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More Red Rocks & Badlands in Southern California

Why am I so obsessed with Red Rocks? I loved them when I saw them in Southern Utah and became obsessed when I found out Southern California has them, too. There is a hike in Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park in Trabuco Canyon, California that leads to Red Rocks. The area dates back to 20 – 40 million years ago. The hike is easy and perfect for an after work walk. There are bathrooms at the entrance.…

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Hot Springs. Dates. Slot Canyon. An Aggressive Fly. Turtles F**ing.

Near Death Valley are hot springs the public can use.  I stayed at Tecopa Hot Springs for one night. They have different types of rooms/cabins, some with showers and some of the rooms had a little bit of a walk to the showers and hot springs. I booked a room that would have required the walk, but due to a slight key mix up ended up being upgraded to a room that had a shower and toilet, with the…

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A Little Bit into Nevada

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JELLY BELLY!!!!

I did it! I went to the Jelly Belly official factory in Fairfield, California. I’m obsessed with Jelly Belly and had wanted to go for years. I am up in Northern California a few times a year, so had to just wait it out until it worked out to go. And then it happened!! We saw multiple school buses, but had great fortune. They had just finished the tour and were eating lunch. What a fun idea for a…

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Death Valley National Park

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Redwoods Grove in SoCal

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American Military Museum

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Old Timey Air-Raid Sirens

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You don't have to go to Utah for Red Rocks

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Starved Rock. More than those documentary murders.

I like to take my parents on little walks/hikes when I visit them since they won’t go on their own. One place that we like a lot is Starved Rock in Oglesby, Illinois. It has a lot of easy hikes that have benches placed throughout, so if you are not used to exercise and/or walking uphill you can quickly find a place to sit to get ready for the next bit. I know there are harder hikes in the park,…

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Desert Art

Most folks go to the Palm Springs, CA to hang at hotel pools and relax, & Yucca Valley to visit Joshua Tree National Park or to check out a band at Pappy & Harriets. Of course, so do I. But I also very much enjoy cool desert art.  When you are looking for a more off the beaten path experience, here are some great places to check out. Glass Outhouse Art Gallery 77575 Highway 62, Twentynine…

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The Day I Became Donnie Darko

On the overcast morning of June 6, 2003, my crappy temp job finished early.  I became very focused & obsessed with getting my friend, Sara Mattison, out of her apartment. She kept declining because she wanted to write all day. I would not let up and finally she acquiesced.  We went to lunch and then she suggested seeing the movie “Whale Rider.” Not a movie I ever would normally have wanted to…

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Holyland Museum

In the before times (before the pandemic), I found a small museum in the hipster neighborhood of Silver Lake in Los Angeles, California. It has numerous artifacts brought back to the USA by Antonio F. Futterer, whose explorations are believed to be what the movie “Raiders of the Lost Ark” is based on. He was determined to find the Ark of the Covenant, and discovered a lot of great historical…

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Old Neon in the Desert

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Coso Volcanic Field

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BUNNIES!

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Chumash Indian Museum

If you are looking to spend a day on a nice hike in the Thousand Oaks, CA area, partnered with history, the Chumash Museum is your place. Chumash Native Americans lived along the coast of California beginning at about Malibu on the south end. The museum is open to the public on weekends, with weekdays reserved for school children. You can still walk around outside on weekdays, just not inside…