2nd Juice fast

I'm down to a 55" abdomen following a 5 backpacking trip to Mammoth Lakes, California.  It was quite arduous but I made it.  It also has taken a couple days to recover.  I've overeaten a little since coming back but will be attempting a 2-day juice fast again.  The necessary items are in the fridge, and I just have a yogurt and some granola to eat for dinner and that'll be my last solid food for a couple days.

Camping at New Brighton State Beach, Capitola, CA

I like this place.  Especially after having been sand-blasted, wind-burned and subjected to 40 degree (F) wind chill factor at Jalama Beach.  When I first arrived though, I thought, 'oh great now I'm at a campground with 1,000 children and a campsite in the direct sun.'  I feel like I can't breath when the air is hot and was tired of being overexposed to the elements by this point.  However, I soon realized that with all the tall trees at this place, the sun would cast a shadow where I could easily seek shade.   Although the campground is up on a bluff, getting down to the beach was very quick and easy and totally worth it. 

The beach here is narrow, but its filled with lots of people clearly having a good time.  This is also an interesting beach since its on Monterrey Bay and there appears to be lots of driftwood and fire rings available.  A short walk heading northwest reveals a cliff face with several layers of shell fossils which was very cool indeed.  I wonder how many millions of years ago each layer represents and shall endeavor to learn about this some more.  Perhaps there's a book I should acquire.

I also realized that while there are many families around, most parents put their kids to bed early versus a campground filled with twenty-somethings staying up until 3 AM with their drunken drum circles.  So, this place suddenly got very quiet around 9PM, and since kids were sleeping, the adults were also being very quiet so as to not wake the kids.

The amenities include bathrooms, coin operated showers, plenty of dumpsters and recycling bins and the campsites are spacious.  The sites around the edges are enshrouded in trees while the central campsites are more open.  This campground isn't overly manicured so the grass is tall and has a rustic feel to it despite being near an urban are.

I stayed at site 69 which is tent only and there was a full family next to me.  The huge plus about this site is that its at the end of the line.  So there was only the forest and the things that lurk in there on the other side of me and very few passersby.  Everyone here is cordial and I felt safe.  Since most groups are families and I encountered no loaners I didn't strike up a conversation with anyone.  In the future I will seek a site similar to #69 by being on the periphery, however I will look for something that is a little closer to the bathrooms since I often have to go when enjoying bourbon by the campfire and it is far to quiet for me to get away with pissing in the woods near my campsite.

Camping Gear

Wake up after a very cool night, the temp was down to 46 F.  I don't mind, my fat keeps me warm.  I'm using a new sleeping matt, but the slight slope on which I placed the tent causes everything to bunch up a little.  The matt is nice I got a great deal on it and it keeps me from bottoming out on the ground.  Prior to this matt I used layers of yoga matts, exercises matts and a backpacking matt.

The tent is a Kelty Teton 2, its a 'three season' tent and by 'three season,' I think they mean late spring to early fall.  They should keep the names to areas that suit the tent and this one should be called the San Diego, its great in warm weather with all of its ventilation but the fly isn't big enough for rainy weather and that ventilation makes it quite cool.   Overall though I love the easy setup, light weight and vestibule for my boots.  Besides, I'd rather keep warm with a good sleeping bag and a fleece blanket.

My pillow is off my bed, this will be difficult to replace as I like to sleep on my side and that creates a large space to fill in order for my head to be up.  I'll have to learn how to bring a stuff sack and use that for a pillow.

My goal is to reduce the amount of stuff I bring when camping, since I tend to fill the car and its only me.  Although I bring too much for two days, I could survive on it for a week.  So at least I know what to bring if I was going to be camping for an extended period of time.

Time to get some work done, started in on the grading. I know, I'm a looser but there's so much that it needs to get done sometime.  To make up for it, I open the bourbon. 

Bourbon for this trip is Jefferson's Straight Bourbon Whiskey.  Its nice, but I don't quite have the sort of discerning palate that can tell the difference between one bourbon or another.

The rest of the trip goes well and I suck at concluding things.