Cali- Joshua Tree

Here it is- our biggest adventure in California yet. We finally made it to Joshua Tree National Park! I will write a separate post about practical advice and tips for the actual trip, so that way I can focus on all the good stuff right now. 

Since we were only planning to be in Joshua Tree for a day, I spent a lot of time researching and trying to figure out the best way to see the park. After reading a lot of articles and guides online, I found one I felt outline the park in a manageable, efficient way. Overall the Outdoor Blueprint website is just really great and I wish my blog was anywhere close to it!
We based our trip on this itinerary. I've bolded the different stops on the itinerary and I'll describe each section as we experienced it. 

We started our day at the southern entrance to the park and stopped in at the Cottonwood Visitor Center. The ranger said visitors don't typically start here and we really didn't see any people until we got further along in the day, which was nice. We got a map and I was the navigator as James drove to our destinations. Overall, nothing was hard to find and there is plenty of signage throughout the park.

We accidentally skipped Cottonwood Springs, which is located near the visitor center, because I was distracted and excited about being in the park. We hopped right back in the car after talking to the ranger and I forgot to tell James to go to the Springs. 
We drove north on Pinto Basin Road for a while and stopped to take some pictures along the way. We then stopped at the Cholla Cactus Garden and walked around it. It is more like a Cholla forest with how many cactus plants there are. Cholla can get rather large also. There were a few taller than me (the ones I've seen in the past were short things). FYI, there is a first aid kit mounted to the fence at the Cholla garden, so I'm guessing some people have not followed the signs and tried to touch the cacti. 

Shortly after leaving the Cholla, we started to see (what I thought were) really large rock formations so we pulled off at another area and started to climb around and explore them. Little did I know, we were about to see some really big rocks. The scenery starts to change as you drive north into the Mohave desert and it is really noticeable, particularly the actual Joshua Trees start to become prevalent!

We soon came upon the sign for Skull Rock. After seeing Skull Rock, I felt like every rock I looked at had some sort of facial features. Skull Rock is impressive but there were some really cool rock formations in the area behind it, so we spent a while climbing around back there. We saw a rock with a hole in the top of it, which showed blue sky behind it, as well as a sort of slot canyon. It was really fun climbing around on the rocks and I have a ton or respect for serious climbers, although rock climbing intimidates the hell out of me. 

We then walked across the street to the Discovery Trail. It's a kid friendly nature trail that loops around some more rock formations and there are little signs along the way explaining different flora and fauna. This is a really great area to just stop and look around and take in the different scenery on the horizons. We also saw a roadrunner near the Discovery trail. I tried to take a picture of it but it darted away. Meep meep!

Next on the itinerary was a choice of either the Pine City Hike or Ryan Mountain Hike. It was close to noon time by the time we got to this point since we arrived at the park later than I hoped. I was worried about running out of time for the rest of the stops on our list. In retrospect, we probably could have fit another hike in, but I didn't want to be rushed. So we decided to not do either of these hikes and ate lunch instead. We just sat on the tailgate and used the hatch of the SUV for shade, which was quite pleasant. 

After lunch we drove to Barker Dam and the parking lot was almost full, so I'm glad we got a parking space. Despite that, we didn't actually see too many people on the trail. The dam was really interesting and actually had quite a lot of water in it. It was just mucky rain water but the reflection of the rocks in it was perfectly clear. It was very pretty! The trail to and around the dam was very pleasant to walk along. Be sure to follow the arrow signs once you get to the dam and not just walk back to the parking lot. Around the side of the dam, there is a rock formation that has petroglyphs on it. Some of them are red or black, which is not their original state. People have drawn over them, which is vandalism. Regardless, it was neat to see. 

