Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park

Date: Thursday, August 18 - Sunday, August 21

We visited Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Park for a weekend hiking trip and to celebrate a birthday. The national parks neighbor each other in central California near Fresno, and are typically grouped together in itineraries and official National Parks websites and documents. They are a short 3 hour drive from San Jose, California. We stayed at an Airbnb in a nearby city called Visalia.

Sequoia National Park

We spent the first whole day (Friday, August 19th) exploring Sequoia National Park. The park is filled with giant sequoia trees, including the world’s biggest tree, General Sherman. We started the day on the road at 6:00AM to drive through the south Ash Mountain entrance, which took around 1 hour from our Airbnb in Visalia.

Moro Rock Trail

Our first stop was Moro Rock Trail. Sequoia National Park is expansive, as it took an additional 45 minutes from entering the park to get to the trailhead. The trail is a short 20 minute walk up stairs to a viewpoint. This trail is the most popular trail on Alltrails, which is why we wanted to get it out of the way early in the morning to avoid crowds. We drove right up to the parking lot located at the trailhead, where we were met with swarms of little flies. Reaching the top gave us an overview of the park.

Congress Trail

Our next stop was Congress Trail, a 3.5 mile hike that tours all the large Sequoia trees, including the world’s largest tree, General Sherman. From Moro Rock, the trailhead was about a 10 minute drive. We arrived around 9AM.

Throughout the park, small chipmunks could be seen scurrying around the trail and forest grounds.

Pictures do not do justice for how large the sequoia trees are in person. General Sherman had a few tourists around 9AM. We were able to easily get pictures. By the time we revisited the area around 11AM, large crowds of tourists were present, creating a large line for picture ops.

Fires ravaged Sequoia National Park back in Fall 2021. Burn scars can be seen on various trees.

Many trees were named after American Government positions.

A cross section of a tree cut in the early 1900’s was on display. According to the park, this tree was around 2000 years old.

Macro shots of the tree stump using the iPhone 13 Pro Max.

Lodgepole Market Center and Wuksachi Lodge

For lunch, we visited the Lodgepole Market Center to shop, and ate at Wuksachi Lodge. The Wuksachi Lodge restaurant serves standard sandwiches, bowls, and pizzas. The Market center sold various snacks and souvenirs.

Tokopah Falls Trail

After an afternoon break, we began our hike at Tokopah Falls trail. The 4 mile hike is an out and back trail that ends at a small waterfall. The rocky terrain is surrounded by large trees, rivers, and small meadows.

We were pleasantly surprised after seeing a small bear while hiking. The bear seemed to have an ear tag.

After finishing our hike at Tokopah falls, our plan was to visit Foothills visitor’s center. Unfortunately the visitor’s center closed at 4PM, so we would not have made it. The closer visitor center, Lodgepole visitors center, was closed for renovation. We headed back to our Airbnb around 5pm.

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Kings Canyon National Park

On Saturday, August 20th, we headed to Kings Canyon National Park. The 2 hour drive to the entrance and to Mist Falls trailhead was beautiful. After driving briefly through the forrest, the road opens up to an incredible view of a canyon surrounded by tall mountains. The layers of mountains were prominent in the soft morning light. We made our way driving through and down the canyon.

Mist Falls Trail

Our main hike for this day was Mist Falls, a 9 mile out and back hike through Kings Canyon. The trailhead was far east of the park, and is a gateway through many trails that backpackers take.

The trail starts through a flat meadow, and transitions through a shaded region surrounded by trees. After awhile under the trees and through some inclines, the trail opens up to reveal incredible views. Surrounded on all three sides are giant mountains that looked huge in person. The views reminded me of pictures you see online of Switzerland, with a few of the mountain peaks resembling Matterhorn. The views felt like views you would see on a multi day backpacking trip, not a day hike.

Grant Grove Giftshop and Kings Canyon Visitor’s Center

After our long 4.5 hour hike, we drove an hour to the Kings Canyon visitor center and Grant Grove gift shop to look around.

General Grant Trail

We then visited General Grant, our Nation’s Christmas Tree. General Grant was very large. On the backside was a scar from a fire.

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Our two day trip to Sequoia and Kings Canyon was a success. We were able to explore most of the sites we had planned to see, and left satisfied and humbled by the large grand sequoia trees and massive canyons. We are fortunate to be a short drive away from these beautiful parks.

