Category: health & fitness

8,920km Baja road trip

On By Rick McIn health & fitness, photos, travel, travel MexicoLeave a comment

Mom, Dad, Pete and myself arrived safely back in Parksville, B.C. after a month. No major problems. How about that?

It was our first time driving to Baja, California, an epic adventure.

We toured the peninsula right to Cabo. Then crossed to the mainland via the surprisingly good La Paz to Los Mochis ferry.

ferry at La Paz, Baja

ferry at La Paz, Baja

Returning via Needles, California, we visited my Uncle Bob Moore and his wife Lydia.

Uncle Bob Moore, Needles, California

… note that his Flames flag is not yet at half mast. Incidentally, Needles is like many parts of California, an economic disaster. You could buy a mobile home in Bob’s river front park for $10,000. Pay $300/month rent. Play golf year round outside your door for $600/year.

map of Needles, CA

Prices have dropped to almost zero. Yet nothing sells in Needles, CA. If you cross the river into Arizona, fuel prices drop from $3.60/gallon to $2.60/gallon.

The most beautiful sections of our driving tour, I thought, were the stark deserts of northern Baja and Nevada.

Driving to Baja is one of those epic trips that we’ll look back at fondly, while doggedly insisting that we’d never do it again.

Actually, I’ll be headed back to La Paz by air later this Spring for final installation of 3 new dental bridges. I’ve got temporaries now.

Mexican truck

health care anger

On By Rick McIn government, health & fitness1 Comment

I’ve just arrived back in the U.S.A. after several weeks not following the insanely convoluted American political process on that debate.

… A USA Today/Gallup poll showed a plurality now favored the new law — yes, favored. After months of Republicans saying Democrats were going against the will of the people, a plurality — 49 to 40 percent — said passing the bill was “a good thing,” …

NY Times Opinion piece – House of Anger

The people have spoken. A small majority think that the Health Care legislation is an improvement.

That’s democracy.

Suck it up, buttercup.

Why are opponents so ungracious in defeat?

As Colbert would say, “WHY DO YOU REPUBLICANS HATE DEMOCRACY“?

I respect the opinions of those against the Bill. But I have no tolerance for anyone who breaks the law in frustration over losing the vote.

Lock ’em up.

I must love the dentist

On By Rick McIn health & fitness, humour, travel, travel Mexico1 Comment

As a kid I had a horrible dentist. And rotten teeth.

I shunned dentists and avoided their haunts.

Older and wiser, two years ago I flew twice to Mazatlan for major dental work.

Last year I got some work done in Kathmandu.

Over the last week in La Paz, Mexico I’ve spent some quality time with my new dentist, Dr. Lorenia Estrada.

… at least 6 extractions, 5 fillings, 3 long temporary bridges, more …

At times lying back in the chair, trying to relax, trying even to sleep, I believe I turned into Patty Hearst. It was Stockholm syndrome, for sure.

I started to get emotionally attached to my captors. My punishment flashed me back to earlier in the day, floating on an air mattress in the outdoor hot tub at the hotel pool. The dentist’s harsh light reminded me of the tropical sun between palm fronds.

Am I going mad in the Apocalypse Now sense of the word?

from La Paz, Baja

On By Rick McIn health & fitness, travel, travel Mexico4 Comments

I write from the La Paz office of RickMcCharles.com, worldwide … Cafe Exquisito.

It’s on the famous Malecón, a stone walkway fronting the bay. Mom thinks it’s the prettiest she’s ever seen.

more interesting photos tagged La Paz, Baja Malecón

Instead of going to my “regular” dentist in Mazatlan, I signed on with Dr. Lorenia Estrada in La Paz. She’s putting in several thousands of dollars of bridges.

My long term goal is to have as winning a smile as Joe Biden, … in my coffin.

I got a rave review for Dr. Estrada from an American expat living in Mexico. He liked the dentist so well that he married her dental assistant.

So far, so good. I’m living on yogurt, ice cream, coffee, pain killers and antibiotics.

We take the ferry over to the mainland on Tuesday.

is the Baja dangerous?

On By Rick McIn health & fitness, travel, travel Mexico1 Comment

My Dad and I were warned at a tourist information kiosk in California that hundreds of tourists were beheaded in Baja recently!

I discovered one of those victims on the beach.

Loreto, Baja - beach junk

The beheading warning stems from news that Police officers near Tijuana were beheaded after they attempted to investigate a party being held by arrested drug kingpin Javier Arrello Felix in 2009. Beheading is a terror tactic used against law enforcement.

The last time I was here, Baja was considered safe, mellow … but too much like California.

… Then came the great drug wars, with the first gruesome headlines coming out of Tijuana. Suddenly, anyone contemplating a trip across the border was placed on suicide watch.

Leave aside for the moment that the drug cartels aren’t targeting tourists, that their internecine battles rarely break out anywhere near tourist districts, or that crime has actually declined around Tijuana recently as the field of combat shifts to northeastern Mexico. For some travelers, those early headlines will remain indelible.