The website I got the itinerary from said the Lost Horse Mine trail was the author's favorite hike, so I figured we really should not miss out on it. One thing to be aware of, the trail head is located on a dirt road. It was the smoothest dirt road I've ever driven on, so it shouldn't be an issue for any type of car. We had a SUV but sedans should be fine as well. 
There is a 4 mile or 6 mile option and we did the 4 mile. We had time to do 6 but James was getting pretty tired (he was one who drove to Joshua Tree after all, so I figured I'd give him a break). The Lost Horse trail isn't the most strenuous trail ever but it does have some inclines and there is absolutely no shade. It is a very pretty trail and the scenery all around is great. Lots of mountain views off in the distance with snow capped peaks. There are not really any large boulders or rock formations in this part of the park; the scenery is completely different but really beautiful. The mine itself is enclosed with a fence, I suspect probably due to vandalism, but the fence is easy to look through and you're able to get relatively close. 
We finished the hike around 3:30 pm and then drove to Keys View, which is conveniently located on the same road as the Lost Horse Mine hike. We had a little time to kill before sunset but I didn't want to get too far away from Keys view in the event parking became an issue as more people came to watch the sun set. So we chilled in the car for a while and James even napped briefly (I think). Keys View is a mountain overlook high above Palm Springs with views of the San Andreas fault, Salton Sea, Mount Gorgonio, and more. It was similar scenery to what we saw at Garnet Peak, but yet, totally different looking. The Salton Sea looks really cool at sunset, as it reflects the light and basically becomes a giant mirror. There is a formal viewing platform at Keys View but many people were sitting on picnic blankets on the side of the cliff. As the sun started to set, the temperature dropped significantly and the wind started gusting like crazy. I really wanted to see a good sunset but the wind was pretty unbearable. I tried to stick it out but I couldn't even hold my camera still due to the wind. I have a feeling the sunset got better after we left (it's always the best about 20 mins after the sun goes below the horizon) but oh well. 

Leaving Keys view we drove toward the Joshua Tree exit and saw 2 coyotes crossing the road. They were smaller than the ones we have in Georgia. We also saw some rock climbers come down after their final evening climb. And then suddenly we were back in civilization. There was cell service, power lines, and street lights. Joshua Tree really felt like another world. We didn't stick around long enough to experience the darkness of the park but I could tell just being in the small towns bordering the park, it gets very very very dark. 

Honestly, I feel like we experienced more in just one day than I had all year up until this point. I need to come to places like this more often. Away from people, away from civilization. I literally felt different while in the park. 

Cali- Cabrillo National Monument

Despite Cabrillo National Monument being just a short drive from Ocean Beach, we didn't come here the last time we were in town. When we first arrived, we were a little caught off guard because it looks like you are driving into a Navy base but the gate is open and a little ways down the road you stop at the pay station for Cabrillo. As of this writing, it cost $15 to enter Cabrillo by car and this gives you a pass you can use again as much as you want during the next 6 days.

We initially parked near the tide pools area, although it was hide tide and we couldn't access the tide pools. Do yourself a favor, go online and look at the tide schedule (just google San Diego area tide schedule) before you go to the beach in the event you want to look at the tide pools. Also check online (either with a weather app or the park website) about any alerts; there was a rough surf advisory almost every day we were there, which means if you are walking on rocks during high tide, you may get splashed!

There is a nice trail along the cliffs and rocks that is about a mile total, so we started out walking along here. We saw some really cool rock and cliff formations. The thing about the San Diego coastline is, every section of beach is different. The rocks and cliffs at Cabrillo are different than La Jolla, which are different than the Sunset Cliffs, and so on and so on. And of course, everything looks different as the tide changes!

After walking along the trail, we drove up to the visitor's center and parked there. Outside of the visitor's center, we saw great views of the bay, Coronado, downtown San Diego, and even Mexico, although it was a little hazy the morning we were there. There is also a trail near the visitor's center called the Bayside trail (which goes along the bay naturally) but we didn't walk this one. It looked really pretty though! After walking through the visitor's center and looking at the exhibits there, we briefly looked at the actual Cabrillo Monument and then headed to the Old Point Loma lighthouse. 

I have a thing for lighthouses. I just love them! When I was a kid, I thought it would be cool to be either a lighthouse keeper or a fire tower watcher (weird, I know). This lighthouse is seriously one I could live in. It's very small but seriously has the perfect amount of space for me, James and the dogs. It has a an adorable little spiral staircase leading upstairs to the tower, which is actually not accessible to the public but you can look into it. The rooms of the lighthouse are also secured behind glass, but they are furnished and decorated with period pieces and overall it just looks like a place I could live. I loved the simplicity and stature of this lighthouse! Throughout the grounds near the lighthouse, there are also displays about military history and relics of WW2, which James found interesting. Although I am not so much into military history, the San Diego area is obviously a must visit area for those who are. 

