The Dog Haus, Pasadena, California

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The Dog Haus has so many options it can really get confusing.

Do you like your hot dogs simple? A bun, a dog, and perhaps a bit of mustard. Well if that is the case the Dog Haus in Pasadena is not the place you want to go. Are you perhaps bored with your hot dog. Wienerschnitzel not cutting it for you anymore? Want to try something new but your not sure what? Then the Dog Haus is definitely a place you want to try.

We ordered a simple hotdog, a Frickin Chicken dog, and a Little Mule Burger.

I went to the Dog Haus telling myself I was going to eat a California Dog. Basically your average dog, but this one is topped with avocado, diced tomatoes, and onion. Then, after looking at the menu for about 10 minutes (which is probably 9 mins. more than I look at any menu) I found myself frozen with the number of hot dog options set before me. AJ had already decided he just wanted a hot dog with mustard. Denise already went with the Fricken Chicken dog (a chicken based sausage mixed with marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, and a basil leaf). Dealing with the choices and a slightly impatient crew I went for a game changer, a burger. But not just any burger! The Little Mule. Despite the name this burger packed a big punch. An all beef patty topped with American cheese, avocado, and a tomatillo sauce for a little extra kick. Oh wait, and I forgot to mention a fried egg. A very interesting mix to the burger when you first bite into it the yoke bursts and it is like a whole different burger.

AJ liked the fire button on Galaga.

If I had to describe the ambiance for the Dog Haus it would have to be very low key 80s. You sit on these very basic high wooden stools while they pump 80s classics in the background. In the back of the restaurant you will find a Galaga arcade machine.

Despite never even hearing of the Breakfast Club AJ rocked it showing off his best moonwalking skills.
The price for the Dog Haus is decent. At $6.50 for the most expensive hot dogs and hamburgers it is not the cheapest hot dog place out there, but the size and quality are worth the price. The service was fast and the staff was friendly (even if they did laugh at AJ’s dancing).

AJ liked the Yoohoo, we didn't have the heart to tell him it wasn't Chocolate milk.

Santa Catalina Island On The Cheap

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26 miles across the sea...

“Everybody likes something extra, for nothing,” is a little saying that William Wrigley often told his staff while building his chewing gum empire. The crown jewel of that empire is Santa Catalina Island. 26 miles off the California coast this tiny gem of an island has become a mecca for those wishing to find a little island paradise in the sun. Problem is over the years it has become so popular that the law of supply and demand has made it a bit expensive.  The cost however can be mitigated.

 

 

 

Getting There
A few months ago I got an email from Groupon for half off tickets for round trip tickets on the Catalina Flyer. The Catalina Flyer is one of two ferry services that make trips to Avalon, Catalina Island’s main city. The other ferry service is called the Catalina Express. Both services take about a hour to get to the island and normally cost about $70 round trip. A quick internet search however will quickly yield deeply discounted tickets. On the weekends (Thurs.-Sund.) the ferry’s book up quickly so make sure you make reservations at least a week in advance.

Where to Stay
Most people stay only for the day at Catalina Island, but there are many attractions that only happen at night on Catalina (the flying fish, and night time zip lining, etc. ) Island. For $21 per person ($12 for children) you can camp on the island at a place called Hermit Gulch. A little bit expensive for camping but but a lot better than the hotels on the island that start at $150 per night.

Where to Eat
Due to the fact that everything has to be shipped in to the island most things you buy on the island will be overpriced. Food is not an exception to this rule, but there are ways to lessen the damage. First thing you can do is bring a few snacks with you. This will help for the boat ride over and help you avoid the overpriced concessions at the docks. You don’t need to bring too many snacks however, because there is a Von’s Express Market  on the island (a bit higher priced than on land, but not too bad).  On the island the general rule is, the closer to the water you get the more expensive things will get. To give you an example, when we were there we had fish and chips for $11 dollars at a place called The Galleon. It was a nice place with a patio facing the water. Before we went there I checked and on the pier that meal would’ve cost us $13. To give yet a further example, one place that I like on the island is called The Sandtrap. It is about a mile inland, but from 2pm-5pm tacos only cost $1 dollar.

