It's Always Good To Be Prepared

You know, I'm a guy, & like most guys, I find it a bit insulting when someone tells me I gotta do something. There's nothing that will make me "not" do something faster than having someone tell me I gotta do it!

So when I know I gotta do something, and I'm just getting ready to do it, and my wife (or anyone else) comes along and says "hey, you know you should.....", well, that's it. Now I gotta find another way to do whatever it was I was going to do until she (or whoever) came along and told me I had to do it!

Like when you're getting ready to go camping for the week end and you're thinking "hmmn, maybe I should make a list so I don't forget anything" and your wife comes along and tells you you should make a list of all the stuff you need so you don't forget any important stuff. Wow! Now what are you gonna do? Easy enough, you just reply with "I don't need no stinking list" and go about packing everything you can think of except..... the camp stove, sleeping bags, and dang it, I know I threw that tent in there somewhere. Have you ever had this happen to you? Yeah, I thought so.

So after this happens for the third or fourth time, you secretly make a camping list and the next time you are getting ready to head out for the week end, you use it, you check everything off as you load it up, and then you double check it once more before you leave the driveway! And what happens next could be considered a modern miracle: You actually enjoy the drive to your destination because you're not constantly having to reassure your other half that you didn't forget anything, you actually get to eat food cooked on your brand new cook stove that you bought two years ago, you'll sleep warm & cozy in your practically unused down sleeping bag, and when you wake up in the morning warm and dry because you actually had a tent to shelter you from that spring shower last night, you realize how good it is to be prepared!

Spring Is In The Air!

Today is April 14th. In most areas of the world, spring is in full swing. The grass is beginning to grow faster than you can cut it, flowers and trees are in bloom, and the winter's coldness is fading fast. Spring Fever is knocking on my door!

I got my first assurance that winter was on it's way out a couple weeks ago. The sun was out & it was actually warm enough to be outside in just a tee-shirt. I spent the day working around the yard, mowing the grass (okay, I had one of my kids mow the grass), cleaning up some of the debris left in the yard by several winter storms that tried to uproot several tall fir trees surrounding the house. When the day was done, I had felt a sense of relief that some of the chores had been done.

It was time to move indoors for the evening and I went to work on my website for a couple of hours. I came to the Nor Cal Outdoor Blog and started reviewing the posts I had put up over the past couple of years. I was not too happy with the content I had been posting and decided it was time to do a little more spring cleaning. Spring is a good time for new beginnings and I felt that now would be the appropriate time to clear out the rubbish on this Blog and begin anew.

So it is with this fresh, clean slate that I begin not just a new chapter in the Nor Cal Outdoor Blog, but a whole new book re-written from page 1. I am now inspired to attempt what I had originally intended to do with this Blog. And that is to provide inspiration for others to get out and enjoy the benefits of being an outdoor enthusiast, information that may be of assistance in their pursuit of outdoor adventures, stories about my own adventures, and opportunity for all who happen upon this Blog to learn about a few of the many Outdoor Recreational Activities in Northern California.

So, with Spring in the Air, it is time to get out and enjoy Mother Nature! Take a day hike, spend a week end Camping or Backpacking, go out and get some mud on your tires, or go catch a fish or two. Come back here when you get done and share your experiences with us. Tell a story, send a picture or two, or just drop by and say hello. Until next time, have a great adventure!