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.

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Central California Roadtrip

One of the best parts of California, in my opinion, is PCH. Pacific Coast Hwy, or CA-1 runs along most of the coastline in California and is home to some of the best views in California.  The section of PCH we ventured through this trip was from the Monterey Bay area all the way to Gaviota State Park area, so most of the central coast. I have not done that drive in awhile, since I was a kid, so it was almost like seeing it for the first time, from a different perspective (the front seat, rather than the back seat ;) ) and with new eyes.  I got to say it is a must drive sometime in your lifetime kinda deal, especially if you are a Californian and you love the ocean which = a lot of us!

Friday
Monterey!

 We got up early and packed up the car, to depart by 5:30 am, to jump on the 5 Fwy and head toward the Ranch House. When we arrived at the Ranch House Coffee Shop in Gorman, ready to eat, we were surprised with snow on the ground! The smell was horrible on the 5, so we hopped over to the 101 to complete our trip to Monterey.

Jimi has family in Monterey so we spent most of the afternoon exploring the bay, walking downtown and spending time with them.  For happy hour and dinner we went over to the Cannery Row Brewing Co. for the San Diego Beer Invasion.  It was pretty cool, even though I do not drink beer.  They had all the big SD big hitters when it comes to beer on tap. The Cannery Row Brewing Company is this old brink building with tons of character, good vibes and friendly people.

Saturday
Big Sur!

We had a slow start..breakfast, play with the kids, packing up, grocery shopping and just taking our sweet time..the weather was so amazing that weekend that it was just nice to be outside enjoying no matter what were doing.

Around lunch time we hoped on the one and drove down to Nepenthe.  Nepenthe, Big Sur has one of the best view in the house, a cool tree house like restaurant, a fun store and little cafe all set up into this cliff looking over the water on the central coast of California...doesn't really get better than that.  The food is good, the vibe is hip and the nice weather and view made it a really popular spot that afternoon. 

After lunch, we made our way to Pfeiffer Big Sur Campground and stacked our clam in the shadows of the some large redwood trees that climbed up this hill and opened into a nice grassy meadow across the way from our camp.  It was quite a bit cooler in the shade, since the tress were so dense back in where we were, but the weather was so nice that it didn't matter much.

The rest of Saturday was spent walking around, exploring the river, building a fire, cooking up lots of food, eating lots of food, campfire conversations, s'mores (of course!) a lot of laughs and good times.

Sunday
Pacific Coast Hwy!

My Favorite!

After packing up and saying our goodbyes to everyone, Jimi and I were headed down to Pfeiffer Big Sur Beach which is 2 miles from the highway on this little one lane road. It was a beautiful drive into the park where you land yourself in on of the most gorgeous beaches! Tons of sand to walk on...a pebble stream running through the center out into the ocean, and gorgeous rock formations getting slammed by the crashing surf. We ate lunch here and Ozzie was having a blast finally being at the beach (his favorite place)! The sun was so nice warming us through. Then we got back on the road and had a major stretch of driving to do until we made it to our next stop.

This drive was (plus the drive from Monterey to Big Sur on Saturday) was just insane. There are no words to describe the beauty that is the central coast. large rock formations, large, expansive cliffs overlooking dark crashing waves with the sun shinning and clear air.  I have so many pictures from the drive, I cannot share them all but these are the best of the bunch.

We finally made our way to Jalama Beach from CA-1 on a beautiful county road with rolling green hills and nothing for miles but green, lush land.  It looked like we should be in the English countryside, rather than central California! Soon the road opens up to the ocean and this long stretch of beach with a little campground that was hopping because of the long weekend. In the park they also have a store and grill home of the famous Jalama Burger.  It is huge and delicious. I can see Jalama being the perfect place for a beach and camp kinda weekend.

We made it to the end of PCH (that part of it anyway) where it hits the 101 at Gaviota State Park right at sunset.  Perfect way to the end weekend. You can always follow along with our weekend adventures on Instagram @maddiedierkes. 

Enjoy!

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M E X I C O // 2 0 1 2

This trip was magical (for more reasons than one)!

Sunset at El Pabellon

I don't know if it was the the amazing rehash of our trip 7 years ago, the engagement, the places we have fallen in love with, the places that we hold deep in our memories and heart from these places, that new love feeling we still had 7years ago, the allure of Mexico itself, or the amazing off the beaten path adventure feeling you get when we go to these place, but I think it is a little bit of everything.

Mexico has been high on our list and in hearts for some time now.  It had been 5 years since we had crossed that border, and a lot has happened to our beloved Mexico during that time.  The growth there is insane.

A ship beached and abandoned in the middle of nowhere used to be the view of a small little lane of houses, and has now grown into a sleepy little fishing village stretching about a half mile. This would be Shipwrecks (or Freighters).  Now probably a favorite place in the world for the time being.

We had just come up from El Pabellón, arguably, the best nicest campsite in Northern Baja.  Here you find a little spot in the middle of nowhere where you can only see beach fro miles and you are the only two people on it for miles.  Nice drivable hard sand and soft sand dunes that open up to a nice flat campground that is definitely geared toward fishing and RVing.  Here Ozzie played for hours, we went for a beach run, we made chocolate chip pancakes, took tons of pictures and enjoyed the overcast, yet pink sunset.  Dolphins came to say hello and I was able to have a hot shower in a clean bathroom!

Views of El Pabellon

 El Pabellón is right outside of San Quintin where we fulled up and made our way north back up toward the border.  About an hour north we came into Camalu on Highway 1.  Here we turned left and hit the dirt for the coast, stopping at Shipwrecks, Robert's Left and finally coming to Cuatro Casas.

Perfect Baja truck

Robert's Left

 Quatro Casas is probably my favorite place in Baja so far.  Dolphins, high cliffs, a little cove, perfect waves, perfect sunsets, and make you want to get up early sunrises.  This was the perfect spot to celebrate our engagement.  Rum and Coke, steak, bonfire, hot pink sunset, dying winds, crashing waves and a warm bed to sleep in with my boy and my dog.  We have lots of pictures from this spot 7 years ago because it was freezing so we ended up in Jimi's truck with the heater and music blasting watching the sunset.  These are good photos from a happy time and are forever engrained in my head. I think that is what makes this place so special.  We now have a ton of new photos, same place, different day but still a very happy time.

Baja Doggie, Ozzie

Sunset at Cuatro Casas

Sunrise at Cuatro Casas

Me on the pebble beach of Cuatro Casas

Mexico = Happiness
Happiness = beach, off road, tacos, dolphins, things that take your breathe away

No matter how many times you see a sunset, you never grow tired of it.  We still sit there in awe of the colors and the beauty of it.  That is my favorite thing about traveling, seeing all the places that take your breathe away, no matter how many times you see it.

¡Mexico, hasta luego!

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