A week of Reunions

August 13, 2018August 13, 2018 / myrestlesssoles / 2 Comments

It has been a week of reunions with family and friends. I have been blessed with a great family and equally great friends that feel like family. My son just returned home from a 2 year mission in Florida and having all of my children together in one place is my dream.

This is the forced picture taken at about midnight when we finally all reunited. Once we had a great night sleep we were able to visit the Smith Family. We took a picture of Jacob before leaving on his mission with the kids at our house but since then they have moved to Utah. I don’t have the original picture but here is the latest one.

Everyone has grown. We miss the Smith’s and loved being able to catch up. That afternoon Jeff flew in and our family was almost complete. Our purpose for coming to Utah included attending the wedding of Cameron Ernst. You are never closer to friends then you are with the ones that you raised your kids with. The Ernst family has been our dear friends since 1992. They moved to Georgia years ago but since then we have vacationed together and tried to attend as many family wedding as possible. The best part is this is the first time the entire Ernst family and Hosking family was reunited in probably 15 years. Ernst dinner

So fun to catch up with everyone. After all the wedding festivities we embarked on our southern Utah adventure. Before leaving SLC/Provo area we did get to spend some time with my sister and her kids but unfortunately no pictures. Also Alex finally arrived making the family complete.

Our original plan was to hike to Havasu Falls but the flooding in the area closed the trail and campground. I quickly rearranged things and we ended up having a great time anyways. Our first stop was Bryce Canyon. We did a short backpacking trip on part of the under the rim trail. We started a Bryce point and hike down to yellow creek.

My nephew Isaac and our friend Jeremy joined us for the trip. The hike down was about 3 miles. The campsite was perfect. Lots of space and lots of great scenery.

The hike out in the morning was beautiful but a bit challenging. We had to hike UP 3 miles.

We spent the rest of the day exploring parts of the park and trying to avoid the rainstorm.

The looming storm added to the beauty of the area. Just as we left the park the rain hit. We were so lucky to have missed it because it was not just a little rain it was a downpour.

We drove to Zions where we rented a nice home for two night just 7 miles outside the park. Everyone was happy to shower and have a bed to sleep in. (I didn’t mention that the whole time in Provo we camped in Provo canyon.) The next morning we drove to Kanarra falls. We met up with Whitney, Warren and Holland. Whitney is one of the Ernst’s family members and was just by chance heading the same direction. We loved that we got to spend so much time with their cute family.

This hike was fabulous. It was a hot day but once you start hiking in the water and the canyon you couldn’t tell. For this area that is a welcome relief from the heat. It wasn’t too difficult and scenery was stunning. Whitney and Warren hiked the whole way with Holland on their backs. She is the so adorable and barely made a sound the whole time. Dreamy.

I took way too many pictures but it was so amazing I couldn’t help myself.

So much climbing and exploring. Also this is no where near all the photos.

What an amazing day! We all loved it. We headed home and spent the night soaking in the hot tub and pool at the resort. The next day was a very hot day in Zion’s National Park. It reached 111 degrees and there were a million people. Just a different experience from the day before. Beautiful but too crowded and too hot for my liking. We still had a great time and enjoyed as much as we could.

Our final reunion occurred that evening when our friends the Parkin’s who recently moved to St. George let us crash at their place. So fun to catch up. Another family that has left CV1 but will be our friends forever.

The next morning was not fun. Abby, Alex and Hannah left for Vegas so they could fly home. Jeremy drove back to Arizona and Jeff, Paige, Jake and I, dropped Isaac off at the bus stations and then headed back to California. It was a great time with great people and it was so sad to say goodbye to everyone. I love the fact that my children are grown and independent people but I also love being with them. Sad to see this adventure end but I know we have many more to come.

