Tag: adventure

best west coast road trip! (part two)

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If you missed part 1, you can check it out here.   On to the next part of the journey:

From Jacumba to Tijuana.

After Jacumba, we continued along the border until we got to the crossing into Tijuana.  We decided we wanted to dedicate some time on our short trip to popping into Mexico because neither of us had been before.  While I know this is not necessarily the best or most authentic Mexico experience, I really enjoyed getting to explore and walk around for the day.
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After we arrived, we went to Playas de Rosarito.  It’s a cute little beach town about 20 minutes driving from Tijuana.  It was recommended to us by our cab driver and we figured we might as well explore a bit.

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We walked around the shops and then we ate at a cute little spot called El Nido.  I love their decor and the food was delish!

95skulls97restThere were so many great murals and paintings on buildings and in the streets.  I loved trying to capture them.  Their colors and textures were mesmerizing.

(There was a whale mural on the way to Rosarito that I loved, but unfortunately couldn’t catch on my camera.  Does anyone have a photo of it by chance?!)

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Of course, we also went down to the beach and walked along the ocean.

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After visiting Rosarito, we headed back to Tijuana and walked down Avenida Revolucion.  We also visited Mercado Hidalgo and there were so many wonderful fruits, herbs, and goods.  It was really neat to visit!
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Back to the States & North-bound!

After spending the day walking around the city, we were pretty worn out.  Unfortunately, then it took about 3 hours for us to get through the line to get back into the U.S. By the time we got back to our car it was already dark.   We had plans to stay on a sailboat in a marina in the San Diego harbor, so we went straight there and got cozy in the small boat for the night.

We woke up bright and early and went to San Diego’s Donut Bar for a yummy breakfast.  We also visited Balboa Park and walked around.  The Spreckels Organ Pavilion was gorgeous, and the area had such a nice vibe.  There were a lot of people out and about, enjoying the park and museums.  I wish we had more time there!

Then we headed to La Jolla to see the sea lions and beauty of the ocean.  It was so lovely and definitely a recommended stop!

 

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I love wildlife and there was so much to see and explore at La Jolla.  Beautiful stretch of the coast.  The California coast always amazes me.

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From La Jolla and San Diego, we headed back to the east to continue our journey.  Check back later this week for part 3!

For more photos from the trip (and lots more wildlife photos!), visit our Through the Lens section of the site.

ocean song

 

 

 

best west coast road trip! (part one)

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A few weeks back, my love and I took the most wonderful road trip along the southwest and west coast of the good ‘ole USA.  I love seeing new places and taking it all in, and that’s exactly what we got to do.

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First, some good stuff:

Originally, we were going to drive up and back on Route 1 along the CA coast from SF.  Then we found an amazing deal from Hertz.  Car rental for $1 a day if we drove the car from Phoenix to SF.  That’s right, $1!  It was an amazing deal, and even with the cost of a one way ticket to Phoenix, it was less than we would have spent on the car rental had we not found this deal.  Summary:  always check Hertz (and other car rental companies) for their current deals!

Okay, now, let’s be real, this is the really good stuff:

Our trip started in Phoenix and ended in SF 8 days later.  It was one heck of a journey!  It looked something like this, although I’ll have to break it into parts since we had too many stops to add to one Google map:

Roadtrip Map

So Let’s Get Started: Phoenix & Beyond!

Things started a little rough.  We missed our flight for the first time in our lives!  Apparently we needed a little extra sleep, but it did damper some of our plans for Phoenix.  Since we were only traveling for a little over a week and wanted to hit up so many places, we didn’t have much time at each stop.

We didn’t let this ruin the trip, though.  One of the best things to remember when traveling either domestically or abroad is to stay flexible, and that we did!  We laughed it off, paid the change-flight fee (unfortunately), and went on our way.

In Phoenix, we drove around a bit, but honestly didn’t do anything too exciting.  We also knew we were taking the scenic drive to Tucson, so we didn’t have extra time on our hands.  I’ve been to Phoenix before and liked it, so I  have a feeling we’ll be back at some point.

We drove the Apache Trail (Highway 88) to Roosevelt Dam and then on to Globe, all through the Superstition Mountains.  It was incredibly breathtaking.  We drove along lakes and through fields of majestic saguaro cacti.  It’s a scene like no where else.  We stopped at many pull-offs to snap some photos and yell into the valleys below.  I highly recommend this drive to anyone who likes to see the beauty of the landscape and feel a little bit disconnected from the rest of the world (in an amazing way).

