[hike] central coast

We decided to make the most of the perfect hiking weather so during our recent stay in San Luis Obispo, set off one morning to a nearby hike in the Irish Hills. Nothing too long or strenuous (although I packed enough water and granola bars for the whole day!) There was great signage at the trailhead (and all the way up), including a QR code on the sign so we were able to download a trail map to my phone.

The trail was lovely, with beautiful views of the surround area and mountains all the way up. There were some nice looking houses down near the bottom of the hill and as we wound our way up the trail, got to see the whole property from higher up. The round-trip up and back again took a little over two hours (including stops for water, photographs and snacks.) I found it really relaxing and peaceful. Well, except for my fear of encountering a mountain lion (there were warnings on the sign at the trailhead) and a crazy mountain biker who came barreling down part of the trail at breakneck speeds!

At the top of the trail we had a view of Morro Bay and the iconic rock in the distance. We really enjoy the pool at the hotel after that!

interesting tree

On our hike at Will Rogers SHP, more than one of us stopped at a particular tree to comment on the foliage. The exact words being "That's an interesting tree." I took some pictures of course! Bright yellow, twig-like flower-things interspersed on branches between the leaves - a beautiful layered look!

[hike] to the bridge

Winter in LA is bearable for an Aussie like me who is used to January being summer! We made the most of the lovely weather this past Sunday, and went to Will Rogers State Historic Park for a hike. We went up to the bridge (via the backbone trail) and back, stopping at Inspiration Point for a snack. The views from the bridge and above were amazing, you could see for miles, the city, the surf, the mountains. Thoroughly enjoyable, good exercise (enough to warrant ice cream afterwards), avoided getting run over by mountain bikers or horse riders and it wasn't overly hot!

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sculpture rocks [hike]

Sometimes out and about you see some interesting things. Saw these rock stacks while hiking a few weeks back. Quirky little sculpture that someone put the effort into building, right in the middle of the trail, it's got my attention!

Pictures are from the same hike as on this day at Topanga State Park.

[hike] purple blooms

Purple blooms along the trail with an explosion of other colorful plants in the Santa Monica Mountains for a hike on Mother's Day. More of those images to come! 

[hike] to a high point

On a lovely Sunday in February, my husband and I ventured out to a part of the Santa Monica mountains to hike up the highest point in the Santa Monica mountains, to Sandstone Peak. We did a shorter trail, it was pretty rocky and became quite sheer towards the top. The views were amazing! Worth the effort up. I did manage to lose my footing a couple of times so I think hiking shoes are a worthy investment to avoid the bruises from falling!

At the beginning of the trail.

[hike] with friends

Every few weekends we like to go hiking, usually in the Santa Monica mountains. These pictures are from around this time last year where a group of us did a great hike in Temescal Canyon. As usual the view from the top was great.