We decided to drive from Los Angeles and we left early enough that we arrived in the town of Napa about 1:00 p.m.  We stopped near the revitalized Riverfront and stretched our legs on a short walk, stopping in the Napa Visitor’s Center to pick up some maps and guidebooks.  The super friendly volunteers clued us into some good stops and even had coupons for tastings at some of the wineries we planned to visit.

We didn’t linger in Napa long, as we had a 2:00 p.m. appointment for a tasting at Vine Cliff Winery, a short and lovely drive up the Silverado Trail.  Napa Valley has hundreds of wineries.  Each has their own personality and tasting experience.  Some require appointments, others are open for walk-ins.  Just because an appointment is required, though, doesn’t mean it’s stuffy or formal.  You can often make an appointment the same day you want to visit, sometimes even calling from the entrance to see if there is any availability right when you arrive.

From the instant we pulled into Vine Cliff, I felt like our vacation started!  We walked toward the tasting room and Maryann greeted us with a glass of wine and invited us to relax at an outdoor table, enjoying the views of golden grape vines curving down to the valley.

We strolled through the vineyards, tasting some of the product of the that amazing fruit. . .

. . . and then we headed to our next destination, a few miles north on the Silverado Trail, Mumm Napa.  Mumm makes sparkling wines and is open to the public, with no reservation necessary.  Rather than sit down and stroll through the vineyards with the winemakers, however, you get to enjoy a taste of bubbly on a beautiful patio.  They offer several tours daily, but we were too late in the afternoon to catch one.  We were not too late, though, for a stroll through the Fine Art Photography gallery they have on site, featuring works of Ansel Adams and rotating local artists.

As the afternoon was getting later, we continued up the Silverado Trail to find a great vantage point for sunset.  Maryann at Vine Cliff recommended Auberge du Soleil.  We had a dinner reservation for later that evening there, but since it would be dark, we decided to stop early for some appetizers and a view!

After nature’s show was over, we checked into our accommodations and got ready for dinner, heading back for a late dinner at Auberge.  Before our trip, I spent hours researching the best wineries, best restaurants, best activities and more.  With so much to offer, and only 48 hours to spend in Napa, I felt huge pressure to plan the perfect itinerary.  Auberge du Soleil is a Michelin-starred restaurant, but not quite as high-brow (or as tough to get into) as French Laundry.

After we were seated, the waiter came out with not only one delicious teaser, courtesy of the chef, but two!  I’m a bit of a foodie and after watching several seasons of Top Chef, I knew an amuse bouche when I saw it!  And just after taking that delectable bite, I looked up from our table and notice that Tom Collichio, who just happens to be a celebrity chef and judge on Top Chef, was sitting two tables over.  That’s when I realized that my research had paid off and I had picked a good place for dinner!

We retired for the night in our room in St. Helena at The Wine Country Inn.  Waking up the next morning, we were greeted with the most amazing scene off the balcony of our room. . .

Nestled right between two vineyards, the Inn was the perfect place to spend the weekend!  We had a lovely breakfast there each morning and complimentary car service to our dinner restaurants each night.  Perfect!   Before breakfast, though, my husband and I headed out for a run, soaking in the gorgeous scenery that surrounded us and burning off some of the calories we consumed at dinner the night before!

Our first appointment of the day was at Viader Winery, on Howell Mountain, which was just up the hill from our Inn and is renowned for producing some of the best Cabernet Sauvignons in the world.  I feel like I must confess that I am a foodie and I do LOVE wine, but I’m in no way an expert.  I can appreciate a good wine, but I’ll also say that I’ve rarely met a wine I didn’t like.  My palate is far from refined!  That being said, Delia Viader makes some phenomenal wines!  We took a personal tour of the vineyard and cellar, sipping wine as walked and talked.

And we enjoyed a quiet, beautiful morning view (possibly one of the best!) of the northern end of the Napa Valley.

After our perfectly enjoyable morning, we drove back down to our Inn and hopped on our bikes for the 2 1/2 mile ride into downtown St. Helena.  It was time for lunch and I had seen Gott’s Roadside Market mentioned on just about every website and in just about every pamphlet I grabbed on Napa.  We had to see what the hype was all about… and it proved worthy!