How to Get Around
Avalon is technically a city, but it is a very small city. There are taxi’s on the island, but they are expensive. For $50 you can rent a golf cart for a day, but that too is expensive. The farthest point within the city is the Wrigley Memorial. The Wrigley Memorial is almost exactly 2 miles from the landing docks up a 450 ft mountain. A long walk, but not necessarily a hike either. While on the island we easily got around the whole island walking. I brought my GPS watch with me while I was on the island and tracked 6.5 miles worth of walking for the day. That is a lot of walking, but it wasn’t that bad. For those that do not like the walking my alternative would be the Red Trolley. The Red Trolley makes stops at every major point in Avalon and costs $7.00 for an all day pass ($2 one way).

What To Do
As soon as you get on the ferry you will be given a map and brochure from the Santa Catalina Island Company. The Santa Catalina Island Company is the major tourism company on the island and have the best tours and attractions on the island. Their activities however are some of the most expensive on the island. You can pay $36 dollars and get a tour to the casino or you can walk to the casino and see it for $6. Hiking trails trails on the island are free, plentiful, and offer great views of the wildlife on the island. You do need a permit for the trails, but they are free if you register online. Walking along Avalon Canyon Rd. you will see the golf course, Joe Machado Field (former training field for the Cubs), the remains of Bird Park, the Nature Discovery Center (also free), and the Wrigley Memorial ($7 per person, under 5 free).

When Wrigley first bought a controlling interest in Santa Catalina Island he said he envisioned a resort community that everyone could enjoy, and it is a place that everyone can enjoy. Overall Santa Catalina Island is a bit overrated. It is mostly dominated by rich retired people and due to that fact the price tag to stay on the island is quite steep. I don’t fault them for that, it helps keep the population down and preserve the island which is still by majority undeveloped. Fortunately, much like it’s entrepreneurial founder ,  those that have a bit of ingenuity don’t have to pay an “arm and a leg” to enjoy a day out on the island. Even though the island is expensive it doesn’t have to bankrupt you to get there and enjoy it.

Going For Gold For Special Olympics

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Having a running police escort was very cool.

Running up 14th was tough.

The world’s eyes right now are focusing on London as it gears up for the World Olympics. Less known however is that in 2013 a different, yet very similar world event is about to take place. The Special Olympics is a lot like the World Olympics, but in a lot of ways it is better.

When I think of the challenges the athletes in the Special Olympics have to go through to just to get to their “starting lines” it really makes me humble. In a small way I can kind of relate. Back in September when I weighed 305 pounds all I could think of is getting around the block without fainting. My vision of what I could accomplish was very limited. In that first run I wasn’t thinking about a ten minute mile pace, I didn’t even know what a form or formation was, and I DEFINATELY didn’t think I’d ever be holding a torch!(which by the way is very heavy and awkward to run with) I still have a long way to go in my journey, there is still more weight to lose and more runs to complete, but today was for sure a highlight along the way. Don’t get me wrong I am not trying to say I truly understand what is like to be someone who competes in the special olympics, but I do think it is good to relate, and I hope in a very small way I did my part to give that opportunity to those future athletes that will represent our country in the next Special Olympics.

A special thanks to Ofc. Matthews for the pictures. I don’t usually get pictures of me in a run, so that was very cool.

Fontana Half Marathon, I Think I Am Ready

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OK, so I know I haven’t updated my blog for awhile, but it isn’t because I haven’t been twiddling my fingers. I have a half marathon in Fontana, California on Saturday and I have been doing the best I can to prepare for it and the best I can to prepare for it is mileage. Since January I have almost been exclusively running and I think it starting to pay off. I am down to 233 lbs (I was at 270 in January) and under 29% body fat (I was 40% in my last run). Looking at my running stats, May has been my best month yet with the longest and fastest runs yet. My goal for the race is somewhere below 2hrs and 20 mins. This would beat my previous time by 25 mins. According to my training charts I am ready, now I think it is just a mental thing. Wish me luck!

