The theme for 2017 is "West is Best"

Literally the day we arrived home from our trip to AZ earlier this year, we had a wedding invitation in the mail for an August wedding in San Diego (thank god, our friends live in desirable places). So, I immediately started planning for that trip. It gave me something to look forward to in dreary late winter Georgia. It also motivated me to exercise since being out of shape on a beach is not something I want photos of. I ended up losing 30 lbs, whoop whoop. 

Ultimately, we didn't do many of the things I would want to do during a trip to Southern California, but that is fine because we'll definitely go back. Since I over planned our trip to AZ, I figured I'd just take things as they came in San Diego and not schedule everything down to the minute. California truly is like another country and I figured our first trip should just be to feel things out. That being said, we learned some valuable lessons which I will share here:

1. It is not 72 and sunny year round in San Diego. In August it can be 85 and cloudy. Related lesson- air conditioning is apparently less common than I ever would have thought. 

2. The cheaper airfares to Los Angeles Intl (LAX) are very quickly diminished by the drive between LA and San Diego. I must have had temporary insanity when I booked our tickets and thought this would be a good idea (seriously though, I could not make the math work. It was cheaper to fly to LA and rent a car for an entire week than to fly to San Diego).

3. Air BnB is not always what it's cracked up to be. Again, you get what you pay for. In this case, a very tiny un-air conditioned studio with paper thin walls just a short walk from the beach. But when you are a numbers person like me, the price and location couldn't be beat.

Once we recovered from our drive (escape) out of LA, adjusted to life with no AC, and met up with our friends, all was well. This was the sunset on our first night:

 More to come soon!

Waterfall Trio 6-25-17

Although I am certainly a child of the 90's, I cannot say I agree with TLC- I love chasing waterfalls. In fact, I have become spoiled and have found myself not considering a hike if it doesn't go near water at least, if not a waterfall or two. 

With the weather being very rainy this summer and being crunched for time with various summer holidays and other events going on, I was looking for something close by that would give a lot of bang for my buck. I studied the maps and found a nice little horseshoe of a route not too far away that led me to 3 stunning waterfalls. The day ended up being unseasonably cool which made for very pleasant hiking. All three of these are also dog friendly but my munchkins didn't make it into these pictures.

First up, DeSoto Falls. We arrived here around 10 am and only saw 2 other people on the trail. There are 2 falls at this location, with divergent trails leading to each. The trails are no more than 2 miles total. Again, a lot of bang for your buck. There is also a nice little campground located between the two falls. 

Traveling north from DeSoto Falls, we then went to Helton Creek Falls. This trail is exceeding short and flat, making it very accessible to nearly anyone. Due to the fact that it had rained nearly every day during the previous week, Helton Creek Falls was rocking. The water flow was impressive. We saw a handful of people here but I imagine on sunny days, hot days, it's packed. 

Leaving Helton Creek Falls, we continued along the dirt road we parked on which eventually leads to a creek crossing (two actually) before intersecting with the main road. We drove through the mountains, catching views of Yonah and others, before arriving at Dukes Creek Falls. The trail at Dukes Creek is the longest of the 3 but still leisurely at around 2 miles total. Unfortunately part of the viewing platform at the end of the trail was damaged by a tree falling, so we could not experience the full scenery of the falls. Regardless, it was a nice visit and I spent some time at the opposite end of the trail just relaxing by the creek. 

All in all, it was a worthy way to spend a day. We were back home by 3 pm- not bad for driving to and from the mountains, as well as driving between the falls. All of these are also located within close proximity of other scenic areas, such as Raven Cliffs, Blood Mountain, and state parks, so planning a multi-day waterfall extravaganza could be an option as well. 

Obviously I am about 2 months behind with posting, but expect some new posts soon about our recent trip to California!