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Lake Tahoe

Summer in Lake Tahoe: 7 Family Friendly Highlights

September 19, 2017
by Carrie
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Exploring Pigeon Point in Pescadero
Tennessee Valley – A Family Favorite Hike in Marin
Weekend Escape to the Mendocino Coast
Lands End: Best Hiking Trail in San Francisco
Railbike Adventure in the California Redwoods

marquezfiveadventures

"new beginnings are often disguised as painful end

"new beginnings are often disguised as painful endings" - Lao Tzu

This quote has been providing me with some comfort lately. The last year, but really the last few months, and especially the last 10 days, have been exceptionally difficult. I have felt such a range of emotions from fury to despair to sheer panic. But I keep coming back to Hope, because without it, I can’t see a path forward. Like Ben in this picture, I see light at the end of a tunnel, but still have a bit of trepidation. I hope that recent events will be an opportunity for growth and reflection so we can move forward stronger and more united as a country. ❤️

Maybe you’re like me and have driven by Pigeon P

Maybe you’re like me and have driven by Pigeon Point lighthouse a million times and never stopped. Last month, Ben and I finally spent an afternoon exploring the area and realized there is so much more to Pigeon Point than just the historic lighthouse and it’s definitely worth a stop!

🚢 History! There is so much history along the coast from shipwrecks to coastal whaling. Pigeon Point is named after the clipper ship Carrier Pigeon which wrecked just off the coast in thick fog on its maiden voyage from Maine in 1853. There’s a visitor center with exhibits & programs and docent led tours, but check ahead to make sure these are open if interested.

🐳 Views! The coast is worth a trip whether it’s foggy or clear, but if you go on a clear day there are views as far south as Ano Nuevo State Reserve. The Whale Cove Overlook is also a great place for spotting gray whales & their calves in the shallow waters. Humpback & blue whales can be spotted a little further out.

🌊 Beach & Tide pooling! Plan your trip at low tide because the beach adjacent to the lighthouse has lots of opportunities for tide pooling.

🔭 Hiking & Walking! Mel’s Walk is a short coastal walk that starts at the lighthouse. Wilbur’s Watch just across Highway 1 is a fabulous 2-mile easy hike with fantastic views and a telescope at the top.

Add this to your list of places to visit this winter! More details & pictures from our visit in my newest blog post - link in bio!

Ben and I drove over to Pigeon Point near Pescader

Ben and I drove over to Pigeon Point near Pescadero a whim one afternoon to check out the lighthouse and go on some nearby hikes. Our last stop of the day before heading home was the 2-mile Wilbur’s Watch trail. It’s an easy trail with a wide path that meanders up the hill via gentle switchbacks to a lookout spot with redwood benches and a telescope. The views were unbelievable and we could see all the way down to Año Nuevo State Reserve in the south. Ben spent quite a bit of time trying to spot whales and viewing the lighthouse and the moon through the telescope. We made it back to our car just as the sun was setting - kind of a perfect day! 🐳🌊🔭

For me, January is all about travel planning! I br

For me, January is all about travel planning! I bring out my 5-year travel plan and start to solidify our trips for the upcoming year, or at least commit to dates.

We are very cautiously planning out 2021 - here’s what we have confirmed so far:
🌴Florida this spring for my brother’s wedding
🦒Kenya this summer
✈️East Coast annual family trip in August

Planning has definitely gotten trickier with the kids having 2 different school calendars (next year it will be 3!), plus sports and activities. Traveling and spending time together as a family is a priority of mine, but I do try to be respectful of their commitments.

One thing I learned in 2020 is that I want to spend more time exploring locally and traveling within California and the west. So I’ll fill in a lot of holes (like their 2 different spring breaks and 3-day weekends) with these more local trips.

I certainly didn’t expect things to change overnight as we entered 2021, and it hasn’t (!!!), but I am still hopeful that we’ll be able to travel more freely and resume some normality and calm before too long.

Where are you hoping to go this year? I’m always looking for additional inspiration!

Kate wanted to go to the coast and watch the sunse

Kate wanted to go to the coast and watch the sunset on her birthday. We grabbed sandwiches, cupcakes & a ton of blankets and headed over.

As we got closer to the coast, we ran into the fog - and lots of it! 🌫🌫There was no view at the beach, in fact, it was tough to see the water from where we sat on the sand 20 yards away. There was definitely no sunset! But I never heard her complain! As I sat under a pile of blankets looking out at the thick fog, I had a moment of clarity where I decided that I need to just embrace the season and find a way to be outside regardless of the weather. Rainy hikes 🌧...Foggy days at the coast 🌊...Trips to the snow ❄️….Let’s do this!

