Saturdays

Jim and I decided that two Saturdays a month should be fun days.  We want to hike once a month and then do some other family outing on the other fun day.  On the non-fun days, we'll do a family run in the morning, maybe get some yummy breakfast grub, and then do whatever else we need to do (for Jim, that means working on the house). 

Last Saturday we ran on the San Luis Rey trail.  My right knee only made it about 3.5 miles, so we started walking at that point and let Dolly get out of the stroller.  I had to keep reminding her to run on the white line so she wouldn't be in the way of the bikers zooming by.  We love our family runs, and I'm excited to teach Dolly to be active.

 

Today we did a nearly 3-mile hike in Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve.  It was a decent climb up to a reservoir.  Dolly began asking to get out of the backpack when we were about 2/3 of the way up.  We let her walk the last 1/4 mile or so to the reservoir/picnic area, after a brief interlude of dirt and rock throwing.  At one point, I told her to get over to the side behind Daddy (hikers coming down needed to go by), and she said, remembering last week, "So bikers don't get me."   There wasn't a big payoff at the top, and we couldn't even get a very good look at the reservoir.  But it was really nice to be outside.

This picnic area appeared to be the closest you could get to the reservoir, but another family was using it.  The husband offered to take a family photo for us, though, so that was nice.

Dolly walked the entire 1.4 miles down.  Jim and I each took a hand, and she just charged.  It was incredible.  We wouldn't have gone much faster without her.  I was very proud.  We had told her she could touch the water in the river at the base of the trail when we got back down, so maybe that was her motivation.

Posing for a picture during the descent:

Ever's big word today was "dangerous."  As we hiked down, she said something like, "Those are big rocks.  They are so dangerous."  We were very impressed and congratulated her on the big word, so she used it a bunch more times.

And the exciting water-touching conclusion:

This was when Dolly was saying she wanted to get all the way in.

Back in the parking lot after a job well done:

After our hike, we went to Marie Callender's for a late lunch.  Jim and I used to go to a Marie's by my first apartment in L.A., so it was sort of for old times' sake.  Dolly was really into the cornbread.