Born in '82 - What We Remember

Although I would have loved to participate in the 60s, I'm happy with a 1982 birth.  While technically considered a Millennial based on the age range agreed upon by most generation researchers, I've always identified more with Gen X.

We're in the COVID-19 era at the moment and are experiencing life in quarantine.  This is week 6.  It feels like a real life movie, perhaps what Groundhog Day meets Contagion might look like.  Very quickly our reality has flipped upside down, there is no clear end in sight and everyone is asking when/if things will get back to "normal".

Part of what I like about being a 1982 is clearly remembering life before digital technology, the internet and mobile phones completely took over.  I got my first phone in 2002 (my soph year of college) and didn't have internet on my phone until 2011, so I experienced my formative years without being tied to a device and remember vividly how marvelous it was.  Of course there's no going back no matter how hard anyone tries.  It's impossible to efficiently function in society today without mobile tech, but I often think about how I liked life so much more on so many different levels back in the 90s.

1982s also clearly remember what life was like before 9/11, the main change being security.  Being able to get on a plane or walk into a concert was a much more pleasant experience than it is today.  9/11 turned many security processes into a cattle herd; it's easy to feel like a farm animal in the TSA line these days.   Again, no going back on this one either, it's the new norm.

COVID-19 has the potential to have an even larger impact because it has changed a fundamental part of human life: human contact.  It's not out of the realm of possibility to think large gatherings (sporting events, concerts, parades, etc) and physical contact (hugs, kisses, handshakes, etc) will change drastically or entirely.  Forget about asking if mosh pits or hot yoga will exist, will anything that involves large groups of people getting together still exist?  For us non-germophobes, all of these potential changes sound really, REALLY annoying.  I'm annoyed just thinking about the possibility of it and already daydreaming about how great life was in the pre-COVID-19 era.

Goat Canyon Trestle Bridge

The COVID-19 era continues and creativity is required to locate outdoor exploration opportunities given just about everything is closed.  This weekend John and I agreed on the Goat Canyon Trestle Bridge hike which turned out to be my favorite SoCal hike and a great place to practice social distancing.

It's a 14.5 roundtrip hike near Jacumba Hot Springs on the CA/MX border next to a nudist resort that follows an old railroad track across multiple bridges and tunnels to arrive at the trestle bridge, the largest all wooden trestle bridge in the world.

The railway, called the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway Company, was built in 1906, is 146 miles long and is dubbed the Impossible Railway as it spans treacherous terrain through desert and mountains.  It was built with the intention of connecting Tijuana and Tecate with greater San Diego and ultimately the eastern part of CA (El Centro) so goods from TJ could go through greater SD and be shipped directly east without having to go through LA (there's a longtime shipping rivalry between LA and SD).  Because the railway isn't currently in use, most goods are shipped via truck across the border from TJ through SD creating massive traffic and ultimately ending up in LA before being shipped east by train.

The Baja California Railroad currently controls the land and is investing in reestablishing the railway, though they're waiting on approval for a new border crossing in the desert near Canyon City, CA specifically for this line.

The hike includes multiple bridges and 9 total tunnels, with the 1st and 3rd tunnels being blocked off, requiring a hike to circumvent them.  The 8th tunnel is over 1/4 mile long.  The hike is entirely on private railway property and construction workers attempt to scare off hikers, so it's a fun little cat and mouse game throughout the day.

30 Day Pushup Challenge

We're now in the COVID-19 era and creative at-home activities are critical to maintaining sanity.  I fortunately started the 30-day 100 pushup challenge on March 1 which ended up timing perfectly with the start of quarantine.  Gyms are closed and now hiking trails are closed, so good ol' fashioned pushups are going to have to get the job done.  Calisthenics - who knew!  Credit to random YT dude (Simple Man) for the inspiration.

March 1 measurements:
Right bi: 14.875 in
Left bi: 14.5 in
Chest: 39.375 in
Belly: 35.75 in
Weight: 195

April 1 measurements:
Right bi: 15.125 in
Left bi: 15.125 in
Chest: 41.75 in
Belly: 36.75 in
Weight: 198

Max pushups in a row: 55 on March 30