Take a walk back in history to a simpler time when you had acres to tend, grew your own food and were inspired by the land surrounding you. Jack London State Historic Park is just such a place. The hubs and I have hiked all around this park and love that it is not only a […]
smilinginsonoma
Blustery and beautiful hike up Mount Diablo
Wind blowing in all directions up the mountain…the long grasses dancing on the hills with the waves of wind bursting through…tree branches littering the ground…the brave still ready to hike! The hubs and I woke up early on Saturday morning eager to get on the road for our 2 hour drive to the start of […]
Gunsight Rock from Los Alamos – Hood Mountain
Hiking this weekend killed my lower back, made my calves burn and the hubs and I felt pure exhaustion in the home stretch going uphill toward the parking lot. It was all worth it! Being part of the 52 Hike Challenge community you read about other people’s truly amazing accomplishments and everyone is so very […]
Rolling Green Hills – Briones Regional Park East Bay
Muddy trails = sliding down the trails hoping to stay upright and not land in any cowpies left behind by the adorable grazing cattle! The hubs and I successfully navigated this lovely park without landing in any cowpies (whew!) but were harassed by the adorable cows! The North Bay has been experiencing a few days […]
Tule Elk Preserve Tomales Point – Point Reyes
There’s not too many places where you get to be up close and personal with several herds of elk on historic ranch land while gazing out on the mighty Pacific Ocean. Point Reyes National Seashore is a gorgeous place for so many reasons and the Tule Elk Preserve on Tomales Point is definitely one of them! The […]
Coast Trail to Alamere Falls and Hippie Town
“ENTERING SOCIALLY ACKNOWLEDGED NATURE-LOVING TOWN” is what greets you IF you can find the turn off for Bolinas, CA. Love this town and all its quirky beauty! (P.S. they continually take down the signs for the turn off so you can’t find it easily) The hubs and I have been wanting to hike out to […]
Waterfall hunting – Cataract Falls, Marin County
A M A Z I N G foggy, rainy, sweaty hike up a ton of muddy, slippery stairs and rocks following the trail of Cataract Creek…to waterfall heaven. Mount Tamalpais has a lot of waterfalls just dribbling down all over it right now like icing on a bundt cake. Everywhere you look while driving the […]
Hiking into the clouds – Skyline Wilderness Park Napa
Ever wonder what the wildlife does during the winter in between storms? They hunt for food and mate…what else is there when you don’t have a 9 to 5 workweek holding you back? We were lucky enough to experience a little insight into the wonderful world of forest creatures at Skyline Wilderness Park in Napa […]
Ladybugs at Redwood Regional Park
A ladybug invasion?? Scary, no. Cute, yes!! Hello ladybug migration!! Hundreds of ladybugs make an annual migration from the coast to the exact same spot in Redwood Regional Park to vacation/hibernate and repopulate (rated G pictures only) in Oakland. The hubs and I saw on the news they had arrived so we grabbed our pack and headed […]
Exploring Mendocino Coast – Russian Gulch State Park
We got up early to drive the 2+ hours to reach our destination along the Mendocino Coast. We had heard the drive on Highway 128 through Anderson Valley was beautiful but we did not expect the redwoods to rival our beloved Armstrong Woods! We were just casually driving along the curvy road and then ahhhh…that […]