Spring Hike at Casper’s Wilderness Park

spring hike cactus flowers

I took a recent late spring hike at my favorite Orange County, California park. Not with a lot of time to spare I opted to hike local at a place I knew would not be crowded. Since my hiking time is limited I scheduled time off from work Monday morning to hike. I needed to hike! Spring Hike [...]

In the Garden at Mission San Juan Capistrano

pink rose mission san juan capistrano

I love walking at Mission San Juan Capistrano in the springtime. Colors explode giving me a visual treat. Even though I love to look and photograph the flowers and trees I’m terrible at plant identification. When I do learn their names I usually forget, but I’m working on it. Reference guides help and so does [...]

San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve: Nature Loop Trail

nature loop trail san elijo lagoon ecological reserve

Notice the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind.” – Bruce Lee San Elijo Lagoon We recently camped at San Elijo State Beach in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California and visited the San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve nearby. The lagoon is one of San Diego’s largest coastal wetlands [...]

San Elijo State Beach Camping for Urban Nature Fun

ocean play san elijo state beach in Encinitas, California

Our memories of the ocean will linger on, long after our footprints in the sand are gone. – Anonymous San Elijo Campground San Elijo State Beach campground is in the adorable beach town of Cardiff-by-the-Sea in Encinitas, California. San Elijo is not a vacation in a wilderness setting. This is an urban, easy, car camping [...]

Sunset at San Elijo State Beach

sundown over the Pacific Ocean in San Diego, California

Last week we camped at San Elijo State Beach in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California. High on the bluff was our site overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Usually, in spring we have decent weather at the beach and our first day there was no exception. As we prepped dinner the sky treated us to a visual feast. Sunset Evolution [...]