What happens when the Sun goes down

Earlier in the week, I talked about the amazing night time adventure I had with Emily and Matt up to the top of Watson Peak in North Lake Tahoe to watch the sun drop and the moon come up.  I snapped a bunch of photos and here they are!

This was the moon on my drive up to Tahoe, the night before our ATV adventures.

Our awesome driver, Matt!

The sun slowly dropping.

Huge tree uprooted!

Beautiful.

I love all the shadows.

Matt climbing some boulders on the ATV.

Watson Peak.

I love these two!

Sun flare.

The sun was almost all the way down which left this gorgeous pink afterglow.

The moon slowly started creeping up.

You got the whole moon in your hand.

Lights started sparkling on all around the lake.  It was gorgeous.

Did everyone else catch the full moon last week?  Where did you see it?

Travel Thursdays – Ocean Beach, San Francisco

Last Saturday, my friends and I decided to make the trek to the coast line.  I appeared to be making a weekend out of the beaches in Northern California.  The weather was just too good to pass up and I’d never been to Ocean Beach before.  This is shocking to many people from the Bay Area because it’s such an iconic beach.  Anyway, now that I’ve been there I can say it’s worth a visit.  It’s nothing like the scenic beaches I’ve posted about recently but it’s wide open and you can see parts of the city behind the sand stretches.  There’s also been surf contest held here so you can watch surfers depending on the swell and tides.  Ocean Beach hugs the South side of the Golden Gate Bridge on Hwy 1 and is easily accessible.

There were a lot of people frolicking in the water but don’t let this fool you, the water is FREEZING!

Brie, attempting to test the waters.  She was more brave than me.  I dipped my feet and then backed out.  It’s refreshing but the weather isn’t ever THAT hot at the beaches in Northern California.  It was probably around 70 degrees which was very nice to be soaking in.

Brie and Tuckey.  I love these two, they are the best.

Golden Gate Park is right behind one part of Ocean Beach.

The sand was so soft and warm.

Playing around with photoshop a bit.  I love this picture of these two!

Northern California really has so many treasures to explore.  The beaches just seem so different to me than the Southern California beaches although the weather is probably much warmer down south.  Ocean Beach is a cool place to see and when you’re done there, you could always wander to Golden Gate Park which I find to be extremely beautiful.  It’s lush and filled with meadows and ponds.  No matter where you are, there are always good places to explore.

Father’s Day – Winding the Northern California Coastline

As a continuation from yesterday’s post about my amazing Father’s Day road trip with my dad, today’s a continuation of stops from our trip up the Northern California coast.  We snaked along the Russian River from Hwy101 to Hwy1 on the long, twisted, canopied roads and found treasures around every bend.  When we got to the coast, I’ve never seen it look so spectacular.  The colors were just like Hawaii and the sun was beaming down.  It was a perfect Sunday.

Jenner.

We pulled over at this small restaurant, River’s End, we would frequent all the time when I was younger but we were still full from our breakfast so we just stopped to breath in the ocean air.

The colors couldn’t have been any more outstanding.  You can sit out on this patio here and just take in the magnificent ocean colors.

This is where the river meets the ocean and it’s just beautiful.  Two calming (at times) forces coming together between tides.

The roads are all gently curving to hug the mountain making sure you get every view possible.

My dad enjoying the view.  You can see Goat Rock in the background.  We head there after this stop.

The span crossing over the river.  It’s one of the most scenic drives.  Such a great day road trip to take.

Winding down to Goat Rock beach.

Out beyond Goat Rock there is a large rock formation with a large carved out tunnel.  It’s really cool to see.

I like that on these trips my dad has no problem pulling over to explore and we laugh while snapping photos.  I don’t think he could be any more easy going, especially on such a nice road trip.

The marine layer peeled back even more and the sun soaked the coastline.

Then beyond our belief… A whale popped up!!!!  This was extraordinary.  I’ve never seen one this close to shore.  He/she must have accidentally come in to close and quickly made it’s way out to the deeper waters.  I didn’t get many photos of the whale though because we were just watching in awe.  I’ve never seen one this close before and it was moving with excellent grace.  It was mesmerizing.

Part of Hwy1 matching the coast line.  This stretch is right near the town of Jenner.  It’s a small adorable beach town with seafood shacks and saltwater taffy galore.  It’s about 2 hours North of SF but more than worth the trek.

You can climb on the large rocks.

The sand is pristine.

The curves that lead down to the water line.

Of course I always have my camera in tow 🙂

When I was young, my dad would take me to this beach so we could search the tide pools and look at all the interesting sea creatures.  I was always into the starfish and sometimes we’d even bring a bucket to fill with saltwater just so I could take one home.  I’ve always loved the water, whether it be oceans, rivers, lakes or pools.  I was always swimming in whatever waterway I could find.  Even when I’m not swimming I still enjoy being around water.  There’s something so tranquil and beautiful about it.

