Taft Point and Sentinel Dome are two prominent landmarks along the south rim which boarders Glacier Point Road. You can visit each point or connect both into a loop trail for a great day hike. It's a picturesque with views that include a "reverse tunnel view", Half Dome, and Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls . The trail is mostly...

This is an absolutely beautiful hike with astounding views of the Sierra Nevada mountains. The name Jackass Lake comes from when congress sent the cavalry to patrol Yosemite National Park (which these lakes were originally part of) in the early 1880s. The cavalry used donkeys (aka jackasses) while building roads, which is where the lakes get their names. As...

If you've ever taken a road trip from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, it's not something most people look forward to. It's pure boring nothing - almost 300miles of flat, plain, middle of nowhere desert. But if you're traveling this road for work or for pleasure or just as a means to get to somewhere else, there are a...

If you're backpacking or camping as a couple or family, double sleeping bags have a lot of advantages! The biggest advantage is that you get to cuddle with your partner while you're sleeping, which also means increased body heat! My husband and I use a double sleeping bag for all of our backpacking trips and there have been several...

There are far less options for vegan backpacking food than meat-eater backpacking food...especially if you want something interesting that's more than just granola, pasta, or rice and beans. So much of a vegan diet is fresh vegetables, which are difficult to get when you're on the trail, and which also are heavy and take up lots of space in...

The Mist Trail is one of the most popular and beautiful trails in Yosemite. Marked by amazing landscapes and waterfalls views, it's pretty obvious how the trail got it's name: from the mist that comes off the waterfalls as you're walking along side it. This trail spends most of it's time following along the Merced River, climbing along side...

A fun little roadside stop on a beautiful Victoria Beach in Laguna Beach CA. Contrary to it's name, this 60ft "Pirate Tower", as it's affectionately called by the locals, has nothing to do with pirates. In the early 1900s a wealth eccentric would hide gold coins in the tower for the local children which is how the tower got...

The most popular short hike in Lassen National Park, and for good reason! This is a relatively easy and beautiful hike with huge views! Think of it almost like a mini Mist Trail in Yosemite. This is a very popular and easy hike in Lassen, so be prepared for crowds! We did this hike during the Covid pandemic shortly...

I generally don't like going to luxury resorts. Most of them tend to be so commercialized and similar to each other and so packed full of amenities that you might as well have just gone to a hotel in Vegas. I find most luxury resorts to be isolating from the native area and cultures where they are located and...

Get up close and personal with sea otters and seals by kayaking right along side them in the Elkhorn Slough Conservation Area at Moss Landing. We went kayaking here off of a recommendation from my Aunt. I thought she was exaggerating and we might see one or two sea otters or seals off in the distance, but a few...