2013 Temecula Balloon and Wine Festival

   
     This years Temecula Balloon and Wine Festival is May 31st, June 1st, and 2nd. Located at Lake Skinner  in the heart of Temecula's wine country. Come out and have a good time. For ticket information click here.

To see my pictures from previous festivals click here. 
For wine country pics click here.

Slingbox 350 review

     For those who travel there are things that are missed while away from home. Sleeping in your own bed, home cooked meals, and what we can watch on TV. I don't have any advice about your bed or what to eat. However if you want to watch your own TV when your on the road then you need a Slingbox. The Slingbox is a simple device that connects to your TV at home and then to the internet and streams your TV's signal to anywhere in the world using SlingPlayer software. The cool thing is once you buy the hardware and software there are no fees. The software can be downloaded for Android and iPhone devices for $14.99 and as a free app from Google Chrome for use on a PC or Laptop.

     Now we have all seen different cable companies offer streaming over the internet. I have even used some of the offerings out their from major league sports who say you can watch any game anytime, then you go to use it only to find out that the game you wanted to see is blacked out in your area or worse; your internet speed is too slow to stream their signal. This is where Slingbox separates itself from those companies. You see Slingbox using their own proprietary software that compresses the signal and blasts it out faster than any feed I have ever used. I have an iPhone 4s and I can literally watch on my phone using 4G with 2 or 3 bars of signal and there is only sporadic buffering. With 5 bars I get almost no buffering, and with wifi zero buffering. This technology is currently being used by Dish and sold under the Hopper name and utilizing the Sling technology.

     What can you watch with the Slingbox? Anything you can watch at home you can watch with your SlingPlayer software, anywhere in the world. I have used it in hotel rooms 3000 miles from home, on an airplane using the planes wifi service, and on the side of the road with my iPhone. Contrary to rumors, I never use while driving! You can even use it at home on a computer, smart phone, Xbox, or tablet.

     It is easy to hook up, all that is needed is to plug in the supplied AC adapter and supplied component video cable and stereo cable. Then plug the component and audio cables from your TV into the Slingbox. They also include a tethered IR emitter which allows for changing channels while you're away from home. Just make sure the IR emitter is within line of sight to the front of your cable box. If you want even better signal quality you can upgrade to the Slingbox 500 which utilizes HDMI cables and built in wifi. Prices for the SlingBox 350 is $179.99 and the Slingbox 500 is $299.99

    Drawbacks. There are usually drawbacks with any technology and Slingbox isn't immune.  For instance, you can only run one instance of the SlingPlayer at a time. If someone is connected through your Slingbox and you try to connect as well, it will ask if you want to terminate the other user. The other drawback is that while watching the SlingPlayer, the TV at home is switched to the channel you are watching, so there can be potential conflict if there are people at home who wish to watch something else. For this reason it is a good idea to hook the Slingbox up to a TV that is not the main TV in the house.

     Bottom line is I have been using the Slingbox 350 for the last 2 or 3 months and it has worked well and best of all, with no monthly fees. I personally like watching NHL hockey games, and using the Slingbox, I haven't missed a game yet when I've been out of town; no blackouts, no restrictions, and if I can see the game at home I can see the game anywhere in the world, period! That's why I like it and that's why I recommend it. If you are reading this article because you are interested in purchasing a Slingbox I hope this blog has been informative in helping you make a decision and as always thanks for stopping by.

SCAHA youth hockey playoffs

Pics from last weekends first round Bantam B Jr. Gulls playoffs

GALLERY

Arizona Hockey Union 2013 Presidents Day Tournament

To see pics from the San Diego Jr. Gulls Bantam B games CLICK HERE

Temecula Valley Hot Air Balloons

Taking a ride in a hot air balloon is an excellent way to see Temecula. Click Here to see more balloon pics.

San Diego Jr Gulls vs Orange County Hockey Club

To see more pics, click here

Grand Canyon

One of the Great Natural Wonders of the World and a place that needs to be seen in person to be truly appreciated.
Click here to see more pics

Iceoplex 2012 Thanksgiving Extravaganza

     
     The Iceoplex 2012 Thanksgiving Ice Hockey Extravaganza. This years tournament ran from Wednesday November 21 to Sunday November 25.