After filling our bellies, we biked a mile further down the road for a stop at Prager Port Works, unlike any other tasting room in the Napa Valley.  Down-to-earth, friendly guys serve up tastes of the only port made in this region, from a room that has walls covered in dollar bills and window full of cobwebs.

After a taste of the sweet, we hopped back on our bikes and headed back toward the Inn.  Our final stop for the day was at Duckhorn Winery, which was right next to the Wine Country Inn.

Duckhorn has a beautiful tasting room, which looks like a modern farmhouse, surrounded by grapevines.  We had an appointment, but they also accepted walk-ins, and the atmosphere was casual, friendly, and social while we tasted some fabulous wines.  Duckhorn distributes around the country and the world, so it’s not unlikely that you may find a bottle anywhere in the country.  But at the winery, you get the chance to taste (and purchase) private release wines, made in smaller batches than what is widely distributed.  After tasting, we couldn’t resist a stroll through the vineyards on such a perfect November afternoon.

We had a 2-minute bike ride back to our lodging and got ready for dinner, this night taking the hotel car service into St. Helena for an authentic Italian feast at Tra Vigne, the restaurant where Michael Chiarello got his start.  The highlight of the meal was the freshly made (like, seconds before it came out to the table) mozzarella cheese, warm and gooey, spread on the perfect crostini.  I’m still having dreams about it!

We awoke on our last morning and had an extra hour due to the switch the Daylight Savings Time.  We headed out on a run again (I did mention that mozzarella, right?!) and saw some of the most amazing scenery along the way.  It reminded us of Montana in a lot of ways.

After another delicious breakfast (with an egg dish called, “Death by Cheese” — maybe we should have run even further!), we checked out and drove toward downtown St. Helena to explore the adorable shopping district and pick up a few gifts to take home (and maybe nibble on ourselves!).

Our last stop was at V. Sattui Winery, recommended as a great picnic spot by just about everyone who has been to Napa Valley.  It’s kind of like Disneyland for adults. . . very beautiful and manicured grounds, signs showing what types of grapes are what, where to go for tasting, where to go to picnic (but only with food purchased at Sattui), even down to parking lot directors and tour buses.  They had an enormous, bustling and busy tasting room with a menu of dozens of wines to choose from.  Napa is known for its Cabs, and some of the smaller wineries we visited only produce Cabs.  Sattui is large enough to grown dozens of types of grapes (even getting some Sangiovese grapes from a sister property in Italy).  We found several we liked well enough to take home and headed out for a picnic lunch before the drive back to L.A. almost exactly 48 hours after we arrived.

Looking back on our trip, I wouldn’t change one single thing.  It was quite possibly the most perfect 48 hours I’ve spent. . . great companion, fabulous food and wine, gorgeous scenery and a perfect little taste of what the Napa Valley is all about.

*Disclaimer:  this was more than 10 pictures, but I think it fit with my general “10 on 10″ themes, so please don’t hold it against me!  Also, the images in this post were 100% taken with my iPhone.  I did take my DSLR, but only took it out for a few choice “fine art” moments. The iPhone is my go-to for documenting most of my everyday happenings.

It was incredibly hot here in L.A. on Sunday (the thermometer reached 90 degrees here at the beach).  Since we don’t have A/C at home, we decided to get out and make it an afternoon at the beach.  So, we loaded up the bikes and headed for the sand.  Boy were we in for a treat!  We got down to the beach at ultra low tide. . . lowest we’ve ever seen it.  So we enjoyed frolicking on the wide, glassy shores and the viewing magnificent sea stars that were clinging to the beach rocks typically hidden under water.

As sunset drew near, we hopped back on our bikes and headed a little ways north to the fire pits at Dockweiler State Beach.  We had packed provisions for smores and it was time to check “roasting marshmallows on the beach” off of our bucket list!

The real treat, however, was the sunset.  My 4-year-old looked up and said, “it’s like lava in the sky!”