After walking around Cabrillo, we went to the grocery store and did some other mundane things. We needed to get snacks and non-perishable food to take on our trip to Joshua Tree (I didn't feel like bringing a cooler and ice so we stuck with sandwiches and "hiker food"). In the evening, we walked to a restaurant down the street called Hugo's Cocina. We noticed the night before it had a line out the door, so we wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Fortunately, they have a great variety of vegan options so we made a good choice! It's family style Mexican restaurant with your typical assortment of tacos, enchiladas, and combo options. I ordered a vegan quesadilla. It was HUGE so I had plenty leftover, which I ate the next morning for breakfast. 

It was an early night because we had to get a good night's rest before our big adventure in Joshua Tree!

Cali- Garnet Peak and Julian

Since the weather was much cooler than our previous visit, I wanted to really get out and hike on this trip. Ultimately, we spent probably 80% of our trip outside and I am completely fine with that! Other than trying to figure out what to wear (it's 60 degrees out- is that shorts weather or pants weather? Answer- shorts if in the sun, pants if in the shade, boots and down jacket if you are a California resident), I loved being outside the whole week. The weather looked like it would be nicest early in the week, so I planned the bulk of our "must do" outdoor activities for Sun- Weds. 

The weather on Monday morning was cool, crisp, and really clear so it was the perfect day to head to the mountains just east of San Diego. I had it in my head to hike some small section of the Pacific Crest Trail, just to say that I had set foot on it, and found a easy sounding (hey, we were on vacation after all) hike to Garnet Peak. I have to say, I think the effort vs. payoff ratio of this hike is best of any hike I've ever taken (in other words, it's not hard and the view was stunning). First of all, it's a very easy, barely an hour drive from San Diego. You hop on I-8, go east, exit onto Sunrise Highway, drive through some very scenic mountain curves, and you're there. No back roads, no 4-wheel drive needed, no worries about GPS going out of service because it's so simple to get there. 

Then there's the hike itself. We started at the Penny Pines trail head, which is about 5 miles round trip, but there are other shorter and longer options nearby. Easiest 5 miles I have ever hiked. About 3/4 of the hike is flat-ish but shows amazing scenery of nearby mountains and valleys. The last section is uphill but short as you climb the summit of Garnet Peak. I will say, I was a little scared on the summit because it's very rocky and I am clumsy. After being so used to big, flat, "balds" of the Georgia mountains, a narrow, rocky mountain top is intimidating. The view was amazing though and so worth it! From the summit, you can see the Anza-Borrego desert, the Salton Sea, and snow capped peaks off in the distance. Quite the variety of geographic features!

Since we were there so early we only saw a handful of other hikers and had plenty of peace and quiet to ourselves. The hike took us about 2 hours total and that was with a lot of stopping to take pictures along the way. We finished earlier than we anticipated, so we decided to drive about 20 minutes north into Julian. I had heard of "Julian Pies" and we figured there was no harm in seeing what it was all about. 

I suppose Julian is like the Ellijay of southern California. They've got mountains and apples and mining and a historic town strip. Julian also seems to have a lot of town pride as everything is called "Julian This" or "Julian That". We went in a few general store type places and yes, found a bakery that sells vegan apple pies. James wanted to go big or go home, so we bought a whole apple pie and then spent the rest of the week trying to eat it. But that's ok because we earned our right to eat whole pies with the amount of hiking/walking we did. 

In the evening, we met our other SD friend for dinner and went to an amazing vegan restaurant/bar called Kindred, which is located in the South Park neighborhood. Not sure who put this place together, but it's an awesome blend of cats, heavy metal, seriously upscale decor, crafty cocktails, and aforementioned vegan cuisine. Truly intriguing. I ordered a BBQ jackfruit sandwich which was leaps and bounds better than the BBQ jackfruit I make at home and I tried Kombucha for the first time. The food prices were very affordable ($10 sandwich w/chips) but the vibe so trendy, this would make a great first date kind of place. 

Only in California can you go from down home apple pie to upscale vegan cuisine in under an hour!

Cali- Ocean Beach and Balboa Park

This time around we decided to fly directly to San Diego so we could jump right in and not waste time driving all over southern California (although we did plenty of that later in the week). Yes, the plane tickets were more expensive but the benefit of the San Diego airport actually being right in San Diego (seriously, like 15 mins from where we stayed) finally won me over. 

