Quick post to share a short trip in Oct. 2025 to Quakertown PA to visit my brother, Aaron. On the first full day, we explored the nearby Valley Forge Historic Site, where Washington famously encamped for the winter – which as it turns out is not the same as camping, as at least officers were […]
Since we don’t have family nearby, to get out of the city we typically spend Thanksgiving exploring via a road trip and 2025 was no exception. After a chilly night above St. George without a fire and coming in at dark due to the early sunset, we headed out to our first stop: Cedar Breaks
Thanksgiving 2025: Utah Parks Read More »
Taking advantage of the long weekend, and wanting to get Lucy into some snow, we decided on a short trip up to the most likely spot to easily access the powder: Mt. Whitney/Lone Pine. We don’t typically stay in campgrounds any more but with it being free and there being a lack of dispersed sites
Mt. Whitney over MLK Read More »
The Mojave Road is one of the longest contiguous off-road stretches in the US, and only a few hours from Los Angeles, so the long weekend over President’s day with mild weather, low wind, and still-dry terrain seemed like a great opportunity to give it a go. The road started off near the town of
Driving the Mojave Road Read More »
This past weekend, since fires are not permitted at dispersed sites anywhere in the National Forests – only on BLM land in the desert – we decided to head towards the Southern tip of Death Valley NP with no other plan in mind. Fortunately, after passing through Ridgecrest, home of China Lake Naval Weapons Base,
Geology & Mining Exploration in the Mojave Read More »
I don’t remember when I first heard of Sespe Hot Springs, but when I did I knew I had to go there. It sounds too good to be true, natural hot springs easily accessible by a backpacking trail! So when I had two days together free, and the weather didn’t look too hot, I decided
Way back in 2019, shortly after we had moved to Los Angeles, Jacob’s parents came to visit. While here, we all went to a short waterfall hike in Thousand Oaks (Paradise Falls) … then we never went back as it’s a bit of a drive (~40 minutes) and at the time was crowded. Seven years
Wildwood Park Trail Run Read More »
Even though it’s not far from where we live in Van Nuys, I had never explored the Lake Hollywood area for two reasons: So when our run club had the weekly Sunday run schedule there, I wasn’t enthused but knew I had to check it out despite a head cold that developed after hiking Mt.
Backyard Tourism at Lake Hollywood Read More »
For years, my favorite hike in Angeles National Forest has been Mt. Baden Powell, not from the traditional starting point of Vincent Gap, but from the lesser traveled Dawson Saddle. It has all the best of the area – great views, good incline that’s moderate enough to be “easy,” a great payoff of a peak,
The Quest for Mt. Baden Powell Read More »
When it’s a 3-day weekend and slated to be over 100 degrees, it’s almost mandatory to leave Los Angeles and seek cooler temperatures near the ocean or in the mountains. Since the mountains are much more accessible, we chose the latter, stopping at Classic Burgers in Inyokern to charge the truck, driving up through Kennedy
Beating the Heat near Smith Mountain Read More »