Day Trip: Gerle Creek

Gerle Creek, El Dorado National Forest

Any Sacramento Valley dweller will tell you that the best thing about living in this part of Northern California is that you can drive 1 1/2 hrs and find yourself enveloped in some of the most beautiful scenery found in Nature. 

Day trips are numerous with the Croxford Clan and the Crystal Basin Recreation Area is one of our favorite spots. Just up HWY 50, it's a beautiful, scenic drive from Sacramento through mountains & forest and neat little towns that beckon memories of the Gold Rush and times long since past.

Located in the El Dorado National Forest, there is no entrance fee and there are quite a few designated spots for picnicking & camping alike. Some of the campsites require NO FEE at all, which is really great for a family on a budget, but beware- these sites have no running water.  There's an obvious solution to that problem though- bring water. 

We visit Gerle Creek mainly for fishing, even though it's always either feast or famine.  No luck this trip, but we usually do well when we visit in the Fall. Even if you're not into fishing, it's a great place to explore, with creeks, a lake & a couple different reservoirs to choose from all within 20 minutes of each other.

There are plenty of places to hike, though not along designated trails.  It's pretty easy, if hot, and kids do pretty well on their own.  You can see in this picture that Shrinky was not very happy about that backpack carrier.  She is an "I do it myself" kind of girl, but I'm afraid she's just not old enough to cross the creek alone yet!

If you head over to the Gerle Creek Reservoir, there is a designated "fishing platform" but I have a feeling that spot is pretty well fished out, so I recommend sticking to the creek.  The Reservoir is great for taking the kids for a swim or play in the water.  It was pretty cold but it's early in the Season, so in a month or so it should have warmed up (if only slightly)

We always have a great time in this area.  it's close, it's cheap, and it's beautiful, which is everything we need in a day trip.  If you're in the area from now until Fall, make it a point to visit Gerle Creek.

I promise you'll leave with some fond memories :)

Outdoor Adventures: Point Reyes Lighthouse

Last year for my 30th Birthday, my husband whisked me away for an entire weekend without the kids.
We decided on Point Reyes National Seashore, CA.  It wasn't a hard decision, since I'd been wanting to see the infamous Lighthouse (pictured above) for some time, and every Google Image search we did, yielded beautiful results.

There are a lot of little B & B's in the area but we are avid campers, so we stayed in a funky campground in Olema, called "Olema RV Resort" that had full hook-ups and even a mini US Post office.
To be honest, it's what I call "fake camping". There were FREE showers and town was about 1 mile away. But, unless you're willing to hike in a couple miles to your spot, it's pretty much the only campground.
Oh, and did I mention that it's ridiculously expensive?
I think it was $46 per night since we went during peak Season and on a weekend, no less.
But in that area, if we'd gone the hotel route it would have easily been $100 more per night so I guess we got a bargain.

The tent camp sites are nicely cared for, and come with a fire ring as well as a picnic table. Ours was in the back of the campground and had a little stream running behind it, giving a natural ambience, which was nice since the rest of the campground feels like a mini township.

Point Reyes and the surrounding towns of Inverness & Olema are beautiful but be warned that this area is not cheap- a no-frills meal for 2 at a diner in Olema could cost you $50.
There is an upside, in that the businesses are locally owned & operated and while there you will most likely be dining as a Locavore and not eating/buying food from a chain.

Once at the seashore, the Point Reyes Lighthouse was our main destination so we made the short 1/2 mile trek uphill from the parking lot to the Lighthouse Visitor Center and then began the steep 30 story descent to the main attraction. The stairs are very narrow and so steep that at times you need to walk sideways like a crab in order not to go tumbling to your death below.

The Lighthouse was built in 1854 and still has the lens that was made for it in 1867.  It's gorgeous inside, and there is a helpful guide to give you all kinds of Historical facts in you're into that kind of thing......which I am :)


This spot is known for being one of the foggiest places on the West Coast, and the day we were there it was also one of the windiest. But looking at the crystal waters below, and the beautiful green pastures surrounding us makes it all worthwhile.

That is, until you realize that those 30 stories of steep, narrow steps you had to climb down to get to this amazing view?
Yeah, you're gonna have to climb back on up.

