This is a great 5-mile hike in Griffith Park! The Mt. Bell Hike in Afoot & AField or on All Trails app the Mineral Wells hike.
Great on a cool day as it was challenging (see clip to Mt. Bell peak) and there was little tree cover. My statistics showed an 1155 ft elevation gain. Make sure you pack extra water. Never fails, every hike I have been on, people always ask if I have extra water. Just throw in that extra disposable water bottle as a just in case.
Nice thing about hikes in Griffith Park is you are never too far from another hiker if need help, but there is also enough space to feel isolated if you want to be.
Returning from Mt. Bell, we took a short cut, cutting the All Trails hike length by a quarter. It was more of a goat trail than a path as seen in the video, it was an official trail, but if you are really hungry, and want to save a half hour or so, it is an option.
Another nice thing about hikes in Griffith Park is the free parking, except around the observatory area. We parked in Mineral Wells lot for the Mt. Bell hike.
Have a great hike!
Please subscribe and check out my four books on Amazon :
From Sarria to Santiago, Yellowstone to Mt. Rushmore: A Three-Week Roadtrip, 10 Days in Egypt, and From Lions to Pharaohs Book 1: Kenya.
Thursday, January 4, 2024
Tuesday, January 4, 2022
Coronavirus: Year End Recap
It is the start of 2022 and the Coronavirus epidemic is still with us. The biggest news is we have yet another variant - Omicron. This variant is supposed to be extremely contigious but most people who are infected with it only have mild symptons.
Testing kits are now available to purchase in stores over the counter which was not possible a year ago - although they are hard to find right now.
Cruise ships are sailing. People are flying. Domestic travel especially to National Parks is up as some countries are still restricting travel. I am hoping to travel to Spain this year after having to cancel our plans two years ago.
People are still wearing masks - and are required to do so indoors in California, but that is not necessarily a rule across the country.
Many people are still working from home or in hybrid situations splitting time between home and office.
Few shortages are hitting the news these days, primarily microchips for cars and delays on international shipping. Still, retailers announced strong sales during the recent Christmas season and Tesla delivered over 300k cars in the last quarter.
The government has cut or is rolling back most economic stimulus packages directed at shoring up the economy and people's psyche during covid showing confidence in the country's recovery.
Final covid numbers as of today according to the New York Times: Total U.S. deaths due to covid 826,000; in the world 5,450,000.
62% of population in the U.S. is fully vaccinated: 73% have at least one shot; 20% are fully vaccinated and have received a booster shot.
In history books, 2020 will be the year of the covid outbreak and 2021 will be the year of recovery not just for the U.S., but the world. I think if things continue taking the current course, getting better - vaccines are available, effective anti-viral drugs and pills are available to combat infection, and the current strain has mild symptoms - covid will become a footnote to everything great and hopefully not too terrible that 2022 will bring.
Take care and have an awesome 2022!
Testing kits are now available to purchase in stores over the counter which was not possible a year ago - although they are hard to find right now.
Cruise ships are sailing. People are flying. Domestic travel especially to National Parks is up as some countries are still restricting travel. I am hoping to travel to Spain this year after having to cancel our plans two years ago.
People are still wearing masks - and are required to do so indoors in California, but that is not necessarily a rule across the country.
Many people are still working from home or in hybrid situations splitting time between home and office.
Few shortages are hitting the news these days, primarily microchips for cars and delays on international shipping. Still, retailers announced strong sales during the recent Christmas season and Tesla delivered over 300k cars in the last quarter.
The government has cut or is rolling back most economic stimulus packages directed at shoring up the economy and people's psyche during covid showing confidence in the country's recovery.
Final covid numbers as of today according to the New York Times: Total U.S. deaths due to covid 826,000; in the world 5,450,000.
62% of population in the U.S. is fully vaccinated: 73% have at least one shot; 20% are fully vaccinated and have received a booster shot.
In history books, 2020 will be the year of the covid outbreak and 2021 will be the year of recovery not just for the U.S., but the world. I think if things continue taking the current course, getting better - vaccines are available, effective anti-viral drugs and pills are available to combat infection, and the current strain has mild symptoms - covid will become a footnote to everything great and hopefully not too terrible that 2022 will bring.
Take care and have an awesome 2022!
Friday, May 28, 2021
Coronavirus Alaska versus California
Recently, I travelled to Alaska and had an amazing time. However, prior to visiting I had heard many rumors about how red-state-last-frontier Alaska was dealing with the coronavirus differently than blue-state hyper-sensitive California.
In California people have to wear masks to go into stores, restaurants, or to go on fishing boats. Many Californians still wear masks when walking outside and occasionally will still cross the street rather than walking by some one. Less so now since the mask mandate has been lifted, but it still happens. Los Angeles still has an announcement at the airport that when visiting the city you are subject to a 14-day voluntary quarantine.