That doesn’t mean Baja is off the itinerary. …

read why – San Francisco Chronicle – Don’t write off Baja just yet

Your biggest danger in Baja is hitting a cow while driving at night. Or going broke. It’s just as expensive as Canada or the States though quality and reliability of goods and services is far inferior.

There are plenty of valid reasons not to travel to Baja: wind, dust, litter, dogs, bad roads. No need to exaggerate the risk of being killed in a drug shoot out.

I wouldn’t travel to Mexico ever … except that dentists are an exception. They charge about 40% of the price in Canada for the same job. My first appointment is Tuesday in La Paz.

more interesting photos tagged Baja California

Spring allergies in February?

On By Rick McIn about Rick, bad news, health & fitnessLeave a comment

Rockin and I were both suffering … during the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

What’s with that? … Bloody GLOBAL WARMING.

Normally my allergies peak about May 24th in Calgary.

I’m allergic to some sort of tree.

naked chef wins $100k TED prize

On By Rick McIn food, health & fitnessLeave a comment

I’ve not been a fan of controversial British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver.

I find him strident. And not all that amusing.

But I’m thrilled he won the prestigious TED prize for 2010.

At the heart of Oliver’s work is an assault on the obesity epidemic: The CDC states that one in four Americans are considered obese. It is estimated that 43 percent of Americans, or 103 million people, will be obese by 2018. The cost of this epidemic is anticipated to reach $344 billion per year. It currently accounts for almost 10 percent of the yearly US health care costs, and that rate will rise to 21 percent by 2018. WHO’s latest projections indicate that, globally in 2005, approximately 1.6 billion adults were overweight and projects that by 2015, that figure will rise to 2.3 billion.” …

2010 TED Prize goes to Jamie Oliver

God knows he’s passionate. If interested, click over to TED to watch his scary 18min presentation.

skiing Nakiska mid-week

On By Rick McIn health & fitnessLeave a comment

We try to avoid skiing the Canadian Rockies on weekends.

For Rocco’s birthday we made the 55min drive from west Calgary to Nakiska, the ski destination built for the 1988 Olympics.

Construction was mocked at the time as Mt. Allan hardly ever gets any snow. It’s on the “dry” side of the Rockies.

Happily, I can report we had a great day. If you like sliding and gliding, this is your hill. Ideal for beginners and veterans who don’t want to fall.

Actually, the resort has been improved and expanded recently:

In 2008 Nakiska Ski Area was named the official Training Centre of Alpine Canada (ACA). Each year Nakiska, welcomes Alpine Teams from around the world for early season ski training. During the summer of 2008 the ski area embarked on a series of renovations. Snowmaking enhancements increased capacity by 33%.

The 100 metre Monster Magic Carpet was added and the creation of a dedicated Training Run was completed on Mapmaker.

In 2009, in preparation for the 2010 Olympics, more enhancements occurred. A new High Speed Quad lift was installed (Gold Chair Express) replacing the original fixed grip chairlift. The ride time is 4.7 min compared to the old time of 9.7 min.

In 2009 new ski trails were also created with the addition of … Monster Glades.

Rocco and Garth

Mid-week one lodge was closed. As were some of the runs.

kids 7hrs+ in front of a screen daily

On By Rick McIn health & fitnessLeave a comment

This should only be true for bloggers.

The Kaiser Family Foundation has the results in from its latest media usage study, and it was enough to shock the authors. …

the latest study, … upwards of seven and a half hours per day. Plus, for the first time, time spent watching TV actually dropped in favor of other forms of media, including listening to music, using a computer, playing video games, reading print publications and watching movies.

Moreover, because so many of the kids are multitasking by consuming multiple forms of media at the same time, they actually end up consuming closer to 11 hours’ worth of media content within that seven and half-hour span. Nor does do those hours include the time kids are spending talking on their cell phones (half an hour) or sending text messages (an hour and a half). …

Mashable

book review – Born to Run

On By Rick McIn books, health & fitness, product endorsements, sport - amateur, sport - pro4 Comments

On the insistence of my Adventure Racing buddy, Dave Adlard, I bought a book.

Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen

A fantastic read, even for non-runners. The author, Christopher McDougall, (video) is a master story teller. I was gripped by this true life story.

Full of incredible characters, amazing athletic achievements, cutting-edge science, and, most of all, pure inspiration, Born to Run is an epic adventure that began with one simple question: Why does my foot hurt? In search of an answer, Christopher McDougall sets off to find a tribe of the world’s greatest distance runners and learn their secrets, and in the process shows us that everything we thought we knew about running is wrong. …

It’s available on Audible.com, as well as in a Kindle edition.

Get it!

I listened to this book immediately after Dan Brown’s entertaining The Lost Symbol (my review).

It was crystal clear that Dan Brown is a hack compared with by Christopher Mcdougall.

Why is that?

I believe Brown is an old school author. Mcdougall an author of the future,

Mcdougall is a journalist, writing primarily magazine articles. This is his first book.

A magazine article must be instantly engaging. Otherwise the reader will flip ahead to the next story.

Christopher Mcdougall reminds me of Jon Krakauer, another magazine scribe turned author.

Bottom line: get Born to Run.