I am not a lazy person, but I am not exactly a triathlete, either.
At one point during my ascent, I thought I might just sit down on the stairs and die. It really sounded like the best plan at the moment.  Look at that picture. I am miserable, haha.

My shins were on FIRE when we finally reached the top.
if we ever do that again, and I mean big IF, we are most definitely going to have to be in better shape.  I saw a few families with small children who were really struggling and I wouldn't recommend bringing any kids that will need to be carried back up, or people with a phobia of heights, either.  other than that, I'd say everyone else should try it once.
It's an adventure, after all!

I'd love to hear about other Lighthouses along the California Coast that you've been to, and even ones that are not in California. I've got a fascination now, and maybe someday I'd come visits one where you live :)

I never saw a discontented tree

"I never saw a discontented tree.  They grip the ground as though they liked it, and though fast rooted they travel about as far as we do.  They go wandering forth in all directions with every wind, going and coming like ourselves, traveling with us around the sun two million miles a day, and through space heaven knows how fast and far!"  ~John Muir


I think it's really important to take the time to go out into Nature as often as we can. 
I love to show my children what life really is, and what it should be, 
and the Muir Woods National Monument is my most beloved place to do so.


I have been coming here for nearly 15 years. As a teenager, I hiked the Dipsea trail with my best friends, and climbed nearby Mt. Tamalpais with an old boyfriend on a couple occasions. I've trekked from the woods to Muir beach and even hitched a ride back to town once when I was in a particularly adventurous phase (don't try it, it could be dangerous!).


But my most favorite thing to do is to just sit in the quiet of the Redwoods. 
I always get an overwhelming sense of peace, and whatever might be going on out in the rest of the world doesn't matter because I am at once at ease in the surroundings that Nature provides.
I have wanted for years upon years to live in the midst of that beauty, and would happily work amongst it as well.
I haven't given up that dream, it is waiting for me to come & grasp it.
Someday I will, because it is where my soul lies, and also where my heart belongs.

Rainy Days & Mondays never get me down

I don't know if it was those 2+ years I spent living in the
Inland Empire where real weather actually exists from year to year, as opposed to the Sacramento Valley (where if it rains you might as well call the National Guard because the citizens go crazy), but I love rain.



Not just that sweet little drizzle you get along the coast, either.
I love the hard, drench-you-to-the-bone rain.

I like the changing of the Seasons, it's like a new beginning for every living thing on the planet.

Rain always makes me feel hopeful, like some kind of change is on the horizon.

A good storm paired with some "Into the Mystic" by Van Morrison is a total mood-lifer.
It eases me.

So, I have no reviews, or tips, or inside information for you today.

Just one of my favorite quotes:

"Let the rain kiss you.  Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops.  
Let the rain sing you a lullaby." - Langston Hughes

Full Belly Farm

Today was Earth Fest at the Sacramento Zoo.  The sun was shining and it wasn't too cold out so we thought it would be great to take the kids and see what it was all about.
There were tons of great booths and free activities for kids, including face painting & little games.

One of my favorite booths was 
Full Belly Farm.
Located in the Capay Valley, Full Belly Farm is an all organic farm that's been around since 1985.
They farm flowers, vegetables, fruits, herbs & nuts and are certified by the California Certified Organic Farmers. 
They also make organic wine & organic, dye/chemical free wool from sheep raised on the farm, which are lovingly referred to as "Full Belly Sheep".

You can order boxes of fresh produce to be delivered to your home if you live in the greater Sacramento Valley area, and when I say fresh I mean fresh- they harvest the produce, box it & deliver it the next day.
Prices range from $68 for 4 boxes  to $305 for 13 boxes, which you can choose to have delivered every week or alternating weeks.
Full Belly Farm is not just an organic farm, though.
They also do outreach to schools, providing educational activities, and offer tours several times throughout the year. Adults can tour for $10 and kids 12+under are free! We love FREE!
(Plus, they were really, really nice and gave out some yummy samples of sun-dried onion.)


Make sure you check out their website & click all their links for info on upcoming Farmer's Markets, what to expect in the next box, how to become a member, and fantastic recipes to try.