Mount Rubidoux...

 Work has been absolutely horrific.  So bad in fact that I decided to take a couple of mental health days.  I was wondering when I should, so I thought a Friday would be nice...it was...then we got a notice from Edison that our power was going to be shut off from 11-3 on Tuesday.  Welp - Pat works from home and that's a day I work from home so screw it!  2nd mental health day!  COVID of course keeps our options limited and since our original idea to check out Salvation Mountain was closed - Mount Rubidoux seemed like a good alternate and it was!

I forget how much I love to just take a day, or just a partial day in this case, and find somewhere cool I've never been.  We are seriously surrounded by all kinds of cool shit - you just gotta look and make the time to get there.  This worked out great.  We needed to be out of our house by 7am due to the SCE working in the street as well so we hit breakfast then Riverside.  It was a crisp cool beautiful day.  Perfect for an adventure!

Mount Rubidoux mountain was once a popular Southern California tourist destination and is still the site of the oldest outdoor non-denominational Easter Sunrise service in the United States. Many historic markers and memorials have been placed on the mountain, the most prominent being the cross at the summit dedicated to Father Junipero Serra. (Thank you Wiki)  Also - there were geocaches!!!  So - of course - IN!

The paved walking road is about a 3 mile trek.  You can go either way and it leads up to the top where the cool little Peace Tower lives and the huge Serra Cross at the top of the mountain is.  As you walk up there are little side trails with lots of scrambling if you want - which is where I found a few caches, but Pat had to sit them out this time as he's got a not so fun injury he's battling.

It has some beautiful views as you walk up!  

Hey baby!

Bummed this came out blurry, but it's hard to tell in the sun when trying the self timer.  Sigh.

World Peace!!!

Were people in jail here?!

Pretty!

Didn't realize Riverside was so pretty!

Got my geocaching fix in!  Looked for 6 and found 3!  The 1st one I had to scramble up a hill and climb a bunch of rocks.  So much fun!!  Totally energized me and made me remember how much I love scrambling.  2nd one we couldn't find.  Rats!  3rd one I scrambled up quite a ways and looked for awhile, but felt bad leaving Pat sitting at the bottom so I gave up.  The 4th one unfortunately seems to have turned into a homeless person's home, so no luck there.  But come #5 - more scrambling (and slipping alot) and success!!  Then #6 was actually at the park we parked at to walk up the mountain.  

High up Success!

A good one!

Be down in a min!

#5.  Same dude hid a bunch called Dragon Balls.  So the tins were painted the same.  So cute!  I want to come back try to find the rest!

Left a dragon for the Dragon Ball!

The park find.  Easy one right next to a baseball field!

We hit up a delicious little place called Elias Pita for lunch and then headed home to restored power and Pat back to work.  It was a truly lovely little get away and found a very cool new place!  Yay to new adventures!!