The Bank in Old Town has been a Mexican food restaurant since 1978, but its name tells another story. The building was built in 1913 in order to house First National Bank. The cement walls of the building and the bank vault both measure eighteen inches thick. The original hitching post, granite curb, and the …
We absolutely love Anza Borrego Desert. It is a quick escape from the dense population that comes with living so close to the beach. The definition of a “well trafficked hike” even changes as you follow your compass east. So often this is just what we need, a little elbow room. “The Slot” trail in …
We have been on a natural movie set tour lately. Over a hundred movies have been filmed here, in Red Rock Canyon State Park, including the beginning scene of Jurassic Park (a personal favorite). The rusted, distinct badlands topography along Hagen Canyon Nature Trail is nothing but surreal. Weathering, erosion and deposition may sound boring …
There is nothing like the Alabama Hills, which is why it has been the set of hundreds TV series (Lone Ranger, Annie Oakley, Bonanza…) and movies (Django Unchained, How the West Was Won, Iron Man…). With rounded rocks and arches in the foreground and jagged snow covered Eastern Sierra mountains in the background, the Alabama …
Driving to Badwater Basin within Death Valley there are several “elevation sea level” signs along the side of the road, but nothing beats the “sea level” billboard, hanging nearly 300 feet up the cliff face, at the Badwater Basin parking lot. Badwater Basin is the lowest place in North America. Its name comes from a …
Vasquez Rocks is nearly 1,000 acres of intriguing sandstone rock formations in the high desert of Los Angeles County. The beautiful nature center displays fauna, and includes information about local geography and those who have utilized it since prehistoric times. From indigenous populations to Vasquez (the bandit who hid from authorities amongst the rocks) to …
I am so glad I don’t live on an island. There is so much to do so close (even with the vast sea directly to the west). Just two hours from Oceanside is Palm Springs. A ten minute ride later, hung by a cable kept taut by a 60 ton counterweight on the largest rotating …
Jungle Bells is an annual event hosted by the San Diego Zoo. There are performances, lights and Christmas decorations, all set up to make it feel a little more like Christmas in sunny San Diego. The only downside, most zoo animals are not nocturnal, so there are few to see. The real enjoyment factor is …
We are so lucky to live in Southern California, not just for the weather but for our proximity to iconic entertainment. We didn’t have a lot of money growing up, but there was always Disneyland money. We went on average three times a year. (Of course, the cost was a little different. Our whole family …
After enjoying the beautiful views from yellow post site 7 in the morning hours, we walked about a quarter mile north on Forest Road 6S13 to, what is typically, the ending point of the Ramona Trail. Basically what this means is we started the hike at over 6,500 feet elevation and didn’t have to work …
Thomas Mountain is located between Anza and Idyllwild, in Riverside County. It is part of the San Bernardino National Forest and so it is within the yellow post site network that we recently started exploring. There is nothing better than camping in the great outdoors, sans light and sound pollution, for free. BYOT (bring your …
Three quarters of an acre of Living Desert Zoo property in Palm Desert is filled with G-scale model train track; that’s 3,300 feet of track with nineteen lines (sound effects and all) running simultaneously. The twenty five Living Zoo train volunteers took it a step further, constructing the world’s longest wooden G-scale trestle, measuring 202 …
The Palm Springs Air Museum opened its hangar doors in 1996. As it turns out, our first trip here also included a chili cook off and a car show. There was a lot going on. Even without the extras, it is not possible to see and read everything in one visit. Four hangars and 85,000 …
On Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, from 5:00pm to close, the San Diego zoo is choked with black lights, people in costume, music, light up souvenirs, live bands, fog machines, Halloween decorations, and punny signs. The zoo’s HalGLOWeen event was created in 2017, although this is our first time attending. Since kids under eleven are free, …
The DeJong family has been milking for generations, here at this specific spot in Wildomar since 1958. Throughout the years it has managed to hold on to its old school dairy charm. It costs just fifty cents a bag to feed the animals, whose hunger never seem to be satiated. We went a little milk …