🚴‍♀️ Century Ride Complete! What a journey. Lan and I joined a local bike group with one massive goal in mind: train hard enough to ride all the way to San Diego. Today, we hit our century ride milestone! We’ve been pushing each other further every week, but today took grit to a whole new level. With only about 20 miles left to go, another cyclist accidentally crashed straight into Lan. The Shock: She took a hard fall, and the other rider ended up hospitalized with serious injuries. The Hero: Miraculously, Lan walked away with just a few cuts. Even with a bent tire, she looked at the remaining miles, looked at me, and chose to keep going. Lan, you are an absolute warrior and my total hero. We crossed that finish line together! “She is fearless, she is strong, and she never backs down. We only made our goal because we had an amazing leader, Brent, who led us all the way and encouraged us up and down each mile with the biggest smile ever.”

2026 backpacking treasure Lake and chocolate Lake Loop

This adventure is not about the 20 miles hike or the over 2000 feet elevation gain but about spending four days in the Wilderness over 10,000 feet with the highest height of 11,200.with the highest height of 11,200. each step was the 23rd Psalm. As I hoped I thought about what I have been learning the past week about worry, my journey started with no parking place at the trailhead. So out loud I said God I trust you and I won't worry in about half hour a spot opened up for me and I could go on my hike. On day, two hiking up to the upper lake, the trail became quite challenging over a boulder field. My confidence was diminishing while I was alone again don't worry and trust was my motto. Some hikers arrived in time and I joined the group to cross the Boulder field and make it to the second lake. I slid on a pretty big rock and took an abrupt sit down which smashed the glass on my iPhone. Better that than my bones being broke. Day three I hiked alone and I came upon a group that had lost the trail. Together we joined up and I gave them encouragement and they gave me encouragement. Together, as we got to know each other, we were able to locate the trail which disappeared many times and summit this hill that we needed to get over to the next lake. I am sure I would've turned back if I would by myself because the downhill descent was treacherous to saythe least. It was way too steep with rocks and sand and risk of falling. But we encouraged each other on and made it to the next lake. one of the hikers really was not prepared and ran out of water. I was able to save his life and let him use my filter. These moments refresh the reality of divine Providence as I received just what I needed at the right time. https://youtu.be/LeX1ZlRxeK4?is=5TiQUpzWXMI8F2av now you can skip this next part, but this is for me to read in the future. i used AI to explain some of my symptoms at altitude. The first thing was the loss of appetite because the barometric pressure drops and the air contains fewer oxygen molecules per breath. This is called hyperbaric hypoxia. My body is prioritizing survival with the Relative lack of oxygen and shifts in protective state. It Diverts energy and blood flow away from non-essential systems like my G.I. track. My appetite regulating hormones, combined with mild generalized nausea from faster breathing my brain turned off the hunger signals. I also don't pee all day despite drinking lots of water at the high altitudes the air is thinner and dryer, and when I breathe out, I loose significant amounts of moisture through my lungs. My sympathetic nervous system is engaged in blood flow is directed heavily toward working skeletal muscles. My kidneys produced less urine while I am actively exercising under physical stress. Then I wanted to know what happens at night when I have to get up multiple times to pee. This is called altitude diuresis. To compensate for lower oxygen levels my body hyperventilates and blows off extra carbon dioxide and shifts my blood pH to fix this imbalance my kidneys, excrete excess bicarbonate, and drags the water along with it, causing my body to shed fluid once I stop hiking the blood flow that was in my leg Muscles is re-distributed through my core, and my sympathetic nervous system, dials back, signaling my kidneys at it's safe to process and clear out the backlog of fluids and electrolytes. I consume during the day. Isn't that amazing?

2026 Dry lake and Dollar lake

last minute idea to hit the trails, which involves realizing no one else might want this adventure and pulling a permit and packing and going. The first day as I put my car in the parking lot with no other cars brought me to my aloneness. I knew the trail would be strenuous because I would be going up 2000 feet in elevation. It was also a very hot day with the sun scorching the trail. I hacked alone each mile. The verse psalms 121:5 became my mantra. The Lord watches over you, the Lord is your shade at your right hand. When I arrived under a tree to rest, I immediately felt the cooler air and took deep breaths. arriving at the lake and choosing a spot to set up my Camp Isaiah 41:10 became words of comfort ...so do not be afraid I am with you do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you and I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. hiking about a quarter mile up to a little stream to gather my water while reciting Psalms 23 the Lord is my Shepherd. I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures and leads me beside quiet waters. There was no way I was going to grab water from the very beautiful lake, because it was very murky and swampy. As I lay out under the stars and the light faded, and I knew that I was in God's landscape and in God's presence. so grateful for the beautiful earth and to the Maker!

