A summer to remember...

I had a great life growing up, I really have nothing to complain about. That is until I was 15 or so. As far back as I can remember my mother struggled with mental illness. Some days were better than others, other days were bad, and some days were just plain awful...Living in a strict Christian home left little room for outlets for my anger, frustration, and despair. So, I joined the Marines when I was 17.

I had a lot of adventures with my dad growing up. We went to Joshua Tree National Park almost every weekend when it was not too hot to climb. When I was eight I backpacked to the summit of Mount San Gorgonio. When I was twelve I climbed Tahqitz. There were quite a few backpacking trips scattered in there and road trips to fun places too. Then my mom got to be too much for my dad to handle and he checked out. He was still around - just sleeping around...Do I blame him? No... My mom was a handful but it did contribute to a lot of drama at home...

Riding the local rail trail close to our home

As my brother says: "Life sucks... and then you die" So, I decided to not delay and make my son's first summer vacation one for the record books (I was homeschooled - so the lines were blurred between summer vacation and well real life...), which is why I jumped at the opportunity to construct a great summer in a happy home with healthy parents before we fucked up our planet anymore or decided to get involved in WWIII or elect Trump as President again and descend into madness...