• 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

    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…