While I love nature and exploring alone out in the wilds, I have never actually been camping. I have, however, done camp. The Madonna Inn is a well-known hotel in San Luis Obispo in California's central coast with a variety of themed rooms that also features a diner with something of a chalet theme, a …
Last year during the amazing superbloom California was blessed with I discovered Carrizo Plain National Monument. In December I booked a stay at nearby Blue Sky Center in New Cuyama for April, hoping that we would get enough rain for a repeat performance of endless carpets of yellow, orange, and purple flowers this spring. That …
There are 5 natural tar deposits on the planet and three happen to be in southern/ southernish California. I stopped in on the one on Carpinteria's State Beach on the way through Santa Barbara County a few weeks ago and discovered a small wonder none of my Southern California-native family knew existed despite being very …
Joshua Tree is one of my happy places. A place I can go to when I am feeling lost or down and inevitably leave feeling better. The Cholla Cactus Garden is particularly beautiful and the Jumbo Rocks campground is perfect for climbing on rocks like a kid. When I visited last month I was neither …
A few weeks back I took advantage of a 3 day weekend to drive out to Joshua Tree National Park and explored the area around the park as well, which I have never really done prior. While I kept my adventures to Yucca Valley and Pioneertown, next time I have to stop in Twenty Nine …
Big Horn Mine is an abandoned gold mine from the late 1800s near the Vincent Gap parking lot in Angeles National Forest, a reasonably short drive north of Los Angeles. This is a pretty easy but rewarding hike, whether you hoist yourself up into the mine itself or not. The trailhead listed this as a …
Continue reading Big Horn Mine in the Angeles National Forest
Oops, I forgot I had a blog. Not really, but I have been incredibly lazy this month. I guess one can't climb rocks all the time when there are bills to pay. But let's go back to last month when I did! Alabama Hills is a sprawling area full of interesting rock formations a short …
Fossil Falls is a blink and you'll miss it stop off the 395 freeway, near what's left of Owens Lake. This is a unique geological range of smooth volcanic rock shaped into waves with divots and other strange formations carved out of water thousands of years ago when there were glaciers in this region and …
When you hear 'red rock' you probably think of Colorado, Las Vegas, Utah, or even Arizona, but there are red rocks in California too. Red Rock Canyon State Park isn't huge and it's easy to drive through without really paying attention on your drive up the 14 towards Death Valley, Sequoia Nation Park, or up …
I didn't get my first manicure until I was well into adulthood, always having been a late bloomer in the self-care and beautification departments. You'd never know today though, as my nails are always on point as part of a ritual in taking care of myself now that I am finally in a place where …
Adventures in Ayeletland 