I wish you were here

Many people are flocking to Chino Hills to admire the wildflower bloom after the wet California winter, but in May 2023, it is a little disappointing. 

Although wildflowers are everywhere, I couldn’t find the multicolored poppies in abundance. I could only see a lot of yellow mustard flowers on the hills and especially along the trails. 

Watching poppy super blooms is a matter of timing. I think people who visited in March had better luck.  

The park is still beautiful and always worth a visit for hiking, biking, jogging, or picnicking. 

That Park extends over 14,173 acres on the borders of Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties. 

Buena Vista Street is the first thing you will experience as you enter Disney's California Adventure Park. It is meant to represent the street in Burbank, where Disney studios are located. The street leads to the central plaza, which represents Los Angeles in the 1920s.

For an overview of California Adventure, go here.

As you walk down this street you will notice many shops and snack stands but there are no major attractions here. It is just a gateway to the rest of the park.

It is hard to find a secluded area in Southern California to step away from civilization and commune with nature. But luckily for us, the Channel Islands are a short boat ride away with beautiful nature and great adventures.

The 8 islands making up the Channel Islands are only a few miles away from the coast of Southern California but they might as well worlds away. Those islands have never been connected to the mainland, so they have their own species of animals and plants. 

During the ice ages, the sea level was much lower, so the channel between the islands and the mainland was much shallower. The Chumash natives used canoes to travel the short distance and live off the land and the sea.

Now, the islands are mostly uninhabited, except for Santa Catalina Island. (Read more here). 

Our canine friends also need places to frolic and enjoy nature, and Orange County is full of Dog Parks where they can roam free and meet other dogs.

In addition to parks and beaches dedicated to dogs, there are several dog-friendly public beaches.  

Costa Mesa Bark Park

The Costa Mesa Bark Park is a fenced-in, off-leash dog park located at 890 Arlington Drive in Costa Mesa, California. It is open daily from 7:30 am to 8:45 pm, except Wednesdays when it is closed for regular maintenance.

A few miles away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Las Vegas and the Strip, you will find the Springs Preserve with exhibits, nature trails, and a bit of Las Vegas history.

The “Springs Preserve” is a 180-acre stretch of protected land around the original source of water for the Las Vegas Valley. These springs formed an oasis in the middle of the parched desert and helped support early inhabitants from local Native American tribes 10,000 years ago to the first settlers in the 1800s.