Mesa Rim Climbing Gym (AcroYoga & Climbing)

Mesa Rim Climbing Gym in Mission Valley was having an AcroYoga & Fitness Carnival this Saturday. Since our regular AcroJams have been postponed while Nathan is redoing his garage, we met up with Rachel who is a Mesa Rim member. When we went outside to the covered patio for AcroYoga, we discovered that it was being hosted by Jordan who we already knew from past jams and classes. It turned out to be a whole bunch of familiar faces when Nick, Ariel and a few others from the La Mesa AcroJam showed up as well. Jordan taught Tori and I a Twisted Four Step Washing Machine and we had a great time practicing with our friends and showing newcomers the acro basics.

After three fun hours of AcroYoga, we went inside with Rachel and Sierra for some Indoor Climbing. The last time Tori and I went rock climbing was outside at Mission Trails Park in 2013. After picking up a harness and climbing shoes, we started with a beginner climb, the 5.5 Goblin Child on the 50 foot top-rope climbing wall. (4 stories high!!) Rachel is belay certified at the gym and showed us how to tie the rope onto the harness and belayed for us on our climbs. I was definitely nervous near the top of the first climb but felt fine after the first descent on the rope. Except for tight forearms, we felt good so we moved on to the slightly harder 5.6 Waddah Dude! on the short wall. Tori and I both managed to pass the same tricky section with the smaller handholds near the top. Sierra is also certified so she belayed for Rachel on a hard 5.10c climb. Our last climb was the 5.5 Pythagorean Theorem by Prodgy. Tori forgot to remove her iPhone from her harness and it slipped out near the top. Luckily, it missed us on the ground and only the screen broke. The muscles in our arms and legs held up but the grip in our fingers was starting to give out near the end. We had a great time and Tori and I went for mexican food at Fidel's afterward.

AcroYoga Washing Machines Videos (Completed List)

Here is a video list of all the AcroYoga Washing Machines that Tori and I have learned so far.

Clumsy Pickpocket

Nunchucks

Ninja Star

Propeller

Amazon

Barrel Roll

High Barrel Roll

Big Lemoi

Naked Biglemoi

Garter Belts

Sit and Spin (aka Papaya Twist)

Four Step

Ninja Lumberjack

Naked Singularity

Rotisseries (Three Step)

Rotisseries (Two Step)

Revolutions

Back London Spins

Runarounds

Catherine's Wheel

Helicopters

Baby Dolphin

Swimming Mermaids

Spider Roll

etc.

Mexico Day Trip (Plaza Río Shopping and Tijuana Cultural Center)

Jessie was going to a dentist in Tijuana for the first time and asked Tori to come with her. After Tori made an appointment to get a teeth cleaning at the same time, I decided to tag along so we could all explore the area afterwards. We parked at the border to walk across the San Ysidro Border Crossing, but we hit a long line to cross. A tour guide in line behind us said he had never seen it this long before. It took an hour to cross since we discovered that everyone was having to fill out a form when presenting their passport. The dentist office sent a free taxi to pick us up and drive us to their building in the Zona Río area. 

While Jessie and Tori had their appointments, I walked over to check out the nearby Tijuana River. The concrete aqueduct reminded me of the river in Downtown Los Angeles as I crossed over the pedestrian bridge. I then walked over to the Abraham Lincoln Monument on Paseo de los Héroes, one of Tijuana’s largest and busiest streets that is known for its sculptures placed along its large roundabouts. The U.S. gifted the statue of Lincoln in 1981 and Mexico gifted a statue of Mexican President Benito Juárez that sits in Pantoja Park in Downtown San Diego. Walking back, I stopped at the Cafe de la Fonda across the street from the dentist office and enjoyed a Mexican Coke and Carrot Cake Cookie on the shaded patio. Tori joined me there for a coffee after her appointment ended first.

After Jessie's appointment ended, we walked up the Paseo de los Héroes, passing the Monument to Emperor Cuauhtémoc, sculpted in 1975. (Cuauhtémoc was the last emperor of the Aztecs when Mexico was under siege by the Spanish Conquistadors. He ruled for a year before being captured by the Spanish and eventually executed by Hernán Cortés.) We then entered the large open-air Plaza Río Shopping Mall where we stopped for candy at Super Dulces and Tori bought some clothes at High Street. The mall includes a Sears department store. Despite the bankruptcy and only six stores remaining in America, Sears Mexico is still running strong under different ownership with 93 stores across Mexico.

Leaving the mall, we passed the roundabout with the Monumento México, two sharp metal spires that form the letter "M" to commemorate Mexico's Independence. The local nickname is Las Tijeras (the Scissors). Across the street, we entered the Tijuana Cultural Center where a street festival filled the esplanade circling the OMNImax CECUT dome. We could see that the iconic exterior of La Bola (the Ball) was under refurbishment as we walked past the vendor stalls and the musical stage. Inside, Jessie stopped for Rosemary Coffee (surprisingly good) at the BRAGO Cafe, before we walked through the Botanical Garden filled with Pre-Spanish Mesoamerican sculptures.

The Tijuana Cultural Center (CECUT) opened in 1982 and has two museums, Museo de las Californias and Museo El Cubo. We bought tickets to the art museum that opened in 2008 and named "The Cube" after the new square building that contrasts with the older La Bola IMAX Dome. In the Cube Lobby, a group of ballroom dancers swirled to the music. Two of the three galleries were open and we started with their current exhibition of modern art on the 1st Floor before moving up to the traditional ceramic art on the 3rd floor. We crossed the street to eat at Plaza Fiesta but everything was still closed. It was full of bars and nightclubs prepping for a busy Saturday night.

We walked back toward the dentist office and stopped at Los Remedios Cantina for Margaritas. Tori and Jessie both ordered the Mushroom Quesadillas while I had the Carne Asada Torta. It was so good! After our meal, we took a taxi from the restaurant to the PedEast Border Crossing. With our last bit of cash, we bought a bag of Churros for dessert while we were waiting in line. It took only 45 minutes total before we exited Customs. This was the first time ever that we had a longer line to enter Mexico then it took to cross back over into the States.

Jeune et Jolie (Michelin Star Birthday Dinner)

Tori treated me to my birthday dinner at the French restaurant, Jeune et Jolie. We came once before for brunch right before the pandemic but this was our first time since they received their Michelin Star. It was funny that we were seated in the exact same table by the open kitchen. It was a delicious meal!

Amuse-Bouche (Tori was given the vegetarian version at the top of the picture.)

1st Course

Tori - Crudo (avocado, pear, celery, kombu, passion fruit)

Noah - Truite Fumée (smoked trout, snap peas, celery root, brioche, caviar)

Pain et Beurre - Bread Course with Honey Butter & Bee Pollen

2nd Course

Tori - Champignon (blue foot mushroom, chestnut, vin jaune, black truffle, almond)

Noah - Porc (klingeman farms pork, quince, endive, colatura caramel)

3rd Course

Tori - Gnudi (ricotta, mimolette, asparagus, carrot, lavender)

Noah - Wagyu (lone mountain ribeye, sweetbreads, swiss chard, mushroom, bordelaise)

4th Course (We shared the desserts!)

Tori - Fraise de Bois (strawberry, pink peppercorn, mascarpone, puff pastry)

Noah - Lait et Miel (honey, chamomile, almond, blood orange)