After a good nights rest, we woke up bright and early on Sunday morning and spent some time getting re-acquainted with Ocean Beach. We are SO SO SO lucky to have a friend who lives just a few blocks from the beach and since he was out of town for work, we had his whole apartment to ourselves. Of course, we were sad we didn't get to see him but adventures called him away. 

We walked up to the Ocean Beach Pier (which is frighteningly long, by the way) and watched the surfers for a while and then walked up and down the streets of OB daydreaming about living in one of the many adorable (aka million dollar) bungalows we saw. We like to spend time wherever we are acting like we live in the neighborhood. We enjoy seeing people in their daily routines, walking dogs, washing cars, whatever else people do on Sunday mornings. 

Eventually we found our way to James' absolute favorite place in California, Plant Power, which is also conveniently just a half a mile walk from the apartment. After he re-established himself as their number one customer by purchasing at least 3 breakfast items, we walked back to the apartment and rested for a bit before heading to Balboa Park. 

I wanted to go to Balboa Park specifically to attend the organ concert, which is held every Sunday at 2 pm. We weren't sure how popular the concerts are or how difficult it would be to find parking, so we got there an hour early. We had no problem finding a parking spot right near the organ pavilion, so we went to the Japanese Friendship Garden and walked around before the concert. The garden was really peaceful and beautiful, so I am happy we had extra time to do this. 

Now onto the organ concert- it was amazing and it was FREE so if you are in San Diego on a Sunday, I highly recommend you go to it. The organist was young and very engaging; he explained the history of the music he played and about the mechanics of the organ. James thought it would be boring but he actually ended up having a great time. So Sunday, 2 pm, Balboa Park, go there!

After the concert, we walked around some of the other areas of the park we hadn't seen before, namely the Spanish arts village and the carousel. James actually wanted to ride the carousel but we both noticed it seems to spin very fast and we both got dizzy looking at it. Yep, we are wimps. It is really cool though and the artwork on it is interesting to look at. 

After walking around for a while, I realized it was getting close to sunset and I really wanted to be at the beach for that. So we booked it to the Sunset Cliffs area but couldn't find parking actually in the park. So we parked on the street nearby and walked to the cliffs. Just like the last time we were in California, the sunset on the first night of our trip was amazing (the sun had already set when we arrived the night before)! Everyone else thought so as well, because there was totally a traffic jam getting back into Ocean Beach. It took us well over an hour to get from Sunset Cliffs to Plant Power (2.5 miles). Yes, we ate at Plant Power twice in one day and yes, we did this several other days of this trip as well. Seriously, James is their number one customer. 

After dinner, we were feeling kind of tired due to the time zone difference, so we took it easy and went to bed pretty early. Plus we're old and boring- reference earlier activities of watching surfers at 7 am and getting dizzy looking at a carousel...

California Part Dos

Well, we are back in Georgia and here I sit reflecting on how amazing our trip to California was. This trip was much more structured and jam packed than the last one since I had more familiarity with the area and understanding of things we wanted to do this time around. We also had less socializing going on since our San Diego friends both had work obligations and were mostly unavailable (not that we didn't want to hang out with them!!).

I have so much to write about but like last time, I just want to pretend it's not over. So for now, I'll leave you with an outline of what we did and posts about each day will be forthcoming. We arrived late evening on 1/13/18 and left in the morning on 1/20/18 so those were essentially just travel days. 

Sunday, January 14:

+Grand tour of Ocean Beach
+Balboa Park

+Sunset Cliff-ish

Monday, January 15:

+Hiking at Garnet Peak
+Historic Julian
+Dinner in South Park

Tuesday, January 16:

+Cabrillo Monument and seashore
+Old Point Loma Lighthouse

Wednesday, January 17:

+Joshua Tree National Park

Thursday, January 18:

+LaJolla 
+Map Museum

Friday, January 19:

+Exploring North Park

New year, new travels

As stated in another post, I have no new year's resolutions. In fact, I have only been to the gym twice since January 1 (as opposed to 4-5 times a week normally). BUT we are definitely starting out 2018 with bang- another trip to California! Since 2017 was filled with so many life changing travels, we figured we'd keep it up in 2018. It may seem odd to take a vacation right after the winter holidays, but let's be honest- isn't that when you are most in need of a vacation? So off we go, back to San Diego. Although we'd like to eventually go other places out west (we've talked about Colorado and Utah), we've got a free place to stay in San Diego so we're going to take advantage of that and hopefully save up for some other places down the line. 