 2025 Highlights

Family vacation and dress up time

Caribbean warm beaches

Airboats and alligators

Thanksgiving's celebration

Silas and Gramps

Biking

New roof 

Upgrade electrical

Backpacking

Family reunion for dads 95 birthday

Camping with Charis and family in Colorado

Cousin camping Morro Bay

Silas with Aunt Lorna and dad

4 generations: Tim's mom, Charis and Brinley in Washington

cruise cruise adventure

Here is my 2025 backpack trip with my hiking friend Tanette! We had the best campsite overlooking the lake and amazing views along the trail.

2025 Etiwanda Peak

 Best hike this year! It took us 14 miles to go from an elevation of 4000 feet to go up to 8600. Tanette, my hiking buddy and I went up and down the mountains to reach the top of the world.

2024 highlights

Ready or not here comes 2025

 Where have we been? It will be obvious that we travel to hang out with our family. Our favorite memories? Camping in Santa Cruz and Joshua tree national Park. Tim’s favorite memory is the Grandchildren chasing fireflies, and putting Silas to sleep. And of course, we are both happy to discover pre-check TSA to make our airplane experiences a little bit easier.

We have been a hospitality House for several couples traveling through and enjoyed the blessing of meeting new people.

We also survived a disruption of having our home repiped, recarpeted and painted. We concluded that moving would’ve been a lot easier.

Camping Joshua Trees and spotting a UFO.

Marriage of 46 years

Enjoying Butchart Gardens in Canada. So very beautiful. Required a plane, a car and a ferry to get to this magical garden.

Charis, Dace, Aidan, Nolan, and Brinley live in Colorado Springs

Jerrol, Lauren, Sianna, Ellison, and Marianne live in Knoxville Tennessee

Just a few memories of grandpa with grandchildren

Bryant, Rachel, Annabelle, Ollie and Silas live in Southern California a mile from us

Hiking, biking, backpacking out of Yosemite balances out my work at UCI Health. (New name for our hospital but same work)

We are so blessed to have our parents. here is Tim’s mom.

Here is Char‘s mom

Here is Char’s dad and Marilyn with Sianna and Ellison

And below just a few of the beautiful things, God has made for us to enjoy.

Wilderness Hike 2024

 Truly I feel a bit fearful when I journey into the wilderness and begin the 6 hour all alone drive. I desire to have a friend to share the experience but if I can't find anyone, then my soul needs the time on the trail and the quiet.

What I gain is greater then the discomforts of backpacking. The elevation does make me feel weak when my backpack and I must go uphill. The miles and hours slow the chaos in my mind and the weariness of life burdens. The beauty of the night stars, the darkness, the comets shooting or bright moon become my focus in the long, long night of not sleeping well on the ground or need for frequent full bladder release. Life slows and the changing light of sunrise and sunset fill my vision.

Several encounters with other hikers put a grin on my face as we discussed any topics and had great conversation. The beauty draws us to this wildness.

Most of the trail is easy to follow with signs to direct at intersections. My hiking sticks give me confidence on the uneven terrain and keep me from stumbling. I'm relaxed with my GPS maps assuring me of water sources and camp spot destinations.

When I set up 3 different location camp spots, I am truly blessed with lake views and granite mountains that turn pink as the sun dips below the horizon. A few spots on the trail do leave memory markers. The first one is between the second and third lake. The trail becomes crazy steep along a small waterfall that requires some negotiations with feet and backpack and places to hang on. Of course I make it and decide not to think about the reverse down when I come down. 

A decision to day hike Conness Peak only 3 miles from my campsite has me going up and up and up. The trail has some places that left me feeling that I was maybe lost. One difficult section of scrambling up a very steep and scary incline had me grabbing rocks and carefully placing each step with slipping on shale. I kept questioning myself if I should turn around and get off this mountain. After another mile and not sure of the trail, ran into the first 4 hikers of the day coming down. My first logical thought was to turn around now and join them on the return trip. However they told me to look at the snowfield and see the saddle and assure me that it was worth it. With that encouragement I continued and put on my jacket to protect me from the crazy wind blasts. I arrived to the final ascent and noticed my elevation of 12,300 and checked out the view. I observed the rocks that would be need to traverse to arrive at the tippy top and decided my aloneness and no one around, this would be the time stop and not complete the ascent. So hard but so right. Now to get back down. This is where a few moments of not sure about the trail and descending that one crazy, crazy place of sliding and slipping and asking God for a few extra angels left a forever memory. I proceeded so slow and told myself, soon I would be off the mountain and safe.

