Weekend Tee / Vasquez Rocks

adventure, adventures, travel

Hello everyone and happy Sunday! Today’s post is an exciting one because I got to work with an awesome brand: Weekend Tee! Weekend Tee is a brand that is all about promoting going places & doing the things you love. We got in touch and, after receiving some super comfy shirts, Lyle and I decided to head out to explore Vasquez Rocks.

Vasquez Rocks is a natural area located in Agua Dulce, California. You may or may not recognize it from film and television as it has been used as a filming location for many movies. One of my personal favorites I was excited to hear about was that it was used for scenes in The Flintstones movie! That was one of my favorite movies as a kid so visiting this place was pretty exciting.

We were pleased to find that the park was pretty empty when we arrived. It is a 932 acre park so, while there were plenty of cars, people were spread out exploring different areas of the park. My main goal was to climb to the peak of the rock formations. The view from the top was amazing so of course we spent some time to sit and soak it all in. After spending enough time at the peak, it was time to begin our descent. We climbed down opposite the way we went up, which was a tad more difficult. Once at the bottom, we followed the trail surrounding the formation back to where we started.

While we were exploring, we saw a group of people on the equestrian trails and one little boy riding a mini horse. A MINI HORSE! It was honestly the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. When he came up to the formation he screamed “Oh! That’s SO COOL!” and whipped out his phone to take a picture. There’s so much more to explore here so we’re definitely planning on going back and I can’t wait!

I connected with this brand at the perfect time because I had been wanting to go visit Vasquez Rocks for some time now. Their shirts are super soft and comfortable and perfect for exploring! Be sure to give Weekend Tee a follow on Instagram and Twitter and check out their website to get some awesome shirts for your next adventure!

Day in the Life: Los Angeles

adventure

Happy Sunday & welcome back to another blog post! Today, I thought I would fill you in on another day in my life in LA.

Last Friday, Lyle and I went to Echo Park. We’ve gone to quite a few neighborhoods here in LA but I think Echo Park is one of my favorites. It reminds me quite a bit of some areas in Austin. There’s one street here that is just crazy. It’s called Baxter St. and if you ever find yourself in the area, I suggest you take a drive down it.

It was a surprisingly chill day in LA and we were definitely not prepared for that. I’m not sure how we didn’t realize it when we first walked outside but oh well. Our first stop was at Fix Coffee to, well, get our coffee fix (see what I did there?). Even though it was chilly, I still ordered an iced coffee because iced coffee is just my thing. But then, we sat outside and realized we made a mistake. So, we took our coffee to go and sat in the warm car.

After our caffeine intake for the day, we were off to Echo Park Lake to paddle boat around the lake. If you know me at all, you know I have an irrational fear of sharks. I’m convinced there’s a shark in any body of water, so, going out on the lake in one of those tiny boats was definitely out of my comfort zone. We still had a lot of fun chasing ducks (yes we’re 5) and seeing the park from a different perspective.

When we finished our time on the lake, Lyle had wanted to go somewhere to grab a beer. We found a place nearby and stopped in for one drink. We ended our night with some dinner at BJ’s Brewhouse. I know.. of all places we can eat in LA right? But, it was reliable and we were hungry and not in the mood to try something we may or may not be disappointed in. We weren’t ready to be spontaneous! If you do go to a BJ’s near you though, try the Monkey Bread pizookie dessert.. thing. You will not be disappointed!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed today’s blogpost! I wanted to do something a little different by adding a video. I’m not 100% sure if this is something I want to keep doing, but I figured it was worth a try once. Don’t forget to let me know what you think! Constructive feedback is always welcome! 😉 Until next time, xo!

There’s Snow in Southern California?!

adventure, Christmas portraits, Lori Sandoval Photography

Hey guys! So, ’tis the season for our annual Christmas photos! We attempted these photos twice this year. The first time, we decided to venture out to Sequoia National Forest. I had seen it snowed there a bit and I was so excited to see snow that I forgot all about the Christmas-y theme of the photos. On top of that, the road to a trail we were going to hike was closed. We were able to take some photos, but I just wasn’t super happy with them. So, I went to buy some Christmas props and we went out for a second attempt, this time to Big Bear, California.

I was absolutely in love with this little mountain town. There were so many cute little shops in their downtown and there was a lake surrounded by mountains. There was snow everywhere! The only problem was that it was mostly for the ski/snowboarding resorts. We didn’t know where to park to hike around on our own. After driving around for awhile, we saw a couple park on the side of the road and start walking into the woods. We decided to stop there as well and hike up the trail. It was mostly icy snow that covered the ground but it was still fun to play in. We took our photos and tried to get back to the car as soon as possible because my poor baby Sadie was freezing her little tail off.

We drove around Big Bear Lake and then stopped to watch the sun set behind the mountains over the lake. It was absolutely beautiful! We started driving back down the mountain and I had wanted to stop to take photos of the after sunset sky over the city and it was then that I realized I didn’t have my tripod. Lyle was so concerned about getting Sadie back into a warm car that he put it down and drove off without it. I was pretty sad about it but I realized it was replaceable and not a big deal. It’s better than him putting the tripod in the car and forgetting Sadie on the side of the road!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy our annual Christmas photos! And we want to wish you all Happy Holidays!

Enchanted Rock x Lost Maples

adventure, adventures, Enchanted Rock, explore Texas, Lori Sandoval Photography, Lost Maples, Texas, Texas Hill Country, travel

If you haven’t been able to tell by now, I love adventures and exploring. After coming home from Big Bend in May, I immediately wanted to go somewhere new again. So, I started thinking about trips for the rest of the year. You can’t forget that we’re in Texas and it’s upwards of 100 degrees until September, so my trips had to wait until the fall. I decided to combine the two trips because they were just quick day trips. I hope you enjoy reading about my adventures with Lyle, as well as the photos & video! 🙂

ENCHANTED ROCK

The second the weather was tolerable, we headed out to Enchanted Rock. We drove through Fredericksburg to find Oktoberfest was in full swing. There were so many people walking the streets and so much traffic to get through such a small town. But, we finally made it through and went on to Enchanted Rock. I had heard it was a moderate hike to the top but wasn’t sure exactly what to expect. When we got there, it definitely looks like it would be a piece of cake climb. I’m not saying it was the worst hike, but it was definitely a workout. The climb was so worth it though because the view was absolutely amazing. You could see the Texas Hill Country for miles. We went through the caves and then just sat for a good while and took in all the view around us. It was definitely a peaceful and humbling experience. When we finally trekked back down to the bottom, we rewarded ourselves with a delicious raspa from a food truck. I was happy to have finally checked this place off my bucket list for a visit, but I definitely plan on going back for other photo ops I missed.

LOST MAPLES

We experienced a drastic change in weather during our trip to Lost Maples. Granted, it was over a month later but still, this is Texas. I know I wasn’t expecting cold weather but what could ya do about it. We woke up, grabbed some breakfast tacos & headed out to Vanderpool. The entire drive was absolutely beautiful; nothing but open fields, trees, rolling hills, and can’t forget all the deer and cows! We finally arrived and started out on the trail. While it was still a beautiful day, most of the trails and hiking was spent under all the trees so it was still pretty cold. Once we got out in the sun it felt much better. We hiked up to the top and found yet another spectacular view. We spent a while taking it all in and began the descent back down. We raced the setting sun heading back down and the hike down was a little intimidating. I would definitely go back again and I hope to soon!

//player.vimeo.com/video/112677495