Avenue of the Giants

The Avenue of the Giants is a beautiful road you can travel through Northern California, with all the tall gorgeous redwoods alongside. There are fun tourist things to do, such as the trees you can drive through, plus there's always a chance to see Bigfoot! And all it costs to see this is the gas to drive along the route.

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This is what most of the road looks like.



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As someone who grew up in the Los Angeles area, it was nice to finally see firsthand what a real forest looks like. I love the mountains in Los Angeles, but they're a lot scrubbier than this.



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This picture is through one of the old fallen trees in one of the little tourist areas alongside the road.



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Look at how incredibly LUSH this area is. Once again, this is RIGHT off the roadside, and you ordinarily need to hike to see forestry this gorgeous.



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Here's the road leading you off through the trees, so you can see even more grandeur.

The Cali/Oregon Coast

More photos from my trip along the coast in September 2018! Yes, I've been busy. There are Washington and Oregon photos at my Flickr account, but for the purposes of this blog I'm trying to narrow my trip shots to the California photos.

These are from along the coast around the area where Oregon and California meet. It's VERY hard to take a bad photo there! I highly recommend visiting, people will love your Insta photos! And the coast is free! More beautiful places to visit in California that cost nothing (except maybe gasoline.)

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While the whole area is gorgeous, there are several official overlooks that are particularly stunning.



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A morning shot of the land stretching off behind the ocean.



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The water really was this lovely.



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A hidden cove along the way. I'd love to live in this area and swim here when it's warmer.



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Some flowers blooming over the ocean.

Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad

Mission Soledad is part of California's fascinating historical chain of missions, originally built by the Spanish as they began European occupation of the state. It's another place that only asks for a suggested donation to see the place, although I do recommend you donate, since the missions are pricey to keep up because of their age, and it's historically important. We took a trip last September up to Seattle and back and of course I took too many photos. I'm hoping to show you a lot more of the state in the near future, but for the moment, the first place we visited as tourists was Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad.

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A proper establishing shot. It's one of the smaller missions in the chain.



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Like most of the mission chain, there was a lovely garden in bloom.



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Some of the numerous historical items you can see.



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One of the fountains had lotus blooming inside.



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Some of the old barbecue items in front of the beautiful valley it's situated in.



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Along a shaded porch.



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Another of the peaceful fountains in the stunning valley location.

The Stagecoach Inn in Newbury Park

This is a beautiful place with lots of fun and educational exhibits. It's on the outskirts of Los Angeles in Newbury Park and it's only 5 dollars to get in! They have an adobe building, the main hotel, a pioneer home, a carriage house, a Chumash home, a schoolhouse, a flower garden with picnic tables and probably even more that I am forgetting to mention. Their website is here.

The Stagecoach Inn Museum.

Here are my favorite photos of this lovely place!

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This is the main building, with the schoolhouse on the left.



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The relaxing and attractive front porch, on a sunny day.



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There is an adorable nutcracker in the kitchen exhibit!



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I was lucky enough to visit during the tail end of the Easter bonnet exhibit!



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They have outfits on exhibit, as well as the docents being dressed period.



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Inside of the adobe home exhibit.



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Here is the pioneer exhibit. I especially enjoyed it since I was reading the Little House series at the same time.



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The interior of the blacksmith shop!

Camarillo Commemorative Air Force

This is a fun thing to do under 10 dollars when you're North of Los Angeles. It's nearest Ventura if you're unfamiliar with the area. We visited the Camarillo branch of the Commemorative Air Force. They have a museum with lots of planes in various states of repair, many of which you can take a flight in, but that will NOT be under 10 dollars. Here are some of the very, very cool planes you can see if you visit.

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An F8F Bearcat, longing for the sky.



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One of maybe 6 remaining functioning A6 Zeroes.



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The Rolls Royce engine in a Spitfire.



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One of the beautiful planes you can purchase a ride in, a P51 Mustang.



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I love that this bad boy actually took out a train.



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An L-17 Navion, awaiting repairs so she can return to the sky.

Santa Susana Pass

This is one of the areas that is 100% free. All you have to do is drive into the pass, pull over, and climb all over the super photogenic rocks! I suggest winter or spring, when things are still lovely and green.

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The stormtrooper that guards the San Fernando Valley.



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Los Angeles can be beautiful when it gets rain.



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A sandstone mountain man.



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Growth.



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A barrel hoop that's older than everyone you know.



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Dragons of Earth and Air.

A Whale Watch from the Aquarium of the Pacific

We did not actually see any whales on this trip out, but we did get a good amount of dolphin pods. Plus, most boat trips are pretty photogenic, anyways. See what I mean!

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A moody shot of my beloved Queen Mary.



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The Los Angeles Harbor light.



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Sailing into the sun.



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...and further into the sunset.



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Actual dolphins! I got more than this shot, but this is the best.



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A harbor sunset.



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The Mary as evening falls.



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A lighthouse in the park. This park is totally free, by the way, and very photogenic. You should swing by!