Yosemite National Park

After many conversations and half planned trips, Andy and I finally went to Yosemite. We couldn't leave California without visiting Yosemite, no way! We chose a beautiful weekend to go, the weather was mid 60s, sun was shining, blue sky (some haze unfortunately), it was all around nice. The 3 hour drive from the Bay Area went by quickly and we soon found ourselves in some of the most majestic scenery we have ever seen. The mountains were covered in green pines while white waterfalls flowed off of rocks. It was like a moving picture from a magazine. We could hardly believe what we were seeing, it was quite surreal.

We spent the day driving through the park and hiking on small trails. Unfortunately though, we had two things working against us, our dog, and the tourists. Dogs are not allowed in the park, so it was hard to do much with him there. On top of that, there were hoards of tourists. I know Yosemite is a popular park, but wow, I was not expecting so many people. The scenery was incredible when you look up, but when we looked down all we could see were people. How disappointing! I'm sure if we didn't have our dog with us we could have jetted off on a wilderness trail and avoided the tourists...next time I guess.

After a day in the park and full realization that all of the campgrounds had been booked months in advance, we left Yosemite and headed to Stanislaus National Forest. This National Forest is right next to Yosemite, but while Yosemite doesn't allow dogs and is filled with tourists, the National Forest is the complete opposite. We had the whole place to ourselves and our dog could run off his leash as he pleased. Perfect!

We gathered our packs, laced our boots, and headed out into the National Forest to find a place to camp for the night. We found a great trail along a river where we eventually found level ground to camp on. Camp was set, dinner was made, whiskey was drank, and the sound of the river lulled us to sleep. It was perfect! The next morning we hiked out, grabbed breakfast on the way home, and then promptly discovered that Andy had gotten poison oak ALL over his body...I mean everywhere! Since we are from VA where we have never seen poison oak, we didn't know what it looked like. I'm sure we were camping in the stuff! Luckily I am not susceptible to poison oak or ivy, but poor Andy was miserable.

It was a great weekend overall, despite the tourists and poison oak. I would highly recommend visiting Yosemite, just not in the summer when it is overrun with tourists. Also, if you plan on camping there, make sure you reserve a campground months in advance... and don't bring your dog.

Strong Arms Saturday!

This Strong-Arms-Saturday is brought to you by hiking and camping! Over Memorial Day weekend Andy and I headed out to Yosemite National Park and Stanisalus National Forest. We enjoyed the views, ohh'ed and ahh'ed all the way through Yosemite and finished up with some off-trail camping in Stanisalus. It was great to be outside and we had wonderful weather all weekend. Yay for our beautiful country!

What exciting things do you have planned for Saturday? Feel like snapping a picture of your own Strong-Arms-Saturday, send me a picture and I'll post it along with a little story and a link to your website or blog (if you have one):  E-mail Me!

Marin Headlands

Marin Headlands is the area opposite of San Francisco directly over the Golden Gate Bridge. Andy and I have been there quite a few times, but we are usually just driving through. This fine Saturday we decided to spend some time hiking in Marin and really see what the area has to offer. It was beautiful! We hiked out to a beach, let our dog run free, and took a nap in some long grass. We are enjoying hiking these trails before things get too touristy. I can definitely tell that more tourists are populating the area on these warmer days. I guess when you live in a beautiful place that is just something you have to deal with.

Strong Arms Saturday!

This Strong-Arms-Saturday is brought to you by past weeks adventures. They are a variety from Muir Beach, Marin Headlands hiking, and Palm Springs Slot Canyon Hiking. Oh the Saturday adventures we have! I hope your Saturday is fun and adventurous!

What exciting things do you have planned for Saturday? Feel like snapping a picture of your own Strong-Arms-Saturday, send me a picture and I'll post it along with a little story and a link to your website or blog (if you have one):  E-mail Me!

Strong Arm Saturday!

This Strong-Arms-Saturday is brought to you by hiking and good beer! They may not go together so well, but separate they are great things. The good beer was enjoyed at the Pyramid Ale Brewery...a fun California find for us. And the hiking was done in the Marin Headlands State Park just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. A wonderful relaxing weekend filled with all things California.

