bugsy running on lone rock beach with the airstream and f-150 in the background

Tag: hiking

  • Three nights in Palm Springs, CA–Big Trip #4

    Three nights in Palm Springs, CA–Big Trip #4

    We were in Palm Springs in late October 2022, as part of Big Trip #4. The main reason we wanted to go to Palm Springs as we headed east from Oceanside on the coast was for its signature Desert Modern architecture–the local spin on mid-century modern, adapted for a sunny, leisurely lifestyle. J also wanted to…

    Read More

    //

  • Two nights in San Luis Obispo, CA–Big Trip #4

    Two nights in San Luis Obispo, CA–Big Trip #4

    We visited SLO in late October 2022, as part of Big Trip #4. San Luis Obispo was originally supposed to be the next stop after Santa Cruz. We pictured ourselves doing the entire scenic drive along Route 1 through Big Sur in one day from top to bottom; instead, we did the top half of…

    Read More

    //

  • Pinnacles National Park

    Pinnacles National Park

    We visited Pinnacles National Park for a few hours in mid-October 2022, as part of Big Trip #4. We thought Sequoia National Park was the last national park we’d be visiting in California, and then we looked at the route from our campground in Three Rivers (near Sequoia) to our next campground in Marina, on…

    Read More

    //

  • Sequoia National Park

    Sequoia National Park

    We spent two nights outside Sequoia National Park in mid-October 2022, as part of Big Trip #4. In Yosemite, we met our first giant sequoias, from a distance. In Kings Canyon, we got up close and personal with lots more sequoias, including enormous stumps and logging graveyards. Our sequoia grand finale was Sequoia National Park!…

    Read More

    //

  • Kings Canyon National Park

    Kings Canyon National Park

    We spent three days in Kings Canyon in early October 2022 as part of Big Trip #4. From Yosemite, we continued south to the next Northern California national park, Kings Canyon. Do you know anything about Kings Canyon? Because we didn’t until we started researching. Kings Canyon National Park and Sequoia National Park are adjacent…

    Read More

    //

  • Yosemite National Park

    Yosemite National Park

    We spent three nights just outside Yosemite in early October 2022 as part of Big Trip #4. From Reno, it was a long (and expensive! gas prices in California!) 4.5-hour drive to our next campground near Yosemite National Park. Our route took us up Tioga Pass, the highest elevation highway pass in CA, and a…

    Read More

    //

  • Three nights in Lake Tahoe, CA & NV–Big Trip #4

    Three nights in Lake Tahoe, CA & NV–Big Trip #4

    We visited Lake Tahoe in early October 2022 as part of Big Trip #4. J and I had been to Lake Tahoe before: we went skiing at Homewood a million years ago, and while we don’t remember where we stayed or ate, or even all the people we traveled with, that bright blue lake framing…

    Read More

    //

  • Lassen Volcanic National Park

    Lassen Volcanic National Park

    We spent two nights near Lassen Volcanic in early October 2022 as part of Big Trip #4. We had originally booked three nights for our Lassen Volcanic stop, but after being underwhelmed by our first hike, we decided to leave a day early. No offense, Lassen. It’s hard to compete with the other national parks…

    Read More

    //

  • Crater Lake National Park

    Crater Lake National Park

    We visited Crater Lake in late September 2022 as part of Big Trip #4. Crater Lake National Park has been on my wishlist for a loooong time. It’s spectacularly gorgeous, but once you’ve done some hikes and stopped at the overlooks, you kind of get the idea. We’d planned on spending three nights there and…

    Read More

    //

  • Three nights in Bend, OR–Big Trip #4

    Three nights in Bend, OR–Big Trip #4

    We visited Bend in late September 2022 as part of Big Trip #4. You can’t drive from Mount Rainier to Crater Lake and not stop in Bend! Everything you’ve read about Bend’s coolness is true. We loved it. Mountains, waterfalls, cute neighborhoods, the Deschutes River running through the city, multiple food truck pods (!), and…

    Read More

    //