Morro Bay 10K

On Friday, we hopped in our car and took the lengthy drive to Morro Bay, CA, the town where my sister Heather, her husband David, and their two children Thomas and Elijah, live. On the agenda for Saturday was a 10 kilometer run on the beach, called "Miracle Miles for Kids", or MM4K for short.

We made it to Heather and David's house around 7pm, and for about an hour, the little kiddos were able to play with each other.

Thomas and his uncle Caleb, who happens to be younger than him.

Hope and Elijah.

Batman payed a visit as well...

Batman decided to lock me in the closet before he disappeared. Thankfully, I was able to get out.

My big sis'.

Me and "Head", as we call her.

In the morning, Legos were played with. Don't let Dad get you!

Only some of us ran...David and Corey watched the little kids at the finish line.

Spontaneous pictures often end up being some of the best...

The run itself was torturous in the midst of it, but good in hindsight. The entire run took place on the beach...all 6 miles of it. It was a beautiful run, but a painful one at the same time.

Dad ran the run in 48:29, the best of our bunch.

I ran 49:39, which was pretty good for one who hasn't run in a while.

Mom came in at 52:55.

David and Elijah at the finish line.

Hope with the "Walker Castle".

The Cayucos pier.

Corey and Me.

Hope playing in the sand.

Alright, let's do a bit of a game ("Does it like riddles, precious?")...this picture and the few after all contain a hidden meaning. Can you guess the meaning? You get points! Rach got 5 points from the Bonfire post...you get 5 points if you guess this picture correctly. Hint: a phrase is the key to this picture.

This one's worth 10 points...

This one is also worth 10 points.

This one's worth 30 points, if you get it right. The funniest answer gets 5 points.

Heather came in a bit after 1:30:00.

And what best to top off a run than free food?

Unfortunately, we had to get home for church. It would have been nice to visit with Heather and David some more since we don't see them very often, but the time we had with them was good and we look forward to seeing them again soon.

That's all for now!

Casey

Black Diamond

Before I begin, let me clarify that this post will have nothing to do with skiing. In fact, it was rather warm at our destination (mid-80s). No, we were hiking.

Kelsey recently planned a trip to Black Diamond regional park, near Antioch and Brentwood, CA and nestled at the base of Mount Diablo. For those not familiar with California geography, Black Diamond is located on the eastern side of the coastal mountains. For those not familiar with the coastal mountains, Black Diamond is located in the outer bay area next to the Sacramento delta. If you're still confused, I invite you to visit maps.google.com to help set you aright.

Black Diamond is so named because in the late 1800s and early 1900s it housed a coal mining operation (and a silica sand mining operation). Five towns grew around the 12 mines located in this regional park. Those towns are no more, as the old buildings have been assimilated into the adjoining cities. What is left are the remnants of the largest coal mining district in California and some beautiful scenery.

By the cool fence next to the parking lot.

A tree amid the rolling hills.

Another picture of the cool fence.

Justin is all decked out and ready to tackle whatever is thrown at him...

The girls are ready, too.

The plaque which has some interesting details about the park...

Gwyneth and Emma make sure they don't lose themselves...

Part of Black Diamond is mining tours and museums, and the other part is composed of hiking trails and a cemetery. We prepare to enter the museum through the long, dark, gloomy tunnel.

Inside the museum.

It was a pretty cool museum, since it was a mining tunnel originally.

Want glass? Order silica sand from here and you can make some yourself!

Kelsey and Gwyneth tackle the hill during the first bit of the hike.

Manzanita? In the coastal mountains? I must say, I was surprised to see this plant that I had always associated with the Sierra Nevada foothills in the coastal mountains, which I had supposed were outside its natural habitat.

As we climbed higher, the view got better. And you ain't seen nuthin' yet!

Some of the flowers on the hike.

During the hike, we came across a little rock wall to climb up, and a little cave.

The wall of many names.

Don't fall!

And, here we are inside the cave. After a little while, the dust got kicked up really bad and we had to evacuate.

Some scenery at Black Diamond.

Looking east. The view will get better!

Flowers!

The hill that we will climb soon. The trail up it is short, but very steep.

Most of the group (including the dog).

The intimidating hill.

It's steeper than it looks! Our legs were burning soon after we began the trek up the hill, and we had to tackle it in spurts.

As we got higher....

...the view got better.

Luke and Ryan take a much needed rest.

Almost there! Don't give up yet!

Though the hike up the hill was tough, the view was immediately worth the effort.

Towards the city of Brentwood. About 60 miles in that direction and you would get to our house.

Looking north alone the coastal hills.

Back at the picnic area, Mr. Waller found a snake and brought it to show us.

After the hike, we went to the Bolles' house to eat lunch.

Gwyneth wanted to read me a book...it was very interesting.

Some of the kids decided to squirt each other...I was a stodgy old man and opted out. Of course, I had a good reason, as I didn't exactly relish the thought of driving home soaking wet.

After visiting with the Bolles for a little bit, we took the Heynes to their house and got to see it for the first time. Unfortunately, I have no pictures from there.

After we left the Heynes, we drove home and relaxed for the evening, having used up energy on hiking that morning. Overall, though, it was a great day. Black Diamond is really pretty and a great place to visit. Thanks go to Kelsey for planning the hike!

Until next time!

Casey