A Geek with Tennis Shoes

"A Wilderness Scavenger Hunt"
"Running While Playing Chess"

"Orienteering" is an obscure land navigation contest started in Scandinavia a century ago, combines hiking, trail running, Easter Egg hunting and the ability to decode lines on a topo map while on the run and dodging tree branches and ruts in the road. The objective is to navigate by map, compass and your wits to find a series of "control markers" (hidden by the event staff before a race) and make it back to the starting point before the next guy. Or before your previous best time. Or… at all.

A new sport! I'll let you know how it goes after my first meet on Dec. 11!

Sign on the dotted line

WOOO HOOOOO!

It's officially official, I am now in business for myself as a half owner in So Cal Motorcycle Training in San Bernardino, California! I'll write more after the ink dries on the signed contract.

Only in Norco

The town I live in is referred to as "Horse Town USA" and the census boasts an average of 3 horses for every person counted. The sidewalks are unpaved and designated as horse trails, the crosswalk buttons at lighted streets are raised high enough to push from horse back, and there is a hitching post or corral in front of most businesses including McDonalds, the grocery store and most churches as well of course in front of the local watering hole, the "Saddle Sore Saloon". Well it was yesterday late afternoon I watched as a fire truck pulled out of the new station near my house, the lights already flashing and cars beginning to pull to the right. The siren was started almost immediately. Then, almost like a choreographed dance, as the truck approached 2 horse riders the siren was extinguished, a hand was held out of the drivers seat window in a wave of acknowledgement to the riders, a wave of thanks back from the riders, the truck passed, the siren restarted and the truck zoomed by. I smiled at the bucolicy. Only in Norco.