My Rock 'n' Roll Experience

My Rock 'n' Roll Experience was a mixed bag. I enjoyed the long weekend but the course really disappointed me. It is always a great experience to complete a marathon with all the people but this one had many flaws that made the experience bittersweet.

But first lets start at the beginning of the weekend. Some how I got the whole gang on the road by 8am and we were off to sit in line at McDonalds. the Weasel need her diet Dr. Pepper but so did at least ten other people also did. Plus they screwed up my breakfast by giving me the wrong thing so Nick and the Weasel got breakfast.

So by the time I made Tommie Burgers in the valley I was hungry and of course the other two were as well. Then we did a drive by of Cal State Northridge. Part of this trip was to check out Cal States for my middle son Nick who is graduating in 2011.

The campus was huge and everyone agreed it looked nice but we were not thrilled about the surrounding neighborhood. The consensus was he could go there but let us see what else was out there. So off we went to Cal State Long Beach.

Opps, first we went to Ronald Reagan's library in Simi Valley. The night before our trip, it dawned on me that it was not to far out of the way so I decided to surprise my fellow travelers with a historical side trip. They both were happy to visit, Nick said it was like going to Disneyland for him. He is a huge history both and really like Soviet Union stuff.

The bringing down the wall section of the tour was good and was part of the Air Force One exhibit. They let you walk through the actual plane that flew Reagan around the world. Marine One and the limo were there too. Other parts of the tour had gifts from other countries and a miniature White House. The end of the tour was seeing part of the Berlin Wall on display and Reagan's grave site.

If you are in the area, you should drop by. The early years section was closed for remodeling but is expected to be open next year. I also forgot about the exact replica of the Oval Office that was really cool.

After we left the Reagan Library, we headed to the coast to drive along the ocean to Long Beach. State.

too be continued ...

My marathon splits were pretty consistent. I mainly walk in training but wog races. Lately I have been trying to walk a quarter mile and then run a quarter mile but often out of town courses make this difficult. Here in Bakersfield our courses are flat and keeping this pattern is easy. But elsewhere I try to run depending on the terrain and who is around me.

All my run campers know my mantra "Walk the uphills and run the downhils" and I stuck to it for the most part at San Diego.

too be continued ...