SCENE OUT
BY ANA PINES AND KIM RESCATE
Who says only kids enjoy playing in the mud? Not the folks at The Mud Factor. They created a hardcore 5K obstacle course that not only tests your strength and endurance but your ability to get down and dirty. Participants are scheduled into 30-minute waves represented by a color. We had an open “whenever wave” time (white bib) so we decided to go for it as soon as we got there.
The race started with a few steep hills even before hitting the first mile. We had to crawl through a pitch-black storm drain with little space to maneuver around. There were a lot of walls to climb over including a 10-foot rope one.
The hills that followed were so steep that they had ropes to keep people from falling over. The need to limit participants to a specific wave time became abundantly clear when we got to the best part, the 50-foot high water slide into a mud pit.
We waited nearly 30 minutes! It was intense, as you picked up speed going down it was hard to not be spun around. Once you hit that cold water you forget about all that waiting. We then had to run up an inclined wall after coming out of a mud pit.
It was hard not to slide back down with mud on your shoes so people started climbing on the other side to provide a helping hand up. After going up more steep hills, we had to run through a 30 foot long, 8 feet high tunnel with waist deep water, climb over a 15 foot cargo net ladder and crawl under wires in the mud which was only 20 inches off the ground and went on for 50 feet.
Needless to say we had a blast! Afterwards, we all crammed in a group shower where we were sprayed with foam and then encouraged to scream and dance while men dressed in cowboy gear hosed us down with warm water.
Last week was Kim’s birthday so we spent the weekend doing some of her favorite things; being outdoors and eating.
Our first stop was Julian on Saturday. If you’re ever near Julian, go for a hike in Volcan Mountain Preserve. A few minutes past the gate, you’ll see the Five Oaks trail head. We decided to take this route going up. We were able to see the vineyards, orchards and even the ocean on the way up.
Once we reached the summit, the view of gently rolling mountains and valleys to the west and the Anza-Borrego desert to the east just took our breath away.
Although they warn you about mountain lions and snakes, we didn’t encounter any. The hike is very steep so bring plenty of water and wear hiking shoes that have good traction.
After the hike, we stopped at the Julian Cider Mill for a caramel apple and hot apple cider. We then stopped by the Memorial Park where the town celebrated the holiday season with Christmas carols sung by local vocalists.
On Sunday, we started the day with a stop at one of the most raved about food trucks in San Diego, Mariscos German Taco Truck. After eating what could be one of the tastiest burritos we’ve ever had, we drove to Border Field State Park.
There was nothing spectacular when you arrive at the gate, but after a few minutes of walking you’ll reach a beautiful beach. It was pretty much deserted when we got there. We only saw about 10 people walking around and the Border Patrol.
We walked over to the fence that separates Mexico from the U.S. On the Mexican side there were families enjoying the beach, kids playing in the water and music blaring from the stadium. It felt odd to us that something so physically simple could divide us with such magnitude.
