Thailand Trip - Day 1 LA

So today I woke up not having any idea where I am (except I'm 5 towns over from a rock gym that I'm planning to visit today - http://www.climbhangar18.com/.

Decided to go up to the San Bernadino mountains to see if I can do some hiking or bouldering and also tried to take a local road and found an amazing Taiwanese breakfast joint! Wow, I think I'll definitely go back :)

In any case, I finally meandered onto Route 2 and drive for quite a few miles past the ranger station before I realize that I needed a visitor pass to park (doh!)...so I just kept driving thinking I can just drive through the forest...only you can't! They closed the road 38.5 miles into the pass.

The view though, is pretty awsome - I can't believe I am only a few miles away from Los Angeles:

Getting to the closed gate took me about 1 1/2 hour of driving and stopping - I even tried to boulder on a rock and found myself wheezing fro the altitude (about 7000 ft) and the rock flaked off in my hand. Being by myself I thought that wasn't a good idea. So at that point I decided to go back AS FAST AS I CAN. Keep in mind it took me about 1 1/2 hours of stopping and driving to get to that point...I made the first 30 miles in about 30 minutes! Heart pounding turns - I took the rental car (a Ford Fusion) to its limits. Talk about a WHITE KNUCKLE experience! My palms were so sweaty and I have to tell myself to keep breathing I places. I peel and fishtailed a few times and left some rubber on the road! On a 25 mph 180 turn I manage to squeeze 47 mph and hit 80 on a straight way. Tried to race against a BMW but it toasted me until I caught up to it because it was stuck behind a caravan of slow polks :)

Also saw two Elises racing each other - we must've passed each other at combined 150mph + It felt like something out of a movie! I was going close to 70 and the two Elises looked like they were going faster :)

Took a break after that. Ate lunch, then went out to Hanger 18 and bouldered for 3 hours and tested myself bouldering for the first time in about a year. Found that I am bouldering a full 2 level about what I use to do flashing and can work on V3 problems and finish them! I was flashing V2s pretty easily and can probably push V4s but I was getting really fatigued - I did every V0-V2 problems there! Overall a cool, chill local hangout kinda place. Friendly staff but didn't meet anyone who would hook me up to go climb outside. Oh well :)