MAD DREAM DESIGN

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It is time for a new home!

Mad Dream Design >>>>> Folk Dreams

I have had so much fun on this blog! And I will continue to blog - just in a new home.

You can now find my new blog at folkdreams.com!

I am so excited to be on tumblr...I mostly like to post photos on this blog here, so tumblr makes it super easy for me to share all my photos (and travels) with you! I will one day have an official wordpress site, but for now tumblr will be home.

I hope you will come and join me there and follow along. You can find me and Folk Dreams (read more about my new business name here) at all the following places:

Maddie Spoto
www.maddiespoto.com
www.instagram.com/maddiespoto
www.twitter.com/maddiespoto
www.pinterest.com/maddiespoto
plus.google.com/+MaddieSpotoFolkDreams

Folk Dreams
www.folkdreamsjewelry.etsy.com
folkdreams.com (NEW BLOG!!!!)
www.facebook.com/folkdreams
www.twitter.com/folkdreams
www.instagram.com/flkdreamsjewelry

Follow Folk Dreams via Bloglovin'!

Happy travels!

What's New?

Lots of crazy fun things happening over here, so stick with me!

First, just a little over a month ago I married my best friend! It was rad, and I am seriously in dreamland - as in I can't believe it is over, and that it went by so fast! Everyone tells you that...but holy cow it went so fast. I was seriously depressed once the magical weekend was over. I mean, it was just a little over a year of planning and it was all over in a matter of hours...
But it was pure bliss.

Here is a little sneak peek of some photos taken by some of my beloved friends...pro shots coming soon (but these are pretty awesome to start with).

Wanderlust Wednesday // Hiking in our Backyard

It is fun to go on trips, believe me, it is my favorite! But it is not the only place to wonder. You can wander in the wilderness that is close to home too. We are lucky here in California to have great trails only a few minutes from our door, and lately I have been taking advantage of them. The weather has been absolutely amazing around here for the past few months making the weekend mornings perfect for a long hike.

If you are in Southern California, or more specifically Orange County, Brian and Ashley's Hiking Blog! is chalk full of great hikes in the area. Each hike is laid out with directions, trail information, and photos of some of the views. Really good resource if you are looking to get into hiking (again).

Here are a few photos from my hikes the past two months. I have had so much fun with my new hiking buddies, can't get enough of it!

Enjoy!

El Moro

Limestone

Whiting Ranch

Wanderlust Wednesday // The Pacific Northwest

Crater Lake National Park by 3dphoto.net on Flickr.

We have been having fun trying to figure out what the heck we are going to for our honeymoon over the past year, but as the wedding draws near we have had to really focus, and finally decide. So we have chosen...drum roll...a road trip through the Pacific Northwest - hitting up California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia, Canada.

And it is now super official since we booked our first reservation yesterday. We booked an ocean front cabin at the Iron Springs Resort in Washington! They were voted one of the best places to get a cabin in the West by Sunset Magazine. Here is their website (be prepared to drool over the amazing beach views and fun cozy cabins, perfect for getting away from it all).

http://www.ironspringsresort.com/

Our plan is to drive up to Vancouver and back all the while enjoying all the great parks and views along the way. We plan to camp, hike, drink, eat good food, enjoy the scenery, relax and do it all our own way from the comfort of our car. All I have to say is this is going to be one epic road trip.

Resting in the Arms of the World by Lulu the Bold on Flickr.

Here are a few stops we have in mind:
Yosemite National Park, CA
Bodie State Historic Park, CA
South Lake Tahoe, CA
Crater Lake, OR
Eugene, OR
Seattle, WA
Lynden, WA
Vancouver, BC, Canada
Lynn Canyon Park, BC, Canada
Nanaimo, BC, Canada
Goldstream Provincial Park, BC, CanadaVictoria, BC, Canada
Port Angeles, WA
Olympic National Park, WA
Copalis Beach, WA
Portland, OR
Brandon, OR
Redwoods National Forest, CA
Patricks Point State Park, CA
Humboldt, CA
San Fransisco, CA
Monterey, CA
Big Sur, CA

You can check out all the places we are dying to see on my Tumblr!
http://maddreamdesign.tumblr.com/

Do you guys have any stops, parks or beaches to suggest along the way? We would love to here your favorites! Leave a comment below.

xo,

Wanderlust Wednesday // Afton Canyon

Hey, Hey! Welcome to 2014 and Happy New Year friends!

I am so glad it is Wanderlust Wednesday, because what a better day then to day dream about where to go next! A whole new lot of vacation days, plus if you are like me traveling is always in my yearly goals.

Today I have a fun day or weekend trip that is perfect for this time of year and the not so hot weather, because it is in the middle of the desert.

We had been planning a desert trip for a few months now, but really hadn't decided on a spot yet. It was suppose to be a weekend trip, but we made it into a fun day trip in order to make it back to see family.

When trying to decide the spot Jimi said "oh what about that place you found online?" Me..."Oh ya, what was the name of it again??" Haha. Well we finally figured it out and I was able to find this website - it totally made our trip! Without it I dont think we would have had as much fun...he has everything mapped out. Sure it is still a bit of guessing game, but we were never totally lost.

A few things to note - 4 wheel drive and a not so rainy week before are both good things for this trip. There are a few river crossings - no rain = smaller, not so high crossing, and 4 wheel drive is always a good idea when exploring the road less traveled trails of the desert.

We headed out early and stopped for some fuel at Flappy Jacks before hitting the road. We arrived mid morning to a pretty cool desert camp ground that looks like it bakes in the summer. I am so glad we were there in October. Right next to the railroad tracks, it totally set the tone for the trip. Mojave trail - where in history so many major traders and expeditions have traveled here in the west.

First stop, some caves. Of course. They were not exactly what was expected and our hike turned out to be so much longer than we thought it would be, but we got our workout in and earned our lunch. It was so fun to explore this huge canyon.

Second stop, a place I would love to visit again and camp - it is called Slot Canyon. This tall canyon with the perfect slot in it for refuge. Travelers used to park their wagons in there and camp for the night.