Deranged Insanity

The past year afforded us to do a lot of travel within the County of Los Angeles and the State of California. We also did Las Vegas, Montana, Salt Lake City, Wyoming and Idaho. The new year also opened new horizons and adventures for me and Zee.

Here are some of our trips and hiking and photo shoots.

In February, our itchy feet swept us to Death Valley National Park. The rain the night before brought snow in Olancha, the northeast entrance to Highway 190 to Death Valley.

March, one of the busiest and most traveled month, there’s always something happening every weekend, locally or even long distance.

From top to bottom:

a) Devil’s Punch Bowl in Pearl Blosson, CA – Spectacular rock formations, lovely pine forests, views of the high desert. The Devil’s Punchbowl is a point where 2 earthquake faults collide, creating upwards jutting vertical walls as high as 300 feet.

b) Fish Canyon Trails and Falls in Azusa, CA – The Fish Canyon Trail, which leads to a three-tiered waterfall, is an easy 5 miles round-trip, with a total elevation gain of approximately 900 feet.

c) Malibu Creek State Park – It was the center of Chumash Native American life for centuries and was once used to film numerous movies and TV shows such as Planet of the Apes and M*A*S*H.

d)Point Dume State Beach, Malibu, CA – A gradual ascending trail leads to an ancient coastal bluff sand dune. A boardwalk, just below the summit, leads to a viewing platform. A stairway from the east side of the bluff-top preserve allows access to a more isolated beach and fine tide- pooling opportunities.

Somewhere along RTE 66

Desert mound and salt beds

Spring time flowers are abundant, be it in the wild or low lands. I have put a lot of mileage on my car.

Carrizo Plain National Monument

Wind wolves Preserve, Bakersfield

Tulips at Descanso Gardens

Ranunculus Flower Fields, Carlsbad

In the fall, we went to Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons.

This is a natural lake, and one of the largest high altitude lakes in the U.S. with an elevation of 6,772 feet above sea level. The length of the lake is up to 15 miles, 7 miles in width and 438 feet deep. The water temperature of the lake averages below 60 degrees in the summer months. During winter time the water can freeze to more than 6 feet thick.

Jackson Lake
Grand Teton National Park
Northwestern Wyoming

“Grand Prismatic Spring is the largest and one of the most brilliant of Yellowstone’s many hot springs. Its massive expanse stretches approximately 200 feet across. The high temperature of its water is 70ºC (160ºF) ensures that the spring is always cloaked in steam.”

The list of places to visit goes on and on. We did RTE 66 again 2 weekends ago, and this weekend, we went to Niland, CA and the Salton Sea area. To see more adventures, please check out my other blog.