaders that plan this trip every year and most especially to Brother Briggs who snagged us camping sites and brought all of the climbing gear and took these here photos of me climbing!

Aloha.

San Simeon: Not Sea Otters

Before I go any further with our San Simeon rager, let me just make a quick shout out to Cambria, CA for having the Main Street Grill. Glen and I shared the ABC Burger (Avocado, Bacon, Cheese), which was delightful to look at and eat; and the tri-tip sandwich, which was made a billion times better by the avocado Kate is shucking into Glen's basket. Kate doesn't like when different textures mesh in her food, so we asked for her avocado on the side and in a favorable blunder on the grill's part, we got landed with a side and it in her sandwich still. The fries and onion rings were good while the portion size was excellent; and that barbecue sauce was very tasty. So, if you happen to be hungry close to Cambria, get a side of avocado.

After we were done with our tour and fun up at Hearst Castle, we spent some time in the souvenir shop for the girls to get stuff for their families/themselves. I found a book and a corner to read because souvenir shops make me sick. Sea Otters was the obvious choice because they're the cutest and, if you need another reason at all, our next stop was the coastline.

We went North a little way for the elephant seal stop that is heavily advertised on the bus rides at Hearst Castle... I am not sure why they would do this other than that is the only other thing to do in San Simeon. This theory is solid because they also advertise for Salvang; hours away Solvang.

These guys aren't battling this time of year, they all just sleep on top of each other all day. This big guy is in the middle of their only trick: a throat clicking noise that is distinct and loud. The ones that were playing around in the water kept on doing it; one went under the water still doing it and I could hear it! It was muffled, but loud enough.

I looked through Kate's binoculars for my new family to wrap me up in kelp and float around with 'em. And when I finally came to the realization that my dreams of wild sea otter friendship was far and distant from this place, I stopped looking at weird noses and wanted food.

In-n-Out did us right after a little mix-up because we had 10 people with custom orders. We ended up with two more burgers than necessary, so this staff gets ten gold stars even though none of us could eat it right then because of sheer discomfort. But it was saved and devoured on the ride home.

This was an awesome weekend trip with our Young Women. Kate bought us two souvenirs, both Christmas ornaments: the first from the Santa Ines mission and the second from Hearst Castle. We love them and are excited to start collecting them on every trip we go on; most will probably be handmade from here on out though. Not that I don't love them, but I just don't like spending money on that kind of stuff when I know I can make something cool too.

For now, Aloha.

San Simeon: Hearst Castle

After we were all tired of Solvang souvenir shops, we headed North for our hotel in San Simeon. When we got to the hotel, Kate suggested we go to the beach for sunset and just to get some walking in after a long driving day.

Glen and I forgot to bring any sort of warm clothes figuring it to be Summer. We brought swimsuits, not sweaters. I guess all of CA isn't so warm though because we definitely needed my security blanket out there. (Security blanket information: I don't sleep well sans Glen, so I needed to bring a blanket I'm accustomed to sleeping with to feel somewhat comfortable.) The mistake made for cute photos though ;) and they're again from Bryan Flores -- his photos for the trip and professionally speaking are linked at the beginning of my Solvang post here.

After we were done at the beach, we headed back to the hotel for some girl's night fun in one of our rooms. We had a devotional by Kate about letting our light shine for all to see with cute handouts and the Spirit. It was beautiful and quiet before the violent murders took place. From the game Murder. I had never played this game before -- Mafia, sure, but not murder. Whoever gets the ace of spades is murderer and has to wink secretively at everyone else (to kill them) without getting caught. To be nice to the murderer, the murdered has to wait a few seconds to keel over so it's less suspicious. We played until midnight when I rigged the game for the last of the girls to be deemed murderer and that was the end. Kate was beat from driving the whole way and we all had to get up early to grab breakfast, check out, and get to Hearst Castle for our tour!
Look up Hearst Castle if you don't know what it is; I had no idea what it was before this trip. And just a P.S., that bathtub in the picture on the right is one of my new ideas for a future Gray Estate.View and all.

This place took up the last 28 years of Hearst's life and it is an unfinished structure. He hired a female architect, which was crazy back then, and they worked on it together the whole way. He kept changing his mind about it and that's why it was never completed. I guess when you have that much money it doesn't really matter though. The construction stuff isn't from the unfinished nature of the project, they're in the process of re-roofing.

Here's my bathtub. Except it will be more comfortable and have less of a what-is-going-on-in-this-art feel.

This is a sarcophagus. He has nine. I'm pretty sure he had too much money... I admit I could be wrong though. It just seems like so much to be spending selfishly. Again, the possibility of my being wrong is present, but he did make this castle for his mistress (he had a wife and children). So, there's that.
The land was purchased over several years by his parents and he developed on this hill after it was vested to him in the early 1900's. The houses alone are more than 90,000 square feet altogether! How can you have clutter with so much space? The land though, guys! 250,000 acres including 14 miles of coastline! Just insane.

Oh yeah, and this is my new pool idea -- mostly for the raised diving platform. I'm thinking some sort of non-slip trampoline type thing. Probably something like the people who set up for American Ninja Warrior qualifiers use. I am overwhelmed with excitement.

The indoor pool (above) is where the bus picks you up when you're done exploring/touring. Oh yeah, did I mention he had a zoo? With polar bears and crap? His guests were allowed to do whatever they wanted during the day and required to congregate for drinking and dinner later in the evening and night.
Most of the tour, all I could think was how cluttered it felt. So much stuff just everywhere. I don't like that. He was really in need of a purge to get the non-necessities of life out. Especially since he experienced financial issues toward the end.

Part 2 of San Simeon is filled with weird things.
Aloha.