There isn't a better place to be a surfer...

...and there isn't a better place to live...
   ~Santa Cruz~

 

 

A small village full of creativity fueled by artists and music lovers alike. This laid back surfer town offers many different things to those that want to stop and wonder the streets. All along the beachfront is a great paved walk way to take in the views of the winding cliffs. Great for looking down on surfers, sea lions and  anything else you may spot swimming around. Santa Cruz also featured on the waterfront a Beach Boardwalk that is home to a roller coaster, carousel, free concerts and clam chowder. At the north end of the city you can see an amazing site....a natural bridge carved from rock by the strength of the sea...many of these can be spotted up and down the coast as you take the walk along stunning houses and whispering sea.

 

The area is also dotted with lighthouses of many shapes and sizes guiding ships in the Monterey Bay.

 

 

~Monterey~                                                                             

Taking a drive south along Hwy 1 around the Monterey Bay there are many areas to pull over and explore. Moss Landing and Seaside feature great little areas to explore. Entering into Monterey you start to get the busy little coastal town feel with traffic lights and one way streets. The best start is a welcome center where you can plan your hot spots to see. This picture was taken along Sunset Drive at Point Pinos Lighthouse Reservation. There is also a public bathroom along the route :)

 

 

A must when heading south out of Monterey is to take the "17 mile Drive" that takes you along the coast to Point Lobos State Reserve where you can find the rare Monterey Cypress along with the view that conjured up Treasure Island. There are many places to pull over and take pictures but just a warning, you have to pay to get on the road to take the self guided tour.

 

Resting up and pre-stretching as you walk around Point Lobos is a must for the next 111 miles of curvy world famous highway 1....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Hunting a Rock Star, a Princess, and a Giant

Once upon a time there was a girl who loved to feel the wind pushing on her wings to carry her higher and higher to places unknown to the normal people of the land. She set out on a journey to find things never seen, taking back roads and paths not trod by anyone with two legs. Never did she imagine the things she would see while flying into the wild world of wonder....

 

The Rock Star

 

Taking to the dirt, trekking down state road 385, I head out to do a little wilderness riding to see the untouched  sands of the California desert. Straight roads without any obstacles lined by Joshua trees and powerlines, I burn rubber and find myself at the feet of a rock "star". Red Rock Canyon National Park was an amazing little stop at the beginning of a curvy road to see some amazing colors erupting from earth's core.

 

 

Red, white, green, black, gold and orange stacked like small layers of a cake rise up out of the earth. The wind, rain and snow carve shapes through this rock making beautiful spirals. Red Cliffs Natural Preserve would be a beautiful place to camp in the elements and I am sure feature a stunning night sky featuring a blanket of stars not seen in cities or suburbs. Along state highway 14 there were magnificent views of desert landscape that invited a feeling of reflection and solitude for a worn soul. As is the case in California, many films have featured these incredible formations as their background. Westerns like The Outlaw and The Big Country, The Mummy (1932), Zorro Rides Again, I'll Be Home for Christmas, and the music video Cater 2 U by Destiny's Child (youtube it, its kinda exciting to see).

 

 

 

On down the road through the canyon and ranch land, steering around the cows that roam free...I chase the setting sun to continue filling my eyes of this rare beauty. Along a stretch of road was billboard after billboard posting how far to the next food and gas stops. One sign I found interesting was 77 miles to the next McDonalds! I didn't know that was possible! I come from a town that has one at every intersection, so it seems. As you wind through the canyon and are lucky enough to do it in the late afternoon with a perfect clear sky and bright sun, you will just be absolutely amazed at the way the land looks so mystical, like a true fantasy never never land.

 

The Princess

Of course, all fantasies have a princess, and what better name than Isabella!? Rounding a curve I see this mirage...I mean I am in the desert! This can't be real?!? In the middle of this gold sand is a grassy area also golden but blowing like a lions mane as it sways in the breeze and surrounds a gift for the gods. Lake Isabella is there for the offering...Hidden among rolling hills lays a place to camp, fish and play.

Many pull up areas to the lake were grassy slanted areas that you could pull your car right up to the water, dump in your boat, jet ski or kayak and explore the curves of the mountains. This little gift of royalty is fed by they Kern River-where they also offer rafting adventures. As you wind down by the lake and the dam you can turn off into a small parking area and explore beyond the "danger do not enter" signs and hop the rocks to touch the raging waters of the Kern...

