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Fun and adventure in the western C States

By now, you probably know that traveling/exploring is my thing. As much as our budget will allow, anyway. After our Boston-to-Sacramento move last summer, we’ve slowed down a bit, but here are a few of our latest adventures in sightseeing.

In April, we celebrated a belated anniversary (22 years!) in Stinson Beach, California. This little town—population 600—is nestled in a gorgeous cove on the Pacific Ocean in Marin County, about 20 miles north of San Francisco on Highway 1. It backs up to Mt. Tamalpais and Muir Woods.

Stinson Beach with old log on sand

Stinson Beach, looking northwest toward Bolinas

view of the mountains from a park in town

A view of the mountains from a town park near the beach

cottage living room

The cozy cottage we rented up the hill, with a view of the ocean

Stinson Beach

Stinson Beach after the weather cleared

While there, we drove up the coast a few miles to the adorable town of Bolinas, which sits just off the northern tip of Stinson. You could wade across, but there's no bridge, so the drive is about 20 minutes around the inlet, where we saw seals lounging on a sandbar.

homes on a green hill in Bolinas

Homes in Bolinas

row boat in the water

An inlet in Bolinas, just off the northern tip of Stinson Beach

Gwen on edge of rock at ocean

Bolinas, just up the coast from Stinson Beach

Mid-May, we flew to Colorado for a friend’s retirement from the Air Force. Colorado Springs never disappoints, with its towering peaks, thick forest, and red rock. We even got snow! On Friday, we ran through our little rental home's neighborhood and happened upon a back entrance to the Garden of the Gods (GOTG) park.

Gwen in Garden of the Gods park

Garden of the Gods, camera facing southwest toward Pikes Peak and Manitou Springs

red rock and a green field in GOTG

More Garden of the Gods

On Saturday, we hiked through Red Rock Canyon Open Space with friends, only a mile or two from GOTG, with fabulous views.

view of mountains and red rocks

A view of GOTG (top right on horizon) from the Red Rock Canyon Open Space

red rock surrounded by trees

Red Rock Canyon Open Space

Last summer, while waiting to close on our house, we hung out for a week in Redding, California (among other places). Since my oldest son had gone back to college for the summer term, he missed out. So, during his short pre-internship stay at home at the end of May, we took him north to see the amazing volcano that rises 14,179 feet above sea level at the southern end of the Cascade Mountain Range (i.e. Mt. Shasta).

hills and mountain over a lake

Mt. Shasta peeking over the hills around Lake Siskiyou

Gwen in front of Mt. Shasta view

Closer to Mt. Shasta on a hike up Spring Hill

Mt. Shasta framed by trees

Shasta framed by pine and manzanita from Spring Hill

We also checked out the impressive Sundial Bridge over the Sacramento River in the heart of Redding at Turtle Bay.

Sundial bridge over the Sacramento River

Looking west toward the Sundial Bridge (taken July 2016)

Sundial Bridge, facing north

On the Sundial Bridge, facing north (taken July 2016)

spire of the bridge

Spire of the bridge from below

Sacramento River, facing west

Looking west from the bridge, up the Sacramento River

Been on any cool trips lately? Have any fun travel plans for summer?

Tell your friends!

10 Comments

  1. Reply

    Nice photos! Hope you had a great anniversary!

    Sundial’s not a “big” bridge… but it’s always terrified me. I think it’s that sundial spire! LOL! 😉

    • Reply

      Thanks, Felicia! We did. Too funny about the Sundial spire (what are your thoughts on the new Bay Bridge?). I find the translucent surface more worrisome. As does my dog. 😉

  2. Jim Kelly

    Reply

    I spend a lot of time in Montauk, however I don’t recall any trails or roads to Pikes Peak!!!\
    P.S. There is a bridge in Dublin, Ireland designed as a harp.

    • Reply

      LOL, Jim, I mistyped (obviously). I meant Manitou Springs. (I’ll edit that now…) Thanks for pointing it out. 🙂 I can see why you mentioned the harp bridge. It’s very similar (and cool).

  3. Reply

    Hi Gwen,
    Congratulations on your belated 22nd! Did you make it through the small community of Green Mt. Falls just up from Manitou Springs?

  4. Reply

    Happy Anniversary!! Great pictures. GOTGs is great. I would love to go back there. And you are definitely making me want to explore the West Coast. So beautiful.

    • Reply

      Hi, Mari. We still travel as much as possible, though I’ve been lax in posting about our trips lately. If you like pics, though, I always put photos on Instagram (@GwenHernandezAuthor). 🙂

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