Yosemite!

Today was my first of 2 days in Yosemite National Park. I am staying three nights here in a hostel just outside the park.

Yosemite is known for it's gigantic granite cliffs, waterfalls and big sequoia trees. Sequoia trees out rival redwoods in diameter but not height. I think some are up to 300 feet wide.

I had signed up to do a group hike today figuring it would be a good way to familiarize myself with the area and allow me to hike with some new people.
I ended up being the only person to sign up but it worked out great. The tour guide took me on the scheduled hike which we finished in 3 hours. It usually takes him 6-8 with a group.
Since we were so speedy and we were having a good time, the guide, Marty, took me on another trail leading up to some great lookout points. By this point in the day my legs were burning and this was only made worse by the mile of scrambling we had to do to get to the top.

Once at the top, I got a view of all the waterfalls in the park. It was pretty amazing! The vast and endless cliffs and rocks that you stare out at don't look real. And I don't think the pictures ill post will do it justice.

Overall we hiked about 16km, gained 2000 feet in elevation on 2 occasions and sweat out the majority of the water in our bodies.

It was a fun day. Marty was hilarious and told me lots of stories of all the idiotic tourists that come in to the park as well as the dumb things they do.
For example, approximately 11 people per year go over the falls because they get way too close to the fast moving water. You would think that it would be common sense not to climb over a railing and stand at the edge of the waterfall cliff.

I'm off tomorrow to do another day of hiking in the park. I am exhausted and sore right now so hopefully ill make it out of bed in the morning.



Half Dome


Nevada Falls


















Fun Fact: the bear in the California flag is a grizzly bear but ironically there are no grizzly's in the state anymore. They were all hunted and killed in Yosemite in the early 1900's and have been gone from California for a long time. Black bears are in abundance in Yosemite though.

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Location:Yosemite

Strutting my stuff in Ukiah

I spent most of my day yesterday in Ukiah. This wasn't a scheduled stop as it was only meant to be a half way point between the north coast and Yosemite.

My host, Katherine ended up giving me some great places to visit in town. I did a short but steep hike in the morning. Katherine directed me to the Hill Valley trail just outside the city and figured it would take me 2.5 hours. It took me an hour because I made a wrong turn early on and ended up walking straight up the face of the mountain. If you are ever looking for a way to get a good cardio workout and leg burn, walk straight up a mountain (as opposed to switchbacks).

In the afternoon I ventured to the Orr Hot springs which are just out side the city, nestled away in the mountains. This little secluded hippy-esk resort provided for a relaxing afternoon in the sun and water.

The resort has 2 communal hot tubs, a cold pool and individual hot tubs all sourced from the same spring. It also has a clothing 'optional' policy which provided for an interesting experience. I felt a little out of place walking around in there in my bikini, which is odd.

I wrote about naked yoga in one of my blog posts last year and how liberating and empowering it could be. So in the spirit of adventure, I decided to embrace the 'optional' and stripped down. Was it liberating? Sure. But mostly it was nice to even out some tan lines.

After I finished in the hot springs, I made the 7 hour trek to Yosemite. Got stuck in traffic and didn't get to my hostel until 12:30 am. I was worried there would be some winding roads through mountains on the way but the drive was surprisingly smooth in the dark.

Coastal views!

More redwoods!

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Trees! Big ones, old ones, red ones

Good evening everyone!

I've had another full day in California! Was up at 7:30 this morning and headed out to the redwood forests! I spent about 4 hours this morning hiking through the many trails that are in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. It was a little rainy and muddy but beautiful nonetheless.

I don't think the pictures can really show how big and tall these trees are. Some reach heights of 350 feet. Unfortunately due to logging, pollution and fires, these trees are becoming endangered. Much of the redwoods in California have already disappeared. Also, side note, the trees aren't actually red.

I actually lost track of time during my hike and had to turn back a bit earlier than I wanted so I could make it to my next stop in time. it was very peaceful on the trails and I think my neck was a bit sore from looking up so much...
I'm just kidding. That was a lame joke.

I'm in Ukiah, California tonight. It is a nice little town off highway 101. I'm still about 5 hours away from Yosemite which is where I will be heading tomorrow afternoon.

