I’m a mountains and desert kind of gal, but there’s something alluring about tropical islands. Warm and clear water, my favorite fruits, and accessibility are the first things that come to mind. You could take a Lyft to hike almost any part of Oahu if you wanted to. Diamond Head is one of those hikes.
A weekend in Bend is not entirely improbable if you’re from the Bay Area. With daily flights from SFO to Redmond, it’s easy to escape to Oregon’s high desert for a few days.
Here’s how to spend a weekend in Bend.
Earlier this month, I had the chance to check out Bear Creek Open Space Preserve in Los Gatos. Up until recently, I didn’t know that this spot existed right off bustling Highway 17. It’s a chunk of land under the care of Midpeninsula Open Space Trust that’s currently not accessible to the public, except by permit.
Big Basin Redwoods State Park is one of my go to hikes when I’m bumming around the Bay Area on the weekends. I never really venture away from the Berry Creek Falls loop though. It’s such a good one.
When my friend Brie vetoed Berry Creek Falls in favor of the Dool-Middle Ridge-Meteor-Sequoia Loop, I was skeptical.
This winter was a Sierra snow year for the books. I’ve lived in California all my life but don’t remember a winter where it rained for three months straight. All the snow meant my Sierra objectives were looking a little bleak and buried. I brushed up on my map and compass skills with REI and hit the trail in Mokelumne Wilderness at the beginning of June. My destination was a place I’ve never been: Fourth of July Lake in the Carson Pass Management Area.