In Alaska, I was concerned about the need to get a covid test with negative results before visiting. Fortunately, that rule was changed a few weeks before I arrived and vaccinated travelers did not need to be tested. Not only that, a test was only voluntary now. I am not sure who would take a voluntary test at the airport if they didn't have to, but the testing station was still there. I heard rumors that masks weren't need in freedom-loving Alaska. That was not true. At my hotel, everyone wore a mask. At breakfast the next morning in downtown Anchorage, the hostess handed me a mask as soon I stepped through the door. On the trolley tour and glacier cruise, masks were also required. Although walking down the street, no one wore masks. So in many ways, except for the Alaska testing and Los Angeles quarantine, I saw no difference between California and Alaska covid restrictions. However, I did feel a difference. People in Alaska did not seem as concerned. Restaurants were full and once we boarded the tour or cruise, masks came off to drink water and eat and never really went back on and no one seemed to mind.
It would have been more interesting to compare the two states two months ago when the vaccine was just being rolled out and Los Angeles was still in virtual lockdown.
Someone I spoke to from Eastern Washington said his town (except for the schools) had been operating all year as if there was no such thing as the coronavirus. Restaurants were open, no one wore masks, and no one got sick.
The strictest place I have found regarding masks during my trip was on board airplanes.
However, even on the planes I was surprised by how lenient the crews were with masks. I think it is the whole eating/drinking loophole that creates the gray area. I had brought a burger at the airport that I took on the first plane. I pulled my mask down, hunkered down between seats not to be seen taking a bite, and then pulled up my mask to chew. Fortunately, it was a disposable mask because it soon smelled like hamburger and I had to swap it out when I was done.
However, once the drink and snack cart rolled around, people's masks came down to eat and drink. I no longer had to hid in shame to eat. What a relief! That is not to say that people were not wearing masks. Everyone had them. As we neared the end of one flight, I went to the restroom and saw everyone with a mask up. And before take off, I heard flight attendants asking a couple of people to pull their masks over their nose. No fuss. People did what they were supposed to do and the flights went smoothly.
All in all, while Alaska felt more relaxed regarding measures to prevent coronavirus' spread, visibly and at least on the books, I didn't see much of a difference between the two states.
That is the great thing about travel, you see that we aren't really different after all.
Take care and be safe.
In Alaska, I was concerned about the need to get a covid test with negative results before visiting. Fortunately, that rule was changed a few weeks before I arrived and vaccinated travelers did not need to be tested. Not only that, a test was only voluntary now. I am not sure who would take a voluntary test at the airport if they didn't have to, but the testing station was still there. I heard rumors that masks weren't need in freedom-loving Alaska. That was not true. At my hotel, everyone wore a mask. At breakfast the next morning in downtown Anchorage, the hostess handed me a mask as soon I stepped through the door. On the trolley tour and glacier cruise, masks were also required. Although walking down the street, no one wore masks. So in many ways, except for the Alaska testing and Los Angeles quarantine, I saw no difference between California and Alaska covid restrictions. However, I did feel a difference. People in Alaska did not seem as concerned. Restaurants were full and once we boarded the tour or cruise, masks came off to drink water and eat and never really went back on and no one seemed to mind.
It would have been more interesting to compare the two states two months ago when the vaccine was just being rolled out and Los Angeles was still in virtual lockdown.
Someone I spoke to from Eastern Washington said his town (except for the schools) had been operating all year as if there was no such thing as the coronavirus. Restaurants were open, no one wore masks, and no one got sick.
The strictest place I have found regarding masks during my trip was on board airplanes.
However, even on the planes I was surprised by how lenient the crews were with masks. I think it is the whole eating/drinking loophole that creates the gray area. I had brought a burger at the airport that I took on the first plane. I pulled my mask down, hunkered down between seats not to be seen taking a bite, and then pulled up my mask to chew. Fortunately, it was a disposable mask because it soon smelled like hamburger and I had to swap it out when I was done.
However, once the drink and snack cart rolled around, people's masks came down to eat and drink. I no longer had to hid in shame to eat. What a relief! That is not to say that people were not wearing masks. Everyone had them. As we neared the end of one flight, I went to the restroom and saw everyone with a mask up. And before take off, I heard flight attendants asking a couple of people to pull their masks over their nose. No fuss. People did what they were supposed to do and the flights went smoothly.
All in all, while Alaska felt more relaxed regarding measures to prevent coronavirus' spread, visibly and at least on the books, I didn't see much of a difference between the two states.
That is the great thing about travel, you see that we aren't really different after all.
Take care and be safe.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)