This was the perfect road trip and I highly recommend to anyone even if there are no memories attached to it.  It’s beautiful and the things you will find along the way may surprise you.  In one day we managed to see the Russian River, waterfalls, large spanned bridges, the river meeting the ocean, and of course the wonderful coastline.  I enjoyed a great Father’s Day with my dad and I hope you all did as well 😀

Now and Then on the Russian River

I truly feel lucky enough to say that I have two great father’s and mother’s.  Both parents have remarried and to two people that I just adore.  Each holiday I try to split with both sides of the family but since I celebrated last weekend with dinner with my step dad, this actual Father’s Day was spent bringing memories back with my dad.  As a kid, I remember us always just hopping in the car and going somewhere for the day.  Specifically, the Russian River or the beach.  This Father’s Day, I thought it’d be a great idea to head back to some of the places that we had gone to many times before.  This way we’d have time to catch up and also enjoy the beautiful weather.  It was such a great day.

We left around 7:45am on Sunday morning so our first stop was in Guerneville, CA for some coffee and breakfast.  It was so beautiful and right alongside the Russian River.

We fueled up and hit the road again.  Here’s my dad at stop number 1!

Our next stop is a place we used to frequent lots when I was younger.  My dad’s great uncle showed him this place and it’s somewhere we had always visited.  The Caz Sonoma Inn is an old estate that frequents typically a lot of musicians from the Berkeley Music School.  Located in the beautiful Redwood forest, it’s a quiet and serene place to be.

There were beautiful butterflies everywhere.  They seemed to have no fear either, they were fluttering all around us.

The rainbow trout pond.  We used to always come out here and feed their rainbow trout.  We used to fish a lot together when I was younger and I always liked that we could check out this beautiful area of the Russian River.

When you feed them, they start going crazy and fighting for the food.

There’s actually a large waterfall to the right of this shed.  You can’t see it, but it streamlines down from quite a ways up the hillside.  The sound is so soothing.

My dad feeding the fish.

The beautiful lodge.

The tall, beautiful trees!

The long walkways through the forest.

After a trip down memory lane here, we hit the long, windy, beautiful roads and headed towards the coast.  What we saw there was incredible.  I’ll share those photos tomorrow.  I hope everyone had a great weekend and spent time celebrating Father’s Day.

❤ B

Can’t help but wonder ’bout what’s underneath these city streets

Well this weekend in Vegas was a major success.  I’m just getting back in the swing of things and I’ll lead this short week with just a few photos from the perfect Las Vegas weekend.

You fly right into the Vegas strip.  It’s so nice to land and get to your hotel in under 30 minutes.

Cruising the strip at night, the lights and magnitude never cease to amaze me.

Perfect pool days in the warmth.

You get to watch the madness as you take off to leave this adult Disneyland.

It’s peak season in Vegas and the downtown area is booming.  I got to see my wonderful brother and his wife.  Also, I got to see my best friends for Fiona’s bachelorette.  All was right in the world for a weekend.  Now back to reality and I have some MAJOR things coming up this week.  Can’t wait to share with you all.  Hope you had a great Memorial Day Weekend!

Never too late for one of these

Well I was hoping to get this up yesterday for Travel Thursdays but got majorly caught up.  It’s never too late for one of these posts though, right?  I wanted to showcase Las Vegas, Nevada on this one since I’ll be going here very soon with some of my best friends.  One of my closest friends, Fiona, will be getting married this summer and she met her future husband in Las Vegas so it only fit that she go back with all of her girlfriends to remember it all.  I couldn’t be happier for them and I couldn’t be happier that we all get to spend a weekend there together laughing and hanging by the amazing pools with a drink in hand.  I’ve been to Vegas now a few times.  Once for a conference and for another great Bachelorette party.  In the few times I’ve been there, of course I went exploring and shooting photos.

I stayed at the Palazzo one time which is the newer Venetian.  It’s BEAUTIFUL.

Palazzo at night.

Part of the room.  So nice!

Our view!

The pools in Vegas are my favorite part besides for probably the shows, however I’ve never seen a show in Vegas!  I’d love to see the Cirque du Soleil there though.  Maybe I need to add that to my bucket list…

The strip.

The very futuristic mall.  Apparently, the shopping is supposed to be wonderful in Vegas however I’m that big of a shopper and would rather spend the time outside.  If you are into shopping though, you will probably want to go here!

Inside the Venetian.  You can take gondola rides!

More inside the Venetian.  I mean Vegas really thinks of some of the most creative things.

You can also visit the sign and take pics near/under it.

Oh yeah, how could I forget?!  You can also gamble.  I like to sit at the slots with friends but I only gamble about $20 every time I’m there.  I’m not too into the gambling but it’s fun to see all of the lights.

The Paris hotel is so pretty!

Looks just like the real thing but much smaller 🙂

Ballys cool entrance.

