Adventures with BeeGee

Riding the Santa Express Through the Festival of Lights (Videos) On December 18, 2014, Linda and I visited Hidalgo’s Festival of Lights.  The night was rainy, which made riding in the Santa Express a little uncomfortable, but we still had fun.  I used the helmet camera again and I think the video is better this time.  The Festival of Lights is very similar to a previous trip to Santa’s Ranch .  The Festival of Lights Entrance Festival of Lights Background The City of Hidalgo, along with a community of volunteers and local sponsors, has been hosting the Festival of Lights for 24 years as of 2014.  There are multiple ways to tour the lights.  You can drive your own vehicle by following the directional signs or ride a trolley at city hall. The Festival of Lights starts at 704 E. Texano Dr., Hidalgo, TX.  Furthermore, the Festival of Lights is the largest light festival in Texas with over 3 million lights this year divided up among 8 locations.  The event runs from Dec

Our Goals and Wishes for 2015 It is only tradition to prepare a set of goals for the New Year’s, and we have been thinking about all the fun things that we would like to do in 2015.  More likely, these goals will end up being more of a wish list than anything else.  I asked everyone about his or her goals and this is what we came up with. BeeGee getting in the holiday spirit and hoping all our wishes come true! BeeGee’s Wish List 1.  BeeGee’s biggest goal/wish for 2015 is spending as much time as possible in the outdoors or wilderness with her human companions.  She loves being outdoors with her friends 2.  BeeGee’s second goal is to run through at least 20 different swamps or murky water.  It feels good, cools her off, and there are just so many amazing smells. 3.  Her third wish for me to let her chase the stray cats we come across in our adventures and around our apartment.  Unfortunately, she probably won’t have this wish come true, just for everybody’s saf

Riding the Monte Bella Trails On December 14 th , I finally made it to the mountain bike trails in Brownsville, Texas.  It was nice to ride a new trail, see some new scenery, and gain some new experiences.  If I were given 2 words to describe the Monte Bella Trails, they would be turns and flat.  Background Information Location: West Alton Gloor Boulevard, Brownsville, TX 78520 Admission: Free Elevation: 790 to 950ft Weather:  Partially cloudy, windy, 78F Difficulty: Easy Website: http://parks.cob.us/home/parks-listing/monte-bella-trails-park-1 The Monte Bella Trails were opened by the City of Brownsville in 2007.  There is currently 7 ish miles of trails that fit compactly in 100 acres.  This means you see a lot of tight turns and pass by other sections of trail as you flow through the park.  The “trails” are just short segments that are named, but there is no other way to ride.  In addition, there are 2 port-o-potties and a hand washing station on the prem

My New Boots: Ahnu Montara Boots Three weeks ago, I needed black or brown polishable comfortable work boots for my new job. The human resources woman suggested $30 polishable tennis shoes from Wal-Mart; but when I talked to my dad (who is on his feet all the time for his job); I was convinced I needed a higher quality shoe. I headed over to REI because some of my favorite purchases have come from there (a rain jacket, touring backpack, and no-blister hiking socks). I tried some recommendations on at the downtown Austin REI location, but they did not have many choices or anything in my size in men’s shoes. I took the employees advice to trek up to the north location, but was feeling skeptical, especially because it was raining. I came upon one men’s boot that fit the bill, but was a size too big on my bigger foot.  I was clopping around so no go. Across the table, though, was this pair:  the Ahnu Montara Boot. The Ahnu Montara Boots: ready for work and play The sho

3 Outstanding GPS Apps for Smartphones For most people smartphones have become an important tool for going on adventures.  Most smartphones now include a camera, GPS functionality, music player, and a phone.  The big benefit is significantly decreasing the amount of gadgets and electronics you need to take with you when adventuring.  As smartphones keep getting smarter, the number of amazing GPS/tracker apps just keeps increasing.  While, I haven’t used all of GPS apps out there (probably not possible), I have used 3 apps frequently for shorter duration adventures:  Google My Tracks, Endomondo, and Strava.  These apps work great for road cycling, mountain biking, or day hikes that are under 6 hours.  Anything much longer and my phone will run out of juice.  Google My Tracks When I began mountain biking in North Carolina, I quickly realized I needed a GPS tracking app to track basic data. Plus, it’s nice to know where you’ve been and how to get back.  I started with My

