Alcohol: abuse vs. addiction

Men who consume 15 or more drinks a week, women who consume 12 or more drinks a week, or anyone who consumes 5 or more drinks per occasion at least once a week are all at risk for developing alcoholism.

2007 Meteor Showers

The best shooting stars can usually be found in late summer, as the Perseids make their way by our lovely blue ball in space. This year we are so lucky to have a new moon near the peak on AUG 13th, which is a Monday night.

The local National Forests are an excellent viewing spots for this event. May as well campout too. The parking lot is sure to be full at Mount Pinos, but we have other plans local to Los Padres.

On the link above you will always be able to find the most recent meteor showers, the peak nights & anticipated rate per hour. We have all the observatories in California & Baja listed as well. Plus a whole page dedicated to stargazing & viewing these shooting stars.

off-roading videos

Being a trip leader, I have seen it all. Mud sink holes, quick sand, big rock faces & tip overs.

Once we had a brand new Ford Escape take out their oil pan on a rocky road ridge line, in the Anza Borrego Desert. Stuck in the sand Jeep - or the muddy stream crossing that 'did not look that deep' in Baja. An air born Isuzu that lost control coming down a rock cliff in Moab UT. Another SUV found a box of nails, with his 2 back tires in the Mojave boulders area. Multiple break downs, broken axles, popped tires & bent tie rods.

And yes, I have even been rescued by park rangers in a swampy quick sand wash.

Driving off road is not as easy as you would imagine. While there are no stop signs or billboard to watch, your full undivided attention is needed more than ever on the back roads.

With the influx of SUV vehicles on the main stream market in the last decade, it's about time someone came out with instructional videos on how to use these machines. The average person watches the commercial on TV, then goes to buy their beast, & thinks he knows how to drive the back roads. Graded dirt roads are one thing, off-road trails are another. Tread Lightly & Jeep now have a series of off-roading videos on YouTube, found on the link above.

catch me if you can

.... and what makes you think YOU are a "good catch?"

outdoor stores

Back in the day, it used to be that one would hit up the local general store for any outdoor goods needed. Then you found camping gear at the hardware stores, drug stores & eventually the big department stores. Now, in this glorious year, we find many stores dedicated to outdoor recreation, camping & sports.

In California there are many places to buy camping gear, from independent shops in the village to megga chains in the strip malls. This is our lil list of retailers that specialize in the outdoors:

REI (Recreational Equipment Inc)
Adventure 16
Camping World
Sport Chalet
Sport Mart
Sports Authority
Big 5
Oshmans
Army Navy Surplus

And then there's always shopping online, if you're looking for the best prices >>>> totalescape.com/gear

Altrec
Backcountry Outlet
Outdoor Superstore
Sierra Trading Post

what's in a lable anyway

label: a short word or phrase descriptive of a person, group, intellectual movement; to put in a certain class; classify.

ambitious
entrepreneur
yuppie
stoner
husband
lonely
artist
wise
wealthy
rich
mistress
off-roader
unemployed
father
christian
smoker
hottie
work-o-holic
bi-polar
sexy
super model
wife
street smart
pro racer
single
broken
punk
hi-tech geek
mother
dare devil
bum
whore
heart breaker
felon
blunt bitch
sex addict
bad boy
dreamer
alcoholic
fatty
daughter
cheater
criminal
drunk
designer
looser
speed freak
hypocrite
selfish
clueless
poor
dead beat dad

the survey

Howdy all you fun lovin' Escapers! I know many of you have been out camping with Total Escape Adventures in the last decade & plenty more were planning to. Now, in the midst of summer - we are offering NO TRIPS? What, why?

Let's just say we needed a break. We are restructuring the company & in the future all the guided trips will be lead by BajaLory. Now we need to hear from you, the newbies & the regulars, on what kinda trips you want us to lead. Please click the link above to take our very short survey, so we can get a better idea of what you wanna see, where you wanna go & what kinda recreation you want us to provide.

Exploring caves in the Sierra Nevada, Baja Kayaking & Off-Roading, or Houseboats on Lake Shasta....

we will let you determine the direction.

great friends, greater lovers

It's not that we aren't great friends, and greater lovers, but our lifestyles and dominating visionary natures are almost too big for each other. I am magnetized to you because you are a great woman, a massive force, a proud being striding through this universe making a mark. Your mark, one of adventure, empowerment, and joy.

(what a difference 3 years can make)

everything but....

You don't know what's wrong, you only know it isn't right.
You don't remember for how long, but you wake in tears at night.
Big deal.
Big deal.