The sky just kept getting more and more spectacular and we left the beach just as the crescent moon started shining brightly in the west.  A perfect end to a perfect family adventure!

Be sure to check out what Southeastern Wisconsin photographer Melissa Schuett has in store for this month!

I guess that just comes with the territory of parenthood. . . we have traded in weekend adventures for Saturdays at the soccer field followed by trips to Costco and Home Depot in our minivan.  That’s okay.  It’s a new family adventure.  My husband is assistant coaching, I’m team photographer, and little brother is there to cheer on big bro and his teammates.  It’s a new kind of adventure

Without further adieu, here are some highlights from Game 1:

So, maybe little Bro didn’t do too much cheering, but at least he kept himself busy!

And by the second half of the game, in the intense heat, Little Bro wasn’t the only one getting a little distracted. . .

Even with the heat, the boys played great and had a good time.  Even if all my Saturdays are occupied for the next few months, if this is how they are going to look, I’m okay with that!

Now, head over to Albuquerque Family Photographer Laura Meeks’ page to see her 10 for this month!

It was a true taste of Montana!  And it serves as the subject for this month’s installment of my personal “10 on 10″ project:

Now, please check out what Milwaukee Photographer Melissa Schuett has on tap for this month’s 10 on 10!

I did take my “big” camera, but I also took a ton of pictures with my iPhone.  It’s an amazing little camera and I love that I can take a picture, edit it, and share it with friends in less than a minute.  Meanwhile, all of the images I took with my “big” camera are still sitting on the memory card, yet to be downloaded to my computer.  +1 for the iPhone!

If you’re on instagram, come find me!  http://instagram.com/amyshertzer  You can search my user name @amyshertzer.  If you’re not on instagram, well, what are you waiting for?!

I’ll also put in a plug for this amazing class I’m a part of during the month of July.  It’s the Phone Photography Project, put on by Big Picture Classes and I’m one of 31 instructors who will be sharing throughout the month.  Today is the last day to register.  Go HERE to do it!  There are daily phone photography challenges (a new topic everyday!), awesome reviews of just about every photo-related app out there (for iPhone and Android), giveaways, a great message board and some amazing, inspiring images and people.  The fun started on July 1st and runs through the 31st.  All of the class material is archived so if you do sign up today (THE LAST DAY TO DO IT!),  you can access all of the info and go back to make up the challenges from the beginning of the month.  But, you don’t have to. . . that’s the beauty of this summer school!  It’s all for fun and enrichment, go at your own pace, put as much in as you want.

Okay, now on with my 10 for July 10th, all via my iPhone!

Our boat launched from Newport Landing, on the bay side of Balboa Peninsula.  We had fabulous views of Newport Beach across the water as we headed out of the harbor.

As we headed out to sea, I was amazed I still got a cell signal.  Even more amazed to see that the navigation worked and showed our actual position out at sea (we’re the blue dot, we launched from the red dot).

The first sea life we saw was a megapod of dolphins. . . at least 300 swimming together, frolicking in the water alongside our boat.

Shortly after we left the pod of dolphins, my poor 4-year-old had a wicked bout of sea sickness.  While Daddy helped him in the ship bathroom, my 6-year-old and I had the only whale-sighting of the trip, a Minke whale.  My sweet boy didn’t seem too distraught that he had missed the whale, he was just exhausted.  And as soon as he came out of the bathroom, he fell asleep in my arms.  Poor kiddo (but I didn’t mind cuddling him and gazing at his lovely lashes and adorable little summer freckles).

I got the only family picture of the day (another +1 for the iPhone — nearly impossible to do a family self-portrait with the “big” camera!).  My 6-year-old was having a good time, despite his scowl.

Since my arms were preoccupied with my baby, my husband took charge of the “big” camera.  We didn’t end up seeing any more whales, but he was ready if we had!

While we didn’t see any more whales, we did have one more sea life sighting — Sea Lions!

Once we were back on land, we took another cruise, this time on our bicycles along the Newport sand.

Our smaller passengers insisted on a stop at this beach playground. . .