Choco Museo, Antigua, Guatemala

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One thing about going on a major vacation is that you often have more pictures than you know what to do with. The best blog post is to gather and collect the photos and post immediately, but I know few people who really do that. Most bloggers I know are actually posting weeks, if not months after the fact. The fun part of that however is when you do it later you can relive the memories. Such is the case with the Choco Museo…

The sign that lets you know you arrived.

Chocolate starts from the Cacao tree and the Cacao tree finds it’s origins in Central America. As the name implies the Choco Museo is a museum dedicated to chocolate. Talk about dropping in on the promised land!!

The museum is basically a store and cafe, but it does have an interesting mix in that it offers a brief history of chocolate and gives workshops on the art of chocolate making.  For about $20 dollars AJ and Denise did a chocolate making class in which they learned all the steps in which to make chocolate. I (John) instead opted for the sit in the cafe experience, which consisted of me drinking several versions of hot chocolate and tasting AJ and Denise’s chocolate once they were finished.

 

chocosteps

chocopapiandaj

chocomuseum

chocomixmilk

chocomixer

chocomayapour

chocomayan

chocololipops

chocogrinder

chocofriedmelt

chocofriedchef

chocofried

chocofountain

chocodeniseroasting

chocodenisenip

chocodavidtemp

 

 

Catedral Santiago (St. James Cathedral), Antigua, Guatemala

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A view of the front of Catedral Santiago.

Due to it’s lack of gold or silver, Guatemala was considered a hardship post by the Spanish conquerors. In order to relieve some of their burden, they immediately set about to construct a cathedral. Construction of Catedral de Santiago (St. James Cathedral) began in 1542. From the outside, Catedral de Santiago looks like any other Catholic church you would see in any Latin American town or city. Big baroque fascade juxtaposed with a small plaza and several small altars inside. Behind the the cathedral however, is where Catedral Santiago begins to look different from others that I have seen.

Light shines though the destroyed ceilings.

In order to explain these differences you need to know that, surrounded by volcanoes, Antigua has been repeatedly been plagued by earthquakes. After a really big earthquakes in 1773 the Spanish crown ordered an evacuation of the capital city and Antigua (Old Town) was born.

The back entrance of the cathedral.

So, left over now, behind the chapel are the heaps of rubble which for a small donation of 4 Quetzales (about .40 cents US), you are free to explore on your own and witness the effects of 100s of years of earthquake damage. When I visited the cathedral it was still really early in the morning and I was one of a very few vistors in the ruins. I particularly liked where grasses and roots had sprung up and were now forming what looked to be like mini-gardenettes inside some of the chapels.

The tomb of Bernal De Castillo is in a tunnel under the main altar.

Under what was the main altar is a small stairway that leads to what is called “La Capilla De Los Reyes” (The Kings Chapel). It was in this small underground chapel where conquistador Pedro de Alvarado, his wife Beatriz de la Cueva, their daughter Leonora de Alvarado, Guatemala’s first bishop Francisco Marroquín, and the conquistador (and historian of the Spanish conquest) Bernal Díaz del Castillo were buried.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

These carpets are made of sawdust and during holy week they have processions over them that destroy them. A symbolism of how beautiful and temporal life can be.

There are many things to do in Antigua, Guatemala, but visiting Catedral Santiago I think gives the best visual of what Antigua is all about.

Pollo Campero Pt. 2 : El Pollo Rey

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Like the sign says Chicken is King in Guatemala.

There is no doubt about it, Chicken is King when it comes to the diet of Guatemaltecans. Chicken is everywhere in Guatemala and served up in almost any way you can imagine. With that in mind our first day in Guatemala city we decided to go to Guatemala’s main fast food export, Pollo Campero. We had gone to a Pollo Campero in California and based on the food we had there we were kind of excited. We knew for sure that since the Pollo Campero was good in California, it had to be better in Guatemala. Boy were we wrong!!