I'm staying in the house of a very nice lady named Katherine tonight. On my flight over, I was talking to the guy next to me and he hold me about this website called airbnb. It's very similar to couchsurfing.org. People create a profile and list their house or a room in their house for travellers to stay in. its much cheaper than a hotel. And because I am paying to stay in a host's house, it means they can't kill me.

I stayed with a nice couple last night in Crescent City and tonight when I arrived in Ukiah I was greeted with a plate full of food!
I had sweet potato hashbrowns, breakfast quinoa, frittata, and chai seed tapioca pudding. She was hosting a cooking lesson party with some friends that was vegan themed and I got all the leftovers. It was delicious! (That is not sarcasm)

I've got my own bathroom and bedroom and Katherine provided some great company tonight. We got to talking and she even reviewed my résumé and gave me some helpful tips!

It is nice staying with locals because they are able to give you the inside scoop on what to do in the area. All the trails I hiked in the redwoods today, I found out about from Julie and Chris last night.

I'm quickly realizing that 2 weeks might not be enough! I could have stayed longer in Crescent City and would like more time to explore the Mendocino County. I'll have to start planning California 2.0.

My scenic drive has changed a bit from the Oregon coast. I drove through a lot of redwood forests today as well was tons of mountains. It is really beautiful but I'm looking forward to getting back to the coast after Yosemite.
I'll be in Yosemite for the next 3 nights and will be in a hostel just outside the park. Looking forward to some more scenic hikes and with some company this time!




A family of elk caused a traffic jam on the highway this afternoon.

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Cali's calling

Hello everyone!
I write to you tonight from Crescent City, California! I've made it out of Oregon (sadly) and am right on the boarder.
I had another scenic day along the coast, beginning in Coos Bay, Or. This morning I visited a couple of state parks and did some hiking and beach walking. There are a couple of really cool spots close to Coos Bay that look out on to the ocean.
After a couple of hours hiking around, I headed back to Highway 101 to continue my journey southbound.
I stopped in a little town called Bandon, where I came across an art gallery that makes sculptures out of garbage (mostly plastic) that has washed up on shore. It was pretty neat but kind of disgusting to get a sense of how much plastic is in the ocean.
From there I continued down 101 stopping every 20 minutes to look at scenery. There are so many lookout points along the way and it is so hard to not stop at every one and wander down to the beach.
I met a couple of Canadians at one of the lookout points. They are also doing a coast trip but in a 1970s rv, not a luxurious Malibu like me! They started in Banff and will end in LA.
Tomorrow I'm off to the redwood forests. I've got a couple of hikes planned out. My next stop is about 5 hours away from Crescent City so I have a bit of a longer drive ahead of me.
That's all for now! I'm off to bed. It's only 10:00 but I am exhausted by the end of the day. Must be the ocean air





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Location:Crescent City,United States

First day on the coast complete

Hi everyone,

I made it over to the coast today after spending yesterday afternoon in Portland.
Everything went smoothly with my flight and car rental pick up and after I landed, I headed straight to downtown.
It's a nice area, right on the river. There was a huge arts and crafts market going on so I wandered through the booths.
I also visited the Portland Rose Garden. Apparently portland is know for their roses, but I wasn't too impressed. I think I might have been a bit early as not much had bloomed.

This morning I got up early, yes early... 8 am to be exact. I made the drive over to the coast, with it pouring rain the entire time. I think it got worse, the closer I got.

My first stop was Pacific City, a quaint little town about an hour and a half away from Portland. There is a giant beach with huge sand dunes. I spent some time walking around, had some lunch and headed on my way. The original plan was to surf here but with the rain, high winds and frigid water, I figured I would wait until I am further south!

I also stopped in at the Oregon Coastal Aquarium. It was an aquarium with fish and sea lions and sharks.

The rest of my day/evening was spent driving to my next destination. There were of course multiple stops along the way to look at scenery, take pictures and walk along the beaches.

Tomorrow, I will be making a couple of stops along the Oregon coast and by evening I will be in California, very close to the redwood forests!

Thats all for now!
And for those worried about my safety, I have acquired some pepper spray, a working US cell phone and a knife.


















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Testing

Almost packed up and ready to go.

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Location:Kitchener