Front Sight Firearms Training Academy - Ropes and Rappel Course

Alright, so this year, I decided to up my game and tackle the world of firearms training, and fulfill my destiny of becoming an expert marksman.  On top of that, I decided it was time I train some swat team skills because, oh I don't know, it's extremely useful for when I'm stuck on the side of a cliff, or need to get out of a burning building.  Which has never happened... so maybe its for me to continue learning survival skills, because it's fun and useful.

With that said, fun and useful are an understatement and a half!  I learned so much, that I need to actually go back and review multiple times.  The entire 4 days of the Ropes and Rappel course you are either learning knots, rigging, or rappelling.  We started off on a 12' wall, and I found that a bit intense since we had 50 mph winds on the first day.  By day 2 we were rappelling off the 45' tower, and that was enough to cause some vertigo, but the trainers were AMAZING and really talked/coached you through it all.

Some things I would have improved upon however, was the belay training.  The trainers do not belay you.  The students do that.  And I found that unnerving.  I want my belay to be trained and ready to catch me if I fall.  I felt there was a lot of room for error, and if you have students belay, there needs to be training in that.  Our training pretty much consisted of one demo.  Then they handed you the rope and put a person's life in your hands.  Technically your life is in your own hands, and if you fall in the first place, it's due to your own human error.  The belay, is there for backup.  But STILL!  I want my back up to be trained.

Other than that, it was an awesome experience.  I gained a ton of insight, and I will go back for this course.

You have a great view of the desert from the class site.  There is also a good balance of classroom time and outside class time, which is good because it's 4 days, 9 hours/day, with 1 lunch break, and a few bathroom breaks.

This tower is multi-functional and you can learn several types of rappels, including the head first rappel.

You totally need a buff to keep the dust out of your mouth and nose.  When that wind picks up, the dust is killer.

Death Valley... or rather... DROP DEAD GORGEOUS Valley

I mean.  There isn't a whole lot to say, except for the fact that Death Valley offers some of California's most beautiful terrains and sights to behold.  This is the entrance of Death Valley at Twilight. 

I was able to capture the sunset while driving through, and I was in awe of this place.  Absolute awe.

We drove through in March, and the super bloom was happening.  We did Kung Fu, Yoga, we sprinted up and down sand dunes.  I crab walked through the valley of the shadow of death #backbend #crabwalk #deathvalley#90srapmusiconmymind

We decided this was the spot for our annual family picture.  We're calling this "The Ninja Bunch".

Mono Lake Adventure - Beware of Sink Holes!!

The beauty of this lake is out of this world.  But make sure you come prior to spring, because flies are a force to be reckoned with as temperatures heat up.

This gem of wonder located 30 minutes before Mammoth Lakes (if you take the hwy 395 route from Tahoe) to Las Vegas is an incredible sight to behold. BUT before you venture out onto the lakeshore, BE WARNED... I was determined to paddle board this lake, until the moment I found myself in a sinkhole. Yes... Quicksand... Everywhere... Exists...HERE. In this place. BE CAREFUL. The kids were of course following me, and I yelled at them to stop, to get back to the pier, where there was a stable, above ground walkway. I told them to not venture any further, while I carefully removed my right leg from a sinkhole and sidestepped on some incredible unstable terrain while carrying my freaking paddle board. Lon (my husband) yelled from the walkway, "what's wrong?" I yelled back, "keep the kids with you! There are sink holes!" So of course, Lon immediately came out after me. The moment Lon got within 25 feet from me, his face went white. "Get back kids! Get back!!"

Lon often says, "Elle, you can't keep yourself out of trouble." And he was right...particularly right on this day. Paddle boarding out on this lake, on this particular day, meant major trouble. But yet, all I could think about was how beautiful this lake was, and how not a single soul was in it. The entire lake to myself!!! I stood there, looking at the lake, then looking back at Lon. I thought, hey! We've got a big long rope in the back of the truck. It'll be fine! Lon read my face (and ultimately my thoughts)... "Elle... Elle... This is not a good idea..." It took a minute, but the idea of sinking and dieing in salty mud wasn't something I had in mind. So yes, I side stepped carefully away and off the lakeshore. Only to find that we needed to drive to the OTHER side of the lake to find this rad spot, which had some intensely beautiful and safe places to hang out. I didn't paddle board, because I simply couldn't get that close to the lake shore without being totally confident I wouldn't be swallowed alive. So I'll have to try again during the summer and see how stable the terrain seems to be, and go from there. In the meantime, if you decide to stop by, just watch your step 😜

When parking at Mono Lake there is a drop box for money.  And the restrooms were locked when we arrived on the North side of the lake (We visited in March).  There is a cool playground for kids and lots of scenic wonder stuff to see.  This particular shot was taken on the South side.  Here is a LINK to the google map.

Mono Lake is also known as the land of Pumice Stone.  There is pumice stone EVERYWHERE.  You can pick up boulders and they are super light weight.  File your feel while your at it.  It's an epic experience.

These orange metallic looking trees are absolutely fascinating.  You honestly have to see for yourself in person.  They are so wild to see!

There are these cool rock formation everywhere.  If you have time to hike around the whole lake, you will see much more interesting formations.  We had to make a short stop.  So next time!