A Book Review Over Everest Pilgrim Today’s book review will cover Everest Pilgrim: A Solo Trek to Nepal’s Everest Base Camp and Beyond.  The book was interesting from cover to cover and an easy read.  It mostly covers a trek through the mountains of Nepal, but provides some useful information for someone looking to plan a trip.  In addition to today’s review, there are many others so go ahead and check out all our book reviews . The front cover of Everest Pilgrim. Background Information Everest Pilgrim is approximately 151 pages and is only available in digital format at this time (I don’t think there will ever be a paper version).  This book was written by Tristan Higbee  and is available for $3.99; however, I was able to get the book free from Amazon during a sale.  Higbee has published over 40 Kindle eBooks on various topics and runs a few different websites.  Everest Pilgrim is a book about Higbee’s solo trek through the Himalayas in Nepal.  It begins with

Exciting News for Early December While I missed reporting any news for the month of November, I am prepared to share the news I’ve found interesting for early December (mostly December at least).  First off, there are a lot of holiday options (Christmas and New Year’s) available in Texas State Parks, and I am hoping to experience a few.  Also, if you live in the Bastrop area, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department needs volunteers.  In national news, national park fees could be increasing in 2015 and learn more about the graffiti found in 8 parks.  Or you can check out our previous news reports.  Just updated: the City of McAllen is preparing for the largest parade in the area. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) News As we near Christmas, TPWD will host 50+ holiday themed events during the month of December in over 40 parks.  There are a multitude of events from hayrides to hot coco and Christmas lights.  The holiday’s brochure can be found here , so have a nice holi

Driving Through Santa’s Ranch (Videos) On Grey Thursday, (at least that’s what I think they are calling it now), I was able to get an ION Air Pro helmet cam.  So, today I will provide videos for a trip report to Santa’s Ranch near San Marcos, Texas.  The trip was with BeeGee, Linda, and my parents.  And, I do apologize for the video quality because I am still learning how to use the cam properly.  You should cheek out all our videos  or stop by our YouTube Channel . Santa’s Ranch Background Information Santa’s Ranch has been spreading holiday cheer for 13 exciting seasons.  Santa’s Ranch is located at 9561 I-35 North New Braunfels, TX 78130.  The site says look for the 50 foot Christmas tree, but you will see a long line of cars long before the tree.  The Ranch is open from November 7 th to January 3 rd .  From Sunday to Thursday hours are 6pm - 10pm and on Friday & Saturday hours are 6pm - 11pm.   50 foot tree and the entrance of Santa's Ranch The pric

The Gear BeeGee Brings on Our Hikes Finally, back from Thanksgiving with the family and all the Holiday travel, and I hope your Thanksgiving was a great one.  As I promised previously, I will be covering all the gear that BeeGee carries or has me carry for her.  The list varies by season, but the majority of the gear will be the same.  Plus, I convinced her to model some of her gear for you.  BeeGee’s Gear: REI Ultra Dog Pack REI Dog Food Bowl Silicone Water Bowl 2 Platypus SoftBottle KONG Zoom Groom Brush Lightload Towels Ruffwear Cloud Chaser Jacket Knit Sweater Fleece Blanket Closed Cell Foam Sleep Pad Dog Food Dog Snacks Gear Breakdown All of BeeGee's gear laid out so you can see each component REI Ultra Dog Pack The REI Ultra Dog Pack is BeeGee’s go to pack when I make her carry her own gear.  Almost everything fits in it except the blanket and bed pad.  The two saddlebags are water resistant and tough, I know because BeeGee would o