Mt Baldy Trail
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The Five Most Awesome Ways to Summit Mt Baldy

ByAmber_Woodyard

Are you ready to climb a mountain? How about the tallest 10,000-foot mountain overlooking Los Angeles? Just a forty-five-minute drive from that concrete jungle, the city of angels, you can find many different trails ascending to the top of Mt Baldy, the local’s name for Mt San Antonio. So lace up your favorite Keen hiking boots, fill up your Nalgene with H20 and ask yourself “Which is the best route to summit Mt Baldy?”

Eastern Sierras Hiking With Kids
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8 Kid friendly and Easy hikes in Mammoth Lakes

ByAmber_Woodyard

The Eastern Sierras is just a three-hour drive from the urban metropolis that is southern California’s concrete jungle; Los Angeles. From the numerous backcountry lakes above Rock Creek to the trails hugging the outskirts of Yosemite National Park, the rugged mountains of the Eastern Sierras are a great hiking and camping area to introduce kids to the wilderness. Hikes in the Ansel Adam’s Wilderness and beyond do not have to be hard for little feet with these simple hints on how to introduce your children to hiking in the great outdoors.

Baja California

Explore Baja California with Children

ByAmber_Woodyard

Don’t be nervous about travels south of the San Ysidro border even if traveling as a family with children! Bienvenido to Baja California! Drinking margaritas in Tijuana may sound like a fun time when you were twenty-one years old but what are some family-friendly activities in Baja California? Swimming with whale sharks, galavanting with lion cubs and exploring areas of Baja Sur where whale calves are swimming right next to your boat in the Pacific Ocean, are just a few of the family fun activities you can check out, and it’s all just a road trip away in Baja Sur!

White Mountain
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Hiking the White Mountain Peak Trail

ByAmber_Woodyard

In the summer of 2015, my boyfriend and I went off adventuring into the White Mountains of the Eastern Sierras. This was only a month after I had back surgery and we had dreams of conquering Mt Whitney along with White Mountain Peak in these few weeks in the wilderness of central California. Trekking up a few fourteeners was a lofty goal but to be perfectly honest, just being able to walk and hike again after years of crippling sciatica pain was in itself an unbelievably amazing gift. Over our few weeks in the eastern sierras, we did some fantastic hikes, had some crazy outdoor shenanigans and a great summer in the Eastern Sierras! One of the highlights of our trip though was exploring the White Mountains. If you enjoy off-roading, camping or hiking, then White Mountain Peak is a place you really must check out that is completely off the beaten path. Oh, and did I mention there are fuzzy mischevious yellow-bellied marmots? Marmots may be absolutely adorable but they are the troublemakers of the eastern sierras as we learned first hand!

Off the beaten path India
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Exploring off the beaten path India

ByAmber_Woodyard

It was my trip to India and I did not want to do all the touristy things. I was not interested in marching through the Taj Mahal in Agra with millions of other sweaty tourists taking selfies with their iPhones. I wanted an authentic India experience eating local meals like Bheja Fry in restaurants where you would not find another American and the menu is not in English. I wanted to try local delicacies and see how Anglo-Indians spent their days. Rather than laying out and partying at tourist beach hot spots like Goa or fighting my way through the crowds in Mumbai, I wanted to swim with elephants in the jungle and go on safari looking for panthers at night. This is my untouristy India experience.

San Gorgonio
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Hiking San Gorgonio in the Winter Months

ByAmber_Woodyard

I spend so many daylight hours of my winter months, no not chilling by the fireplace with a latte and a good book, but out on the snowy trails of the San Gorgonio Wilderness. I’m either hiking with crampons strapped to my hiking boots or bundled up in all the layers and walking on my snowshoes through four feet of deep snow if it’s a day between January and March. The San Gorgonio Wilderness is not well traveled by most local hikers in the winter time but the peaks are just so stunningly gorgeous during the winter! Let me tell you a thing or two about winter hiking San G!

RV trip to Yellowstone National Park
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Planning an RV trip Yellowstone National Park

ByAmber_Woodyard

When traversing the wild and wonderful bison filled world of Yellowstone National Park you may be overwhelmed especially in the planning stages of your trip. If you are journeying to the wildlands of Montana and Wyoming and Yellowstone National Park like we did in a 35 foot RV, you may be exceptionally overwhelmed when planning such a big endeavor and driving 1,000 miles into an unknown wilderness. Let me offer some well-researched advice on how to have an amazing RV outdoor adventure filled vacation.

California's Central Coast Morro Rock
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Adventures along California’s Central Coast

ByAmber_Woodyard

The rolling green hills of San Luis Obispo County and California’s central coast can take your breath away as you drive up Highway 101 along the azure blue crashing waves of the Pacific Ocean. There is more to do along the Santa Lucia Mountain Range then just touristy Hearst Castle, the Madonna Inn and the giant aquarium in Monterey. Hike the trails of Carmel, visit with Elephant Seals beachside, explore giant sand dunes and mountain bike in eucalyptus forests on this seaside road trip.

Glamis
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How to have a Glorious Holiday Weekend at Glamis Sand Dunes

ByAmber_Woodyard

Thanksgiving weekend 2017; As outdoor adventurer’s who usually stick to pine alpine forests, we had never ventured near the sand dunes of Glamis California in the Imperial Valley in southern California. As more mountain camper/ hikers then sand people we were unprepared for a weekend of dune buggies and sand rails. Let me tell you how, as a Glamis newbie, I discovered how to be prepared for a busy holiday weekend at the Glamis Sand Dunes!