Howdy friends, and happy Tuesday! We’re back in San Diego and I’m already itching to get back on the road. I have a serious case of wanderlust! Today I want to travel back in time to a hike we did in Pt. Reyes to Alamere Falls. It was roughly 11 miles round trip (according to my runkeeper app) and was a truly incredible walk along the coastal bluffs, through the mountains, past a couple of lakes and ending at a 40 ft waterfall that dropped onto the beach. I highly recommend it for anyone in the area- and for all levels of hikers! We skipped the shortcut trail down to the falls and continued along to Wildcat camp, then walked south down the beach to the falls. It added some miles to the hike but we were the only people on about a mile stretch of beach- and those are the moments I live for! We’d love to hit this spot again in the summer because we spotted a rope swing on one of the lakes that looks like it’s too much fun to miss! My tips: be on the trail early as you can manage- we had the whole place to ourselves for the majority of the hike, but as we were leaving there were so many people on the trail in), bring a picnic to enjoy on the beach, if there’s a flock of birds hanging out of the beach- run into them and watch them take over the sky- it’s beautiful, bring a plastic bag to pick up trash others left behind to carry out (ugh, but necessary), bring a swimsuit for the rope swing if you’re interested in taking a pause along the hike for a refreshing dip! And if you’re in SF this is an easy day hike. Just sayin!!! Get at it! Okey, that’s that adventure! I’ll be back soon to share our Big Sur wanderings. xx- Sarah
Happy Monday friends, hope you all had a great weekend! We spent ours celebrating one of our dear friend’s birthday in Pt. Reyes (an hour north of SF). I love it up here- the food is beyond amazing, the landscape is stunning and the light is otherworldly. And my favorite bonus ever- there are deer everywhere you look! We spent the weekend at a rental house with friends cooking/eating up a storm, playing games, and reveling in the quiet country life. We ventured out twice- once for a walk along the coast here and once for a meal at Saltwater Oyster Depot, a charming little restaurant in Inverness. Oysters! Fig Pizza! Burrata with the yummiest tomatoes ever! OH MY!!! I highly recommend if you’re ever in the area. Everything we ate was incredible. See a few of our snaps from the weekend below… my way of taking you along in my pocket. See you tomorrow, I have a recipe for you that I’m loving so hard! xx- Sarah
When we bought our RV the only experience with this kind of travel I’d had is the 2 weeks I spent in a camper van touring New Zealand. Lou had been camping in a tow trailer as a kid, but hadn’t been out on the road in his adult life. So we weren’t entirely sure how we were going to feel about traveling in an RV. But 5 days into our second trip I can tell you this: the RV was probably the best purchase we’ve ever made! I’m so excited to bring you all along with us as we explore this country (and hopefully Canada and Mexico!)- there’s so much beauty in this world, there’s so much to see. I know that we’re incredibly blessed to be able to work from the road and have these adventures, so it’s my mission to make it possible for all of you to live vicariously through ours until the next time you get out for your own. I hope all of our exploring helps inspire your own! Ok, now on for the goodness we found in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Pismo Beach! More after the jump!
We’re currently enjoying Pismo Beach and San Luis Obispo, which are both AMAZING!!! The coastline up here, which is new to me, is seriously breathtaking. If I wasn’t in a committed relationship with San Diego I would totally consider calling this area home! I’ll share more from our trip soon, but in the meantime- a style post. These are the kind of outfits I’m loving for traveling- and these overalls are my jam. It’s a little campy (no pun intended) to be wearing them while camping, but I can’t help myself. I’m a sucker for high waisted anything. And plaid. And stripes. I’m basicallly just a sucker. Ha! More soon…. xx- Sarah
Happy Wednesday my friends! How did we even get here, was it not just Monday?! This summer is going by far too quickly for my liking, I can’t believe September is creeping up on us so quickly! All the more reason to enjoy every minute of it I suppose, which is exactly what I intend to do. Beach days, eating outdoors, and soaking up all the sun I can get. You may have seen here that Lou and I bought an RV! It has been a lifelong dream of mine- it satisfies my wanderlust in major ways, and feels like a bucket list dream come true!
