Yeah, that was me in a day-glo vest picking up trash on the highway. But I can explain...

 No, I didn't get arrested for drunk driving. I haven't even driven a car in almost two years! After our thousands of miles at sea (and Espiritu's top speed of 12 knots),  hurtling down the 405 at 80 MPH sounds horrifying.

 So, since I'm not driving yet, I've got some time to kill. Our friends Pat and Sandi invited us to pick up trash up here on the mountain along a portion of the highway sponsored by the San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust.

     I really didn't want to wear the vest. It makes us look like parolees paying back our debts to society. And we were right on Highway 18, the main thoroughfare across the mountain! Someone would see us and think nefarious thoughts!

    Well. I'm learning that daily doses of humility are good for the soul -- so what better way than this?

                                                            Chris does his part




                                 There have been many celebrities subjected to cleaning
                                                         the highway in recent years,
                                     usually for charges related to drinking and driving:

                                                      Singer Chris Brown picks up trash

                                              Actress Michelle Rodriguez has done her time

                      The judge had Paris Hilton paint over graffiti for her public service.
                Note how she rocks the pumps, despite the decidedly un-Rodeo-drive millieu.

                                    Here's Lindsay Lohan relaxing by the highway when
                                                  she's supposed to be picking up trash.
                                                           And where's the vest, Linds?




                            Anyway, the view from the highway was incredible.
                                  During a break in the trash-picking-up action,
                                 I wandered off and took in the spectacular vistas.

            One priceless benefit of mountain living is displayed in this photo. We are way above the clouds during Southern California's endless bouts of "June gloom" -- an early summer phenomenon where thick slabs of gray clouds swim in from the sea and block the sun for days, weeks and even months during bad years.

But we're above it all up here!

     This is the view of San Bernardino and Riverside. There are hundreds of thousands of people buried under those clouds. See those little black lumps off in the distance? That's Saddleback Mountain overlooking Orange County.

                                                                We did good.

         The SB Mountains Land Trust buys land to be protected as pristine wilderness.
                                                    So I'm happy to support them.



         It felt good to get our hands dirty.

And the full immersion antibacterial scrubdown bath I took afterwards felt even better!.    :-)