California

  • California

    Pinnacles National Park

    January 25, 2016 - By 

    We knew we had to take Scromp out one last time before tucking him away for 6 months as we tour Europe. The question was where? California is spoiled with state and national parks and recreational areas. Three days before the weekend I had my heart set on Redwoods National Park but a friend mentioned Pinnacles National Park. I had never heard of it, so I casually looked it up. And WOW. Despite the millions of people who live in Silicon Valley, only a small percentage of people know of this new national park just a couple hours drive south…

  • California

    Death Valley

    December 15, 2015 - By 

    Unlike other national parks, the best time to visit Death Valley National Park is from November through February, where average temperatures hover between a comfortable 60-70ºF.  From May through September, the low season, average temperatures exceed 100ºF.  Despite being the largest national park in the contiguous U.S., this endless desert valley lacks one thing that I love the most about parks: trees! With areas of interest vastly spread out, I ended up spending more time driving in the park than exploring on foot.  Even with the lack of trees and epic hikes, we enjoyed the timeless views from our car windows as we explored by vehicle. Multiple…

  • California

    Mount Shasta

    September 25, 2015 - By 

    Having been born and raised in California, I still can’t believe that I waited until I was 30 to visit the quaint, little town and peak of Mount Shasta.  The beauty of the serene woods, tranquil lakes, abundance of outdoor activities, and the stunning peak triggers an adoration similar to my fondness of Lake Tahoe. Unlike Lake Tahoe, Mount Shasta is nestled remotely between similarly-sized towns with the nearest “major” city being depressing Redding.  You can either love or hate that about Mount Shasta, but I believe the people live there due to its distance from city life.  A friend’s father grew up in…

  • California

    Packing and Preparation for South America

    March 11, 2015 - By 

    From December 28, 2014 to March 11, 2015 (about 2.5 months) we took a “break” back home in San Francisco. As sad as this sounds, the California drought made our winter in Northern California like a fantastic summer vacation. The daily sunny 70-degree weather allowed me to do what I love most during the short time span I had at home. I got to cycle and run in my favorite place in the world: Spring skydiving with fluffy white play things is another favorite. We enjoyed wine country with our best friend. Spring vineyards and flowers are so beautiful. We got to hang out with the…

  • California

    Big Basin Redwood State Park

    December 29, 2014 - By 

    Once we approached Santa Cruz, we were so close to home.  But I didn’t want to go home. Not yet.  I wanted to take Scromp to the giant redwood trees of Big Basin Redwood State Park, up in the Boulder Creek wilderness.  There was so much more to California than just the picture-perfect beaches.  Our days of state or national parks and hiking trails were finally drawing to a close and Big Basin Redwood State Park was our last park before finishing up with Christmas at a friend’s in Napa. An early arrival was required in order to reserve a campground and hike a longish…

  • California

    Highway 1

    December 25, 2014 - By 

    I’ll admit it–I’m a terrible Californian.  Having grown up in the Bay Area and gone to school in Orange County for 2 years, I really have no excuse to justify why I’ve never seen the famous central California coastline all along Highway 1.  As a child I’ve gone on family trips to Santa Barbara and Pismo Beach with my family, but memories from those trips have apparently ceased to exist.  Now with time on our hands and a road trip to continue, we were able to finally spend time in the most talked about coast of the U.S. with literally perfect 70º…

  • California

    San Diego

    December 24, 2014 - By 

    In addition to seeing some familiar faces of friends in San Diego, we enjoyed our holiday–where else? At the beach!  Oh, Pacific Ocean, how I’ve missed you so! First, some pelicans in Coronado were kind enough to let me get this close for some pictures. Then we gazed at the breakers from Sunset Cliffs Natural Park. On another day we got our fix by making a couple of skydives in Oceanside.  It had been almost 3 months since our last skydive in Moab.  Simply being in the air again rekindled our love for freefall.  Chris loves exiting the aircraft and making that leap…

  • California

    Heading West

    December 23, 2014 - By 

    A farewell to the Gila Cliff Dwellings meant a farewell to New Mexico, and off to Arizona we went.  Like Utah’s scenic route 24, New Mexico’s Interstate 10 spoiled us with vast, rugged desert eye candy. Although the drive was long and tiresome, we were rewarded with an unforgettable sunset as we drew closer to Phoenix.  Because we were racing to get back to the Bay Area for Christmas, we unfortunately could not fit in any of Arizona’s natural wonders into this trip.  We had already visited the Grand Canyon in previous years, and because Arizona is a neighbor of California, we…

  • California

    The Ironman Race That Didn’t Happen

    September 24, 2014 - By 

    The pro athletes usually plummet through the waters exactly at 6:30am the Sunday morning of race day, followed by the amateur athletes at 6:45am.  That was at least the case last year when Chris and I dreadfully stepped into the chilly, placid lake to face our first Ironman triathlon race despite air temps shockingly reading 30ºF.  (We found out later that our first Ironman is now considered the most arduous Ironman race.) This year, we looked forward to taking the year off from triathlons, and instead eagerly awaited race day to volunteer for the event and cheer on our friends who had spent all…

  • California

    Romping & Nguyening Part 2 Begins: Abalone Diving

    September 18, 2014 - By 

    Having only spent exactly 1 month and 1 day at home with 2 weeks of it at Burning Man, our planning and preparation for the adventures of Romping & Nguyening Part 2 was no doubt a challenge.  With only a hasty 9 days, we knocked out our jam-packed list of to-do’s which consisted of unpacking and cleaning 2 weeks of Burning Man gear and our trailer, packing for our 3-month U.S. road trip, and meeting a handful of friends and family for lunch/dinner before departing. In a way, packing for the 3-month road trip was a bigger pain in the ass than…