Seattle 2022

Date: Saturday March 28, 2022 - Tuesday March 31, 2022

We visited Seattle during Memorial Day weekend. The primary goal was to visit Mount Rainier National Park for a day, and spend the rest of the days seeing sights and trying the local food. We experienced the notoriously cloudy weather with a few sprinkles, but there were few glimmering moments of sunshine. Seattle is just a short drive away from lush green nature trails the pacific north west is known for. Paired with their bustling city with its’ walkable, friendly neighborhoods, Seattle charmed its way to the top of the list of places I would some day consider living. Listed below are a few of places we ate and visited during our trip.

Starbucks Reserve

Starbucks reserve feels like a mecca for Starbucks / coffee connoisseurs. The wooden building with large double doors feels grand upon entry. As you enter, your senses are overwhelmed with smell of coffee and the sight of large crowds of tourists / locals gathered to experience the joys of caffeine.

The roastery is split up into 4 main sections: pastries, a bar, your usual coffee baristas, and a downstairs seating area. We primarily visited to try their Starbucks coffee infused cocktails. The sparkling Sakura tasted like a mimosa, but was a little too sweet. The espresso martini flight was an interesting experience. The appear much larger in pictures.

As a tourist, the Starbucks Reserve felt more worth a visit than the first starbucks store on Pike Street.

Rachel’s Ginger Beer

Rachel's ginger beer was highly recommended by various sources when we were researching places to visit in Seattle. This review adds to that list of recommendations because we had a great experience and visited twice during our Seattle trip.

The fizzy ginger beer drinks make it a perfect refreshing pit stop when you need a place to stop and recharge for a bit. We were able to bring in our clam chowder from Pikes and pasta from Beechers to enjoy, pairing greatly with our ginger beer infused cocktails.

If I lived in Seattle, I could envision frequenting Rachel's Ginger Beer, or regularly purchasing their large jugs of ginger beer. 21+ to enter.

Pike Place Market

Piroshky, Piroshky

Pike Place Chowder

Beecher’s

Sky View Observatory

Sky View Observatory was a great stop to get a unique birds eye view of Seattle. Between the more popular Space Needle, Sky View has cheaper tickets, is taller, and has no time limit.

We went during Memorial Day weekend around 7pm and there wasn't a big crowd or line to get in. They offer tiered tickets, priced by extra feature that are included. Some extra features include a priority line, and access to reserved tables next to the windows on the top floor.

After taking an elevator up the building, the doors open up to a 360 degree floor that you can freely walk around. There is a cafe that serves alcohol, and a few tables.

The prices are fair for the unique and untimed experience. It was a great way to kill some time before dinner at night. Be sure to check what time the sun sets to get the best views and lighting. Unfortunately for us, the sun set late around 9pm, so we didn't get much city light views until closing.

Gas Works Park

Amazon Spheres

Watson’s Counter

Biang Biang Noodles

Tamari Bar

The dinner dining experience at Tamari Bar was exemplary. Starting with yelp check-in (check in is recommended), our table was ready a lot sooner than the listed time. The restaurant has a narrow, dark and moody interior, with a beautiful bar. The ambiance and vibe were excellent with house music pounding in the background and a full restaurant of patrons enjoying their meal.

The menu changes frequently with new shareable bites. We got the
Hotate Blast
Tamari Bar Sushi Roll
Spam Katsu Bao
Hellz Bao

and other things I forget the name of. We were happy with the presentation and taste of everything that came out. Would come back and easily recommend this place to friends for the vibe, presentation, and interesting menu.

General Porpoise Doughnuts

Mount Rainier National Park

Mount Rainier National Park

Mount Rainier National Park
Sunday, May 29th 2022

We took a day trip to Mount Rainier National Park during our Memorial Day weekend in Seattle, Washington. The national park is a 2-2.5 hour drive from Seattle depending on where you navigate to in the park. The park’s iconic green meadows filled with colorful wild flowers were unfortunately out of season. Most of the popular trails are still covered in snow in June at higher elevations. Hiking these trails is still possible, but require special hiking equipment like crampons or snow shoes. If you’re looking for wild flowers, peak season at Mount Rainier is in August. To make the best of trail conditions, we opted to hike in the lower elevation trails where the snow had already melted. We hiked the Silver Falls loop trail located in the Ohanapecosh camp ground, then visited the park’s visitor’s center in Paradise, next to the Paradise Inn.

Mount Rainier National Park is the fourth national park I have visited. I enjoyed the park’s lush green mossy forests, raging teal blue rivers, and white snow covered peaks.

Silver Falls Loop Trail

Silver Falls Loop Trail is a moderate 4 mile hike in Mount Rainier National Park. Sounds of the rushing river travels through the air as you walk surrounded by the lush green forrest. The roars get louder as you approach Silver Falls where you can witness the power of the water crashing between rocks. People of all ages were seen enjoying the trail.