We finished our ride and hit the Balboa Fun Zone for some carnival games and pizza-by-the-slice.

Wrapping up our day and heading home as the sun set!

As always, 10 on 10 is a collaborative project.  Be sure to check out Spokane WA Photographer, Creatively Yours for her take on 10 this month

Cindi L.

Hi Amy!  I’ve been a long time fan of Erin Cobb and just read her post this morning about this project.  She raved about your work which lead me here, and I just found you on Instagram and am following along so I won’t miss a photo.  I’m in love with all the goodness called @amyshertzer and can’t wait to be inspired and challenged to get some amazing shots of my own.    I hope you have an awesome day!

Kim G.

I’d love to check this out!

Check your inbox later today for directions on how to claim your free seat!  Thanks to everyone that entered!  If you didn’t win, you’ve got one more chance to enter. . .my dear friend Beatrice of Sweet Pea Hats is giving away 1 more seat! So, stop by the Sweet Pea Hats Facebook page, tell her I sent you and be entered for another chance to win!

Go HERE to to sign up now!  I’ll see you in class!

• dozens of tips and tricks from the pros for taking better photos with your mobile-phone camera
  
• a handbook of 60+ photography app reviews for iPhone and Android, so you know which are worth your time and money*
  
• dozens of project ideas for getting photos off your device and into your world
  
• interaction with 32 experienced iPhoneographers and Androidographers, and hundreds of fellow students in a private classroom and on Instagram
  
• giveaways, contests, discounts, bonus downloads, and fun fun fun!
  
  *Note: Many of the reviewed apps are available free in the App Store and Google Play, while the rest average about $1.99 each. App purchases are not required for participation in the class.

Well, if you haven’t yet registered, you’re in luck!  And if you have, you’ve got a chance to get your registration fee refunded!  I am thrilled to not only be one of the 32 instructors for this course, but to also have 3 seats  2 seats to GIVEAWAY!  What happened to that third seat, you ask?!  Well, I’m excited to announce that my dear friend Beatrice of Sweet Pea Hats has offered to to give it away!  So, stop by and say “Hi” to Bea, and enter for another chance to win!

How do I snag one of these seats, you ask?

LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW and I’ll randomly select the winners on Tuesday, June 25th.

Want an extra entry?  Head over to Instagram and follow me there.  You can find me under “amyshertzer” and see a glimpse of my life. . . Instagram is my favorite place to share my iPhone pics.  Leave a second comment letting me know you found me over there and you’ll have an extra shot at winning!

Can’t wait to see you for this FUN and INFORMATIVE summer class! It’s going to be a blast, connecting with great people and picking up some great tips  Go HERE to to sign up now!  (Remember:  if you’re selected as a GIVEAWAY winner, you’ll get your registration fee back.)

We started at the Museum of Natural History, which isn’t a new spot for us, but is definitely a favorite!

What I especially loved about this visit was my Kindergartener’s interest in taking pictures of all the exhibits. . .

I got the only family picture of our trip with my timer while had a snack break outside the museum.

After our snack, we walked across the street to begin the new part of our adventure with a ride on the metro!

Our destination was iconic Union Station, with its art deco design and proximity to some of the oldest parts of Los Angeles.

We had lunch at another iconic locale, Phillipe’s.  Delicious French Dip!

Then, we walked a few blocks to Chinatown where we shopped for treasures (my 4-year-old found a fan embroidered with a dragon!) and enjoyed the architecture.

A few more blocks and we had a taste of a different culture at Olvera Street.

We headed back to Union Station to catch the metro back to Exposition Park, site of the History Museum (and our car).

Once back at the park, we strolled through the Exposition Park Rose Garden. . .

. . . and wrapped up our adventurous site-seeing day by flying the kite we bought in Chinatown earlier that day!

We had an amazing day playing tourist in L.A.!

10 on 10 is a monthly installment, 10 images (or maybe a few more!) posted on the 10th of the month, with 10 (or maybe a few less!) photographer’s playing along.  So, go check out Milwaukee Photographer Melissa Schuett‘s 10 for this month!