I've got this trip planned out quite a bit more extensively than the last one since now we are more familiar with the area and we'll be doing more hiking and outdoor activities since it's not late summer. I'm very much looking forward to seeing some different scenery (hint- more desert than beach this time around!) and getting out of the cold, rainy Georgia winter for a while! More to come soon!

Florida Trip- October 2017

I really traveled a lot in 2017. Arizona in February, California in August, and Florida in October. Would you believe I did not leave the state of Georgia at all between 2011 and 2015? Well, that's not true- I did go to my sister's graduation in 2011 but that was literally 48 hours in Tampa and I felt like I barely left the airport. So I guess I'm making up for lost time. James traveled a bit more during those years but it was mostly for work or sad occasions like funerals. One perk of being in your 20's and 30's is a lot of people get married. I have the good fortune of knowing a lot of people who get married in desirable locations. Enter Dana- my incredibly talented, beautiful cousin. She lives in New York City but decided to get married in our home area, which of course is the East Coast of Florida. Really can't beat the beach in October unless there is a stray hurricane, but we got really lucky and had absolutely perfect weather. 

This was a whirlwind trip (I only took one day off work) and I went by myself because James has used all his vacation days on our other trips. I was sad he missed out because this was the best wedding I have ever been to. It was fun, relaxing, beautiful, and full of interesting conversation. My cousin is an elite yoga instructor and her new husband is a professional beat boxer and percussionist (seriously, look them up if you're in NYC) so they travel a lot and meet all kinds of different people. The entire weekend was full of music and dancing (neither of which I am skilled at but I enjoyed watching).

The wedding was at a beautiful inn called the Beach Place Guesthouses in south Cocoa Beach. I didn't even know this place existed but it's really awesome. Full of cool art and quirky decor. The rooms are awesome and the complex actually used to be military housing, so they have full kitchens and whatnot. I didn't take any pictures of the rooms because I didn't actually stay onsite. It's on a secluded stretch of beach and they have hammocks, lounge chairs, outdoor grills, etc. Not sure of the cost of having a wedding here but if you are looking for relaxation and "not tacky Florida beach vibe", this is the place. 

After the wedding, I spent time with my family and at the beach by myself. I do a lot of things by myself and I always have. It's just the way I am. I'm an introvert and I'm not ashamed of it. I didn't have a lot of time but I made the rounds to see all my people and went shopping in the local historic district, Cocoa Village. And that was about it. Believe it or not, after the wedding weekend, I drove straight to a work conference. So all in all, I was gone for 8 days total. James wrecked the house so badly in my absence, he felt the need to hire a housekeeper. And that is how we ended up with 2x monthly house cleaning. I guess I need to travel more often!

Rabun Bald 12-26-17

Can you tell one of my new year's resolutions is to write more? Just kidding, I don't really believe in making resolutions. I just change stuff whenever the mood strikes. 

I was off work the day after Christmas and it didn't really seem like anyone else was, so I went hiking by myself. I finally got in another 4000+ mountain in Georgia! I drove up to Sky Valley and hiked Rabun Bald. I love how the GPS informed me when I was crossing into North Carolina and back into Georgia. 

I started my hike at Beegum Gap, which is essentially on a narrow road with mountain houses all along it, so you have to be cautious when parking. 

It was a very cold day, probably a high under 40 degrees and fairly windy but the sun was out so it wasn't too bad. There was a ice on parts of the trail though and I saw a lot of cool icicle formations. The trail is fairly easy and steadily gains elevation, no major ups or downs. It took me 2 hours on the nose to finish and that was with spending about half an hour at the top. 

Aside from the stunning views at the top, I was most impressed with the amazing rhododendron tunnels along nearly the entire trail. I would love to come back when they are blooming. Rhodies are one of my favorite plants and sadly ours were crushed during a recent snow storm (still not really sure how since they are very sturdy plants). 