California Pollo Campero? Check, been there.

There are a ton of Pollo Campero restaurants in Guatemala. Like McDonald’s here in the USA, you can’t go too far in Guatemala without seeing a yellow and orange chicken waving at you. Clean and well priced (all food in Guatemala is cheap), they are very convenient. Problem is for an American they are very boring. Unlike the Pollo Campero in California, I found that Pollo Campero in Guatemala does not have many choices. You basically can get pieces of chicken grilled, fried, or in a salad. This was surprising because of all the different ways they cook chicken in Guatemala, but Pollo Campero apparently knows what they are doing because the stores seemed to be doing good business while we were there. Along with the lack of options was the lack of sides. In California they had 12 different sides and a salsa bar. In Guatemala there was no salsa bar and you could choose between cole slaw, dinner rolls, or french fries for side.

Eating Hawaiian pizza.

One thing that was different in some Pollo Campero restaurants was that some restaurants had Pizza. While coming back from visiting a cave in the town of Santa Elena we visited one such Pollo Campero. The inside of the Santa Elena Pollo Campero was very big, so much so that it had an indoor playground. AJ, really liked playing in the ball pit (you hardly see those anymore in the USA). Ironically, despite finding pizza on the menu, BBQ chicken was not an option. In our case we settled on a Hawaiian Pizza with ham and pineapple. Guatemaleans love their chicken, but we also found a lot of pizza places so it wasn’t that unusual for us to be eating pizza in Guatemala. Unlike the Pollo Campero in the USA, in Guatemala they serve you at your table. Also they give you real forks and knives (make sure you don’t throw them away).

This chile relleno plate only cost me $3 dollars.

All in all, it was decent, but if I hadn’t written about Pollo Campero before I probably wouldn’t be writing about it now. I would like to say that even though Pollo Campero did not meet my expectations, food in general was good in Guatemala. Although maybe not as diverse as say Mexico (Guatemala is a small country), it did have a few options that stood out. For example I really enjoyed the Guatemala version of chile rellenos, instead of cheese they fill it with a pulled pork mix. Fruit was abundant everywhere we went in Guatemala and being as fresh as it was, it was very flavorful. My favorite thing for breakfast when I was there was mixed plate of fruit with a little bit of yogurt. Our last day in Guatemala we bought some assorted tamales that were really tasty as well.

First 50 pounds are down!

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Back in September of 2011 I decided to start walking again. I didn’t get too far, only about a half a mile. I have no idea why I started to walk again, but I did. I then got in my head that if I was going to walk then I needed to have a goal. My goal was to redo a half marathon.
I had done one just before AJ was born, but it was a disastrous occasion. I finished, but collapsed just three steps after the finish line. I found a half marathon set for January and I began my training.
About in November of 2011 I weighed myself and at 305 lbs. I figured if I was going to avoid collapsing again I needed to start watching my weight and so I put a goal to be down to 285 lbs. by race day. I kept track of my calories and made sure I went walking at least 3-4 days a week. By January of 2012 had gotten down to 282 lbs. Unlike my previous half marathon I did really well (If your interested in reading about it click HERE).
Motivated by my good walking skills I have decided to do another half marathon in June. The difference with this one is that there is a qualifying time of a 12/mile. In order to do this however I need to lose even more weight. I am currently at 253.6 lbs and my goal for June 2nd is to get to 240 lbs. If I do good on this one too I am considering entering myself into a full marathon (26.2 miles).
As far as my weight is concerned I would like to get down to 185 (my ideal body weight), but that is still a long ways off. I can’t really fathom a big goal like that and so I just concentrate on my little goals. After I get to 240 lbs. my next goal will be 220 lbs. That will take me from Obese I (I started at Obese III) to Overweight. After that I will concentrate on 200 lbs. because it seems like a good landmark number.
The number one question everyone asks me with the weight loss is about how I feel. The answer is not different really, I feel the same way I always did. The one thing I can say however is I can run now, which is something I couldn’t do before. I used to go to races and be in the back, but now I am right in the middle of the pack with my speed. In some ways losing weight has become a problem. I hate shopping for clothes and all my clothes are now too big for me. Clothes are not cheap and so I have resorted to going to second hand clothes stores as much as I can to keep costs down but no one likes wearing hand-me-downs. In the end I just reassure myself it is all for the better. The number one reason I want to lose weight is I really don’t want to die for something that was reasonably preventable. This is by no means my first attempt at weight loss. It is certainly not an easy road to travel, but I am hoping in the end it will be good.
CLICK ON AN IMAGE TO ENLARGE