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/silver-falls-trail

Paradise Valley

Visitor’s Center

The visitor’s center is located in Paradise. Here park rangers are waiting to answer any questions you may have. You can also find gifts and snacks.

Paradise Inn

The Paradise Inn felt like a cozy cabin in the snow. The Inn is rich in history

Skyline Trail (?)

Skyline trail is the quintessential hike to get the most beautiful views of Mount Rainier’s wild flower meadows. In June, the trail and hills are covered in soft knee deep snow that engulfs your leg with every step, making it almost impossible to hike without special crampons or snow shoes. Fortunately, some of the trail was pre-packed by previous hikers, allowing us to explore the beginning of the trail in regular hiking shoes.

Miscellaneous Scenes Around Mount Rainier National Park

The grandiose scale of the mountains, rivers and trees in Mount Rainier National Park is hard to convey in pictures. The massive natural structures were awe inspiring to see in person.

The day trip ended with a visit from a friend.

Mount Rainier National Park is a uniquely beautiful environment with diverse climates based on elevation. The different climates made for a wonderful winter-y June hike. We will definitely be back during peak season to enjoy the wild flower covered meadows.

Coachella 2022

After a 2 year hiatus, Coachella (and live music) are back! This year marks my fourth year returning to the desert.

All photos were taken with the iPhone 13 Pro Max

 

Food

Music and artists are not the only things featured at Coachella. The festival also curates large scale art from various artists, and offers delicious food from trendy eateries from all around America.

We were able to excitedly try

• Prince Street Pizza - Sicilian style pizza

• Bolo - Fried chicken sandwich with a Bolo (pineapple) bun)

• Hattie B's - Nashville style hot chicken sandwich

• Kogi - Korean BBQ truck

Music / Stages

Sahara Stage

Yuma

Madeon at the Outdoor Theater

Louis The Child at the Outdoor Theater

Sonora Tent

Do Lab

Large Scale Art by Various Artist

Circular Dimensions x Microscapes by Cristopher Cichocki

The Playground by Architension

La Guardiana by Ramon and Christian Cardenas / Buoyed by Kiki van Eijk’s

Mutts by Oana Stanescu

Cocoon by Martin Huberman / Spectre by NEWSUBSTANCE

Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree National Park
Date Visited: Friday, November 12, 2021 - Saturday, November 13, 2021

I feel extremely lucky and privileged to live in California, home of nine national parks! Joshua Tree National Park is the third national park I have visited. The park is located in southern California, just two hours east of Los Angeles near Coachella valley. Named for the region’s twisted, bristled Joshua trees, the park is littered with thousands of the namesake trees as far as your eyes can see, interrupted only by the numerous gigantic, other worldly rock formations. Visiting in Fall / Winter was perfect and recommended, as the temperature never rose above unbearable.

Joshua Tree Visitor Center

Before entering the park, we stopped by the visitor center for souvenirs and park information. Knowledgeable park rangers were waiting outside the entrance to help guests with trail suggestions and general questions.

Cap Rock

Cap rock is an easy 0.4-mile loop trail with a view of a large rock formation with a smaller, flat rock balancing on top of it. https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/cap-rock-trail

Hidden Valley Trail

Hidden Valley trail is an easy 1.0 mile loop with great views of Joshua Trees and huge rock walls of which you may see rock climbers traversing. Hidden valley is a great name for this trail, as it feels like you’ve been transported into a magically quiet landscape in the middle of nowhere. Surrounding the valley are fun blocks of rocks that just inviting you to climb them.

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/hidden-valley-nature-trail?ref=result-card

Cholla Cactus Garden

Cholla cactus may seem like friendly, furry teddy bears, but be very cautious around them. Along the perimeter of the cactus garden are signs warning tourists of the ‘jumping’ nature of the cactus needles. The best time to visit the Cholla Cactus gardens is during sunrise, when the sun rises perfectly behind the cacti, making the ‘fur’ glow a brilliant golden hue.

Night Photography

Joshua Tree National Park is an astrophotographer’s dream. With light pollution at a low, the milky way can be visible with the naked eye. We did not account for the moon’s cycle, so you may have to wait until the early AM for complete darkness when the moon is over the hemisphere.

Arch Rock Nature Trail

Another jumbo rock playground. A must visit.

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/arch-rock-trail--2?ref=result-card

Keys Point

Key’s point may be the most crowded location and visited location in the park. Key’s point is the go to sunset spot, with a high elevation and views of the Coachella Valley. Something about watching the sunset on Key’s point with a large group of travelers from all around the world did feel like a spiritual experience.