Pedroza's Place

California is world renowned for its citrus industry. It all started back in 1870 William Saunders, a horticulturalist at the United States Department of Agriculture, sent Eliza Tibbets a navel orange tree he had received from Bahia, Brazil. The tree got to Riverside in 1873 (not exactly speedy delivery) and it started California’s citrus industry. According to the book, A History of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, three tree were planted. During the first year they were planted, one got trampled over by a cow and died. Later President Theodore Roosevelt in 1903 transplanted another tree to the Mission Inn Hotel. According to the hotel management that tree died in 1922 (where was the CCC on that one??). In order to protect the last tree the City of Riverside moved it to the corner of Magnolia and Arlington (which back then was the outer limits of the city) and surrounded it by a big fence.

This last tree is still surviving today. In fact on Saturday, March 6th, 2010 we went to go see it. Sure enough, over 100 years later this tree is still doing well. In fact, when we saw it there were plenty of oranges on it. Can you imagine? Over one hundred years and it is still bearing fruit. We cannot say if the fruit was good or not, the fence is still there. No hundred year old oranges for us!
We did make a video however:

There are also some grapefruit that was planted there in 1958, but let’s face it, who cares about 50 year old grapefruit when you can look at 100 year old oranges…

Weeks to the Half: 13
Weight: 295
Longest Distance Run: 5 miles
This week my Scouts decided that they wanted to begin working on their Physical Fitness Merit Badge. Being the leader I try to be I told my Scouts that I would do this merit badge along with them. Big mistake, I earned this Merit Badge 20 years ago. I am sure when I did it I did admirably. I remember winning two ribbons for the amount of sit-ups and push-ups I could do. Times have changed and I am no longer so glorious in my physical fitness endeavors. Injury came when I found myself behind all my Scouts in the rankings. Insult came when they were done they went on to play a game of dodge ball and I sat in a corner feeling all my muscles really sore. Oh to be that age again.
In other news progression on the running front has been slow. I am basically going off the premise that something is better than nothing. I am beginning to feel Mother Nature is against me in that the weather has been really nice on my workdays but horrible on my days off. I’d write a letter, but I know I wouldn’t be able to afford the postage. Despite the weather I was able to do a long (long for me) run on Saturday. When I set out in the morning the weather was pleasant. So much so that I headed out in shorts and a t-shirt. By the time I got to Camp Switzerland (the far side of Lake Gregory) I noticed that these really big dark clouds were rolling in. The temperature dropped rapidly. There is nothing like the impending doom of a snow storm to get you moving faster. At this point I was already more than half way on my scheduled run, so there was nothing left to do other than increase my pace and get home as fast as I could. Needless to say that my time on this run was really good (for me anyway).

Weeks to the Half: 14
Weight: 302
Longest Distance Run: 2 miles
They say “that the road to failure is paved with good intentions.” This is how I feel my week went. I had a lot of good things planned this week as far as jogging goes, but none of them worked out. I was supposed to go on a 5 mile hike on Saturday, but it snowed. I was going to make it up for it on Monday (my early day at work), but traffic got in the way. My only saving grace is that with the traffic I had the presence of mind to go to the mall and start walking some laps while waiting for my ride to pick me up. I could chalk it up to bad circumstance, but I think it was bad planning on my part. This week I learned I need to have a plan B in case plan A doesn’t work out, because I know that plan C is to sit on my lazy butt and do nothing. This is how I got myself to where I am today!!
I also have an issue of after work training. I am a commuter and so I leave relatively early in the morning and I come home relatively late. I am not a big fan of jogging in the dark, but I am going to have to get over that. I guess I am going to have to get a good jogging flashlight or something. It gets really dark at night where I live (not a lot of street lights in the forest).
Anyhow, I am looking forward to a better week coming up. I think with a bit more of better planning I will have some better output. I am always looking for good ideas. What do you do when your plan A doesn’t work out?

If you mention Mexico the first thing you will from most of my friends is a fantasy story of them sitting on beach, lounging in a beach chair, sipping some kind of exotic drink. Mexico certainly has a lot of beautiful beaches, but most Americans in my view have missed the boat when it comes to Mexico. From a traveler’s standpoint, right next to us is a country in which you can explore a 3000 year old archeological dig in the morning, have lunch in a French Colonial building, and go shopping in one of the most modern malls in the afternoon (which is exactly what I did the last time I was in Mexico City). It is because of this diversity that I love visiting Mexico City. It also doesn’t hurt that my dad owns a travel company based in Mexico City and I spent most of my teenage years in Mexico City. Having said that however I have to say that if you haven’t been to Mexico City you should really check it out.
This is a video I filmed in one day. I appologize in advance for the choppy quality, it was on my old camera:

Many Americans I think have been put off by the news of the H1N1 (Swine Flu) Virus and the daily reports we get about the drug trafficking trade. All I can say is that I was personally in Mexico last May at the height of the H1N1 epidemic in Mexico and I didn’t see a single person so much as sneeze. The only crime that I saw was committed by then 1 and half year old son who stole some poor kid’s soccer ball in a park. Luckily, my son doesn’t run that fast so it was retrieved rather quickly. I am not going to say that Mexico City is a harmless city. It has its areas you want to stay away from and pick pocketing is something you will have to watch out for in Mexico City, but with most things it is just of matter of being aware of your surroundings. If you look around the neighborhood you are in and you don’t like what you see then it is time to get out of that neighborhood. All of the places most tourist go have high amount of police surveillance anyhow, so the chances of a major crime happening in a tourist area are very slim.
I have to say I am a big fan of Mexico City and I was very happy to hear that Mexico City was named one of the Top Ten destinations for 2010. Mexico City in my opinion definitely deserves this distinction and I hope that because of it, Mexico City will see some more tourists visit the city this year. Due to the economy Mexico City is a real bargain right now. Prices on almost everything are down and like everything else in Mexico, it’s highly negotiable. If you are interested in more advice I would advise you to talk to my dad. His name is Arnold Pedroza and he has been running his travel company for over 30 years now and knows Mexico like the back of his hand. His main business these days is doing tour groups for universities, but he does have tours for the general public. You can check out his main tours and contact him at www.panoramasmexico.com. It doesn’t cost anything to ask him for advice and he likes to give it, trust me I know! If you do talk to him tell him his son John sent you.

As I mentioned in an earlier post I was rooting for Canada and it was just announced that due to some last minute wins and with only a few contests to be decided, Canada will take home the most gold medals in this Olympics. I have to say that for country that has gone for so long with no gold medals in their home country this is a big win on their part. They may not “own the podium” with the highest medal count (that will go to the USA), but this is truly something Canada can be proud of having. For me personally this is the best of both worlds.

My past experiences with Dominos have not been good. My general opinion of Dominos has been it has been slightly above Chuckie Cheese’s which is one step above cardboard with pizza sauce. Not very good. As you might of heard Dominos has been heavily advertising that they have recognized this opinion (it’s about time) and are introducing a new crust. I was skeptical about this claim, but being the capitalist I am in you give me a good deal and toss in a coupon for a free side of cinnamon bread and you get a second chance. Going to the dominos website I was able to find a coupon for a large American Legend pizza for $12.99, searching on the internet I was also able to find the coupon code for a free side of cinnamon bread (the code I used was 9054, should work for anyone buying a large pizza online). The online ordering process was something new for me. They have this feature where you can build your pizza online. In our case we ordered a Cali Chicken Bacon Ranch took off the tomatoes and added onions. When you are done ordering online they have this little tracker app in which you can see your pizza being made online. It’s pretty cool because you can tell exactly at what stage your pizza is being prepared and plan accordingly. For us it meant we knew exactly what time to be at our local Dominos so that are pizza was still hot, but yet we didn’t have to wait for it. The pizza itself was definitely better. I am still more of a fan of Round Table as far as large chain type pizza goes, but Dominos is a lot cheaper than Round Table. I would have to say that Dominos is about par with Pizza Hut now. The crust is a lot more spongier and you can tell that they are no longer cheaping out on the cheese and sauce, which is really important in my opinion. Overall I am bumping up my pizza rating for Dominos from a 1.5 to 3.5 out 5. Not the best ever, but definitely worth checking out.
So, do you have a favorite pizza chain? If so, which one and why?

BTW, I was not paid nor endorsed by any of the companies I have mentioned in any way. My opinions are solely my own and do not reflect in any way the opinions of the companies I have mentioned.

Two years ago I did the Disneyland Half Marathon. It was great achievement for me in that I finished, but it also has become a major hurdle. Just to catch those up not in the know I finished the race in 3:19:35. For most people that is where the story ends, but for me it was just a beginning. First thing you have to know is that three steps after the race I collapsed. When I came to there were two medics helping me into a wheelchair. My blood pressure was up to 150 and they wanted to put an IV in me. The funny thing was I wasn’t going to let them do that until I got my medal. In the end I made a deal with the doctor that if he got me my medal I would let him put in the IV.