Last month, I participated in the most challenging running event of my career — Ragnar.  It’s a team relay race stretching almost 200 miles, broken into 36 different legs.  The traditional Ragnar team has 12 runners, each covering 3 of those 36 legs.  I did that last year and it was amazing.  This year, we took the challenge and craziness to a whole new level, doing it as “Ultra” team, which means we had only 6 runners covering the 36 legs.  So, we each had 6 legs to run.  My legs ranged from 4.7 miles at the shortest to 6.9 miles at the longest, and all told, I covered 34.1 miles for my team.

Teams start early in the morning on a Friday and don’t get to the finish line until Saturday afternoon.  Our team took 34 hours to cover the nearly 200 miles through SoCal from Huntington Beach to San Diego.

The fun (or crazy, maybe?!) part is that your team is responsible for getting each runner to and from the exchange points.  So, you rent a big van and after your runner takes off, you drive to the next exchange to get the next runner ready.  Repeat that 35 times, non-stop, throughout the night (along with over 600 other teams!) and you get one crazy fun event!

Runners are a fun, spirited, encouraging group.  And we’re a little wacky.  Ragnar is not complete without goofy team names, decorated vans, tracking “kills” (other runners you pass during your legs), fun outfits (like tutus and costumes), and more.  It’s kind of like a good-spirited, fitness-minded college frat party (minus the booze — that’s not til the finish line!).

Before we get to the finish, though, we have to start.  Our team start was at 6:45 a.m. on Friday morning.  I had the pleasure of being Runner #1 for Team Hexagon[e] (a nod to our 6-person Ultra status, and that we’ve “gone” a little cuckoo for attempting it!).

Our lovely team captain and driver made us some pretty sweet tutus to sport. . .

And we chugged through the miles in good spirits and with no injuries, even in the scorching afternoon heat of Corona!

The going gets tough once the sun sets.  The fatigue of the miles you’ve already covered sets in and with darkness all around, you just want to curl up and fall asleep.  But, there are miles ahead and mile to tick through, so you deliriously chug on. . .

And once the dawn comes on Saturday, it brings a renewed hope that you’re through the tough part and that you will actually make it to the finish line!

But you still take every chance you can to catch some zzzzzz’s.

When you hit your last leg, it’s a crazy, exhilarating, humbling, and joyous experience.  Proud to have not let your team down, proud for pushing your body to the limit and proud to have done it with such an awesome group of people.  One last hug to send our final runner off on Leg 36, bringing it on home. . .

Alas, 34ish hours later, we reached the finish!!!!!

We enjoyed some pizza and beer, headed back home, slept like babies and woke up the next morning with Ragnar withdrawal. . . wanting to pull on those running shoes and pink and blue tutu for just a few more miles!

Now, head over to Spokane Photographer Creatively Yours for a little more “10 on 10″ excitement!

We spent a day on the downhill slopes, but our true love is cross-country skiing.  It’s a perfect family activity and something my boys have already grown to love.  Seeing them out there on skis fills me with joy!

California Spring skiing is the best way to do it.  Nearly 50 degrees with gorgeous sunny skies. . . don’t forget the sunglasses!

Our old lady dog, Maggie, is 13 years old and still going as strong as (if a bit slower than) she used to.  In her younger years (when she was our only “kid”), she came along on many ski trips with us, so it was great that she could join us on this one.

Even though this is “10 on 10″ I’m sharing one bonus image for the day, the only family picture we got during our trip.  We skied to Minaret Vista for a picnic lunch and enjoyed the stunning view of the Sierras, feeling like we were literally and figuratively on top of the world!

It’s not a true “10 on 10″ without a little sharing, so head over to see what Spokane Photographer Creatively Yours by Kelly Q has for this month!

One thing we didn’t count on when we arrived was the wind.  We brought our bicycles and had planned to ride along the beach promenade, but nearly 20 mph winds deterred us. 

Even though we weren’t on bikes, we still easily got to the Santa Barbar Pier, also known as Stearns Wharf, home of the Ty Warner Sea Center.   

