I hope all of you amazing moms had a wonderful Mother’s Day! The past couple of years, I’ve spent Mother’s Day at my daughter’s volleyball tournaments. It’s not my favorite way to spend Mother’s Day, being inside a convention center with absolutely nothing resembling a Mother’s Day brunch, and hundreds of cheering fans – NOT … More Mount Diablo State Park
Celebrating milestone birthdays gives us an excuse to do something a bit out of the norm, to go ahead and splurge a little because it’s always good to celebrate life. My mother-in-law celebrated her (mumble, mumble)th birthday by renting a house in Healdsburg right on the Russian River and kindly invited all of us family … More Russian River and Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve
I know it’s kind of early to be thinking about Thanksgiving. I mean, we still have our holiday memories still lingering around in our heads. But, if I may, I wanted to plant a tiny seed, an idea to file away for the future. How about celebrating Thanksgiving at the Grand Canyon with your family? … More How About Celebrating Thanksgiving at the Grand Canyon?
We finally had gorgeous, “I can’t believe this is January!” weather this past weekend and we couldn’t get out the door fast enough to enjoy the outdoors by doing some hiking just south of San Francisco. We were going to meet up with some friends on Sunday, so it was fortuitous that the weather was perfect … More SF Bay Area Hike with Waterfall and Coastal Views
After a night at Mojave National Preserve we were on our way to the Grand Canyon! The nice weather on our drive made us hopeful that the forecast was wrong and it would be beautiful and sunny when we arrived. Just when we started believing in Thanksgiving miracles, we saw them! The massive rain clouds that … More Grand Canyon National Park
A number of years ago, we accidentally discovered that the week before Thanksgiving is one of our favorite times to travel. We had made a trip to Arizona to visit family and as an afterthought we decided to visit the Grand Canyon. That trip has remained one of our most memorable and special national park trips simply … More Mojave National Preserve
Location: Lassen Volcanic National Park Directions: 50 miles east of Redding on Hwy 44 (to the Northwest entrance of the park) Campground: Manzanita Lake campground (amenities included camp store, pay showers and laundry, kayak rentals), $24/night, reservable through recreation.gov 6 months in advance Fees: Park entry fee $20, Campground fee $24/night Date traveled: July 2016 … More Lassen Volcanic National Park, Day 1
Location: Lafayette Reservoir Recreation Area (Lafayette, CA) Directions: Take Mt. Diablo Blvd exit from Hwy 24 (3849 Mt. Diablo Blvd). Lafayette Reservoir is about 30 minutes east of San Francisco. Parking Fee: $7 (or use limited number of metered parking) The Fourth of July weekend was filled with family reunions and catching up with my … More Lafayette Reservoir Day Trip
Location: Big Basin State Park, California Hike distance: 11 miles Elevation gain: ~2000 ft Hike Length: 5-6 hours Hike level: difficult/strenuous Date Hiked: June 2016 The Berry Creek Falls loop hike was our main reason for visiting Big Basin state park and I have to say it did live up to all the hype. It has been … More Berry Creek Falls Hike in Big Basin State Park
Location: Memorial County Park (San Mateo County, California) Directions: 9500 Pescadero Creek Rd., Loma Mar. From Hwy 1 drive 20 minutes east on Pescadero Creek Rd to Memorial Park. Fee: $6 entrance fee Hike: 4 mile hike through the various trails in the park including: Tan Oak Nature Trail, Mt Ellen Nature Trail, Mt Ellen … More Day Trip Among Coastal Redwoods
Where to see the elephant seals: Año Nuevo state park and Piedras Blancas rookery, California Directions: Año Nuevo is located about an hour south of San Francisco on Hwy 1. Piedras Blancas rookery is off of Hwy 1 about 50 miles north of San Luis Obispo in the town of San Simeon (5 minutes north … More Elephant Seals of California
Location: Joshua Tree National Park, California. Off of Canyon Road/Fortynine Palms Canyon Road via Hwy 62 Hike: Fortynine Palms Oasis hike, a hike to an oasis surrounded by palms (and back) Length: 3 miles, round trip Time: 2-3 hours Level: Moderate, no shade on trail (shade at oasis) Elevation change: 300 ft (300 ft climb … More Fortynine Palms Oasis Hike in Joshua Tree National Park
Location: Joshua Tree National Park, California Campground: Indian Cove, at the end of Indian Cove Road off of Hwy 62 Campground ammenities: Pit toilets, water available at Indian Cove Ranger station 2 miles from campground Campsite: # 73 Reservations: recreation.gov, 6 months in advance (Oct-May). No reservations during summer months (first come, first serve) Campsite … More Joshua Tree National Park
Location: Yosemite National Park, California (Yosemite Valley) Bike trail length: 8 mile loop through Yosemite Valley from Yosemite Lodge at the Falls to Mirror Lake and back. (The Yosemite NPS site says there are over 12 miles of bike trails in Yosemite) Time: 1-3 hours depending on the number of stops Season: Spring My absolute, all-time favorite … More Yosemite Valley Bike Ride in the Spring
Location: Pinnacles National Park, California Hike: Loop trail through Bear Gulch and High Peaks (Moses Spring Trail to Bear Gulch Cave Trail to Rim Trail to High Peaks trail to Condor Gulch Trail then back to the Bear Gulch parking lot) Distance: 6.1 miles (6.5 miles if you add exploring trail off shoots) Duration: 5 … More Hiking Pinnacles National Park