All Galleries have been posted

To see the pictures and purchase prints and 

merchandise from

this tournament click here. 

Thank you for your support:)

California Hiking on the Painted Canyon / Ladder Canyon Trail in the Mecca Hills Wilderness

View from inside Painted Canyon

     Located near the north shore of the Salton Sea lies the small town of Mecca, California. Just east of there is the Mecca Hills Wilderness formed by the convergence of the North American and Pacific plates along the San Andreas Fault. These unique hills have very distinct rock formations that form canyons and make for great hiking. The Painted and Ladder Canyon trails are the two main trails you will want to hike here. Painted canyon is named for its different colored rock formations that were created by mineral deposits who's colors can change throughout the day depending on the sun light. The Painted Canyon trail is wide and sandy with towering canyon walls on both sides. The canyon floor is soft sand and gives you a workout similar to walking on the beach. Ladder Canyon is an offshoot of Painted Canyon and is a narrow slot-type canyon. The canyon is named Ladder due to the several ladders installed to help hikers up and down the narrow passageways.

Mecca Hills Wilderness info sign near the trail head

Entrance to Painted Canyon Road. When we left our hike there were
8 cars parked at the trail head and none were 4 wheel drive, including ours.

     Getting to the trail head is pretty straightforward. From Los Angeles you take Interstate 10 east past Palm Springs and then merge onto State Route 86-S and take it to the 66th Ave exit in Mecca and turn left, when the road runs into a "T", turn left to 4th street and turn right to get to 66th Ave again then go left and drive about 5 miles to Painted Canyon Road (dirt) and turn left. The road is posted for four wheel drive only but 4x4 is not necessary. Stay on Painted Canyon road until it ends and you will see the trail head and parking on the right. On the day I went we decided to do the full Ladder Canyon loop which is about 5 miles round trip. We started up the Painted canyon trail and soon found a sign post marked Ladder Canyon and there were two giant arrows laid out with rocks pointing the start of Ladder Canyon, which is hard to see but begins just to the right of a huge rock slide.

One of the taller ladders in Ladder Canyon

       Once on the Ladder Canyon trail we quickly came to two ladders, one wood and one metal. They took us up one level and we walked for a while and then came to a taller metal ladder. We then walked for a while until we were on top of the canyon walls looking down. At this point the trail was well defined with rock ducks and arrows leading the way. At some point out in the open we ran into a fork with two arrows, one pointing straight and the other to the left. We decided to go straight which went northeast along the top of the canyon toward the radio antennas in the distance. This section offered stunning views of the canyon below. After about a mile or so the trail turned to the right and started back into the bottom of the canyon. From then on it was soft sand for a couple miles until we arrived at two more ladders. After the last two ladders we hiked for another half hour or so and we were back at the parking area.

Ladder Canyon

          All in all the hike took us around 3 hours to complete with frequent stops to take pictures. There were several desert flowers blooming, several different types of birds, and lizards. They say Big Horn Sheep can sometimes be seen here but we didn't see any on this trip. We saw a bees nest in the ground near the top of the lowest ladder towards the end of Painted Canyon so be careful not to disturb them and stay wide. Good scenery and good color make this a great hike with good photo opportunities. So I hope you will make the trip, explore, and find out more about the Mecca Hills Wilderness.

Some helpful links:

Hiking in Palm Springs
Painted Canyon Trail Log
Hiking CA


To see more of my photos visit my galleries. Until next time, thanks for stopping by.

2013 Temecula Rod Run March 8-9

  

      Come visit Old Town Temecula for the 2013 Spring Rod Run. With over 1000 classic cars to see, its a great time. There will be vendors with food and suppliers showing off their car related goods.

     The date for the 2013 Spring event is March 8 and 9. Friday the 8th from 5pm to 8pm will be the Friday night cruise through Old Town. The Saturday "show and shine" will be from 8am to 4pm. To register your car to be in the Rod Run register here.

To see my pictures of past rod runs click here.