Palm Springs, CA

Palm Springs via photos.

 View from the backyard of the home we stayed in while in Palm Springs this past January.  What a beautiful view!

 Sunset in Palm Springs. 

 Sunrise in Palm Springs (seen from the home we stayed in during this trip). 

 Joshua Trees in Joshua Tree National Park. 

 Close up of a Joshua Tree. 

 The next several photos are of the rocks other scenery in the park. 

The Marilyn statue!

Road Trip USA and our next big road trip

Sam and I are starting to dream up another epic road trip.  While browsing Pinterest, I found an infographic with a link to Road Trip USA.  Are you familiar with this site?  It lists 11 road trip routes across the USA and what to do along the way. This is a good way to start brainstorming a road trip.

I think the coastal trips look fantastic.  I have driven (or be a passenger along) much of The East Coast. Last year, for our first anniversary we drove from Miami, FL to Key West.  In a convertible.  It was amazing. I am also quiet fond of the Carolina coast.  Though a trip from Washington D.C to Boston, MA is filled with traffic, it has a lot of history along the way. If you choose to do this route you can end up exploring the museums and monuments of D.C, the food, theater and museums of New York City and the history and culture of Boston. I can't imagine driving the entire East Coast in one trip.  I think it would be more manageable broken up into parts. However, I speak as an East Coaster. If you are from else where, you may want to do all of it, or much of it, at once.

Southern California has been our home for the last 10 months. I have driven the coast line from San Diego to Carlsbad, San Clemente or farther north numerous times. It is unbelievable how much untouched beauty there is along the road. There are so many quaint beach towns along the way. I am very much looking forward to traveling farther north along The West Coast over the next year.  I have heard the drive, particularly north of LA is stunning.

Our next long road trip will be planned around some of the amazing National Parks here on The West Coast. We will drive north along the coast, hitting Redwoods, Crater Lake and Olympic National Parks. We are also hoping to explore Yellowstone and the Tetons on this trip as well.  Sam is a huge fan of Glacier, but we aren't sure we will have enough time to make a detour to see that park as well.

What are some must do's along The West Coast?  Any favorite National Parks? I am looking forward to seeing the diversity of this beautiful coast.  Stay tuned for more information as we continue to plan. 

SoCal excursions

The longer I live in SoCal, the more I wonder 1) why I would ever leave and 2) how can I afford to stay.

California is so much larger than the East Coast states with which I am familiar.

I have spent the last month or so moving to San Clemente, CA and exploring the local area. I am trying to spend more time exploring and less time on the computer.  Thus, my lack of posting.

Check back soon for reviews on Maui, Seersucker in San Diego, the San Diego Zoo, and another review on Disney and California Adventure.

In the meantime, here are some updated travel/exploring lists:

SoCal Must Do List:

Burlap in Del Mar and Herringbone in La Jolla: Part of Chef Brian Malarkey's Fabric of Social Dinning, LLC.
Explore Dana Point
Tour the Missions
Santa Barbara
Palm Springs
Joshua Tree
Catalina Island
Revisit Santa Monica
Revisit The San Diego Zoo (especially the new Koalafornication exhibit)
Revisit The San Diego Zoo Safari Park
Revisit Temecula

West Coast Must Do List:

Seattle, WA
Portland, OR
Hiking in both Oregon and Washington state
Yosemite
Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, & Glacier and Banff
Phoenix, AZ (okay so this is Southwest, but we can drive there so I'm including it)
Mammoth for snowboarding
Tahoe
Sequoia National Park
San Francisco, CA

Other Trips on our Wish List:
Alaska and Canada-scheduled for this September!
Cabo
Europe: The UK, Italy, Austria, Germany, Spain...the list goes on and on

Did I mention I want to see all these places in the next 1-2 years?

Where do you want to go?  Have you visited any of the places on my lists? Any tips?