I always have been fairly active. Rode my bike to elementary school, about 3.5 miles one way, mostly along Ventura Blvd. My best friend Val's parents worked in Simi valley, we made a couple bike rides out there. Having a swimming pool in southern Cal swimming was a popular summer activity. Although I never played any sports in school, in high school I participated in many hikes with my friends. My first hikes were probably in Boy Scouts, don't remember them. In high school we, Rick Austinson, Debbie Homan, John Wolfe, Jean Teitz and a couple others hiked. It was one hike at the south end of Reseda boulevard where I noticed deer footprints. We also hiked around Santa Susana Pass looking for remnants of Manson. Handball and racquetball were the first sports I participated in. Richard Sproul would pick me up on hs motorcycle and we would go to Pierce College and play handball. Craig Morgan and I would play racquetball at Reseda Handball. During my term at Valley College, one of the traditions was the marching band would play the Pierce college marching band in a game of tackle football. Coming from Reseda High School, I knew quite a few of the Pierce musicians. Randy Ralke was one. Pat, Rick and myself led the better band to back-to-back victories. Nickel & dime them all the way down the field. One of the other trumpet players from pierce was a pyrotechnics bug. He used to shoot tennis balls across the field at the band during the real football games. I thnk he got arrested with having pyrotechnic stuff in his trunk back during the Los Angeles Olympics. Tennis seemed like the next logical sport after racquetball. Pat's girlfriend at the time, Janis Miller, taught tennis and got me started. Played a few tennis tournaments, played mostly at Reseda Park. Played with quite a few people. One of the regulars was Jason, we played a lot and we pretty evenly matched. I used a ProKennex midsize wood racquet, strung with gut. I played for a short while with one of the Prince oversize rackets. Of course, I took lessons from a couple different teachers, Brett, Steve, Early. I was more of a baseliner, big top-spin on both sides. Not too much speed on the serve, I used the kick and slice. After tennis I got into fitness. Pat and I participated in private deadly ninja martial arts training which prompted me to get into fitness. My first workouts were jogging a block and a half, 25 jumping jacks, 5 pushups and 20 sit-ups. Joined the YMCA and started lap swimming, joined a gym and started working out with weights and doing aerobic classes. It wasn't long before the weight started dropping off. I worked up to where I would swim a mile in the morning at the YMCA. I would go to the gym and work out with the machines and some free-weights, 30+ minutes on the lifecycle ending with an aerobics class. Going home I would swim a second time, this time a speed workout. A run ended my day of exercise. My nightly runs took me through Tarzana Park so I could do some pull-ups and bar-dips. One night there were some guys playing basketball and they needed one more player, I played. And I played for the next 10 years. During this time depending on my injuries and muscle aches I ran and biked. It was during this time I pulled a muscle in my back and went to a chiropractor. He took x-rays and told me to stop running, playing basketball, mountain biking and maybe I might need surgery if my 3 times a week therapy didn't work. A friend, Adrian Rosen (bass player) suggested a chiropractor David Wells. X-rays in hand I limped my way over. Had I known what he was going to do, I NEVER would have gone. Accupunture. I don't like needles. Needless to say, after he took the needles out I was 90% better and a few days later the pain was nothing but a memory. Wow, basketball, so much to say. I lived it for a few years. Made lots of friends, Jabari, Dr. Rob, The 3 Marcaccini brothers. G.C., Monte & Big (Gianandrea). Almost lived at the gym, was even on the books so if it was needed I could fill in. Sundays we would hang in the office with Dave, or Louis watching whatever sport was on tv. Always wanted to dunk, unfortunately I was forbidden by law... the law of gravity. Numerous basketball leagues, both kids and adults played in the league. On the the best adult teams was a deaf team with some guy that could really play. I leaned how to sign "dunk," just in case he didn't know what