Everything's green including me!

Spring is one of my favorite times of the year to be a park ranger. For a few months in Southern California everything is a little greener, the flowers are in full bloom, and the song birds seem to sing their songs that much louder. The season also stands as a time of renewal and rebirth and it's because of that reason that I wanted to start a blog. So I stand before you as the greenest of blogger greenhorns and welcome the chance to grow, learn, and share.

I want to start off by giving everyone a little background about myself and why I chose the career I did. I am currently the Senior Park Ranger at the San Dieguito River Park located in North County San Diego. I have been working as a park ranger for the last 14 years with the SDRP. 5 years before that I was a volunteer for the SDRP at which time I did everything I'm doing now but with no pay. I also served on the mountain bike patrol in the Laguna mountains as well as the National Mountain Bike Patrol which has done work all over San Diego county.

I first realized my calling to become a park ranger early on in life. My father had the habit of loading everyone into the car every summer to take off for KOA campgrounds unknown. I got to spend a lot of time by myself (no siblings) exploring the wilds of a lot of the country's national parks in my formative years. I remember one time in particular when we were in the Grand Teton area camping and looking out of my tent I saw a Ranger on horseback making his way down the trail for patrol. It was quiet except for the occasional sounds of woodpeckers in the trees and there was just something about his unhurried pace and overall casualness that appealed to me. It was at that time that I said to myself "That is what I want to be when I grow up." 

As time passed and I grew up so did that dream of becoming a park ranger. I was always involved in outside activities and was always looking for a way to make that dream a reality. In 1999 after many volunteer hours and a degree in Parks and Recreation Management, that dream became reality. There are not a lot of people out there that a) Love their job and b) are actually doing the job they want to do. I am fortunate in both areas, this is the job I have always wanted to do and there is not a day that goes by that I do not truly love what I am doing.

That being said I hope to be able to share my thoughts, maybe some interesting stories, trail work issues, outdoor product reviews, mountain bikes, trail running, and whatever other info/issues park/trail related that pops up on this-here-blog-thing.

Ranger Dave