Not every trail is easy and not every trail leaves so many memories. this one was full of moonscapes and vastness. I was in survival mode so I don't have enough photos to show it.

As in most hikes, the 23 Psalm is recited often and becomes the experience living in the landscape of Gods creation void of man made distractions. Yes God's Goodness follows me and I fear no evil. Now to bring those thought patterns home.

 2023 In Review

This year started with a family reunion in Clovis/Fresno to celebrate the life of my uncle, Ken Buller.

Char moves to PT status at work and continues as charge nurse with a new boss. Church involvement is sunday morning with the toddlers. Every 6 months CT and lab exams to make sure cancer is gone. Yeah! Attending 50th high school reunion and ED nursing convention in San Diego will time stamp this year.

Tim's business is slow but our highlight weekly event is grandchildren visiting us and outings to parks and zoos. We visit Colorado Springs in June and Tennessee in Sept. 

Christmas in Fresno

Moms last days in Oregon

Beach day

hiking

Birthday weekend in Yosemite with Lorna

We moved Tim's mom from Oregon to Washington over several trips to the northwest in Nov and Dec.

The last highlight of family time is visiting Colorado to help Charis celebrate her 40th birthday.

christmas celebration in Fresno with Char's folks and siblings became the last trip of the year.

All good!!

6 pack So Ca Peak Challenge 2023

This is how I spent some of my days, just hiking my 

Little feet up and down mountains.

Cucamonga Peak, 8859

San Bernardino Peak, 10,649 Climbing 4702 feet

Strawberry peak 6142 Climbing 2736 feet

Mount Wilson, 5713. Climbing 4697 feet.

Mount San has Jacinto 10,834 climbing 4689 feet

San Gorgonio 11,503 feet the tallest mountain in southern California. Elevation climbing 5840 feet

 2023 is the year I accepted the six pack of peaks challenge. My friend Tanette and I hiked six peaks together and covered 77 miles. Our total elevation gain on the six hikes was 26,964. This was definitely my Happy place to complete this challenge.

Strawberry Peak 6,165 feet May 13

 Here is today’s story and highlights. Five of us headed out on a hiking trail destined to bring part of the group to tears.

Here is the end of the trail. We would have started here and had a very easy hike but our trail guide said the road was closed so we had to start on the other side of the peak.

By the end of this day our feet would ascend 3000 feet from the trailhead and put 9 miles on our shoes to achieve our destination hiking over 7 hours. 

Wait until to hear the story before we made it to the top! Its better to hear the end of the hike before the start of the hike.

View from the summit! Yes, that is snow on that peak. 

Here is the view looking up to the peak. From the other side, very easy but from this side rock climbing with our hands and feet.

A picture can't show how much elevation or how scary this was. A couple of the gals begged me to push my GPS button for a helicopter rescue of the ledge. With much encouragement, we all got up to the top.

What saved us was a decision to take a different trail back to the car and not have to come down the crazy, crazy boulders and risk falling off the mountain. Did I say that I was the oldest and I had trouble keeping the pace of the girls?

    Here are my hiking friends. Tanette on the left is the leader and planner!
                                     

Prior to the summit on the first rock scramble, I made it to the top but the girls went back down to find another way. When they didn't show up, I decided to go back down and find them.  Can you picture a 20 foot slide and a sand dune that one step and you can just end up at the bottom on fast mode?

That's what happened to me, wrong step and I was on my seater sailing down the ravine. No injury but when I completed  the ride, my phone had slid out of my pocket and no where to be seen. i watched more rocks and sand continue to slide past me and wonder if my phone had sailed along down to the bottom? I sure didn't want to go down because I had to figure out how to get back up on the trail. It became a God moment to realize I would never find my phone on this mountain with 20 feet to climb back up hanging on to trees and rocks. It was probably buried or down the mountain. So I began to plan to finish the day without my phone and started back up. If God wanted to show me where to look for that phone that I need and depend on, well that would be a big miracle today. After about 5 minutes, my eyes saw a rock ledge and there was phone just waiting for me to find it. Thanks to the Maker! The girls concluded I was ahead and not behind so we were seperated for a couple of hours.

One more view to remind me of this day and God's care for me.