I found a lovely little "cottage" to stay in Wofford Heights that is just before Kernville (the major camping and recreation area for Lake Isabella). The Barewood Inn and Suites was a great little place to park for the night and rest up for the drive and hike of the Sequoias.

Leaving the Kernville area I headed out on Rt 155...a must to see the "golden hills" and "baby" Sequoias.

 

 

The drive is full of winding roads, road side waterfalls, picnic areas, free range cows, and spectacular views!

I made my way up 196 to Lemon Cove where there are rows and rows of, what else, LEMON TREES :). And also the first Mellow Yellow that I had found in California....though, never found a Mellow Yellow Zero. Weird how you can go state to state and have a totally different selection of drinks and food!

The Giant

Winding up 198 into the Sequoia National Park you will find yourself face to face with another lake perched at the side of some very large hills. Lake Kaweah is mostly a reservoir lake and is kept low and at times almost empty as it manages the water flowing from the Sequoia forest into the low lying cities below. However, I saw boats and fisherman running around the lake and there is a marina. Furthering the quest to find the giant I trek on through the winding roads with camera in hand to catch the thing that is most amazing...

 

 

....the giant....

 

 



...locked inside your heart-shaped box...

 

Finding a waterfall in the desert was a hard task! West of Los Angeles and the middle of the sand you can find a forest and mountain lakes to cool off in those 100+ degree days. San Bernardino National Forest holds several lakes and a great view of the San Bernardino valley. Big Bear Lake, near the top is a big tourist and local place for boating and paddling around. Other lakes found on the mountain are more for canoe and swimming. I found a little lost gem than the run of the mill tourist must see....

 

I headed over to Crestline and the Valley of Enchantment (fancy name, right?!). Here in this area will be Camp Seeley, a summer camp that was featured in the 1998 Disney remake of "Parent Trap". Past the camp entrance you can take a trail road up to the Seeley Creek Trail and Heart Rock. After a nice shaded mile hike along pines and a small creek, you will find yourself at the top of a waterfall that doesn't look so special. Once you climb over to a small cliff that you can look over the clear crisp waterfall, you will see it...the magic. A heart :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

La Jolla~it just may be the best place on earth

 

 

Clifty beaches and a slow surfer pace to life is the source of the spirit that makes up the La Jolla community. Just north of the San Diego city limits is the continued  California town that offers a large University known for one of the greatest Marine Biology programs, bike and sea cave kayak tours, great snorkeling with the nurse and black tip sharks among the kelp fields, Birch Aquarium at Scripps and hang gliding.

 

A must locals place for breakfast is inland from Children's Pool is a place called The Cottage. I had food there twice and it was wonderful. It had a great little atmosphere of close tables on a patio area of a sleepy street corner (kline st and fay ave) spotted with fancy space heaters to keep the chill off. They also have yummy hot chocolate :) After feeding your belly head over the Children's Pool where you can walk the concrete barrier to look down on the families of seals and sea lions. Watching them swim and jump up on the rocks and surf onto the sandy beach was a treat. The view is great of the cliffs and sea caves, rock islands and wildlife...

 

 

Down from the Children's Pool you will find a rocky shore dotted with holes that area filled with shells, coral and a crab/urchin or fishy. One of the days I went I was entertained by a cute little ballerina that danced in the off spray of the crashing waves. The clifty shore is dotted with flat green areas to sit and relax and watch the sunset or the fog burn off from the daylight.

 

~i love that she is picking her wedgie :)

 

 

 

 

The next great stop is Torrey Pines. It is a pay park where you can visit the beach or drive up the the top of the hill and do a hike on the cliffs that overlook the ocean. It is a great walk with many views...