to do. Some of the people that were "regulars" at the park were... Bryan Rogers, ran the adult leagues. Not the most honest person I've ever met. Been to a few Laker games. The first one in the early 80's. I was working with Pat for Chuck's Parking at a party for Josh Rosen, the Lakers publicity director. All the Lakers were there, Magic, Big Game James, even the real tall guy Chuck Nevitt. Not only did I get Magic's autograph but a couple comped tickets. Needless to say, Pat and I went and of course we ate at Sizzler before kitycorner to the Great Western Forum.. More recently, Lakers & Detroit in 2003, Lakers/Detroit in 2006 and one of the best games of all time... Lakers/Kings in Sac town game four to compete the sweep. I ran the Reseda fire road (Caballero Caynon Trail) for years. For a long time I ran this road and the Alonzo fireroad with Pat Logan almost nightly. When we ran Alonzo we would run east on Mulholland to the Nike base. Alonzo was shorter but started out uphill. In contrast, the Reseda fire Road is 1.5 miles one way, the first half mile a gentle incline. The fire road was kept up and well maintained since it was a fire road until Reseda blvd was extended. The "Reseda Fire Road" is now Cabelerro Canyon Trail. One of the best things about running was not running on Mulholland or the fire roads but on the trails. Some of the trails were un-rideable for the bikes, these were the trails I liked running. The jumping back and forth on rocks, ducking under trees, jumping over felled trees. Over the years I've ran every inch of Mulholland from Encino Hills Drive (Hayvenhurst) west to Topanga Canyon. Runs south of Mulholland on various trails and fireroads. One of my favs was the Garapito trail, from fire road 30 up to Eagle Rock. Numerous runs from Wilbur to Oxnard to Victory to Topanga to Ventura back to Wilbur. I've never considered myself a runner, just someone that ran. At a different time of my life I ran the Reseda fire road with Roch Bordenhave and Lee Chemelsky, we chewed "lizard tongue" gum (Blackjack). Besides running in the Santa Monica mountains, I ran the 3.1 mile cross country course at Pierce college. When I was considering a career as a Navy SEAL I would run the cross country course in jeans and boots. As recently as 2004 I was running the course 2 times back to back. For what seems like forever I have run next to the railroad tracks along Oxnard/Victory from Wilbur west past Tampa to DeSoto. Even as they removed the tracks and built the Orange Line bus route I kept running there. From 2000-2005 I tried to run everyday. Of course that didn't happen, the best I did was 359 days one year. At 2pm, rain or 107 degree heat I took off running. My first bike was the Nishiki Colorado from Custom Bicycle Sales (my home away from home) in Tarzana. Great bike for the beginner mountain biker. Rode the ever familiar Reseda Fire Road, Mulholland and the surrounding fire roads. Since I enjoyed running at night, I figured I would love riding at night and bought a Night Sun Team Issue rechargeable light for the bike. The bike didn't last 6 months, not from abusive riding but the stress of mile after mile of hard riding by a clydesdale. Nishiki replaced the frame for free. Instead of riding a entry level bike I moved up and bought a better bike. My second bike was the Nishiki Alien, Deore XT. I loved the way this bike looked with the elevated chain stays. With the three water bottle holders I could carry two bottles plus the battery for my Night Sun light. This frame also broke. Nishiki also replaced this frame, I didn't like the replacement frame so I took the money and bought a new frame. Schwinn Paramount MOS. A few thousand miles and this frame also broke. Hhmm, I'm starting to see a pattern. Make no mistake, I put lots of miles on my bikes, not just "mountain biking" but also riding around town. Trying to do my little bit for global warming. Scwhinn aluminum s[9 six]. Rode this bike into the ground. I still have it, would still be riding it except it was soon to need a few too many parts replaced and there was new bike technology available. Been moving the Night Sun lights from one bike to the next, my next bike would have new lights. The advantage would be if a non-bike-owning friend wanted to go riding his bike would also have lights. My current bike is the Giant NRS1, and so far (knock on wood) it has held up the