I love the idea of a fresh start each new year. I

I love the idea of a fresh start each new year. I set my intentions and goals for the year ahead with hope & purpose. 2020 was a trainwreck in many ways, but I hope to walk away holding onto the positives and carry them forward with me into 2021. 🎉

One of the best ways we kick off the new year is celebrating my favorite girl on her birthday! She brings so much life & laughter to our family and has the most adventurous spirit. Whether she’s cliff jumping, snowboarding, scuba diving, playing soccer, painting murals on her bedroom wall, or watching true crime shows with me she is all-in. This next year will be a big one for her - finishing middle school & starting high school and fulfilling her dream to go to Africa.🦒

Happy 14th Birthday, Kate! 🥳🎂🎈This last year was a doozy, but I appreciate how you took it all in stride and always maintained a positive outlook! I hope this next year is filled with fun, adventure, family, friends, sports, in person school & health.❤️

I’ve been reflecting a lot on these top 9 little

I’ve been reflecting a lot on these top 9 little squares because they highlight a big shift we made in 2020.

Up until February, I was very focused on traveling internationally and domestically outside of California. As soon as the kids had a school break we would hop on a plane and leave California. 2020 forced a change and I am grateful for that. Instead of taking big trips, we spent time hiking, discovering hidden spots within the Bay Area, and really appreciating where we live. I’ve honestly found a new love and purpose for this account and my blog highlighting ways to get out and enjoy the Golden State 💛. I have always known how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful place and told everyone that you don’t have to travel far to have adventures - you can just explore your own backyard. But I was always quick to jump on a plane and go somewhere else. This year I was forced to listen to myself and realized while I do love to experience new cultures and discover new places, I also really love California. We do have plans to travel again in 2021, but I expect that most of our exploring will be done right here at home.

🔸Russian Gulch Bridge in Mendocino
🔸Ice cream and street art in Fort Bragg
🔸Golden Gate Bridge from Land’s End Trail in San Francisco
🔸Exploring the Labyrinth at Land’s End
🔸Playing football under the Russian Gulch Bridge
🔸Hiking down to Mile Beach in SF
🔸Summer day trip to Shark Fin Cove in Davenport
🔸Pygmy Forest in Mendocino
🔸Reminiscing on our Maui Invitational trip in 2016 since our 2020 trip was canceled

🎉Bring on 2021🎉

We are currently loving all the coastal hikes near

We are currently loving all the coastal hikes near us! The Cowell-Purisima trail in Half Moon Bay is easy and mostly flat with gorgeous views of the coast on one side and pastures & farmland on the other. It’s 3.6 miles one way - we hiked about 2.5 miles and then turned around. I’d love to hike the entire 7.2 miles next time. The trail is currently only open on the weekends and holidays and is part of the California Coastal Trail which will one day span the entire length of the state.

Merry Christmas!!🎄Today Kate shared her destina

Merry Christmas!!🎄Today Kate shared her destination pick for our summer trip….any guesses??

KENYA! 🦒🐘 🦓

Kate has been dreaming of going to Africa for as long as I can remember. After lots of research, we settled on Kenya where we will make several stops including the Masai Mara where we hope to catch a glimpse of the Great Migration! After a week-ish on safari we will head to the beach for some vitamin sea and diving! 🌊🤿 I cannot adequately express how excited I am!

The great news is that Kenya has been open to international visitors (including US Citizens) since October. So we are extremely hopeful that this trip will actually happen!

This photo was taken at @bbryanpreserve in Point Arena, CA this September. A little foreshadowing of what is to come

Each year on Christmas we reveal the destination o

Each year on Christmas we reveal the destination of our upcoming summer trip to the kids. As the family trip planner, I’m usually the one who picks the destination. I love all the research and planning that goes into it and then listening to the kids as they try to guess 😉 A couple of years ago, we decided to switch it up and let each kid pick the destination and plan the itinerary in certain milestone years: the summers after finishing middle school and high school. We thought it would be really fun to see where they want to go (maybe somewhere we never would have picked otherwise) and teach them about trip planning. I often get asked what kind of rules we have in place for selecting the destination. So far, I have only one rule - they cannot recreate a trip we’ve already been on.

2 years ago, Jack picked Australia 🇦🇺🦘and he planned an incredible trip! We went to Sydney, Uluru, the Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef. This picture was taken looking out at Kata Tjuta during our stay @longitude131 in Uluru.

This year, Kate will finish middle school so it’s her turn to reveal our 2021 summer destination. I’ve had to be realistic with her that while she can pick her ideal destination, there is a chance we may need to readjust depending on the travel situation as summer approaches. Fingers crossed because her trip is going to be epic! Stay tuned...! 🎄

“This weekend, remember that you cannot direct t

“This weekend, remember that you cannot direct the wind, but you do have the power to adjust the sails on your boat.”

