SAFe-ty First!

This past week, my team and I at Intrado packed up and hit the road for a few days of Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) training in Scotts Valley, CA. Once on the ground in Cali, we found cold weather, big trees, good food, and some learnin', too!

Westbound and Down

The first leg of our flight to San José was scheduled to depart Mobile Regional Airport at 6:10 AM on Sunday morning. Subtract the TSA-recommended two hours to allow for check-in and security, plus another to get ready and finish packing, and I found myself getting up at 3 AM that morning. Needless to say, I was looking forward to catching some z's on the plane.

We're not nearly as happy as we look.

Despite a short delay due to an issue at the check-in desk, we all managed to make it to the aboard easily enough (if not a little drowsy). The short flight to Dallas was mostly uneventful, as was the longer hop to San José. Before we knew it, we were touching down in the Golden State.

California Dreaming

Arriving in California at around noon, we found some lunch nearby and then set out to Scotts Valley.

Reminds me of the town Rambo blew up in First Blood.

A small city of about 11,000 people nestled in the Santa Cruz mountains about 30 miles south of San Jose, Scotts Valley probably isn't what comes to mind when you think about modern technology hub. However, several major players in the tech space got their start in Scotts Valley, including Netflix, Seagate, and Borland. Today, Intrado rents a small office space at the Enterprise Technology Centre, which was our ultimate destination this trip.

Among Giants

In addition to our Intrado office, Scotts Valley is also home to an old-growth forest called Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. Not wanting to pass up an opportunity to see some of the largest trees in the world, we set out after lunch to go for a hike.

And what a hike it was.

"The Giant"

First of all, these trees are massive. I can't describe it any other way, and pictures don't do them justice. To think that something that big is a living organism boggles the mind, and if the sheer sizes of these trees aren't enough, the ages are nigh unbelievable. 

Redwood cross section.

Near the entrance to the park, a cross section of the redwood is on display. On it are markers identifying the rings that correspond to the years of specific historical events such as the birth of Jesus, the discovery of gunpowder, and the signing of the Magna Carta. To be honest, I couldn't quite wrap my head around the fact that I was standing in the presence of something that old. It's almost otherworldly, but I digress.

We were actually freezing to death, or at least I was.

While at the park, we walked a mile-long trail that took us around some of the more noteworthy trees in the area, including the Fremont Tree, inside which the famous explorer John C. Fremont supposedly camped while exploring the west coast (when asked by a reporter to verify the tale, Fremont simply said "It's a good story, let it stand").

The interior of the Fremont Tree.

Aside from the massive redwoods themselves, I found the most noteworthy aspect of the forest to be the eerie silence. Unlike the pine tree woods of the south (which are noisy with rustling leaves and creeping critters), the redwoods are almost painfully silent, with little noise made by flora or fauna. We spotted no birds or small animals during our walk; only a small deer made an appearance just before we decided to head out for the day.

Deer in the redwoods.

Base Camp

After a full day of flying and a walk in the woods (all the while running on about 4 hours of sleep), we were all exhausted and in agreement that soft beds and room service should be our next objective. From the park, we shipped out to our hotel, the Hilton Santa Cruz/Scotts Valley.

Looks like a big stone cabin to me.

To be sure, this wasn't your run-of-the-mill Hilton. The designers obviously wanted to embrace the winter resort vibe, complete with stone brick decor and a fireside bar in the lobby.

I'm not sure if the indoor waterfall is very winter-y.

The fireside bar. Cozy!

After checking in and touching base with our other teams from Mobile who had arrived after us, we all decided to crash for the evening. 8 AM was going to come quite early.

Back to School

Arriving at the Enterprise Technology Centre the next morning, we met up with the other engineering teams from Intrado for our first day of SAFe for Teams training.

Class is in session.

The day mostly consisted of a lengthy presentation divided up by some smaller workshops. Not much to elaborate on, but let's just say that our group was looking forward to watching the college football national championship game that night.

