For the adventurous spirits

Feel like adventuring? C'mon....it'll be fun! And, it will be LOCAL!

Obviously, this post is for my Central Valley readers and visitors. Let's explore the opportunities for adventure that you may have yet to consider.

Perhaps, you have this desire to try rock climbing. It has always intrigued you, but you have a fear of heights. Or you just feel generally uneasy about the idea of climbing Half Dome. Fear not! Stonehenge Indoor
Climbing Gym offers a perfect opportunity! Whether you are a skilled climber looking for a different adventure or just wanting to learn to climb, Stonehenge has quite the list of offerings.

 We tried it on a drizzly Saturday afternoon. With a fear of heights that I intend to conquer, I looked forward to the challenge of climbing. Stonehenge offers a quick, but detailed lesson in how to belay and climb. We peppered our instructor with questions and I sought extra reassurance, but he remained patient and understanding with us. It was fantastic! Off we went! Climbing like Spiderman. Well, learning to climb with ropes and safety mechanisms. The best part came when I later taught a lesson on simple machines to my eighth grade science students and shared what I learned about the belay system.

I found a great video to incorporate into my teaching while drawing on my experience at Stonehenge.

My friend already looked into buying shoes and I certainly want to go back. She and I will go again and we may even take friends or family. We saw children climbing and they did great! We opted to take my two to a local park with a small rock climbing wall the next day. We also saw experienced climbers making their ways around the inside of Stonehenge. Watching some of these climbers was inspiring, to say the least. Stonehenge certainly has something for every level of experience. the rates are certainly reasonable and they are located just on the edge of Downtown Modesto. Check out their website for more information.

If you want to keep it simpler, many local parks have small rock climbing walls that are a blast too!

If you're feeling even more adventurous and want to get out into the thick of it all, California Cavern State Historic Landmark offers a variety of adventures. An adventure the whole family (all ages) can enjoy is the walking tour. They also offer two different spelunking tours that take you through the ins-and-outs of the cave, literally. The Middle Earth Expedition offers the biggest adventure of all, taking you through the depths of the cavern and through mud and muck. Typically, in November, water levels can be waist high and one needs to be prepared for this. In a sure sign of the drought we are currently in, it was drier than that, considerably. In fact, the mud was thick and very sticky, but water posed less of a problem. Even the lake was, reportedly, down several feet from normal. Still, the adventure across the lake by raft capped a wonderful trip through it all. Choose your adventure and go for it!

Other caverns and zipline experiences are available as well. The website provides plenty of good information, including how to make reservations if required.







The fall also included golfing in Escalon and traveling with friends to the Davis-area for Warrior Dash. I visited the driving range in Escalon a couple of times last summer, but in November, I had the fabulous opportunity to play a round of golf. Escalon is a nine-hole course that is easy to navigate and fun to play. I played a friend and our dads. As a first-time golfer, I found it exhilarating to finally get out on a course and I felt thankful for the opportunity to play such a course. Another possible sighn of drought? Some of the grassy areas looked rather dry. Still, the course offered a great experience and we will return. When time lacks for playing a round, their driving range provides great fun whether by yourself or with a friend (or family member).

The drive to Davis is quite manageable which makes this easy enough to include in the local adventures category. Warrior Dash previously took place out in the area of Casa De Fruta, but this year made the move to near Davis. the biggest complaint we had and that we heard from others was how absolutely dry this "mud run" was. However, when thinking of it as an obstacle run, finding the fun in it is easy. the obstacles provided good challenges for all and we finished by making our way across a mud pit. Certainly, we all would have liked to have seen more water, and subsequently more mud. One can consider linking this, too, to the result of our drought conditions. Warrior Dash will again take place near Davis next year. Having done both Survivor and Warrior Dash, next we are set to do MS MuckFest. Let's see how muddy it gets! Others have done Tough Mudder and Spartan which are lengthier distances. If you're looking for a distance of about 5k, stick with Survivor or Warrior Dash. Or, like us, try something new!

What are you waiting for? Get out and find an adventure you love now!

Have a suggestion for me? Share with me where you go on your local adventures so I can review it! I also love hearing about local theater and music offerings. Let me here from you and I'll certainly share credit (if you like). Adventures in 2014 will include some of the regular spots but more is to come. I'll be sure to share some reviews here, of course. I will also review more restaurants, foods, and other other interesting items. Watch for local theater offerings and more too! Bek's Bites looks forward to the new year ahead!