Batteries to Bluffs Hike

August 3, 2015August 3, 2015 / myrestlesssoles / Leave a comment

We had such a great, easy hike the other day in San Francisco. We have lived in the Bay Area for 23 yrs and I am amazed how I keep finding new and beautiful places to explore. If you want a great view of the Golden Gate Bridge (on a clear day) this is a great place to go. It is super easy to get to. The hike is only about a mile but it does require climbing up and down stairs. The other fun part is all of the old Batteries you get to explore. We parked right by one of the old Batteries. The history of the Batteries can be found here: http://www.nps.gov/prsf/learn/historyculture/fort-scott-battery-godfrey.htm You can explore these or you can start your hike. From the parking lot you want to head to your left. The trail is very well marked and easy to find. You want to follow the trail to Marshall Beach. The surroundings are beautiful and it feels so peaceful and quiet. The trail is well marked and easy to follow. It was pretty foggy the day we went but still loved the views. The beach area was pretty empty. I think we saw maybe five people. You can go back the same way you came or continue on the trail up to the Presidio Coastal trail and make it a loop. On the other side there is another old Battery. My kids loved climbing around these. I can imagine younger ones having a blast. Once at the top, you follow the trail along the road back to your car. If you have more time you can hike over to the Golden Gate Bridge observation area.

Here are the direction to Langdon Ct. where I parked. On HWY 101 take exit 439 from either direction. If you are coming from San Francisco this is the last exit before the toll. Once you exit you are going to take a Rt. toward the Presidio on Lincoln. This will take you to Langdon Ct. which is where we parked. It is free and their was lots of parking available.

Enjoy!

Vegas!

May 11, 2015 / myrestlesssoles / 2 Comments

We took a trip to Las Vegas to watch the WCC Basketball Conference Tournament. We had a blast! It was so fun and relaxing. We spent most of our time watching basketball. My husband was afraid I might get a bit restless. It was four nights in the same hotel room. Something we’ve never done before. My daughter kindly suggested bringing a tent if that would help me feel better. Surprisingly it was no problem. We didn’t spend much time there.

It had been a long time since I’d been to Vegas, in fact I think I’ve really only driven through. I didn’t know how many fun recreational activities are available there. When we weren’t watching basketball or trying new eating establishments we visited a few fun places.

We first went to Red Rock Canyon. This is a National Conservation Area. I loved how it was set up. You drive into the park and the first place you reach is the visitor center.

It was full of great information and the people working at the desks were so helpful. There is a one way 13 mile drive that takes you through the whole park. Along the drive their are lots of different trails you can take to explore the area. I wish we would have had more time. It is definitely a whole day adventure or more. We were only there for 5 hrs. It wasn’t enough. We did two of the shorter hikes. We stopped at the Calico II spot on the map and explored and hiked around for a while. We were able to see one of the trails that takes you to the top of some of the Red Rocks. We also saw climbers. We pulled over several times just to take in the views along the drive. The next hike we took was on the Lost Creek trail. We picked the right season to go because this trail has a waterfall if you time it right. This trail was easy. You are suppose to be able to see ancient pictographs but we couldn’t find them. This is a place I would love to revisit and do more exploring.

We didn’t have enough time to visit the Hoover Dam so we chose to go to the Lake Mead National Recreation Visitor Center. We walked along the Historical Railroad Hiking Trail. This was a very easy walk and had great views of the Lake. Once again not enough time to see everything we wanted to. The hope is to return to Vegas again next year and plan a little better so we can fit in more outdoor adventures.

My true feelings about California

March 6, 2015March 6, 2015 / myrestlesssoles / Leave a comment

Today I explored a new regional park that is not too far from my house. It took about 20 mins. to get there. I have lived in this area for 22 years and I can’t believe I am still finding new places to explore. Moving to California was hard for me. I swore I would never like it. Then I started realizing that if I had to live in California at least it was the Bay Area. Now I can truly say this is home and I love it! I never thought I could say that. I think the first time I started having good feelings about California was my first trip to Yosemite. Since then I have been able to explore and learn about so many beautiful places here in California. I especially love the East Bay. Mount Diablo is right in my backyard. There are so many great hiking, biking and running trails all around me. It takes about an hour and I’m at the beach. I can be in Tahoe in 2.5 hours. Yosemite is approx. 4 hours. What could be better?

