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Eating My Way Through the LA County Fair
The LA County Fair was the first place my husband and I went after officially becoming boyfriend and girlfriend way back when. After that we spent every anniversary we had at the LA County Fair until we moved to Hawaii. While in Hawaii we tried to appease our fair desires with the Hawaii State Fair, but it paled in comparison. So, for nearly four years we waited for our chance to re-establish our LA County Fair tradition.
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Hermit and Sturtevant Falls
One of the many trails that begin at Chantry Flats in the San Gabriel Mountains, Hermit Falls and Sturtevant Falls are individual hikes that can be tackled independently or together in a little over 5 miles long loop. Me and my hiking partners decided to tackle the loop.
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Switzer Falls
Switzer Falls is one of the most visually exciting hikes I have done here in Southern California thus far. At a little over 4 miles round trip, the trail travels up and down a narrow valley in the Angeles National Forest. At some parts of the trail you will see remnants of old roads, other parts you will be traveling casually along a stream, and the next moment you will be climbing up high above the trees. Although a tad strenuous this trail will keep you intrigued the entire way.
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Etiwanda Falls
Etiwanda Falls is a short, easy, miserably hot hike to a gorgeous waterfall in Rancho Cucamonga. At just around 3.5 miles (round trip) most hikers can reach the falls in under an hour. But I must warn you, it is a long, hot hour up a rocky un-shaded hill. According to AllTrails we completed the entire trail with a moving time of just under 90 minutes.
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Eaton Canyon Falls
My husband and I have finally, after over five months in California, started hiking again. In just the past few weeks we have tackled five different trails starting with Eaton Canyon Falls. Located in Altadena, CA, Eaton Canyon Falls Trail is a fairly easy and relatively short trail. Listed at about 3.5 miles, I tracked it at about 4 miles round trip and it took my husband and I about 2.5 hours to complete, including the time we spent at the falls.
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Old LA Zoo
I did a fair amount of hiking in California before moving to Oahu, but it wasn't until I was living on the islands that I first heard of the Old LA Zoo Hike. I'm not exactly sure how I first heard of it, I'm pretty sure I came across it while doing some research on the abandoned zoo on Oahu. However, no matter how I came across it, as soon as I heard about it, and saw the pictures, I knew I had to go.
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Happy Birthday Teddy’s Bigger Burgers
This week Teddy’s Bigger Burgers turned 21! On April 15th, 1998 the first Teddy’s Bigger Burgers opened up at the foot of Diamond Head on Oahu serving fresh ground chuck burgers, fries and shakes. Today Teddy’s can now be found all across Oahu as well as on Maui, in Washington, Iowa, and even internationally. For a while there was even one located in Fullerton, CA, not too far from my hometown. (Although I never ate at this location, it was always on my list to try.) Teddy’s may not have been my #1 burger on Oahu, but it definitely became a big part of my life on Oahu. Burgers are…
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The Difference Between California and Hawaii
Disclaimer before you read this blog post, this is fresh anger and me venting immediately after an incident. These are purely my angry, unfiltered, and unsupported opinions. I know these are vague generalizing statements and that there are both good and bad people everywhere. Please don’t take anything in this personal, and if you are easily offended or upset please read a different post. Unless you have been living under a rock the last few weeks you are probably well aware of the Super Bloom taking place here in California. California is no longer in a drought and thanks to the crazy rain they received this winter, California’s hills, valleys,…
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L&L – Hawaii vs California
Right around the time I moved to Hawaii one of my best friends moved to Chicago. After both of us had lived in our respective new cities for a few months, I remember texting him about how it was living in Hawaii, the good, the bad, the different. I don’t remember how we got on the topic of food or what his exact words were, but my friend sent me a text message saying something along the lines of, “I bet the food there is so good, no gross L&Ls around.” Little did he realize, or I for that matter, when I moved to Oahu, L&L is everywhere on the…
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My First Month Back in California
Today marks exactly one month back in California for me and I must admit, this has not been the homecoming I had been dreaming of. It barely feels like I have been home that long, yet, at the same time it feels like I haven’t lived in Hawaii for years. I had big dreams coming home. Originally my husband and I had major road trip plans. We wanted to spend weeks on the road, living out of our car and exploring places like Joshua Tree and Zion. After my mom’s stroke, I knew that probably wouldn’t happen, but still, I dreamed of days filled with hikes, friends, and fun. Instead,…