We took her on our maiden voyage over the weekend to San Onofre State Park. We wanted to go someplace close to home for our first trip- dipping our toes in the experience so to speak. And…. it was incredible! I couldn’t love the RV life more, I was pinching myself all weekend long! It was so fun traveling with our pack of animals (yes, Pepito came along too!) and waking up early and taking Bean for a run on a beach that was entirely empty filled my soul right up to the top. I’m going to share our travel adventures here, and of course we’ll be posting on our Instagrams here and here as well. We’re planning on renting out our house on airbnb for the times when we go on longer adventures, so stay tuned for that as well if you have any trips to SD in the works. Cannot wait to explore this incredible country (and maybe a couple others) and share it all with you here! Hoping I’ll inspire your own adventures, in summer and beyond. I like to imagine that I’m taking you all with me in my pocket! More on San Onofre below… xx- Sarah
San Onofre State Beach is beach is a madhouse on a Summer weekend, for good reason. It’s a great place to find a little surf during the summer months when the waves die down and it couldn’t be a better spot for beginners to learn! I love the energy there- it’s Southern California beach culture at it’s best- so many sprinter vans and VW buses outfitted for surf trips, so many little kids who can ride waves with the best of them, and so much mellow energy. Even though the beach is crowded and chaotic, the people are friendly and everyone is there with a common purpose and a common love of the ocean. It’s really quite a special spot and holds a place in my heart.
As far as outdoor adventure goes- I love it but I’m rarely willing to sacrifice in the food department. I have a hard time an enjoying an experience if I’m not well-fed! So we packed up our trusty Weber grill and all sorts of delicious ingredients before we headed out. We grilled Branzino and ate it with a sauce similar to this one and served it with the salad below (butter lettuce, mache rosettes, purple cabbage, carrots, cherry tomatoes, avocado, garlic roasted pistachios, watermelon radish and a dijon balsamic vinaigrette). It was heavenly! Everything tastes better when cooked and eaten outdoors, doesn’t it?! This is how we intend to camp/travel- deliciously!!!!!
I don’t think I’ve worn a matching bikini set all summer- I’ve been all about mixing and matching patterns and colors. This top is Mara Hoffman from a couple of years ago and the bottoms are Athleta (on insanely good sale marked down 10 $14.99 from $49! Now is the time to take advantage of those end of summer swimwear sales! Here are a bunch I’m loving:
This is the beach I discovered the morning I took Bean for a jog. It’s just south of San Onofre- I believe it’s the San Onofre State Park campground- at the San Onofre bluffs. The camping is parking lot camping, essentially. And the highway noise was a bit of a bummer. But all was forgiven when I woke up for my morning jog with Bean and discovered this beach. It was early enough that it was just the two of us and a long stretch of sand. Magical!!! That’s one of my favorite parts about camping- being able to find spots where you’re alone in the world, even if for just a moment. (And yes, I use the word camping with full awareness that what we’re doing in that RV barely counts!) More of this beautiful spot below….
One of my favorite things to do for Lou is to surprise him with weekend get-aways! In the past I’ve told him to pack a bag and prepare to be away for the weekend, with specifics like “bring a book to read”, “pack a bathing suit”, or “you’ll need a sweater”. But I dream of one day just packing his bag and heading out for the weekend with him having ZERO CLUES! The thing is, he’s a way better at packing than I am, he always remembers to bring things like a candle to make the hotel room smell nice, or a bluetooth portable speaker so that we can play music outside if we go for a picnic. He’s just always way more prepared- I’m always the ones asking him to borrow a scarf or if he remembered to pack an extra toothbrush for me (he always does). So today, in partnership with Birdling Bags I’m sharing what Lou would pack for a Summer weekend get- away! (And they’re offering readers 10% off all orders with the code HOUSE10!)
First up: Lou and I are both obsessed with this compartmentalized weekend bag- I have it in this color. The canvas is such high quality, the compartments are great for keeping shoes seperate (always the struggle with duffle-type bags!) and it’s exactly the perfect size for a weekend away! And we love the front pouches for misc, items that get lost in a duffle. Lou usually packs three pairs of shoes- a pair for dressing up, his go-to Vans, and a pair of sneakers for any outdoor adventures we may have. He also packs his favorite jeans, tee shirts, and dress shirts as well as his glasses (something I would TOTALLY HAVE FORGOTTEN IF PACKING ON HIS BEHALF), sunglasses, chapstick, book, magazines and an old point and shoot film camera that we take on vacations. There it it my friends, a perfectly packed weekend duffle for a man! Now, start planning your weekend getaway surprises- it’s one of those amazing gifts you give to someone else that is SO much fun for yourself too! Happy Summer! xx- Sarah
