My favorite Santa Cruz stop: Evergreen Cemetery

I have lots of favorites when it comes to Santa Cruz since it was my home for the most crucial part of my adulthood. The Boardwalk, Pacific, De Laveaga Frisbee Disc Golf and all the delicious, hidden eateries. However, one of my favorite places is Evergreen Cemetery. This is one of the oldest Protestant cemeteries in California and was established in 1850. With it's eerie atmosphere, dark paths and crumbling gravestones, this is one of my favorite places to spend a few hours taking photos. Although one thing that I never had the balls to do: visit it at night.

Yosemite weekend getaway photos

I love Yosemite and am already planning the next trip...a winter wonderland trip perhaps?!

• silhouette •

• olmsted point •

• mono lake detour •

• half dome goodness •

Disconnect time

Rarely do I get to disconnect from the cell phone, laptop and internet so I am definitely excited and full of glee to escape from it all as we head to Yosemite. We're camping outside the Valley at Hodgdon Meadow which is perfect since we don't have to be surrounded by the mass tourists of the Valley but still a close enough drive to head there for a day. Originally our plan was to include a 14 mile hike out to Clouds Rest but with the husband's knee acting up again, it will be a weekend of mellow hiking and of course, endless photo taking! It's been about two years since we've last been to Yosemite and really need to take advantage of it more often...it's only a four hour drive away! I'm looking forward to disconnecting this weekend and being one happy camper!

• setting sun on half dome - 2008 •

Stumptown Beer Revival highlights

This past weekend, we drove up to Guerneville to enjoy Stumptown's Beer Revival...an all you can eat BBQ (this part I really did not care about, seriously, seeing twelve hundred people chowing down meat was the most unattractive thing ever) and an all you can drink (so awesome) festival (entry ticket: $55!). Although I didn't really care for the BBQ portion, being around great friends, drinking wonderful beers from thirty different vendors to choose from and hanging out by the Russian River was just incredible.




On our drive back on Sunday, we drove via Hwy 1 and stopped in Duncans Mills (population: 85) for an incredible and hearty breakfast at Cape Fear Cafe which is highly recommended. Although taking Hwy 1 is a long and windy drive back to Silicon Valley, the rolling hills and ocean views makes the drive incredible. It is weekends like this that makes me fall more in love with Northern California :)

• upside down tank gem at Goat's Rock •

• highway one viewpoint •

• point reyes viewpoint •

San Francisco's Mission Mural Walk

From Clarion Alley to Balmy Ave, here are the highlights from the oh so colorful and super rad mural walk in San Francisco's Mission District. I know...lots of photos but I couldn't pick a "few" of my favorites! Lots more on the flickr...

• women's center •

• zoomy fun •

• RV Mural Clash •

• originality •

• unique perspective of trash •

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• click on the following storyboards below for larger views •

• after a long day in the city, it's time to commute home •

Rose Garden Highlights

An evening with the sun setting at the San Jose Municipal Rose Garden made for a perfect evening of fun photo takin'.

Andrew Molera's 8 mile loop trail

8 miles long...4 and a half hours long...bushwhacking through overgrown trails...playing the "avoid the poison oak" dance...super gusty winds.

Worth every moment:

• highlighted red is the loop trail we took •

• the big sur river that you have to cross (footbridge is only up in the summer) •

• river trail •

• hidden trail •

• hidden trail connecting to the ridge trail •

• ridge trail's view •

• redwood grove on the ridge trail •

• ridge trail connecting to the panorama trail •

• overgrown panorama trail •

• driftwood log jam at the end of the spring trail •

• bluffs trail •

• the reward after seven miles •

Sunset at Pfeiffer State Beach

We arrived at Big Sur on Friday afternoon and didn't have enough time to take a hike so we trekked over to Pfeiffer State Beach to watch the sunset. We spent about two and a half hours walking along the beach, being silly and taking way too many photos (actually, you can never take too many photos but I did go through the SD card and left the other card at the hotel room - oops).

Here are my favorite photos from Pfeiffer's Beach:

• looking down pfeiffer beach •

• ripples •

• love the color clash •

• where the wild things are •

• catching the sun - my favorite photo •

• orange glow •

• blue glow •

Scenery of Hwy One

I fall more in love with Northern California and all the secret gems that are just a short driving distance away. Every view was absolutely stunning and I can't wait to take Highway One again!

• house of prayers in carmel •

• viewpoint off the highway •

• rocky creek bridge •

• bixby bridge •

• other side of bixby bridge •