This is me in July of 2011 in Mexico City, Mexico. I weighed about 305 lbs. in this picture.


This is me March of 2012 in Copan, Honduras. I weigh about 254 lbs in this picture.

#29 Tikal Ruins, Tikal, Guatemala

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This model shows how Tikal looked like without it's jungle covering.


In the heart of the jungle lies the Tikal National Ruins. In my quest to learn more about the Mayan people I knew that if I was going to gain a full appreciation of the Mayan culture it would be necessary to visit Tikal, the ancient capital of the Mayans.

This stella talks about how the Teotihuacanos came from Mexico to conquer the Mayans.


Archeological evidence hints that Tikal was first established around the year 600 BC (did someone say Lehi?) . At the height of it’s power in about 200 AD it is believed to have housed over 60,000 people. In the year 378 AD a Teotihuacan warrior (yes, all the way from Mexico) named Siyaj K’ak arrived to the city. His name translates to “the birth of fire”, and to make a long story short he lived up to his name and for the next 200 years the Tikal Mayans would be sending tribute up to the Teotihuacanos in Mexico. Mysteriously the Teotihuancanos stopped coming for their tribute in 500’s and Tikal experienced some major political revolts. It wouldn’t be until 682 AD when King Ah Cacau (gotta love a guy who names himself King Chocolate) comes to power that the city experienced it’s last period of growth. This growth period would continue until about 900 AD when the city was finally abandoned and forgotten.

A view from the top of Temple IV.


In 1525, the Spanish Conqueror, Hernan Cortez, passed by Tikal but didn’t stop and his scribes barely mentioned the ruins at all. It wasn’t until the 1950s when University of Pennslyvania professors started to dig around the area that Tikal was once again remembered. In 1977, George Lucas decided to use Tikal as the backdrop to the movie Star Wars IV: A New Hope. It sounds really stupid, but it was because of this movie that I first found out about the place.

Denise and AJ at 4:30 AM.


Getting to the site was interesting. You can stay in the Tikal National Forest with rooms starting at $50 USD a night, but we stayed in a small island town called Flores. There were many reasons for this but to say that our private rooms cost us $15  USD gives you a hint of one of our main reason for staying in Flores. Flores is about an hour away from the Tikal National Forest. Because of the heat of the jungle we booked a tour that left our hotel at 4:30 am. All in all, it cost us $125 (31.25 per person) for three adults and one child to visit the Tikal ruins. That included transportation there and back with a guide ($50), entrance fees ($63), and pre-made sack lunches ($12). If we wanted to we could have reduced that quite a bit, we went for convenience. The transportation was a small group tour, we spent $3 extra to visit the on site museums, and we could have made our own lunches but after walking in the heat it was nice to have our meals made for us.

Our chicken sandwich lunch was very yummy and convienant.


Going to the Tikal ruins is a great experience but you need to be prepared. When the Mayan people lived in Tikal they deforested the jungle, but after over 1000 years it has come back in full force. The jungle is big, it’s hot, and it is full of lots of animals. Arriving at the site we immediately heard the howler monkeys who were not happy to hear us coming, they were kind of like the bees, leave them alone and they will leave you alone. The real danger is mosquitoes, by the time you see them it is too late. On advise of our doctor we have been taking Malaria medicine, but as an extra layer of protection DEET is recommended. The site is quite expansive and travelers should be aware that you will be walking a lot. Along with that bringing a lot of water is a must. The ancient Mayans had this thing where they would build on existing mountains and hills and so there is a lot of going up and down in addition to climbing lots of steep pyramid stairs.

