Vicente Flat & Cone Peak

I'm back at it! Yes this blog has been neglected for the past few months but we have not neglected our adventures and travelling. It seems these days we live for the weekends and try to make the most of each one. This weekend was no exception. We conquered the highest peak in Big Sur, climbed 5,000 feet of elevation and hiked a good 22 miles in less than 48 hours. Insane? Yes. But worth it. As I write this I am still hobbling around because my legs are dead but it was truly an epic adventure.

Our friends Eric and Paige and Bobby and I left bright and early Saturday morning and started our trek at about 9:30 at the Vicente Flat trail-head right off of Highway 1 in Big Sur. We got the most perfect weather, blue skies and sunny, not too hot and not too cold. Every step on the trail afforded an amazing view which took our minds off the steep terrain.

It was about 5 miles to the Vicente Flat campground and we were definitely not disappointed. There was a stream running right through  middle of giant redwoods with lush ferns and wild flowers all around.

We set up camp and ate lunch, and mentally and physically geared up for what was to be one of, if not the hardest, hikes I've ever done. There were many points throughout the hike that we thought about turning back but we pushed through. It was about 12 more miles to the top of Cone Peak and back.

                                        The Peak looming in the distance. Just off from the right.

Group shot a few miles in.

photo op. Only a little farther to the top!

made it!! 5,150 feet

We all collapsed at the top and took in the view. There was even snow at the top! It was such an accomplishment and we were all so stoked to have done it. But we couldn't dilly-dally for long because we still had to make it down and it was getting late. The steep descent was still very challenging but our spirits were high and we made it to a great vista point just in time for sunset.

Before long, the sun went down and we were hiking down through the redwood gulch in the dark with our headlamps. We got back to camp and scarfed down some dinner, made a fire and then hit the sack, absolutely pooped but extremely proud of our day's work.

Waking up in the redwoods is nothing short of spectacular.

We slowly hobbled got out of our tent and made some breakfast and the boys set up Eric's hammock over the river.

I could have laid there all day!

After some hammock-ing, we packed up and started the hike back to the car. We stopped half-way for lunch and could not have found a sweeter spot for a break.

on top of the world!

we enjoyed the view the whole way down.

This trip was physically exhausting but was worth every step. The peacefulness of the mountains and the ocean is unlike anything else and I always leave renewed and refreshed.

And just for fun, I'll leave you with this picture. We had some serious fun with long exposure and I think we captured it. 

Yosemite in the Fall

Bobby: Dude, I'm bored. Wanna go to Yosemite?

Me: Heck ya! I'll book it right now!

....and that's how our latest adventure came about. We have literally not gone anywhere in a month that is blog worthy so we were overdue to say the least. We have been in crazy Bobby Boss Art mode this past month (more on that later) which is really an adventure in itself!

So we packed up and drove up to Yosemite National Park last Friday night and camped in Lower Pines campground in the heart of the valley. We scored an amazing, long exposure shot of the valley from Tunnel View when we arrived at 10:15 PM.

...so we were off to a good start already! Well that night in the tent I just about froze to death and, despite the fact that I was in down sleeping bag, I realized Oh yea, it's almost winter and we are at 5,000 feet= more layers! Well we survived the night (the next night I slept with a hot water bladder=saved my life!) and we started off the morning with oatmeal and hot chocolate by the river that our campsite backed up to. If only every morning was like this...

the fall colors were amazing & Half Dome in the distance made for a great view.

After breakfast we hopped on our bikes and rode over to the trailhead for Yosemite Falls. This was not a walk in the park. We hiked 7.5 miles and climbed 3,000 feet to the top. Needless to say, we were dead tired after we finished. There was no water in the waterfalls this time of year but it was still beautiful. Here are some shots from the hike:

 view from Columbia rock- about halfway through the hike.

been there, done that Half-Dome!

 Fall in Yosemite is amazing.

 green moss.

view from the top of Yosemite Falls. snow on the distant peaks.

When we got done with the hike, we hopped back on our bikes and headed back to camp...and then we saw this:

the sun was hitting Half Dome just right to where it was literally glowing!

We got back to our campsite and promptly scarfed down ate dinner, made a fire and then made banana boats for dessert. Best thing ever! To make a banana boat, cut the banana down the middle (keep the peel on) and scoop out a little bit of the fruit to make it somewhat hollow in the middle. Then stuff it with Reese's peanut butter cups or chocolate squares and marshmallows (and really whatever else you wanna stuff in there) and then wrap the banana in foil and throw in the fire until it all melts and is gooey goodness! Definitely our favorite thing to make around camp fires. 

The next day, we got up, packed up our campsite and set out on a bike ride around the valley. Seriously, bike riding is the best way to see Yosemite because there are paved bike trails everywhere and you can pull off whenever you see something you wanna check out. So we biked 13 miles around the valley and saw some great views.

We had such a wonderful weekend together and Yosemite never ceases to amaze us. On our way out, we snapped one more photo at Tunnel View:

 Thankyou Jesus for creating beautiful places!

And in other news, this week we are in crazy mode getting ready for 2 art shows to feature Bobby's Art! So exciting! I'll definitely be sharing about it on the blog next week! Stay tuned!

Highway 1 Bike Ride

Biking has become my new favorite thing! I recently purchased a road bike and have been on it every chance I get...which means dragging asking Bobby to come along on rides with me. This weekend we set out on our longest ride yet. It was a perfectly beautiful day on the central coast so we loaded up our bikes on the car and drove up to San Simeon, which is about 45 minutes north of SLO. We decided to ride on the northern part of Highway 1 because it's generally less populated and less developed, making it a more enjoyable, scenic ride. 

 check out those bike shorts!

made it to Big Sur! 21 miles one way

 Ragged Point

 made it up the steepest climb of my life!

not a bad view for the way home

By about mile 38, we were both dead but plowed through to the end and were so stoked to finish! 42 miles. not too shabby. I love that we were able to reach such an awesome destination and make a day out of this adventure. 

Our goal is to do a Century ride next year and do some bike touring along the coast. 

Until then, I'll settle for weekend rides like this ;)

Spotlight on Jalama

Bobby and I recently returned from a 10 day, California vacation, or as Bobby called it, Surfcation.  We were trying to figure out what to do for the 10 days and thought about flying out to Costa Rica or somewhere else tropical and then we were like "wait...we live in a place that most of the world comes to for vacation!" So we set out with a vacation state of mind and explored all of our favorite places along the southern CA coast. It was an absolute BLAST! We went to a different beach every day and spent hours in the sun, surfing and relaxing. It was nice not to have an agenda, as we moved on whenever we felt like it. 

We started out with 3 days in Mission Viejo,spending time with our families and old friends and hit up our favorite beaches in San Clemente and Laguna Beach. 

San Clemente Pier

Then we moved on to Malibu where we stayed with some friends and explored the beaches, went for bike rides, and Bobby was crazy so excited to surf he got up at 4:30 every morning and surfed in the dark until sunrise. And I have to mention, we spent a day at the home mansion of the creator of 'The Wonder Years'....only in Malibu. 

Sunset view from the mansion

Next, we headed up the coast to Carpinteria and camped there for a night. We got up the next morning and it was raining in Santa Barbara (what??) so we continued out to Jalama (pronounced Halama) which, incidentally, is my new favorite place!! 

Jalama is a beach campground located about an hour north of Santa Barbara, directly on the coast out from Lompoc. When we were out there, we felt like we were in Mexico or Hawaii because of the warm wind and tropical looking water surrounded by the rolling hills. There is no other development out there besides the campground and no cell service so it felt very isolated and disconnected from the bustle of life. Here are some pics:

 view from our campsite

offshore, Jalama waves

Another bonus is that there is a burger shack at the campground that serves up the famous "Jalama Burger" and it was delicious! Everything tastes better when you eat it on the beach anyways. :)

Moral of the story is that if you are looking for an affordable ($25!), beautiful, relaxing, epic getaway, Jalama is the place to go. Even one night out there is worth it.  We will definitely be heading back soon.

We came back from our vacation feeling sunkissed and rejuvenated and feel so lucky to call the Central Coast of California our home. Everyday is a vacation here! 

Now to start planning the next adventure! Hope you all enjoy the rest of summer!

Jennie Lakes Wilderness: Part 2

After our night at Jennie Lake, we headed out on an 8.5 mile trek to Weaver Lake. It was a crystal clear, blue sky day and our spirits were high.

doesn't get better than that!

We only saw three other people on the trail that day and we enjoyed the solitude.

We finally arrived at Weaver Lake and were not disappointed!

Bobby didn't waste time getting busy fishing and I plopped down on a warm rock and read in the sun.

and Bobby got another trout!

eating dinner at the campsite! 

On the menu: gluten-free pasta with sun-dried tomatoes, canned chicken, and pesto. we scarfed it down!

hot chocolate by the lake. 

We finished the night with a small campfire and a restful night's sleep. We had an easy hike out the next day (3.5 miles) and saw a few deer peek their antlers out! We made it back to the car and decided to stop by and see the General Grant Tree in the grove of giant Sequoias! Those trees are insane. Some reach over 250 feet high with a diameter of 28 feet. Pretty amazing.

We greatly enjoyed our time in the mountains and are looking forward to heading back in September!

Hope you all are enjoying your summer adventures :)

Jennie Lakes Wilderness: Part 1

Bobby and I just got back from an epic 3-day backpacking trip in the Jennie Lakes Wilderness!! It is in the Sequoia National Forest and doesn't require permits so we were able to go on a whim. Our friends had recently gone there and they tipped us off to how great it is so we thought we'd check it out for ourselves! We started off on the trail Sunday morning and hiked about 6 miles through some seriously beautiful landscape until we reached our first destination of Jennie Lake.

as we started off, we realized that a lot of people were heading back as we were heading out so, to our great joy, we only had to share Jennie Lake with 3 other people, but it definitely was big enough that we felt alone!

our lakeside campsite.

Bobby tried his hand at fishing and caught a trout!

first night's dinner: curried rice. I got the recipe here. I added freeze-dried pineapple, freeze-dried peas, and cashews. Delish!

We then enjoyed some hot chocolate and looked at the stars, loving the fact that we had no agenda, nothing to do, no one to see, and no iPhones to distract us ;).

The day before we left on our trip, I was reading the day's devotion out of the book "Jesus Calling" and was hoping for something to meditate on while we were in the mountains. Well, it was perfect. It said: "Rest in my presence when you need refreshment". So that's EXACTLY what I set out to do on our trip. What better place to rest and become refreshed than to sit by a 9,000 foot alpine lake surrounded by God's creation? 

my bud!

The next morning we woke up and headed out to our 2nd destination of Weaver Lake (my favorite of the two!) 

Check back tomorrow for part 2!

Zion: Angel's Landing

The day after the Narrows, we set out to tackle Angel's Landing. After hiking Half Dome last summer, I was  thinking this would be no big deal. But man, it was intense! Definitely got my adrenaline pumping. The beginning of the trail is leisurely and offers great views of the canyon but the last half mile is what gets you. It is a steep climb up a jagged rock formation with sheer drop-offs on both sides. There are chains staked into the rock to hold on to and you better believe I had a death grip on those things. Check it out:

 the sis & me startin off the hike.

section of 21 switchbacks on the trail called "Walter's Wiggles"

start of the chains, headin toward the final ascent

this part was crazy! sheer drop offs on both sides. I gotta shout out to my aunt Linda (in front of me in this picture)! I followed her every move and I couldn't have done it without her!

don't look down! Bobby was brave taking this picture. 

finally made it to the top!

our group at the top!

So I'm getting all comfortable on the top and then I remember we have to back down!!

thank goodness for Bobby taking these pictures because I was not about to take my hands off the chains!

Phew! We were all stoked to make it down and have great memories because of it. Welp, check that off the list. :)

It was a whirlwind trip, 4 days, 20 hours of driving, and two epic days of hiking, but we enjoyed every minute. Here is a pic we snapped just before heading back home:

  All I can say is my family is awesome!!

...and on a different note, 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY DAD (6/28) AND MOM (6/30)!

Love you guys!