California Tour: Day 9 San Diego

All photos by Dirtbag Darling

Sunday was decidedly a fun day. We skipped the whirlwind tour in favor of some well-known surf and a tourist attraction. In the morning, we hopped over to Sunset Cliffs on the trail of a hopeful forecast of some 5-7 foot waves. It was a little powerful for me, so I sat on the cliffs, soaked up the sun and played cameraman while Brandon surfed. 

What I love about the San Diego coastline is the clash of people. You've got your shirtless old-man surfers in Uggs, your jogging yuppies, your dedicated dog walkers and your salty dogs. I love chatting with people on the cliffs, it's seriously such good therapy.

California Tour: Day 8 Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

All photos of Dirtbag Darling by The Corporate Dirtbagger

Our vacation-slash-work trip hadn't been quite as magical as we'd planned thanks to a break in and some bad luck, so we decided to mentally make a change and just have fun. After managing to make a flight from San Francisco to Los Angeles (turns out if you don't have photo ID, TSA just requires some sort of alternate identification—for me, a prescription—and an extra pat down), we took a day off and went to Disneyland. It was a nice refresher to just escape reality for a minute and, please, who doesn't have fun at Disneyland?

This weekend we drove down to stay with friends in San Diego and took a day trip out to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. The park is the largest state park in California and the second largest in the country. I'm guessing that's because there's literally nothing out there. It's bone-dry sand, a few cacti and a scattering of lizards and beetles. And it's hot—even in February. Here's a tip: When packing for a vacation, make sure you pack some light-colored hiking clothes. Oops.

Sliding through canyons with my new Roxy Outdoor Fitness bag. I love that thing!

California Tour: Day 3/4 Napa Valley

All photos by Dirtbag Darling

Thinking back, Monday started off like it was going to be a great day. And for the most part, it was! After work we drove out to the Monticello Dam near Napa Valley and opted for an extremely steep mile hike over the more moderate four-mile loop—it was already getting darker and we didn't want to leave our car alone for that long.

So off we went, scrambling up a 2,000 foot elevation change that was killer on the buns and thighs. It was beautiful! We hiked along the ridge to see both sides of the mountain and got some great practice in varying our jump shots:

See? And even though boyfriend forgot my candy bar reward for reaching the top, I had a great time and was feeling so happy to be able to work from such a beautiful place. Until we got back to the car...

California Tour: Day 2, Kirkwood Mountain

All photos by Dirtbag Darling

Remember how I said I love California? Well, I really do. It's just so cool to be able to go from coastline to snow-covered mountains in just a few hours. The terrain out here is so diverse and everything is so huge! Why didn't I appreciate it more when I lived here?

We spent Sunday snowboarding at Kirkwood Mountain, near Lake Tahoe. The drive is was nothing short of terrifying. Snow chains were required but since we were in a rental, we didn't have any. Luckily we made it through the check point. Luckily? Not so much...the roads were covered in an inch of ice that made any uphill ascent an adrenaline rush, and not the good kind. Before we even go to the resort we saw multiple cars in ditches.

California Tour: Day 1, San Francisco

All photos by Dirtbag Darling

The end of January—it's the time of year when most East Coast natives are about ready to hang up their fleece hats and migrate to some sunnier shore (one without ice-coated windshields). Luckily for me, I work from my laptop, and my laptop can be anywhere I want it to be. So for the next two weeks, it'll be hop-scotching around California with me as I reconnect with business contacts and explore my favorite coast.

Day 1: San Francisco
Our trip out West started off with some hiccups. My boyfriend and I both forgot we had water in our Nalgenes and had to be escorted back through security. An inch of snow in Philadelphia meant a two hour delay in order for the plane to be de-iced, meaning we missed our connection in Dallas. But everything worked out in the end and we made it to San Francisco.

Lesson 1: Double and triple check your liquids are empty or in a travel-sized clear container before you get to the security line.

Adventure Log: Old Rag and Little El Cap, VA

So this weekend Corporate Dirtbagger and I took off for Virginia. Yes, it was a long drive. Yes, I'm still exhausted from it. But that's a small price to pay for a weekend of hiking and climbing in a new location (and the bruises and blisters to prove it). Here's a little visual diary of our weekend: