Highway 395

I have been up and down the 395 highway countless times and always was it during the winter season to go skiing in Mammoth. I remember going as a child and thinking "why do we always have to drive so far and long to get there?" or how I so often dreaded it. As I got older, road trips got easier and became somewhat more enjoyable. Since I started working full-time, I found myself having less time to explore and go on vacation. I mean, if  that is what "adulting" really is, I want to go back to college. We often fell back on road trips because it became the perfect alternative when you only have a weekend to travel or can't quite hop on a plane to get somewhere far. If only we could teleport, right? Road trips became our perfect weekend escape when we felt the itch to explore or be creative. 

Hop forward to me stumbling on Instagram travel inspiration. I follow a good bunch of travel photographers and happened to see a photo of the Eastern Sierra mountains. Naturally, it was my first instinct to see where it was and how I can make this trip happen. I also happened to just get my iPhone 8+ and what better opportunity to check out my camera than a road trip? To my surprise, I have been doing this trip all my life. It probably just looked so different since the times I went, it is all covered in blankets of snow. So I forced Christina and Sami to come on this road trip with me and--voila!--we made it happen. It was a two-day road trip, but we saw so much on the way. We wandered out into Death Valley National Park {it was my first time}, through Alabama Hills, and slowly made our way up to Mammoth in search of snow. We visited the sand dunes, mobius arch, and tried to capture the night sky without a tripod. {See photo below.} Lesson learned: always bring a tripod--that isn't broken. We were manually trying to capture the photo all the while having our hands freeze off outside in 30-second intervals. But I will say, we did a pretty decent job.

All in all, if you get a chance to venture up the 395 highway and have a weekend to spare, get your butt out there and go explore! If you love to ski, it's an even better to reason to get out there now because Mammoth Mountain is officially open for ski season. There are also so many delicious places to eat on the way up. {See list below.} Until then, happy adventuring friends!

1. Copper Top BBQ for all your barbecue cravings. {read more about it here}

2. Mahogany Smoked Meats has literally the best beef jerky I have ever tasted.

3. Erick Schat's Bakery has the best sandwiches...and well, just everything.

Don't be fooled, the hike up the dunes was a real workout. Go early so you can beat the sun and the crowds!

The portrait mode on the iPhone 8+ is b e y o n d amazing. Best decision I've made thus far.

It isn't the best star photo, but definitely decent for not having a tripod and holding it ourselves out in the freezing weather. 

Apple Picking Adventures

I am absolutely not kidding when I tell you I am nuts about fall right now. It is still blazing hot outside, but baby, the apples are falling, the leaves are falling, and winter is a-coming! I wouldn't say I am the most adventurous, but every weekend, the creative duo {Sami at The Unexpected Type and my sister}, always find something fun to do and drag me along. Because if not, you know I'd be the girl enjoying a glass of bubbly inside a bubble bath... or just sleeping. Since we have been on the go recently, hopping on-and-off flights, we decided to relax and enjoy California this weekend. We took an early drive out to Willowbrook Apple Farm in Oak Glen, CA. Those two have done this before, but it was my first time. There was a little orientation and models of apples that you should/shouldn't pick, but you know me, when do I ever listen? So there I go, frolicking around the farm, picking the apples that look like the ones in cartoons/grocery stores. To be honest, mine probably tasted the worst, but at least they were pretty!

That basically rounded out our trip. We also pressed apple cider, which was actually really hard. {Sami did all the work...} Aaaaaaand that's where I come in with my apple cider mimosas! Woo woo! I know, I thought I was on an alcohol detox too. Guess not. I used the recipe from www.delish.com linked here. They give you portions, but it's quite simple. I prefer more booze than cider, but hey, to each their own. 

Anywho, the moral of this blog post is: "when there's a chance to make boozy drinks, do it." {I'm only joking.} It's to enjoy fall and everything that comes along with it. Get out there and have fun, look at the leaves, take pretty pictures, and GO APPLE PICKING. I did, it was cool.

Searching for Fall

I kid you not when I tell you there is not nearly enough time in a day, week, month or year to get all the things you ever want to get finished done. The transition from college to working full-time has been extremely difficult for me--someone who enjoyed a lot of free, relaxation time during those days. And now here I am, struggling to get my one blog post up for the month. BUT HERE WE ARE, GETTING IT ON THE BLOG...

So yes, I've been back from South Africa for about a month now and pictures still haven't gone up. {Forgive me.} There is too much to post and I just don't know how I want split it up. Yes, my problems are waaaaay bigger than yours. So while I think on that, this past weekend I celebrated my birthday weekend in Colorado searching for fall foliage. I visited Denver very briefly back in 2013, but this time I stayed a bit longer. We did a mini-road trip up to Aspen then back and my God, the sights were absolutely incredible. Coming from California, we never really get to experience "fall". I know I talk a lot about weather {complain, I mean} on my blog, but I mean it when I say we only get one season. I tested out the camera on my new iPhone 8 plus and no words can describe how happy I am with the upgrade, considering I take all of my photos on my phone. Oh yeah, I lost my phone in Vegas two weekends before. Hence, the upgrade.

Colorado, you did not disappoint. I will be back.

Yay snow! I am a huge lover of skiing, so count on me to definitely be visiting Aspen again.

My mama bear--my inspiration to explore the world.