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2023 was a Strange Year…And I Don’t Know Why
This year was just strange and got away from me. In many ways, I feel like I didn't do much. If you look at my Bucket List and my goals I didn't meet many of them. At the same time though, as you'll see (if you choose to keep reading this ramble), I actually did do a lot. The first half of the year was filled with tons of waterfall hikes and the second half was packed with concerts (something I haven't done in years).
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Lavender Nights Festival – A New Fun Fall Activity
While not exactly a "fall" activity, the Lavender Nights Festival is the perfect way to enjoy a cool fall evening filled with beautiful lights, delicious food, and yummy drinks.
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You’ll fall in love with Malibu’s Escondido Falls
Located near Malibu, Escondido Falls is a waterfall I have had on my to-do list since moving back to California. However, it is a seasonal waterfall and a 90-minute drive from my home, so I never made the time to trek all the way out there with my fingers crossed that it would be flowing. But this year's unusually wet winter took luck out of the equation.
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Millard Canyon Falls: The Perfect Short Waterfall Hike In LA
A short, gorgeous, and for the most part family-friendly, after only a few minutes into our hike I knew Millard Canyon Falls was going to be on my list of favorite waterfall hikes in SoCal! Located near Altadena, CA, according to AllTrails, Millard Canyon Falls is 1.2 miles round trip with only a 256-foot elevation gain. When my husband and I did the hike we tracked 1.58 miles with a 371-foot elevation gain. We spent only 90 minutes on the trail with about an hour and 15 minutes of that moving.
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Beautiful Waterfall Hike in Lytle Creek
In case you missed it, a few weeks ago California was hit with some unusual snow. The mountain communities here in SoCal were pummeled with unusually high snowfall. It was so cold and so wet here where I live that even the communities down here in the Valley saw snow. Real snow. Not just hail or flurries that melted once they hit the ground. Actual snow. (Not enough to do anything with, but having grown up in this area, it was a big deal.)
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Hiking The Slot in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
This past weekend, my husband and I finally got around to hauling our butts nearly three hours down to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park to hike one of the best-known slot canyons in Southern California, The Slot. The Slot is a slot canyon hike (obviously) located in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, down in San Diego county. The trail is a 2.3-mile loop and is rated moderate according to AllTrails.
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Winter Camping In Joshua Tree & The Three Ps
We knew camping in Joshua Tree in December was a potentially poor choice. We knew it would be really cold, but it actually ended up being so much more than we ever could have imagined. We made it and it was an adventure, but we were in no way prepared for what we faced.
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First Hike Of 2023 – Hiking In The Snow
This past weekend I went on my first hike of 2023 and boy did it kick my butt! Not only was it my first hike of 2023, but it was also one of my first real hikes in months (with the exception of Joshua Tree, last month but that was a fairly level hike), a hike in pretty deep snow (a first), and at a pretty high elevation (we ended at around 8000 feet and climbed just over 1000 feet). We weren't prepared for this hike, but I am so happy we did it.
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My 2-Day Trip to Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park
For our wedding anniversary this year, my husband and I spent two days in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park. Two parks neither of us had ever been to and it was so much fun! Now two days isn't that much time, especially to explore two different (although connected parks), but I think we did a pretty good job of seeing a lot, and I want to share with you exactly what we did, in case you find yourself with only a few days to explore these amazing parks.
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Murphy Ranch – Old Nazi Compound in the Santa Monica Mountains
Did you know there is an old Nazi sympathizer compound hidden away in the Santa Monica Mountains? (Or at least the start of what was to be a Nazi sympathizer compound.) Accessible via a moderately rated 3.4-mile hike in Rustic Canyon, Murphy's Ranch is a peek into some of the bizarre histories of LA.