I only saw 5-6 people along the entire trail and I met a nice photographer at the top who gave me a DVD about the Chattooga River, which I have not watched yet, but am looking forward to because I would like to explore the Chattooga more in the future. 

I can honestly say I have not experienced a more serene environment in a long time. There was absolutely no noise aside from the few people I encountered and the sound of a leaf blower once I got closer to the start of the trail. I've never experienced silence like this before except when I went to Mammoth Caves as a child. Truly amazing. 

Thanksgiving Weekend 2017

We had stunningly good weather over Thanksgiving weekend. It was brilliantly sunny and high around 60 each day (this is the kind of "cold" weather I can tolerate). I also try to "opt outside" (thanks REI- no they are not sponsoring me!) on or near major holidays as much as possible because I detest shopping and the general consumer frenzy that takes over after Halloween each year. We did have quite a few family/football obligations (and work for me, boo!) but managed to get in some quick local hikes and some of our favorite places. 

On Black Friday (make that green Friday for me thankyouverymuch), we went to visit friends in Northeast Cobb County, so decided to go to Roswell Mill and Vickery Creek afterwards since it was close by. The Mill has to be my favorite place in all of metro Atlanta. I haven't really been there very much during the winter but it is just so pretty no matter what the time of year. I love the City of Roswell for placing such an emphasis on parks and historic preservation. I really miss living there. 

The Mill was a little crowded and we had to circle the parking lot several times for a space, but eventually snagged one. Bear in mind, we were there right in the middle of the day so really not too bad all things considered. We didn't really go too far on any of the trails but leisurely walked up to the waterfall and then explored along the banks of the creek before heading out. 

On the Sunday after Thanksgiving, James went to the Falcons game but again the weather was so stunning, I decided to go to Sawnee Mountain after running some errands. It was later in the afternoon so I decided to use the trail from Bettis- Tribble Gap Rd since it is shorter. I have never hiked that trail before. It is much shorter and easier than the trail from Spot Road. I literally did not even break a sweat. There were several people on the trail but it really wasn't that crowded and the summit was peaceful (the last time I was here, I'm pretty sure there were people using drugs under the viewing platform). The view of the mountains was unreal due to the low humidity and extremely clear visibility. 

So that was Thanksgiving. No need to hike to burn off calories from eating too much because we've been vegan for a year now and everything we eat is healthy and doesn't weigh us down. 

Tallulah Gorge and Clayton 11-5-17

For my birthday, we finally went somewhere I'd been wanting to go for several years- Tallulah Gorge State Park. I'm not really sure why it took us so long to get up there. It's not even that far from our house (about 1.5 hours). I think part of it had been me focusing on actual hiking (for a while) and then not really doing anything substantial for the better part of 2016. 

So on November 5, 2017 it was an unseasonably warm (but overcast) day and just happened to be a whitewater release as well. I'm a dum dum and have not learned from previously planning issues, so I didn't even look at the release schedule. We were lucky to snag a parking spot but found the park really didn't seem that crowded. We left the dogs at home during this trip so we could explore at our leisure. Dogs are also not allowed in some areas of Tallulah Gorge, but of course those areas are also off limits to people during the dam releases as well. Do as I say, not as I do and actually read the Tallulah Gorge website before making a trip!!

We spent about 2 hours in the park and walked along the mainly the north rim trail (again, some trails are closed during dam releases). We did take the stairs down to the suspension bridge, which was quite a work out but very cool. The overcast/misty fog combined with the beautiful fall leaf color created a serene landscape. The diversity of scenery in Georgia never fails to amaze me. 

After visiting the park, we drove up into Clayton (about a half an hour north) to have lunch and walk around. I'd never been to Clayton before either and it is a cool little town. We ate at a placed called the Universal Joint and watched part of the Falcons game and then browsed around. Of course, we went to Wander North Georgia and bough an awesome Ryan Gosling coloring book for a friend's Christmas present and some items for ourselves. Then we happened upon an antique store called Lulu and Tully's and James bought some antique woodworking tools for his dad's birthday (he is a woodworker). Overall, quite the eclectic mix of places to go in Clayton. I just love mountain towns and wish I lived in one. 

So happy 33 to me. I've got a few more posts to catch up on about other places we went in 2017 and then it's on to 2018 and our next trip out west!!