My just-turned-6-year-old is an ocean animal lover and has declared he wants to be a marine biologist when he grows up.  When we told our boys we were taking a trip to Santa Barbara for the weekend, the first thing he asked was, “is there an aquarium there?”  When I told him there was, he demanded it be our first stop upon arrival into town!

With his ocean animal quota filled, we walked further along the promenade, just soaking up the sunshine and gorgeous views.

We watched the sun set through the palm trees, had a fantastic dinner, then turned in early, ready for more adventure the next day!

 I love participating in this “10 on 10″ challenge with some other extremely talented photographers.  Go check out Spokane Photographer Kelly of Creatively Yours next for another fun 10 on 10!

Uh oh, gotta keep your eye on the ball!

Now, go have a peek at Milwaukee, Wisconsin photographer Melissa Schuett‘s 10 for this month!

My 10 this month come from my family’s recent trip to Yosemite National Park.  Right after the calendar turned to a new year, we loaded up the winter gear and skis and headed toward the mountains.  We may live in Los Angeles now, but our hearts are still in Montana, more specifically in the snow and mountains.  We can’t always get back to Montana, but thankfully California has some pretty impressive mountains of her own.

We stayed at Tenaya Lodge, just outside the south side of Yosemite.  Besides being a nice resort (we had a cottage room!), it’s situated on beautiful grounds with miles of snowy trails for hiking, sleigh rides and sledding.  And that’s just what my boys wanted to do as soon as we unpacked!

Another family discovered the same sledding hill as us, and at first I wasn’t too excited about sharing it.  But he offered to take a family picture of us and, well, I think you’ll see why I quickly forgave him and was more than happy to share. . .

It’s not often that the photographer actually gets to be in the picture with her family!

A horse-drawn sleigh passed right by our hill. . .

And the glow of the sun setting through the trees was the perfect metaphor for our trip.

The next morning, we awoke and headed to Badger Pass Ski Area.  It’s the “original Northern California Ski Resort” and is the perfect low-key spot for families to come ski.  Another unique thing about it is that it is located within Yosemite National Park.  So, needless to say, the scenery is beautiful.  This is the first time my 3-year-old got to try out alpine skiing.  My 5-year-old was able to take a lesson and we just worked with my little guy on his own.

Both boys had a fantastic time on the snow!  They also had a fantastic time in Play Care for a couple of hours in the afternoon so my husband and I could do a little fantastic skiing of our own!

The next 2 days we returned to Badger Pass, but this time with our cross-country skis.  To the Shertzer Family, when you say, “ski” we think “nordic”!  This is the 4th season my oldest son has been on skis.  While he’s still getting the hang of the alpine gear, he’s a natural on the nordic skis!

This is the third winter my littlest guy has been on nordic skis.  It’s such a wonderful feeling to pass on our love for the sport to our kids!  He was so proud of himself when he started shushing along. . . he kept yelling, “Hey, Hayden!  Look at ME!  I’m SKIING!”

We had such an amazing little trip, doing some of our favorite things. . . I can’t recommend a winter trip to Yosemite more!  Badger Pass gets 2 big thumbs up as a great place to ski with beginners and young kids — affordable, low-key, no-stress and FUN!  And with alpine skiing, nordic skiing and snowshoeing right on site, there’s something for everyone!

Now, go check out Spokane Childrens Photographer- Creatively Yours Photography for her take on 10 on 10!  Just a warning: it’s not the 10th and I have no guarantee about the number of images she’ll have to share

I must have been quite a sight, because the animals couldn’t get enough of me. . . eye contact from almost every single one of them (except for my own two little monkeys, of course, they wouldn’t even glance my way!)!

First stop was the meerkats, where one stoic pup stood sentinel and my two boys hoped to catch some meerkat silliness.  

The flamingos were housed right next door.  A large flock was huddles on one side but this particular bird, who kept diving for a snack, really stood out against the dark green foliage.

The orangutans are so soulful. . .

And Mr. Giraffe was curious about me, but not so much to stop eating.  He just kept chewing and chewing and chewing.

I’ve always loved the elephants, who seem to possess a certain grace, despite their size.

