W6D5

Officially a rest day, but it felt really odd to be doing nothing in the physical fitness front on a perfectly good day off.

I did fill the day with activity none the less. I went to breakfast with my wife at a new place called Rocky's. It had moved in to what had been a Chinese buffet restaurant. It was reasonably priced and the service was good. Not much more you could ask for at breakfast.

We then went shopping at the Victoria Gardens Shopping Center out in Rancho Cucamonga (yes, cucamonga is a real place). Victoria Gardens is one of the new shopping centers that resembles a pseudo down town. The center is built around contrived main streets with open space and other old town amenities. VG has a fountain for the kids to play in, a Cultural Center with a playhouse and a library. This type of shopping experience is popping up all over the country. I visited a similar set up at Crocker Park in Westlake, OH a few years ago while on a business trip. Crocker Park even goes so far as to combine shopping and living in the same "down town". There are condos and apartments available above most of the stores. I guess these places are the new way to experience life in the city, plenty of shopping and restaurants nearby, but no grocers, doctors, post offices or jobs.

Today was our maiden trip to VG. We had no shopping agenda in mind but found a wine storage unit at Crate & Barrel at a 66% discount and a quilted comforter at West Elm at 75% discount. It is always fun to find a bargain when you weren't expecting it.

Later that afternoon I couldn't pass up the opportunity for a hike in Bonelli. I took the usual 5 mile loop (1.0 BPM). Although I was there during the hottest part of the day (3:00 to 4:30), there was a nice breeze blowing through the canyons so I never really broke a sweat. Because of the hike, today was the first day I didn't get an afternoon nap during this week's vacation. I'm not usually a nap person, but I think I might miss them next week when I go back to work.