 

 

 

 

La Jolla is the only place to go to feel right on the edge of the world! It has all the things that make the west coast magical.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



San Diego, California

Surf, sand, seventy degrees weather :) San Diego is a great spot to vacation any time of the year! Tours, beaches, great food, marine life, sunsets, world famous zoo, great hiking...something for everyone. First thing I did was figure out what tour to take so I could see and learn a lot and be able to navigate around the city the rest of the time. One of the great tours I have taken in many cities is Old Town Trolley Tours (www.trolleytours.com). They run a fleet of green and orange trolleys that give great fun education and you can hop on and off at every location and stay as long as you wish. Another perk of this tour line is if you park in Old Town San Diego, there is free parking close to the area you catch the bus along with free public bathrooms, tourist shopping and eateries. I also got the Seal Tour with the trolley tour--definitely a must! You get the ride the WW2 amphibious machine around the town then out into the bay where you get to see marine life nose to nose.

 

A very awesome thing I got to see on my seal tour was an incoming submarine! It was decided that it was returning from a long stent in the war. We were chased away from Point Loma (submarine base) due to security reasons but not before I was able to snap a few pictures of the soldiers lined up on the top!



 

There was so much to see and do in San Diego that you would have to stay there for years to get it all done! A few things I didn't do-but wanted too was go to the zoo and free museums and do a segway tour of the city. I did have my first Seaworld adventure there and it was a blast! I took a whole day and made my route include every show they offered and they are all worth seeing. And if you go, you HAVE to sit in the "wet zone". I set in some of the further zoned seats and didn't get too wet and had a great view. 

 

One great deal that I found while visiting San Diego, if you area going to visit a lot of the attractions in the area...getting a "GO SAN DIEGO" card. You get a great deal on many attractions for a great discounted price and can pick how many days you want to use the card. Come to find out you could get this card in several major cities and seems to be something worth doing. For more information check out smartdestinations.com/sandiego

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Oceanside, California

 

The commercial about California people having "board" meetings...and it shows them all surfing...its really true. Mornings that I was able to rise before the sun, I would pack my bag and cooler and make the hour trip to the beach-to a funky small town known as Oceanside. Its in Southern California and really just a long northern continuation of San Diego. There I found a neat surf museum, the area's oldest diner-101 Cafe, and enough sand, surf, and sunshine to make me a very happy girl :)

 

During these early predawn outings I would park at the beach and watch dads and mostly grandpas zip up their  wet suits and trot the wide beach with their surf boards in hand to hang together in the sea foam like they were a fraternity of brothers at a business meeting. Chantings and cheering on each other as they caught a wave and being one with mother nature. It had to be the closest to Heaven for most of those guys... I was amazed just watching their skill and how each one just floated above the surf without an ounce of fear in their movements.

 

Oceanside also offered many sunsets and an amazing Thursday night Farmers Market that shut down several streets of downtown. The market featured live music, food vendors, crafts, flowers, clothes, jewelry and massages :) It is something I still dream about and think it is worth a visit...and revisit!



Home Away From Home :)



Surrounded by Kentucky "bluegrass", trees, and country...since a young age I always dreamt of being a California Girl. Finally at age 29 I had a career that was going to give me a chance to make that dream come true! Newly single and in much need of a shock to jump start the inner gypsy I took a job in southern California. Years and years ago I had been out to San Diego to visit a cousin in the military and was somewhat familiar with the scenery from the bits and pieces I could recall in my mind, but to venture out there alone and just be a stranger among the palm trees and pacific was the most perfect decision I had made...EVER! My new home was just outside of the city limits of Temecula, California. Research brought about promises of wine, vineyards, rolling hills and beaches that would be close by on every day off :)Once there, I found it was a gem! A perfect town, similar to my real home...and very central to many adventures that kept me busy during the summer.

 

 

This progressive city had a huge mall with features I have never seen before and was built like a city of its own. Along with shopping there were many different types of cuisine to indulge your taste buds in. My favorite was the small area known as "Old Town". Here the sidewalks were wooden planks and all the store fronts were an "Old West" theme. Great little shops and treats and a wonderful little mexican place, Rosa's Cantina-where you, like every great place, sit outside in a neat little garden area surrounded by stucco and flowers. My addiction, because you can't be a famous California Girl without one, was Farmers Market days. Saturday mornings I would rise early to try to beat the hundreds that swarmed the area for the latest crafts, harvest and street food. It was every hippy's dream to find a market with the selection some of these southern California cities offered. Fresh flowers, fresh greek concoctions and gyros, blood oranges, they all quickly became  something that I NEEDED every week.