The chimpanzees were a bit feisty on the day of our visit.  We’d hear a loud ruckus with hoots and hollers from quite a distance away.  When we were close enough to see them, they had worked out their differences, but I bet they’d make quite the reality show!

My youngest and his grandfather sure thought so. . .

The baby tigers aren’t quite so “baby” as a year ago, but impressive none the less.

Mr. Bear was having a relaxing little siesta.  Since it’s hibernation season, that didn’t surprise me too much.

The California Condor’s size is as impressive as his facial coloring.  He was nearly 3 feet tall!

And this little guy gives me the shivers just looking at the picture again!  Green mamba has such beautiful coloring, but I would not like to run across him anywhere other than safely behind this 1″ thick glass!

My youngest son took a spin on the carousel, which gives riders their choice of transportation.  Benjamin chose a dolphin, but he could have picked a peacock, cheetah, bear, butterfly, tapir, okapi or one of 40 other animals!

Now, go check out that last 10 on 10 for 2012 of Spokane Childrens Photographer, Creatively Yours!

We are an outdoorsy family.  We love to hike and camp and just get outside!  While having kids has slowed our pace down a bit, we still like to get out for a camping trip at least once a summer.  This past summer, however, we just never found the right weekend.  The perk to living in Southern California is that the weather is warm enough (and probably even better!) for camping in the fall.  This trip marked a first for us, however, with the rental of a pop-up camper.  We have been 100% tent campers up until this point.  But a few months back, my husband got an itch to put a hitch on our mini-van, knowing that it would make it look tougher AND that we could pull a camper!  So, we rented a little A-Liner for the weekend and headed to Ventura County.  My boys were in heaven!

It was cloudy where we camped, but we headed north through Ojai into the mountains.  We went over one pass and then the sky was completely clear blue.  We hit a fun trail that crossed a stream numerous times, which was quite the adventure for my little hikers.

As we got back to our car my husband says, “Well, we did it!  We found a place near L.A. that we didn’t see another person for over 2 hours!”

As we drove back toward our campground, you could see the clouds oozing over the mountains.  As we drove back up into it, it was so cool to see the exact line of 2 completely different weather systems colliding!

In my opinion, the downside to camping with a camper or RV is that most of the campgrounds feel more like parking lots than actual camp sites.  The perk of going in October is that the campground was only about 30% full, so we had plenty of space to stretch out and the other trailer pads made a great spot for bike riding and casting practice.

It’s not camping if there’s not a little relaxing, right! 

And my absolute favorite part about camping is the smores!

We woke up on Sunday and drove out of the mountains toward the ocean.  We found a fabulous little park and picnic area at Sycamore Cove in Ventura for our picnic lunch.

We had time for a little more casting. . .

Running our toes through the water. . .

Playing in the sand. . .

And we even had a little visitor, right off the beach. . . a sea lion!

When I get caught up in the hustle and bustle and crowds and rat race that is Los Angeles, it’s so nice to have a weekend like this to make me truly appreciate the beauty of California and the good fortune that we get to spend a few years living here!

Even though this was more like a “22 on 10,” I still do this as part of a project with some other fab photographers.  Head on over to check out what Chicago Photographer Britt Anderson has for this month!

As a runner myself, I was eager to go cheer her on, camera in hand, of course!

The race started with a 1 mile swim at Venice Beach.  We arrived at dawn to a beautiful and peaceful scene, the full moon still hanging low in the sky over the ocean.

As the sun came up, the waves of competitors started.  Emily was in the wave with all the women, which was the 8th or 9th to start.

Throughout the morning the waves kept coming, in, well, waves.  It would be relatively calm for a few minutes, then these enormous swells would come in.  As luck would (or maybe would not) have it, just as Emily’s wave started, the swells got huge.  At this moment, I was pretty darn glad I was on shore as a spectator!  But, Emily is a great swimmer and the waves didn’t get her down.  She charged through and came out of the water as one of the top swimmers from her starting wave!

Next, she hopped on my borrowed road bike for a 24 mile trip to downtown Los Angeles.