You spend four nights a week now looking for your inner child.
What you gonna say when you find him?
Suppose you don't like him or he doesn't like you?
Suppose once you wake him up he won't go back to bed and wants to stay up late
watching TV?
But you say there must be some reason why you feel this way.
Big deal, that's the way we all feel.
Big deal, what is it you wanna feel?
Big deal, that's the way we all feel.
Big deal, what is it you wanna feel?

You say you wanna get cured, you wanna turn off your head.
Oh and you say it hurts, and you feel unsure.
First you doubt yourself and then you doubt her.
Big deal, that's the way we all feel.
Big deal, what is it you wanna feel?
Big deal, that's the way I feel.
Big deal, what she think she feels?
What is it you wanna feel?
I don't think you wanna feel


lyrics by -- Everything But The Girl

stumble & drunk

Like watching a spinning top, meanings seemingly sinking but swirling, cycling depths and no progress.

horror-scoping

On Thursday, you may tell a close friend some hard truths, as the Moon squares Pluto in your sector of friendship. Your friend may have a few issues that he or she is not dealing with and is not able to see the true situation they are involved in. You might decide the time has come to be a real friend, and by laying it on the line help your friend get back on the right track.

(ooops, I may have jumped the gun on this one)

black-eyed susans

These beautiful bouquets are the star of the summer so far. I know, I know. They are not native wildflowers for California, but who cares? They look great, plus the deer & bunnies have not touched them. This yellow daisy flower is the Maryland State Flower & known as "Rudbeckia Hirta", but did not originate in this state. It's origins however are in the Eastern part of the USA.

Deceptive

I truly feel bad for your difficult parenting situation. Your husband is the biggest SLUT I've ever met. He sleeps with anyone hot & willing at anytime, yet still cries over his lost marriage & baby girl. What a deceptive moron! I assume that you are filing divorce papers soon, cuz there is no hope with this boy.

He is in no condition to CARE for you, your child, nor his own life, career, finances or even his vehicles. His moral character is extremely flawed & I suggest you teach him a very good lesson, soon. Break his heart - as he has done so many times to others & force him to realize his bad behaviors will cost him dearly.

You know he is the worst alcoholic bum in Frazier & soon to become the dead beat dad you wish you never knew. He literally uses every one of his "so called friends" for whatever he can benefit from them. He has no real conscious & still considers himself a Christian. What a hypocrite!

Get court ordered child support ASAP, so he can get a real job & pay for sweet Taylor. I feel for you girl, but I know you will pull through this & you seem so strong (from what little I know about you). Kick him to the curb - hard - where he belongs!

get outta here

Thieves Beware: "Get busy living or get busy dieing"

happiness

"Those who bring happiness into the lives of others cannot keep it
from themselves." - Ancient Indian Proverb

hillbilly off-roaders

This term above is actually a mental state, not a geographic location. Although you are more likely to find these guys on the back roads in rural regions. CB radios & all.

Exactly one week ago, at sundown I was calmly working online & watering flowers. Then HE called. The sexy boy, who I cannot say no to. "Where's my car?" I asked. "It's fine, it's in my driveway at home". Your stuck, stranded, wheeling where? Off Miller, shit! After I pinpointed their location on my Los Padres topo atlas, I am now in the process of rescuing some local off-roader pals - in my AWD Saab?

How many rednecks in town can you get to do this right now?
(Can't you call some male friends to help?)

Hint:These are not the same 4x4 dudes that showed for the Quatal Canyon CleanUp.

NO, go pick up the Amigo in Frazier & here's the long list. Since I haven't been on a 4WD rescue in 3 years, I jump at the chance to see the Sespe at night in the summer. Okay, break into his house in the back door. Open garage, find keys. Load 35" tires into the back of my lil SUV (w/ the help of the neighbor), the high lift jack, tools, saws, lights, tarps & oh yeah, a pizza & gasoline. This is the kinda adventure I live for. Six hours & one full moon later I am second guessing even knowing these dudes.

These idiots were stranded on OHV Trail Yellow Jacket, on the single track 'motorcycles only' section. Where the bikes & maybe quads can go. No knowledge of that canyon, no backup plan. No maps, no GPS, no clue of what that trail was like, and late in the day. Wheelin alone. The entry sign was burnt toast vinyl from the recent Los Padres Day Fire, so they proceeded onward. The narrow paths & whoopty-woos should have been a good sign, but they proceeded, new tires & rims. No problem. Two tire blow outs later & they're on the ridges with their cell phones to anyone who can help. A call to DanaMite was obvious. I've heard this Taurian song before.