Ok, now lets talk about Briones Regional Park. Today was my first trip here. I cannot believe I haven’t hiked here before. It is gorgeous. I will definitely be back to explore more trails and learn my way around. I always come prepared with a map of the area and a general idea of what trails I plan on taking. Like many times before things didn’t go exactly as planned. After researching the area, I decided to park at the Alhambra Creek Staging area. The best way to find this parking area is to use the address 298 Brookwood Dr., Martinez, CA. I had two friends with me today. We entered the park and took the Orchard Trail.

. As we followed this trail we came to a fork in the road.

We took the trail to the right. This is still the Orchard Trail but it is not marked well. As we hiked along this trail we encountered a man waving a white flag in a grassy area. When I asked him what he was doing he replied, “collecting ticks from this area to study”. Interesting. I was glad to have on long pants. The trail is nice and wide so there really wasn’t any worry about ticks. There is a gentle climb and as you get to the top you come to a gate and a road.

The trail continues on the other side of the road and through a gate. So far the trail has been very easy. You will soon arrive at a split in the trail. We took the Tonyon Canyon Trail.

It is the trail on the right. Not long after being on the Tonyon Canyon Trail we started climbing. The climbing seemed easier because it was such a peaceful, beautiful trail.

We climbed for about a mile. Near the top of the climb we passed a small pond. The views at the top were amazing. This picture show Mount Diablo in the background. We stayed to the left on the trail and came to another pond. At some point Tonyon Canyon Trail changes to Lagoon Trail. This was a bit confusing because we couldn’t see this on our map. We followed Lagoon trail to the left. It is hard to see it but this trail ends. This is where we made the wrong turn. My map wasn’t clear. We could go left and take Briones Road or right which took us on the Briones Crest Trail. We took the Crest Trail. From this point on we tried to find the trails we were supposed to be hiking. We ended up on the Table Top Trail. At the top you find a bench and more views. The path is not marked but we took the trail to the left. After hiking for about another 15 minutes we came across the Spengler Trail. This was part of the original plan so we thought we had found our way back. We were wrong but the trail was still very enjoyable. We came up close and personal with some cows. This is the point we realized we really didn’t know where we were. I just purchased a garmin etrex 20 and this was it’s maiden voyage. I’m not quite sure how to use it completely but it was very uselful in helping us navigate our way back to the car. I found an old fire road that we took until we spotted a marked trail. We ended up on the Diablo View trail which took us back to our car. We did get lost but it really was worth it. The trip ended up being 7.72 miles, 2316 ft. elevation and took us 3.5 hrs. I loved it! I cannot wait to go back and actually figure out what the original route is like.

Mount Diablo in the Spring? Wait, it’s still winter.

February 12, 2015February 12, 2015 / myrestlesssoles / 2 Comments

What a perfect day to hike. It might still be winter but it was sure looking and feeling like spring today. I decided to hike a trail I haven’t been on in a while. My friend and hiking buddy, Tee, joined me again today.

We started at the Mount Diablo State Park, Mitchell Canyon Entrance and took the trail to Deer Flat. This trail is well marked and easy to follow. It’s hard to get lost on this one. Today we just went up and back the same way. It is about 3.5 miles to Deer Flat. Round trip is approx. 7 miles. As you can see in the pictures the first part of the trail is on a nice wide, well groomed dirt path. It was a bit muddy today in the beginning. The nice wide trail is consistent to the end but about 2 miles in you start to climb. The first part is a very easy slope and most anyone could hike and enjoy it. After you reach the hills it becomes more difficult. I would recommend this hike for families but only the first 2 miles. It is a great hike to take a picnic on. There are several picnic benches along the way.

You follow the creek for the first 2 miles. There is also a side path you can take to the creek to see a small waterfall. This time of year it is so green and lush. Go out and give this trail a try. You won’t regret it!