As the entire Bay Area heads back into another stay at home order for at least 3 weeks, this quote really struck a chord. I’m super frustrated, but I’ll leave it at that. I can’t change what others are doing, but I can choose how I react. The kids are out of school for a couple of weeks so we’re going to slow down, enjoy the holiday season as a family of 5🎄,and get outside as much as possible. I am thankful that our Bay Area parks & trails are remaining open - if you need me that’s where I’ll be.🥾🌲☀️

I love when worlds collide. This is @_filoli in Wo

I love when worlds collide. This is @_filoli in Woodside, CA (about 25 miles south of San Francisco). In 1914, William and Agnes Bourne, a wealthy couple from San Francisco, purchased 709 acres of land to create a self-sustaining country estate. They named the estate Filoli which was formed by combining the first two letters from the key words of William Bourne's credo: "FIght for a just cause; LOve your fellow man; LIve a good life." ⁠

The second picture is @muckross.house.killarney in Ireland🍀where we visited in 2015 (note - this was back when my kids liked to wear every color of the rainbow at once🌈). While we were there, we learned that Muckross House and Filoli are sister estates! We only learned this because we happened to tell a docent where we were from and she made the connection. Muckross House, dating back to the 17th century, was sold to the same William Bourne in 1911! He gave the 13,000 acre estate to his daughter Maud as a wedding gift. Following Maud’s death in 1929, the estate was presented to the Irish Free State in 1932 and became Ireland’s first National Park.

I love making unexpected connections like this. It’s also a good reminder to strike up conversations with locals because you never know what you might learn!

ps - if you haven’t visited the Holiday Light display at Filoli yet, you need to! It’s spectacular!🎄

Tennessee Valley is a popular hiking trail in Mari

Tennessee Valley is a popular hiking trail in Marin and one of my favorites! 🤩 It’s family friendly, relatively flat & easy, and gorgeous! I’ve lost track of how many times we’ve hiked this trail over the years.

The hike itself is relatively easy: 3.4 mile out-and-back with minimal elevation gain and a huge beach reward at the end, lots of cliffs to explore and climb including some WWII bunkers high up on the hill, and if you’re lucky, at low tide you may catch a glimpse of the remnants of the SS Tennessee shipwreck (for which this valley is named!). There are also options to extend the hike all the way to Muir or Rodeo Beach. We’ve hiked those areas separately, but have never connected with Tennessee Valley (which we need to do!). The parking lot can fill up quickly on weekends so we always try to go on a random weekday or early on a weekend morning. It’s also much less crowded on cold foggy days - go figure 🤷🏼‍♀️

I have a new blog post with many more pictures from this hike (link in bio). This trail sometimes receives negative feedback because of the crowds, but if you notice in these pictures we had the place basically to ourselves! We only saw a handful of other people the entire time and mostly from a distance. We were there on a foggy & cool Tuesday in July 🌫

This weekend we hiked the Jean Lauer Trail which r

This weekend we hiked the Jean Lauer Trail which runs along Pillar Point Bluff in Half Moon Bay. This trail is short (1.5 mile loop), but it packs in a lot: sweeping views, quintessential California coastal bluffs, and soaring pelicans & hawks. The hike looks out onto Mavericks, which just 4 days before we were there, had one of the biggest days in recent memory, 30-foot waves!🌊 It’s also a prime spot for viewing migrating whales! December is a perfect time to catch a glimpse of these giants, but despite our best efforts scouring the ocean, we didn’t see any this time. 🐳

We took Ross’ Cove Trail all the way to Ross’ Cove which extended the hike by about a mile. While the trails are dog-friendly, the beach is not so we couldn’t go down there this time. The tide was really low and there were so many exposed rocks for exploring. It would be a fantastic spot to explore the tidepools! 🦀

Did you know that @postlandtrust releases a free d

Did you know that @postlandtrust releases a free downloadable hiking calendar every year? Each month the calendar features several Peninsula & South Bay hikes that shine during that time of year. We just discovered it last year and were pumped to try every featured hike! We started strong, but then parks closed in the spring and that threw us off until recently when we’ve picked it back up again.

This is Mockingbird Trail, one of the featured November 2020 hikes at Almaden Quicksilver Park in San Jose. We saw lots of oaks, some bright fall leaves, and views of downtown San Jose. The best part for us was learning about the area’s 135 year history of mining activities and seeing some remnants of mining structures.

Looking forward to our December hikes and discovering more local hikes in 2021!