AJ and I carefully looking out to Tikal.


Overall, however the site was amazing. It was pretty much exactly what I expected it to be, breath taking. I don’t know if I will ever get to go that way again, we also didn’t get to see everything,  but even if I never make it back I am more than pleased with what we did. Here is to accomplishing yet another goal on the list!

6 Observations about Travel…

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We are almost done with our trip; we go home tomorrow. I’m sure in the coming weeks John (and maybe even me) will be doing lots of posts covering what we did, what we saw, where we stayed, and so forth. However, in this quick Sunday afternoon post I thought I’d put up a few observations of mine–in no particular order.

AJ had all sorts of Spanish friends.

1. Traveling with a young child generates a lot of good will.    Most people genuinely like children, and almost everyone we encountered (locals and fellow tourists both) had a smile for AJ. It reminds me that people aren’t just people, they are fathers and mothers, big brothers and little sisters, grandmas and grandpas. For instance, our guide at Tikal was GREAT with AJ. About half-way though the morning long tour, while we were walking from place to place, he asked us if AJ was our only one. When we answered in the affirmative he confided that he was the father of 9! (From ages 5 to 16, 9 in 11 years!)

Whenever we asked how long it was to get to a different city the answer was curiously always 6 hrs.

2. The worst parts of the trip is what makes for the best stories. We had no truly awful parts of this trip, but I know John already has a post started about the bus trip from Flores to Honduras–be looking for it!

 

I guess being small gives you a natural affinity to playing on the ground.

3. Even though I CAN do laundry in the sink doesn’t mean I LIKE it.  We always plan on doing laundry at some point on any trip longer than about 3 days, before it’s either been at someone’s house, a laundry mat, or dropping it off with a laundry service.  This time, the one day we could really do laundry was the day that the Country of Guatemala had the water turned off–no running water in the entirecountry!  No washing machines anywhere were working–thus laundry in the sink with a couple gallons of bottled water.  Not so fun. (However, see observation #2!)

 

A tribute to the visor that sailed away for greener pastures.

4. No matter how careful you are, at some point, you will leave something behind, somewhere.  For me, it was my visor, and a book I’d picked up at the friends of the library sale, and had been trying to get myself to read.  (I knew I liked the author, but I wasn’t excited about the subject–a tragedy.)  Both were left on a van after a long drive.  We were all a flurry to get out, and I forgot that those things had gotten loose from my stuff during the trip. 

AJ shows off his primary picture in Guatemala City.

5. I already knew that it’s not really Relief Society with out a pretty table cloth.  I now know it’s not really Primary if there is no coloring.  The first Sunday (in Guatemala City) we were planning on only attending Sacrament Meeting.  However, when we prepared to leave before Primary, AJ was visibly upset.  So, we stayed.  When we came to pick him up he was happy to show off his colored picture (of a family in front of a church).  The bi-lingual Primary President told us he was a little nervous at first but quickly warmed.  Today, on the way to the Mexico City ward he told me, “I will make new friends who speak Spanish and theywill have a new friend who speaks English, me, AJ!”  I don’t know what bilingual resources there were today, but,  he showed me two baptism pictures for coloring at home, told me about how he’d be baptised when he’s 8 (like John baptised Jesus) and that he sang LOTS of songs in Spanish.  He was very happy. 

What's the difference between a 4 yr. old and a billy goat? Not much.

6. Little boys can attract ALOT of dirt, very quickly.  Enough said.

 

 

 

 

For some reason, I can’t figure out how to add pictures (EDIT: John added some pictures into this post).  I blog infrequently, and I’ve forgotten.  Maybe, if you check back later you’ll see that John has helped me add some.  In the mean time, check out John’s post below about the zoo.  It really adds some spice to the experience to get a warning to stay on the path so the jaguars don’t get you!!