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We also stopped in Goldfield, a ‘ghost town’ that is very clearly now just a tourist trap, but it was fun to step into this bit of US history.  In the 1800s, it was a bustling gold mining town but closed down in the early 1900s.  There are still remnants of the mine, tools, and buildings from the original town.

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The scenic drive took 4-5 hours, and we ended up driving from Globe down to Tucson via 77 as the sun went down and into the night.  We arrived at our AirBnB and it was super unique.  It had lovely gardens and also had a temple inside!

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We got some much-needed sleep and woke up early to depart for the next part of our journey.

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A few hours in Tucson & on To Sells.

We grabbed a quick breakfast at Prep & Pastry and then drove to the Saguaro National Park to see more beautiful landscapes and lots of cacti!

We took a few hours to check out the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, and I’m so glad we did!  It was so much more than a typical museum.  They had many gardens, animals, great scenery, aquariums, and much more.  One of my favorite museums I’ve been to!  Plus, I love their mission and always love supporting places like this:  inspire people to live in harmony with the natural world by fostering love, appreciation, and understanding of the Sonoran Desert.
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After spending the morning+ at the museum, we knew we needed to get on the way to make it to our next destination before sunset.  Daylight goes so quickly on a road trip!

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We, again, took a bit of the long way to get there because we wanted to check out the Tohono O’Odham Nation Reservation.  This is the first time I’ve ever been on a reservation and it was definitely interesting (and a bit sad and unsettling) to see.  I have many thoughts on the reservation, but I’ll save that for another time.  For now, I’ll just say, I’m glad I got to see a reservation for myself and meet some of the people that live on one.

We stopped in the reservation capital, Sells, and got a bite to eat from the supermarket and just drove around the community.
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From Sells, we continued through the reservation to Why, AZ, and then up through Ajo (beautiful!) to Gila Bend on Highway 8.  Then we continued our journey west!

We stopped at Dateland and got delicious date shakes.  Dateland wasn’t quite what I expected (it was basically just a rest stop), but the shake was definitely delicious, so I recommend grabbing one to go!
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After Dateland, it was starting to get dark, but we made it through Yuma and then to our destination of Jacumba Hot Springs, right on the Mexican border, by nightfall.  Along this drive we saw the Mexican border and the wall on the border as well as border patrol and patrol stops.  I have definitely never experienced that before in the US, and it was interesting, to say the least.

Jacumba was amazing, and I will definitely go back at some point.  It’s a simple hotel but has pools full of hot spring water.  It is so lovely and feels wonderful.  We went to bed and then went for another dip the next morning before heading out on the next part of our road trip!

Tune in later for part 2 (and 3) of this series.  For more images from this part of the trip, check out our Through the Lens section of the site for our photo portfolio.

Love to all!

ocean song

 

 

don’t forget the simple things.

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I had a really lovely weekend with my love and his mother.  We explored some of my favorite areas along the coast (Monterey, Big Sur, Carmel, & Pt. Reyes) and really just got to slow down a bit and spend some time outdoors.

It’s all quite simple.  Life is beautiful if you look for the beauty.  And sometimes, if you’re lucky, you don’t need to look very far.

kayaking @ pt. reyes

kayaking @ pt. reyes

a journey to river’s bend.

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I have been fortunate enough to learn about herbal medicine and the magic of plants from a wonderful teacher, Kami McBride.  This past weekend, our circle of plant sisters drove in from around the Bay Area to the most perfect retreat spot at River’s Bend.

to the river <3.

at river’s bend.

The part I love most about Kami’s classes is that not only do I learn so much about plants and their medicinal uses, but also, I learn about plant spirit and so much about myself.  I can really delve into what’s inside of me, in my heart, in a very safe and comfortable environment.  I can be me and I am held and protected.  We don’t have enough spaces and communities like this in the world.  We need to make them!

delicious purple sage.

delicious purple sage.

in the garden at mary pat palmer's philo school of herbal energetics.

in the garden at mary pat palmer’s philo school of herbal energetics.

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beautiful bark texture.

looking up

a glance toward the sky.

One idea that came out of the weekend is that we certainly need a culture shift – to one that is more loving toward humans, plants, and the earth.  One where we see the earth as a living being and treat it with kindness and respect.  In order to do that, we need some of the ‘crazy ones’ that talk to plants and share with the world.  Will that be you?!

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plant mandala in our sacred space.

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garlic people!

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mullein flowers saying hello.

During our final bit of time in at River’s Bend, we went on a hike through what used to be a lush redwood forest.  It is now mostly tan oak and douglas fir.  (Un-fun fact: did you know only 4% of our redwood forests still stand today?)  I found a family circle of redwoods and sat in a little nest of their dropped and browned leaves.  It was so cozy and protected and I felt so at peace.  I could have stayed there all afternoon (and beyond).  I felt as though the trees were telling me to be strong and they would be there.

st john's wort.

st john’s wort.

When I needed to go, I picked up a dried tan oak leaf and wrote the simple words ‘be strong.’  I placed it in some peeling bark on one of the trunks in the redwood family and kissed them goodbye.  I walked away.  I won’t forget.

(for more images from this beautiful journey (and others!), please visit the ‘through the lens‘ section.)

what’s in a name?

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tsoana.  It’s a simple word that has a lot of meaning for me.

but it’s Possible you haven’t heard of it before (and perhaps haven’t heard about its country of origin either!).

Several years ago, I had an incredible opportunity to travel to the Kingdom of Lesotho, a mountain kingdom completely surrounded by the country of South Africa.

Me, on Thaba-Bosiu, taking it all in. Below is the Qiloane Mountain. Many say that the shape of the mountain is the origin of the iconic Basotho hat.

Me, on Thaba-Bosiu, taking it all in. Below is the Qiloane Mountain. Many say that the shape of the mountain is the origin of the iconic Basotho hat.

One of my former professors had done the Peace Corps and was stationed in Lesotho, and he often brought small groups of students back to the country he called home for two years.  During our time there, we lived in a small village and spent our days building community centers and orphanages, assisting in an HIV clinic, building playgrounds, and creating and planting garden plots.  Throughout each of the projects we worked on, we were not alone.  We worked side-by-side with the Basotho people.  We worked hard, we shared stories, we laughed, we cried.  All together.  Life in Lesotho is hard, but the people are inspiring and full of life.  They know what it means to share, to love, and to be in community.

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Lots of work to be done!

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A woman in the village of Roma stands by her home.

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An orphanage we painted after building a new playground.

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Seed beds we dug and planted.

Small helpers coming over to the site of the new community center/orphanage.

Small helpers coming over to the site of the new community center/orphanage.

Throughout the trip, one phrase kept coming up during discussions and interactions with the Basotho people around us.  That phrase was this:

Kao Fela Rea Tsoana.  We are all the Same.

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Kao Fela Rea Tsoana. We Are All the Same.

This has resonated with me ever since.  Whenever I’m upset or frustrated, happy or elated, I realize that we all share in our experiences.  My happiness is your happiness, and vice versa.  We live in this together.  We truly are one.

I took the final part of the phrase, and hold it close to my heart.  It translates to ‘sameness’ on its own.

I know some people may simply read this and think, ‘Look how naive she is.  She thinks we are all the same.’  Quite the contrary.  What’s beautiful is that we are all the same in so many ways, including that we are all different (confusing, right?).  Our uniqueness is just as incredible as the fact that we all have the same color blood running through our veins, we breathe the same air, see the same stars and moon, and can feel the same heat on our face from the shining sun.

Amazing.  We all have a sameness, and that’s what this is all about.

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One of the most beautiful places.

Soon, you can check out my ‘Through the Lens’ tab for more glimpses at my Lesotho trip and other adventures.  And if you’re feeling adventurous yourself, go visit Lesotho!  You won’t be disappointed.

Finally, if you’re feeling generous, SOS Children’s Villages, is a great organization for donations to this beautiful kingdom in the sky.

Walking softly and xox,

Leah

intentions.

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Well, here I am.  This project has been a long time coming, a brain child for many, many moons.  I am excited to make it ‘real,’ to have it on the screen, and to welcome it to the world.  I’m also excited to welcome you to this little space I have created – for me and for you.

I have many intentions for this space.  First and foremost, this is a space for me.  In this hectic, chaotic world, I’d like to try to bring some organization to my photos, thoughts, inspirations, my life.  I’d like to be able to come back years from now and remember the smell of a field of wildflowers, the feel of a new bag of clay, or the happiness of a best friend’s smile by peeking at an old photo.

sunset at ocean beach

sunset @ ocean beach, sf

That’s part of why this space is here.  But, I also created this space for you, to welcome you to a part of me that I don’t share with many.  To enable me to share my work, my passions, my greatest loves with the world around me, and hopefully inspire something in people to make this beautiful world a better place.  We can each play our part, and it starts by finding purpose.

This is my journey to find mine.  I hope you’ll join me.   So please, take a look around, tell me what you think, and come back for more!