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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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Hodad’s – 8 Years Later And Nothing Has Changed
Hodad's is an amazing place, with amazing food, and a super fun atmosphere. I went over 8 years between visits and it was like no time at all had passed. If you find yourself anywhere near Ocean Beach, San Diego, and you like burgers, I'm telling you, you need to make some time for a visit to Hodad's!
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G&D Burgers – Good Food and Good People
Although I know it will never happen, I am on the hunt for a place that will hit the spot like Colima Burgers did. No burger joint will ever be able to take the place of Colima Burgers in my heart, nor will another place ever feel like home the way Colima Burgers did. That place held too much nostalgia for me, too much of my childhood, and really too much of my life to ever be replaced, but I am hoping (despite what my waistline might want) that I will be able to find a place with burgers and chili cheese fries that are at least nearly comparable.
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Mount Baldy’s Bear Canyon Made Me Emotional
Because I nearly broke my foot in May, I lost a fight with a 30lb dumbbell, and then spent the entire month of June trying to process the loss of my Tickle, when I set out to do the Bear Canyon Trail in Mount Baldy last month, I was breaking a two and a half month long no hiking streak.
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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.
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Get in the Spooky Mood with Norco’s Pumpkin Rock Hike
Halloween may be less than a week away, but if you live in Southern California and are looking for a unique way to celebrate this spooky season, the Pumpkin Rock Hike in Norco may be perfect for you! I’ve done this hike twice now since moving back to California, right around my first Halloween back, and once this past weekend. The hike is short, just around a mile round trip, and despite the incline (depending on the route you chose) and some lose rock/gravel, the hike is pretty doable by most people in relative shape. And this hike is for the most part family-friendly, as long as no one has…
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I Went Back In The Ocean For The First Time Since Leaving Hawaii
Yes, known for surfing there are beaches that have some pretty big waves, but it varies throughout the year and there are certain beaches that are almost always relatively calm or at least don't have the kind of waves that will knock you over. On top of that the water is clear and the sand is soft. Most the beaches in Hawaii have crystal clear waters and I could see down to the floor even once I swam out far enough I could no longer reach the sea floor. And, best of all, the water in Hawaii is so warm, all year round in comparison to Southern California. Living in…