Not very rational, but I wasn’t thinking very straight at that moment anyhow. When I finally got home and took off my socks I discovered that I had no skin on the front part of my feet. Luckily, Denise’s mom hooked me up with some special pads they use for burn victims. The skin eventually came back, but I wasn’t able to walk for a week.
So why am I bringing up this? Well, after that race I didn’t do very well in keeping up my running training. In July I am scheduled to go hiking in the Sierras with my Scouts. My Scouts are trying to earn their Hiking Merit Badge. One of the requirements for the Hiking Merit Badge is that they complete a 20 mile hike. I don’t think I am at all ready for a 20 mile hike with my Scouts. After doing the Riverside 5K I know I am not ready for the distance. I will also add to that I am carrying too much weight to be carrying a pack (302 lbs).
So how do I remedy this? Well, I need a goal. The Sierra hike is a good goal within itself, but that is my Scouts goal. I want them to do well, but I need to do something else to help me prepare for that. For me, I need to conquer some of the gremlins that are haunting me from my last half marathon. I am not sure I can explain it well but basically I need to prove that I can do a half marathon and not almost kill myself in the process. So I have decided that I am going to train for the Fontana Days Half Marathon in June.
This is going to take a serious effort. To help me in this quest I am going to have to stay focused. I am going to need some help with this. To help me on this I am going to write about my progress every Tuesday. What I need is if it is Wednesday and you don’t see a blog entry about my progress I need you to email me at johnpedroza(AT)hotmail(DOT)com and tell me to get back on the goal. The progress is going to be slow, but I know if I am consistent I can do it. Thank you in advance for your help.

It was 5:15 AM and I heard the alarm clock go off. Thinking it was Saturday I ignored it. At 5:30 AM I remembered that AJ and I (John) had a race to go to and so I had better get up. Two bowls of oatmeal later (one for each of us) we were on our way to Riverside. The course was described in the literature as a beautiful run with easy lifts. It was beautiful, but there were two hills that I wouldn’t call “easy lifts.” I suppose it would have been easier had I remembered to check the inflation levels on the stroller tires. Oh well, that will be next time. For our $20 entry fee we got a bib with a number on it and a long sleeved t-shirt. The weather was good, it had rained the night before, but this was good because it made it nice and cool for the race. Along the way we got to see many sights. My favorite sights were the houses that surrounded the parks.

After the race we meandered about the little fair they had setup. AJ was happy because they gave him a granola bar. Anyhow, if you are thinking of doing this race I would tell you it is a very fun course to run through. It isn’t the fastest course out there (no PB’s on this course), but it has really good scenery.

Every few months or so we make a trip up to Bakersfield, California to visit Denise’s parents. We always have a good time with Denise’s parents, but the highlight for me is to visit one of Bakersfield’s many ice cream shops. A dying breed, the ice cream shop is still alive and well in Bakersfield. The oldest and arguably the best of these shops is Dewars.
Dewars started in 1909 when James Dewar moved his candy making business from Ventura to Bakersfield. James Dewar’s claim to fame is the peanut butter chew. Unlike normal taffy, these chews have actual peanut butter inside of them (no artificial stuff at this place). The chews cost about .25 cents apiece (less if you buy in bulk). In addition to peanut butter there is peppermint, caramel, almond, and chocolate almond (peanut butter is still my favorite). If you want to try to make them at home you can, the recipe is no secret. They even offer tours of how they do it:

Although I have to say I doubt yours will taste the same…
In addition to the famous chews there is the ice cream. The star of the show is the Dewars Black and White:

The Black and White will set you back about $5.75, expensive but it is really big and really good. In addition to the black and white they sell all the popular flavors, plus something called ice milk. Ice milk is basically ice cream, but without the cream (think low-fat milk). I wouldn’t call it healthy, but it is not as fattening as regular ice cream. Here is a small video of our experience with Dewar’s ice cream. As you can see in the video I went with the legendary Black and White:

Anyhow, if you happen to be in Bakersfield I would highly recommend you go to this California original. They have two locations in Bakersfield but you have to go to the original one across from the high school at 1120 Eye St. Yes, there is only one table and you will probably have to pry yourself out of your barstool when you are done; but you will leave with a smile.

I personally don’t think Tiger Woods owes the public an apology. His family, for sure. His sponsers maybe, but that is it. Tiger Woods doesn’t owe anyone else an apology and I am not sure what kind of society we believe in that thinks he does. People make mistakes and people do bad things. It happens and people should pay for it in one way or another, but I don’t feel he harmed the public with what he did. Well, there was that tree..Ok, Tiger Woods owes an apology also to the tree he ran into, but that’s it!
I am not saying I condone in any way or form what Tiger did, but I am just saying that what he did didn’t affect me, nor did it affect most people who watch him play. I don’t get why we have to call athletes role models. Tiger Woods is a pro golfer and that is it. If he does his job well he should get paid, and if he does it bad he shouldn’t get paid. It is just like any other job.
If I was Tiger Woods I would be personally offended that the Pro Golfers Association snubbed his press event. Yes, they were going to just be props, but in my opinion, they owe it to Tiger Woods big time. There have been a lot of golfers out there, but none have done what Tiger Woods has done for the sport of golf. If I were the Pro Golfers Association I would be begging Tiger Woods to come back instead of snubbing him, because every day he is gone they are losing money big time. As far as the sponsers go that left him, I say good riddences. They were probably doing bad economically anyways and were just using this as an excuse to get out of their contracts.
Overall I am really tired of hearing about this in the news, it is such a non-story. There are bigger and better stories out there and I wish the Press would report on those. Anyhow, that is my diatribe, I am done now. Thanks for reading and I will now go back to editing my other travel videos…