The infamous Bellagio light show.  I find the music a little cheesy but think it’s one of the most beautiful spectacles on the Vegas strip.

Caesar’s Palace.

The night clubs are so surreal!  This is Surrender.

Bed/tables in the middle of the pool.

Beautiful light fixtures.

The strip at night.

Las Vegas is a bustling city.  It can be a little overwhelming but nonetheless a great place to explore with friends and family.  There are amazing restaurants and all kinds of entertainment for all ages.  It is the Disneyland for adults!  I still have yet to get to the “old” Las Vegas strip on Fremont street.  I hope at some point I get to experience that 🙂

Happy Friday and have a great weekend!!

Silhouettes

While in Tahoe last weekend with nothing but perfect weather, I got to spend time with some of my best friends.  Emily and I headed down to the lake one morning with coffees, catching up on life and snapping some photos.  It’s so nice to spend time with genuine friends that you don’t get to see in your everyday life.  Emily is one of the most beautiful people I know inside and out and not to mention has modeled for companies like Apple.  Needless to say, these photos of her are flawless!  I have a few more to post later in the week.

This is my absolute fav0rite of her.

I’ve never seen the lake more calm.

Tahoe has half of my heart.  I would love to have a place in Tahoe and in the city.  I miss these views every morning but now whenever I go up there, I appreciate every second I spend there.

Geese.

Out on the pier.

I just love her.

Beach strolling.

Em snapped a few photos, too.  She likes photography as well and actually has her own blog here.

I have many more Tahoe photos from my weekend with her and Matt to post this week so I’ll continue to post this week 🙂

We got it all right here

I’ve been a little M.I.A from blogging lately because I’ve had a lot going on with work and travels but I’m going to be the come back kid this week and hopefully get back in gear!  Coachella was naturally one of the most amazing weekends and it was followed up by another amazing weekend in Tahoe.  Above is me and one of my best friends Em just having fun on a pier in Tahoe.  It was the most amazing weather this weekend and Em and her husband, Matt, are some of the best people I know.  We always have such a good time together and I’ll see Em again when we head to the Neon Indian show in SF this week.  I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and I look forward to catching up on your blogs as well 🙂

Want you to see everything, want you to see all of the lights

For this travel Thursday I thought I would show my photos from Times Square in New York from about a month ago.  I wanted to share these in my week of New York photos but I had so many that I thought I’d save them for another day which happens to be today 🙂  What I had imagined Times Square to be was actually 20x’s bigger in real life.  It was a place that I’m glad that I saw in NY but if I went back, I’d probably focus my time elsewhere.  It was a gigantic sight to see and had so many moving parts that were almost too mentally stimulating.  I left feeling a bit exhausted but now I’m glad I can say I went to NYC and stood in the busiest area and just soaked it all in.  Anyway, here are my photos from the vastly covered in lights area.

A recruiting station right in the middle of the area.

Tall and skinny in this perspective.

The mecca of Forever21’s!!  I did not go in but it’s definitely larger than life.

Walking up the big red steps in the middle of it all.

One of my favorite shows, New Girl!  Chelsea would appreciate this 🙂

Broadway.

The Chase building was showing clips of Ken Block and The Art of Flight.  It was cool to see some action sports being broadcast in such a highly populated area!

And of course, some horses 🙂

What a week it’s been!  One of our morning shows (Alice’s Sarah, Vinnie, Uzette and Icky) won $13,000 through the lottery and the band Fun. stopped by the office yesterday to hang before their shows in SF.  Beyond that, I’ve spent time with great friends and the horses.  It’s been a week where I’ve been able to reflect on the fact that my life is good.  When you truly start doing the things in life that make you happy and you work hard at your commitments, life really falls into place.

Travel Thursdays – Connecticut

A huge part of going to New York was to see where our dear friend, Fiona, who had moved after falling in love with an East Coast boy.  They met in Las Vegas and while she was living in CA at the time, she moved to Connecticut to be with him.  They are now engaged and getting married this summer!  Shannon and I really wanted to get out there and see them before the big wedding (and they will probably move back to CA after they are married).  What better time to go then now?  So half of our trip was spent in NY and half in Conn.  My favorite part of seeing Connecticut was when they took us to the beach in Milford where I beach combed for so many beautiful shells.  I loved it.

Driving out of the city.

Quaint church in the small town that Fiona teaches in.

I love the stone that this church is made out of!

On our drive to the sea side, we passed the largest manufacturer of military helicopters!  Couldn’t help but think of my brother.

We’ve arrived at the sea side and damn it was so cute.

Beach houses.

Keepers everywhere, they just needed a little washing 🙂

Beach walks.

Texture.

They are so cute 🙂

Down time.

I couldn’t ask for better friends.  They are such a huge part of the key to happiness.

Aw the happy couple and best hosts ever!

Crop planes.

Easy coast lovin’ for an adorable lab.