Game Time

The evening following our first day of training, our group met up at a sports bar in Scotts Valley called Bruno's. Let me tell you, this may have been the highlight of the trip.

Geaux Tigahs!

To start, Bruno's is a two-story sports bar in the heart of Scotts Valley. While the first floor has a traditional dining setup, the second floor features big screen TVs and large, overstuffed couches to relax and watch the game on. It wasn't long before we all settled in with some drinks and great pub food for the big event. 

Having the whole team together and just enjoying the evening was a great experience. It's no secret that times have been tough at Intrado recently, but that night we were alright.

Eating Crow

The next day consisted of another presentation mixed with workshops, much like the first. For our evening excursion, we decided to head 6 miles south to Santa Cruz for dinner at a dockside establishment called The Crow's Nest.

Impressive presentation. Food? Not so much...

The members of our team who had been to Scotts Valley before had spent sometime talking up this place during the trip over, so I was fairly excited to try it. From the outside, the presentation was impressive; it reminded me of an oversized seaside cottage overlooking the harbor.

Trust me, there's an ocean there.

Unfortunately, that's where the good news ended. Our team of 6 was squeezed into a table obviously intended for 4, my Coke was as flat as a board, my steak was just okay, and when I finally got outside to take a picture of the Pacific, it was so dark that I couldn't see anything (not their fault, but still disappointing). In the end, The Crow's Nest flew the coop.

SAFe-ty First!

The next day brought our first day of PI (Program Increment) Planning, and with it, no small amount of chaos and confusion (as was expected). That said, we rallied later in the day to get some good work done and set the stage for our last working day in Scotts Valley.

Later that evening, I decided to go ahead and take the optional exam for the course to get officially SAFe certified. Confident after acing the practice test, I jumped right into the real deal with no reservations.

My badge!

About half a dozen questions into the exam I started regretting my haste. However, I managed to pull through and pass without too much anxiety. Needless to say, it was a relief to finally have my certification in hand after studying for the last two weeks and sitting through two full days of instructor-led training.

Vittoria!

We powered through our final working day in Scott Valley without too much drama. We shook hands and bade farewell to our colleges from other locations that we'd only be seeing over conference calls for the foreseeable future, but not before we had one last outing to celebrate our completion of SAFe training.

For the occasion, we found a small, authentic Italian place nestled deep in the redwoods called Ristorante Casa Nostra. 

Is there a better way to wrap up a trip?

Oh man, what a treat. Not only was the food delicious, but we were truly relaxed for the first time all week. For me, it might have been because I had my certification, but I think we were all relieved to make it through all of the uncertainty and to the end of the work week.

Homeward Bound

For the second time in a week, we had to catch a 6 AM flight. That, coupled with the fact that we were flying out of a major airport and said airport was 30 miles away dictated that I set my alarm for 2 AM. Not fun.

Nevertheless, we somehow made it to the gate on time (thanks in no small part to TSA PreCheck. Best $80 I've ever spent!), despite running into some traffic issues along the way. Once again, our flights were uneventful, but I did find a neat burger joint in the Dallas/Fort Worth airport called Smash Burger. How could I pass it up?

Gonna smash this return trip... with Smash Burger!

In the end, we touched down in Mobile at 4 PM, almost exactly 12 hours after I woke up that morning. Commercial air travel never ceases to amaze me.

Looking Back

All-in-all, I have to say that this was a great trip. I don't get to travel nearly as much as I'd like, and for my first time west of the Rockies, I was impressed. I know Scotts Valley isn't San Francisco, Napa Valley, or any of the other more "touristy" California locales, but I still got to see some sights, enjoy some good food, and add another certification to my résumé, all the while avoiding any major disruptions (which I've found is something you should always thank your lucky stars for).

Anyhow, now that I'm in the office again, it's back to the grind. Time to put that new certification to work!