longest. A few years of 7,000+ miles. New lights, the Night Sun metal halide combo. In 2004 I started doing a lot of street riding. Rides through Malibu Canyon, Box Canyon were common. Quite a few days I put 100 miles on the bike, that's a lot of miles on a mountain bike. My usual ride was up Van Alden, GlenEagles, Greenbriar to Dirt Mulholland, east to fire road 30 up to the hub. Down Eagle Springs fire road, up Eagle Rock fire road to the area that I usually stopped, then a short ride back to the hub. Down fire road 30. Sometimes I took the Bent Arrow trail back to Dirt Mulholland, otherwise I would return to Mulholland via Fire Road 30. On Mulholland I would ride east to the old Reseda fire road. Riding down the trail to Reseda Blvd and then home. About 20 miles from door to door. Of course this was not the only ride I did... I liked riding via East Topanga Fireroad (which paralleled Topanga Canyon Blvd) past Tippet Ranch further south to Parker Mesa Overlook. One of my favorite little spots was the hill above Alonzo & Mulholland. Let me vent for a minute- Before Reseda Blvd was extended a few hundred yards short of Dirt Mulholland, city council member Marvin Braude held a community meeting at the Encino community center on Balboa. He promised that Reseda would not be extended and no homes would be built. The developers were so grateful they named the little park at the top of Reseda after him. I was joined by many of my friends on night time rides. Convinced my friend Roch to join the two wheel revolution, he bought a bike at Europa Bike sales in Van Nuys. Did quite a few rides in the Santa Monica mountains. One ride was to my fav little hill above Alonzo/Mulholland, we would pack some Beef Bowl in tupperware and enjoy dinner overlooking the valley. One day we took off bikes strapped to his Mazda and headed west. Did a ride in Malibu State park, rode up Builldog motorway and back down. Coming down I actually crashed at @5mph. We were riding down slowy because Roch was trying to learn how to bunnyhop. To hear someone as masculine as Roch talking about bunnyhopping caused me to laugh and fall over. We also rode in a park above PCH in Malibu, followed up by lunch at one of Roch's fav places, Malibu Seafood. Pat and Travis rode a few times. Pat and I did a marathon riding weekend, riding Bulldog motorway in Malibu state park, my "usual" ride that night and a ride in the Santa Susana mountains the next day. Frank, Jim and Mark (the artist that does my logos) rode a few times- my usual ride and rides to the Nike Base. In December of 2007 Pat, Frank and I got together and rode my old usual ride. In 2004 I started hiking at Pat's suggestion. The first hike was May 2004 to Half Dome with Pat and Frank. Had a great time. We hiked Half Dome again a month later. This time Pat brought his nephew Travis and Frank brought his son James and his friends to the hike. James and his friends did their own thing with dad tagging along, while Pat, Travis & I stayed together. We started up the Panorama Trail. Who knew there be a concession stand at the top, complete with ice cream. We met up at Vernal falls. Onward to Half Dome. Pat & Travis at the end of a long day. I hiked Mt. Whitney for the first time June 2004 with Frank, Pat, Travis and a few of Pat's friends. There was more snow than expected, it was hard going. Pat, Frank and I decided to go again 2 months later. In an acclimation hike in Horseshoe Meadows I got altitude sickness and ended up feeding the coyotes (aka blowing chunks). I spent the next day in bed as Pat and frank attacked the mountain. October of 2004 the 3 musketeers took off for another hike up Whitney. Being the beginning of winter we expected snow and we got it. The weather was turning as we were going up so we decided it would be best to come down and climb another day. Within a few hours we went from being in snow, cold and cloudy weather to driving home on the 14 in 100 degree heat. In a training hike for Whitney in the winter Pat and I hiked Mt. Baldy in February of 2005. Later that night we went on a bike ride with Frank and James. During the summer of 2007 while living in Azusa I started riding the San Gabriel River bikepath. Started out with a 13 miler (roundtrip) worked up to a 75 round trip to Long Beach (the actual beach, with sand and water) and back. Check back, I'll forever be adding more words and pictures...