“There's nothing cozier than a Christmas tree al

“There's nothing cozier than a Christmas tree all lit up.” ― Jenny Han

We have been to Filoli many times over the years, but this was our first time visiting when it’s all decorated for Christmas! WOW! 🤩The property is spectacular by itself but when lit up was exceptional! 🎄

We slowly wound our way through the property to admire the impressive light displays. Near the pool, we stopped at the outdoor Quail’s Nest Cafe for hot chocolate. There were socially distanced firepits, seating, and tables too.

Filoli, located in Woodside, is currently open for both daytime (10am-4pm) and evening admissions (4-8pm) through January 3rd, although at last check many dates are sold out! Mondays are theme nights and Santa is there on Saturdays🎅🏻 Advance ticket purchase is required @_filoli. We will definitely be adding this to our list of Christmas traditions!

“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courag

“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I’ll try again tomorrow.”– Mary Anne Radmacher

🌊Here we are 10 months into a crazy rollercoaster ride. Just when there was some light on the horizon and all 3 kids had a return-to-school plan, our county regresses and much of the Bay Area shuts down again.

🌊My oldest was 6 months into his freshman year at a high school where he didn’t know anyone. He was just finding his groove when he was sent home. My daughter is missing her 8th grade year in middle school - her last year with a group of friends who will all split up between many high schools next year. My youngest was supposed to be the inaugural class at his upper elementary school, but instead has barely set foot on the campus and will move to a new school next year.

🌊The thing is, they are all handling it really well. All 3 are extremely independent and are taking charge of their classwork like pros. But there are some tough days, days when they are so tired of sitting in front of zoom, when they say this would be so much easier to learn in person, when my sophomore admits that he doesn’t think he’ll get his HS basketball season this year, when my daughter questions if she’ll have an 8th grade promotion, and my little guy just misses recess with his friends.

🌊But every day, they get up like millions of kids and do it again. They keep at it even though it’s tough. They take tests, complete projects, and write essays. My 5th grader is even learning to play the trumpet over zoom 🎶🤪! The resilience and courage of these kids is unbelievable.

🌊Will this pandemic define a generation of kids? What will be the long term impacts? Only time will tell. In the meantime, I’m so proud of my kids for having the courage to get up every day and try again.

I’ve driven by Pigeon Point Lighthouse dozens of

I’ve driven by Pigeon Point Lighthouse dozens of times, but never stopped. So over Thanksgiving break, Ben and I went to go check out the area one afternoon. We had gorgeous sunny weather and the place basically to ourselves.

The lighthouse itself was fenced off, but we could get pretty close. We spent a lot of time gazing out at the ocean from Whaler’s Point, walking along the bluffs, hanging out on the beach, and hiking the easy 2-mile Wilbur’s Watch trail which has expansive views of the coast! 🌊

Recently I joined a free webinar hosted by @postlandtrust, “Uncovering Ships & Secrets at Pigeon Point”. The talk was given by a State Archeologist and he delved into the history of shipping and whaling along the California Coast, particularly near Pigeon Point in Pescadero. I had never realized how much whaling played a part in the San Mateo County Coast’s history. After the webinar, I was inspired to make the trip to Pescadero just to visit the lighthouse.

POST hosts a couple webinars a month and they all sound really fascinating. I plan to sign up for more 🤓

This picture captures their two distinct personali

This picture captures their two distinct personalities pretty well. They are standing atop a bluff overlooking Tennessee Valley Beach below. While we are high up, there is a wide ledge behind them. On the right, you have one child who was in her element - on the edge, pushing limits, and feeling confident. On the left, you have another child who is extremely cautious, didn’t want to be up there in the first place, and is ready to bolt the second I take the picture. I was somewhere in the middle: excited to be up there viewing the beach from a new perspective but also a little weak-kneed!

We haven’t left California in almost a year, but

We haven’t left California in almost a year, but we haven’t stopped exploring. One of the things I am most grateful for in 2020 is the opportunity to slow down and really enjoy where we live. We have hiked more this year than any other year I can remember. We’ve found trails, views, and unexpected treasures closeby that I never knew existed! We’ve also explored new-to-us areas of California.

Mendocino had been on my list for 20 years and we finally took a road trip up there this fall. We spent 3 days exploring Mendocino, Fort Bragg and Point Arena - all along the rugged Highway 1 coast, about a 3 hour drive from the Bay Area. This area has something for everyone: art, wineries, cute B&Bs & shops, delicious restaurants, state parks for hiking & kayaking, beaches, and over-the-top coastal views. In 3 days we barely scratched the surface and left with a list of things we needed to come back and do.

Our top 3 activities were:
🌿Skunktrain Railbikes
🌿Russian Gulch State Park
🌿Land Rover tour at B Bryan Preserve and feeding the giraffes

I put together a post on how to make the most of a 3-day weekend in Mendocino (link in bio). There are actually more ideas in here than we could get to so this list could probably last you a week!

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