 

 

 

This was going to be a trip of a life-time. I knew that very few of my days off were going to be spent on the couch sleeping or channel surfing. I was going to make the most of being a real, live, southern,

 

California Girl



hole in the ground and a GRAND view...

Just a little trench I stumbled upon....

 

West on I-40 past a stretch of where the orange sand and stone kiss the bluest of skies, I arrived to a place I never knew existed until I did some research on interesting things to see for the long haul. In the middle of the flat desert is a huge hole in the ground that came about over 50,000 yrs ago! I can't imagine being there and seeing this fireball hurl itself into the land and change it forever...Meteor Crater is a definite place to stop. In the discovery center there is tons of information on the history of the creator and the devastation it brought on after its impact on earth. There is also the meteor itself! Many options to hike along the edge or stand among the observation decks to view this massive disruption of rock and sand.

 

 

 

 

 

Continuing along I-40 west I arrive in Flagstaff, AZ.  Navigating north I venture through a different terrain, to see what the Grand Canyon has to offer. The drive was full of mountain views capped with snow, pine and birch trees, and grassy valleys.

 

 

 

 

Watching the change in the surroundings, we climbed up the road to see this canyon that was carved over the ages by something as simple as water....Once arriving to a viewing area in a park off state road 64, we quickly became seduced by its magical power.

 

Looking out over the canyon
onto another observation area...
the people were so small!!








                                                                          

      Crazy kid sitting on the edge of the canyon...
 

 

 

 



 



wild...WILD west

WELCOME TO THE WILD, WILD WEST

 

Entering the wild west I found magnificent new sights I had never seen. The colors of the desert were a huge change from my green, lush southern Kentucky rolling hills and farm land! Memories came flooding back of all the westerns my mom used to make me watch when I was little. All I could do is drive down the interstate and think of all the Cowboys and Indians that used to roam the place.

 

albuquerque

 

We made a quick stop-quicker than I would have liked...in Albuquerque, New Mexico. After talking to friends and Google I decided our best place to spend a few hours on a day of "driving through" was to visit Old Town. Quaint little shops filled with gift and tourist things, Christmas ornaments (which I collect from everywhere I go), cafes and galleries of amazing art and original handmade jewelry!

 

After shopping and seeing the area of stucco building from way back when we settled in at a lovely little place called Church Street Cafe that was rated high on multiple websites as the best New Age Mexican. Chips and salsa were AMAZING...

 

 

After a quick few hours we were back on the road, westbound and on to another adventure!

 

 

 

 www.itsAtrip.org

Meeting Texas

Driving from Kentucky to California last year, was a mind blowing experience. The thrill of seeing the scenery change as I drove down I-40 was life changing. I did a lot of research on things to see for the week long trek and found many hidden treasures of times past. Setting tires on Route 66 in Oklahoma City started the tour of days long ago. Not until you meet Texas do the "weird tourist musts" appear. The leaning water tower in a small Britten, TX.

 

 

Passing by the largest cross in the world in Groom, TX, you later come up to a hippy burial ground....Volkswagen graveyard aka "Slug Bug Ranch" in Conway,TX (middle of the middle of nowhere). Make sure to take along spray paint or permanent marker to leave your mark!

 

 

Entering into Amarillo for the night's stay we drove around the downtown area that was a nice and safe feeling area. However the absolute must is to step up to a steak eating contest! As the saying goes..."things are bigger in Texas"....we found, they really are. Off I-40 you will see a big ugly building and lots of advertisement for BIG TEXAN STEAK RANCH. Here you can enter to eat a 72 ounce steak with a few sides and get a few free prizes...even if you don't do the 72 ouncer, you WILL GET FULL! Hop on the website to find out more and watch people eat their way to victory....lean away from the keyboard to prevent drooling all over your computer! www.bigtexan.com

 

The last few things to see in the area are the big statue legs in a cow field along with the ever famous Cadillac row...if you feel a little frisky, take a few dirt roads through the ranches to see more of Texas.

Heading out of Amarillo on I-40 west...another jewel lays ahead. Adrian, TX...the mid point of RT 66. This ghost town was once a heavy traffic area for those traveling from Chicago to Los Angeles...this mid point has a little more popular reason to stop now days....PIE!  MidPoint Cafe is known for it's ugly pie crust. Set in a 50's diner theme you will find some breakfast, lunch and dinner....but most importantly---