Oakhurst is the closest town to the Yosemite Valley, but it’s nearly a two hour drive, four hours round trip. Going to the Valley twice allowed us to see everything we wanted to, especially considering there is so much to do and see right outside the park. The Lewis Creek National Recreational Trail is a …
The California State Mining and Mineral Museum has been in its current location in Mariposa since 1983. Before this, for over 100 years, the collection was housed in a building on the Embarcadero in San Francisco. There is no photography permitted inside the museum (for thievery reasons) so you have to go yourself to see …
620 foot Bridalveil Falls is impossible to miss as visitors enter Yosemite Valley. The path leads you right to the base, misting your face with pristine water. It is amazing to live in California, known for drought and lack of water, but to be surrounded by so much of it. Since Bridalveil Falls is fed …
Mariposa Grove is the largest giant sequoia grove in Yosemite National Park. Giant sequoias are the most massive trees by volume on our planet, so nothing to be missed. Starting in May there is a shuttle that takes visitors to the beginning of the grove, but in winter and spring, one has to walk 1.8 …
Being that this is our first time in Yosemite National Park, one of the most visited national parks in the United States, I was surprised by how concentrated the Yosemite icons, most are packed into one rather small, super majestic area. You can see a lot in a single day at Yosemite Valley, especially if …
On the northwest end of Bass Lake is the trailhead for Willow Creek Trail. The trail follows the meandering creek 2.7 miles north. There are two waterfalls along the way, neither of which we actually hiked to. Instead we took an hour after the 5.5 hour drive from Oceanside to Oakhurst to walk a portion …
The Westcoast Wrestling Company has been the “premier platform in professional wrestling” since 2008. They move their wrestling ring to different venues and when it is close by, in Murrieta, and your brother-in-law is the ref, you have to go. It was a family affair, both in our party and as far as the wrestling …
Fallbrook Gem and Mineral Society was founded in 1957 in Fallbrook, California. Fallbrook is part of San Diego County, one of the top gem and mineral mining regions in the United States. Tourmaline, kunzite, calcite, morganite, topaz, and garnet are some of the more commonly mined materials. The collection at the free museum is comprised …