The Non Tourist Maui Adventure

Well it's been awhile!  And that would be because I have been busy doing the adventure thing, owning a gym thing, homeschooling 4 kids thing, and being a wife thing.  There is a lot to catch up on, but I'll start with our recent trip to Maui.  We spent a total of 15 days on the Island.  We did the whole family adventure/nomad trip in one of those VW camper vans, which was awesome.  We beach hopped every night, dove over a dozen spots and beaches.  Then the last 5 days we were there, we ran an Adventure Retreat with folks from the gym.  This blog post is about the Family Adventure portion.  I'll have to do a whole separate blog post on the Adventure Retreat side, because it's just a lot of info and experiences to cover.  Plus I gotta cover what we saw IN the ocean, that's a whole other blog post coming too!

First Off - This happened.  Clear blue waters, and happy kids.  This spot is located at Baldwin Beach, my favorite beach.  It is known for it's incredible crashing waves, but if you pull into the parking lot, and then walk a mile to the left (facing the ocean), you will find this serene lagoon, protected by rock and coral, perfect for the kiddos to swim in a gigantic, warm, salt water pool.  Fishes come to visit, so bring your snorkel gear.  And do watch the kids, because there is still a current, that can pull you out to the unprotected area, and sweep you out to sea.

Baldwin Beach has this amazing energy.  People are working out, doing yoga, running up the sand dunes, and overall training their bodies to be stronger.  There is even a pull up bar set up at this place (it's the very last sand dune trail to the left).  My husband Lon and my oldest decided to practice their rooting skills.  Kung Fu opportunities are EVERYWHERE.

Check out the Big Blue.  I will have to post what we actually saw IN the water on a different post.  This shot is taken at Kaanapali, near the famed snorkeling and cliff jumping spot "Black Rock".  This is the most touristy spot we hung out at, and it's worth it, because of "Black Rock."  The snorkeling is world class, and you will see incredible things, like GIANT sea turtles, GIANT sting rays, and hundreds of varieties of fish.  If you stay close to the shore, you will see fish for sure, and sea turtles.  If you are an adventurer and swim past the rock, and swim all the way around it, you will see the giant stuff.  Fish that are bigger than you.  And when you see fish that are bigger than you, the things that EAT the fish bigger than you, are out there too. So fair warning there.

Baldwin is still my favorite place though.  I was inspired to do Yoga because I'm artsy like that.

We did the VW camper van thing.  It was totally epic, and we saw so much of the Island.  It was amazing waking up to the sunrise each morning, with the waves lapping just a few feet from your "doorstep".  We even got to experience a monsoon at this location.

Check out the view!  Every spot had a completely different type of terrain.  One of the places (not pictured) was this incredible clifftop.  BUT we were awoken in the middle of the night by some tweakers who decided to park next to us, growl and mumble loudly, while shooting up meth and heroine.  Needless to say, we weren't interested in spending the night on a cliff face next to those guys.  Sooooo, should you decide to camp and do this, be prepared for things like that.  It only happened to us that one night, but still, that was frightening.  We found a new spot.  Phew!

Watching the sunrise with my son was a beautiful experience each day.  My little 7 year old would rise before me, and wrap himself in a blanket, and then stand next to the waves, facing the sun.  I joined him every morning.

These kiddos... I was nominated for Greatest Mom Award for cooking Mac & Cheese in the van and serving it on the beach. Overall lots of happy smiles on this trip.

We enjoyed a wholesome breakfast of cereal as we found ourselves on the North Side.

One of the coolest things about Maui is the vastly different types of terrain.  On the West Side of the Island you get desert terrain, but also the vast sandy beaches.  Whereas if you venture further North, you'll run into thickly forested areas.  If you head East, you are in the JUNGLE.  It's really an AMAZING place to visit.  This shot was taken at DT Fleming Beach, the North end of Maui.

There are hikes and rock scrambling galore on the North end.  But BE CAREFUL.  The Ocean is wild and dangerous, and even if you know how to read weather patterns, and you are an expert swimmer, always think about how you can minimize risk.  We rock scrambled to this spot at sunrise, and there were moments where I wish we just brought our shoes, because there was some broken glass (boo the people who litter). And I was leary about getting too close to the water, at this point.  If the rocks are wet, stay far back.  Here it looks wet (but it's not, the volcanic rock can be deceiving).

All in all, Maui is probably one of the safest island adventures to experience.  There are signs EVERYWHERE with warnings, like "Shark Attack's Here at this Spot", and things like that.  Maui has a really high regard for safety in comparison to other tropical islands throughout the world.  I would say, I felt really comfortable bringing my small kids here to experience some Adventure hikes, snorkeling, free climbing, cliff jumping, sea cave exploring, ect.  Plus it's still within the USA, so no need for passports if you are a US citizen, there is a hospital, and cell phone reception (although, we were in places for days on end with no reception), BUT the island is small enough that you can get to a cell reception area within an hour.  If you are like me and don't want to vacation inside a box, Maui still has so many non-touristy areas to explore and experience.  Be respectful of the locals, and if you can blend in, EVEN BETTER!