When I arrived in my Amigo full of gear on forest road #7N03, it was dark. They hiked to meet me 4 miles - at the main dirt road intersection, not near the campground. A large animal was making breathy moans from the dark, as we ate the pizza at the roadside. The boys had a rough hike out, a lot of uphill & difficult terrain. But the stranded the vehicle is not coming out that way. Too hairy. We had to reach the newer white Ford 4x4 pickup (with popped tires, new rims, & nice sound system), from the opposite end of the trail. Way back to Lockwood Road & around. May as well go back to town then & grab a more capable 4WD vehicle, the big steel tank. An International Harvester. "We race farm equipment" is a slogan. A major gas guzler V8, weighs maybe 4 tons - with bald crusty tires. Unsafe to transport small children up steep paved roads or drive across the hot desert, but stout enough to wheel the hairiest 4x4 trail in SoCal, at night. This should do the trick for the Miller Jeep Trail run at midnight. Alone. At least we have maps, cell phones & my CB.

Goodness knows my 2WD Isuzu would NOT get past Lockwood Creek. I followed them to the trail head in the new freshly washed Saabaru... within hiking distance - was my main concern. Being outside in the middle of nowhere with these freaks, with that eerie burnt pinyon pine forest surrounding us, the big blue moon light, was something outta a Tim Burton movie. While the tattooed boys argued & cursed behind me, I gaze over the valley lights below. Lockwood Valley at night is a sight. Major side wall damage, cheap new tires, sharp rocks & some small trees. They should have turned back a mile before. But I wasn't driving that sunny afternoon; neither was the owner of the truck. He was just along for the ride, trusting his dare devil new buddy. Until all hell breaks loose & then somebody's gonna loose an eye.

We punctured the other 2 new tires on the way back to pavement. The fact that we got outta there at night surprised me. Barely got to bed before dawn on Tuesday, exhausted, but well loved.

RULE #1 - ALWAYS BRING A MAP.
http://www.totalescape.net/catalog/index.php?cPath=37_38

RULE #2 - FOLLOW THE TRAIL RATING.
If the trail is a single track, motorcycles only, no Jeeps or full sized vehicles should pass. There are reasons for the ratings. If you are cutting across meadows marked with a Wilderness marker, you are not on a trail, nor are you making a new bypass.

RULE #3 - KNOW YOUR VEHICLE.
What about the high clearance? Locker may be needed in some spots. Are your tires sufficient? Body damage is okay!? Do you really wanna break something today?

RULE #4 - NO WHEELIN ALONE.
Solo Joe will have to hike it & hope for the best. Wheeling alone? Tell someone when & where, at bare minimum. Driving dirt roads maybe, but no serious shit. No rock crawling at night, no sorta maybe decisions, no unfamiliar trails at sundown. Nope, save all that for a 4x4 club run.

FYI: Join a 4x4 off-road club. Learn something, meet friends, clean the forest, volunteer, become a responsible human being & have fun, all at the same time.

Standing in the gentle wind enjoying the fresh carbon air at 6000'. The meadows were incredibly gorgeous in the bright moon beams, although we had to drive thru small portions of them. Mountain meadows should be protected. The phrase "Hey look, there are tracks thru here already. Other people are doing it. It must be fine for me". Or the other "I don't believe in boundaries crap". Sure, let's just off-road the hell outta all of the West-freaking-Coast. OHV unite. Quads for everyone! Let all the blue frogs die from our Lucas Oil & exhaust. Bold colors, logos, & caffeine drinks rule. Look cool, have great stuff & go out to break it, so you can fix it. Drink lotsa & losta beer. And litter. Over & over.

This isn't my mentality on wheelin' or eco-friendly preaching, it's just a story I am telling. It's just what I am seeing & hearing in my SoCal mountain town. Although the local Hummers & Jeep Cherokees rarely touch dirt, the uneducated red necks with their beaters is the crowd I am referring to. The Sierra Club chapter is mostly senior citizens, the off-roaders are clueless, the shooters trash the forest & the local party kids just wanna place to hang.

If I break it, I'll fix it dude, I swear!

Teenagers

They're gonna clean up your looks
With all the lies in the books
To make a citizen out of you
Because they sleep with a gun
And keep an eye on you, son
So they can watch all the things you do

Because the drugs never work
They're gonna give you a smirk
'Cause they got methods of keeping you clean
They're gonna rip up your heads,
Your aspirations to shreds
Another cog in the murder machine

They said all teenagers scare the living shit out of me
They could care less as long as someone'll bleed
So darken your clothes or strike a violent pose
Maybe they'll leave you alone, but not me

The boys and girls in the clique
The awful names that they stick
You're never gonna fit in much, kid
But if you're troubled and hurt
What you got under your shirt
Will make them pay for the things that they did

They said all teenagers scare the living shit out of me
They could care less as long as someone'll bleed
So darken your clothes or strike a violent pose
Maybe they'll leave you alone, but not me