I hopped in my car to get there and due to infamous L.A. traffic, she actually beat me!  I did make it in time to see her smoking the 10K run (in 36:42!).

She did amazing!  And her efforts earned her a 5th place finish in her age division, which meant special recognition on stage and a nice shiny medal to take home!

As always, you can check out what some of my talented female photographer friends have been up to with their take of “10 on 10″ by following our blog circle.  There’s no better place to start than with Milwaukee Photographer Melissa Schuett!

Before school went back, my good friend and I took a midday trip with our kids to explore this historic part of Los Angeles.  The kids loved searching for treasures at all the stands!

While the adults just soaked in all the culture and color!

The kids made a wish in a fountain. . .

And we checked out some food options.

We settled for a sit down lunch, which had to include a margarita!

I love playing “tourist” in our city, and a trip to Olvera Street was a great way to spend an afternoon!

Now, go take a peek at  Milwaukee Wisconsin Photographer Melissa Schuett’s site for another take on “10 on 10″!

After driving up the canyon, you’re first greeted with a view of Hyalite Resevoir, which never disappoints! We drove around the north side of the reservoir to reach the trail head for Hyalite Peak.  We have yet to make the entire 7 mile hike to the Peak, which follows a creek past no less than 8 gorgeous water falls, but thankfully, you don’t have to hike far to reach the first set of falls — Grotto Falls.  This beautiful spot is only a little more than 1 mile from the trail head!  So we set off on the trail toward our destination. . .

We had happy little hikers and when we got to the Falls, we had the place to ourselves (I love Montana!)!

And thanks to our friends, we actually have a family picture (including me!) at our spot.  Yay!

The aptly named Grotto Falls, has such interesting color and texture in the rocks.  With the sun creating light areas, the shadows, and the glistening, dripping water, it’s such a pretty scene.

The little boys weren’t quite as mesmerized by the pretty sights as me, they were more interested in working on their rock throwing skills!

And rock scrambling skills. . .

On the hike back down, this little orange butterfly followed us along the trail, politely stopping to pose for me. 

After you’ve soaked up some of Montana’s beautiful summer, head on over to Milwaukee Photographer Melissa Schuett Photography  for her take on “10 on 10″ this month!

The touch tank was super fun, even if my 3-year-old was a little intimidated to actually put his hands in the water!

One of the coolest features was the aquarium you could walk right into the middle of!

Once we had our fill of sea creatures, we walked across the parking lot to Cabrillo Beach to play on the sand.

We also watched the action in Long Beach Harbor, as the large container ships made their way to Ports o’ Call and some sort of filming was going on from those 2 helicopters.

I couldn’t help but soak up the beauty of the bright blue sky with the half moon showing its face during the day.  It was a fun trip and I’d definitely recommend the stop!

Now, head on over to Beth Philcrantz, New Hampshire Family Photographer to see her 10 on 10!

Abalone Cove is known for its tide pools, but we didn’t time our visit very well.  High tide was coming within an hour of our arrival.  So we didn’t get to search for little ocean critters, but we still had fun exploring the narrow rocky beach.

I ventured around the south cliff of the cove and found several daring fishermen risking rogue high tide waves for the perfect catch.

And while we didn’t have tide pools teeming with sea creatures to explore, we were still treated with some wildlife sightings.  Including birds circling overhead. . .

. . . and this guy, trying hard to hide in the crevice of the rock.  He was about as big as the palm of my hand.

After exploring the low side of Abalone Park, we headed back up a trail to the south cliff, aptly named Inspiration Point, and caught a glimpse of Sacred Cove.

From our high viewpoint we also caught a glimpse of a playful little guy down below.  I was mostly happy that I had opted to bring my wide angle lens in lieu of my zoom on our trip that day (which enabled me to get most of the images above), but I was definitely missing it with this guy!   Still, it was a fun treat to cap off a fun trip.  Abalone Cove is definitely on our “Favorite Things In SoCal” List!

10 on 10 is a blog hop project with a talented group of photographers.  Be sure to head over to North Canton lifestyle photographer, Louder Than Words Photography by Heidi Roberts to continue the loop!