A rock as black as my heart

Only three for the Friday group hike yesterday, and we made it our mission to conquer Black Rock mountain. Mission accomplished!

A 6.5k trek up and over the Black Rock
My fellow travelers, Stuart and Rob
Off we go!
Up the National Highway
And into the Santa Monica subdivision
On the streets of Santa Monica
Out onto the Govic Highway
The road to the rock
Heading up
And up
On top of Black Rock
The village of St. James in Calapacuan
A hazy day, but that’s Barretto off in the distance and Alta Vista on the hill to the left.
The valley our downward path will take us to
Heading down
And down. When dry, the rocks aren’t slippery; thank goodness
A brief stop for a cookie delivery
Down in the valley
A recent burn. ‘Tis the season which explains the haze in the air
I’ll be helping to scout a trail tomorrow for the Easter Monday Hash climb up Easter Mountain
Heading back to Alta Vista, where the trail ended for me

You can Relive the walk here if you so desire:

https://www.relive.cc/view/vAOZo4dXwy6

A nice hike on a warm day, satisfying my walkaholic urges. A few hours later, it was time to quench my alcoholic thirst. Mary wanted to visit some new bars (to her) with me. So, we met up at Sloppy Joe’s and went from there. While I waited for her arrival, I enjoyed the company of Chris, and his gal, who usually hangs out at It Doesn’t Matter. Both have that street-view outdoor ambiance I prefer. Mary arrived and had a couple of gin and soda drinks; then we moved on to Outback.

Outback has an indoor and a poolside bar; I opted for the beach seats.

Beer with a view
And some fish and chips for dinner

I next took Mary to a bar I’ve only visited twice since it opened named Luxe. It’s actually a very nice bar with some sexy dancers, but for whatever reason, it is just not my kind of place. We stayed for one drink; then, we moved a few doors down to Thumbstar.

Now, I’m not a regular at Thumbstar, either. It also has dancers, but most of them are fat and unattractive. Still, with their Friday night buy-one-get-one deal, it’s not a bad place to chill and enjoy the atmosphere. Mary thought the music was too loud, but the waitress claimed she wasn’t authorized to turn down the sound. We wound up staying anyway since the drinks were so cheap. Mary and the waitress did tequila shots together, and she seemed to be enjoying herself.

Got back home before nine, made up a batch of smoothies, then hit the hay. I woke up with Mary beside me (sleeping in her dress) and let her sleep in while I went about my morning routine. She woke in time to do the dog walk. I made her a breakfast of meatballs (leftover from the other night) with corn on the cob and garlic bread. Who says you can’t improvise in the morning?

After the meal, I walked Mary to the highway, and she caught a Jeep back home. I did my standard Saturday solo walk, which took me past the scene of yesterday’s accident. To my surprise, the Jeepney was still on the side of the road.

I didn’t take this photo. Guys were working to salvage parts when I walked by, so I didn’t bother. I have learned that the guy behind the Jeepney driver was killed, and you can see why from the damage. I suspect he was the one who was bleeding out in the video I posted yesterday.

And that brings y’all pretty much up to date on my so-called life.

I don’t have a drinking problem. I drink, I get drunk, I fall down. No problem!

2 thoughts on “A rock as black as my heart

  1. Calapacuan, Calapadayan… how do you keep the names straight?

    Nice pics of the hike. Those two guys are fit and trim. They ex-military or just vegetarian (ha ha)? And Black Rock is looking quite inviting.

    Love the pic of the fish and chips. Fish looks nicely breaded.

    Sorry to hear about the guy in the Jeepney who died. It would make sense that it was the guy with the profusely bleeding head wound.

  2. Adding to the confusion, they are right next to each other too. I’m still learning to pronounce the names correctly, but getting better at it. KA-Lop-Ah-Die-Un and CAL-Uh-Pock-U-On

    Stuart was in the Air Force and a high school coach, so I guess he’s lived a fit life. I don’t know much about Rob, who is a Brit. Works on a ship that lays/repairs underwater cables, so that probably keeps him in shape as well. I note that you didn’t ask about the third guy, the old fat one.

    Yeah, it was pretty creepy walking past the death scene this morning. He looked pretty young too. You get up in the morning, grab a jeep for Barretto, and then all of a sudden, you are bleeding to death on the highway. You just never know when your time here will end.

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