What exciting things do you have planned for Saturday? Feel like snapping a picture of your own Strong-Arms-Saturday, send me a picture and I'll post it along with a little story and a link to your website or blog (if you have one):  E-mail Me!

Slot Canyon Hiking, Palm Springs

Last week I wrote about our trip to Palm Springs. I mentioned that we had gone slot canyon hiking and I am finally posting about it.

What an adventure we had! Before going to Palm Springs Andy mentioned that he wanted to do some slot canyon hiking. Once we got there, we acquired a lot of information on trails through the visitors center and hotel. After sifting through a lot of information we ended up settling on a trail that Andy picked. Andy had found a rough map along with some written directions for a trail into a slot canyon that we would be hiking. (I honestly don't know where he found the trail information, but I don't think it was from the visitors center or the hotel.)

The next morning we woke up at the crack of dawn and left for our slot canyon hiking adventure. We found our way to a dirt road that said 4 wheel drive cars only...oops, we weren't driving a 4wd but took the road anyway. Luckily it wasn't too bad. At the end of the dirt road were huge rocks and boulders, that was where the hike was to begin...according to the random directions that Andy had.

After glancing at the rough trail directions, Andy took us into the first rock entrance that he found. (Sure he was following directions...) We quickly found ourselves in a very tight slot canyon. In some places we were en-caved by the rocks and had to get on all fours to crawl along the trail. Other places we had to climb 20 feet of rock and disintegrating rope to get to the next part of the so-called trail. It was definitely an adventure, but all the while I kept thinking of the movie 127 Hours and how he was trapped in a slot canyon until he sawed off his own arm to get out. Yikes, maybe I was a little paranoid.

We climbed the last and longest rope up the rock to get out of the slot canyon and were in the middle of the desert. We chose a direction to go (based on Andy's version of the directions) and over an hour later we quickly realized that we were lost. Great, lost in the desert with only 1 water bottle for two people and a dog! Andy and I fought over the directions for a while before deciding to back-track to the slot canyons and find our way back via the way that we had come. Luckily, we were able to find the same slot canyon and retraced our steps back. I have to say, climbing down the 20 foot ropes was a LOT harder and scarier than climbing up them. I never want to do that again!

All in all, we got out safe and were not trapped for 127 hours, phew! It was a fun adventure, but next time we will be sure to pack more water and leave our dog at home. I would also prefer to take a legitimate trail, rather than one that someone half ass created and then put out there on the internet for Andy to find.

This was the way we transported our dog up (and down) the ropes and rocks. He was a trooper of a pup!

A self-timer family picture in the desert before we got lost and cranky.

Big Sur post two, Highway One Beaches

A few days ago I posted about our backpacking trip to Big Sur. We took one day to backpack and camp, and one day to explore the area and Highway One. We have heard from countless people that Big Sur is the outdoorsy place to be around here. Well, other than Napa, Lake Tahoe, Muir Woods...oh wait, this whole area is scenic and beautiful!

Big Sur is about 2.5-3 hours south of the Bay Area, but totally worth the drive. A lot of the drive was boring highway, but once we hit Highway One the scenery started. We drove up and down Highway One stopping every few miles to get out and enjoy the coastal beauty. Some places the water was transparent blue, and other places we saw huge seals. There were cresting waves, miles of rocky shoreline, pristine white beaches, fog, sun, waterfalls, pine trees. Oh beauty!

It was an incredible day exploring Highway One in the Big Sur area. We did a few hikes right off the highway, and enjoyed the abandoned rugged beaches. We also stopped for lunch at a beautiful rooftop gallery restaurant that had some of the best bacon mac and cheese we've ever tasted. There are no words for that kind of delicious! We enjoyed lunch and beer in the blazing February sun with a view of Highway One and the Pacific Ocean. Does it get much better than that? I know I say that every time we get out and explore the area, but really, California has so much to offer.

 Check out the waterfall on the left side of this picture. Andy wanted to go bathe in it, but the trail didn't have beach access.