|| California Expeditions, Frame 76 - 100

 76. Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve (1/1/2021, 2/13/2021, 1/1/2022, 11/24/2022)

• San Diego direction https://www.daytrippen.com/torrey-pines-state-reserve-san-diego-day-trip/
• 1-hour drive, a very crowded place
• Parking strategy
• Free parking right before the south entrance on the main road; arrived at 9:20am and there was none available
• Make a U-turn then right turn into Camel Valley road and there are additional free parking and entrance at the midpoint
• Turn around, go back on the main road and look for the hourly parking $3 per hour, and need 3 hours; this is right above the Del Mar place, I think
• Get into the south entrance, flat free $20, drive all the way to the top of the mountain
• Paved steep road up the hill, the bridges and etc, this is probably an hour's walk
• Lots of trails, beautiful beach scenes, not rocky roads but very sunny, need walking sticks
• Visited the north fleming grove, yucca point (part of the beach trail), whitaker garden
• 2/13/2021, walk all the way to the broken hill to south fork to north fork to flat rock to beach trail back to the parking lot, 17000 steps in 3 hours
• 11/24/2022, walk directly to the beach trail down, take the Razor Point direction, passing Red Butte, the meandering sandy roads take us into Razor Point, more quite than the Yucca point, but wonderful top-down views of the hills and plantations at the bottom; walk back up without stopping at Yucca point and down the beach in total for 13.7K steps

77. Cuyamaca Rancho State Park (9/4/2021)

• Sand Diego direction https://www.daytrippen.com/cuyamaca-rancho-state-park-san-diego-day-trip/
• 2 hours drive San Diego then east direction, take the 5 or 15 freeways then proceed onto the 8 freeway east until you get to Highway 79, following the signs for Cuyamaca Rancho State Park
• Stonewall peak, moderate; Cuyamaca Peak via Azalea Glen loop, moderate
• Easy trails are Big Laguna trail (13.3 miles); sunset trail to Laguna meadow (8 miles), Stonewall mines and lake cuyamaca trail (3 miles), many trails are easy around the meadow with natural reserves
• https://www.parks.ca.gov/667
• https://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/667/files/CuyamacaRanchoFinalWebLayout060917.pdf
• CA 78 and CA79 were winding mountain roads that got me into motion sickness.  The park is widely distributed, charging $10 for parking everywhere
• The lake area is tiny and restricting access, didn't stop over, it's not worth the drive or the money

78. Oceanside California (12/29/2020)

• San Diego direction, https://www.daytrippen.com/oceanside-day-trip/
• September Harbor Days 2-day event
• Mission San Luis Rey Oceanside https://www.daytrippen.com/san-diego-day-trips/
• 50minutes drive to 240 Harbor Street, free parking for 2 hours, note there were several parking lots in the same address, not the boat permit required or anywhere that says pay here
• Walk 20 minutes into the board walk area after the north village; it's a little boring with the vacation homes on one side and the beach / the pier on the other.  The pier is long and made of wood
• The mission stands on highway 76 (4 or 5 miles) at the same exit as the Oceanside beach

79. San Elijo State Reserve (1/16/2021)

• https://www.daytrippen.com/san-elijo-state-reserve/
• A little over one hour's drive to the Lagoon parking lot, address 2710 Manchester Avenue Cardiff-by-the-Sea, CA  92007
• https://www.sdparks.org/content/dam/sdparks/en/pdf/BrochuresMiscellaneous/SanElijoBrochure.pdf
• Parking lot is small with just 10 spots, street parking is not too safe because of uneven concrete blocks; can also park in the upstream apartment complex Cardiff community, then take on the opposite side of the road and start on trail
• The roads through the lagoon office leads to an underpass that can lead to the ecological reserve then the Solona beach.  The beach is tiny
• Walk on to the Solona point (can try parking in that location) for the direct access to the Rio's trail.  The trail leads to the I5 highway then back to the Lagoon parking lot, 51 minutes walking but need to get over the construction site with some muddy roads

80. Mission Trails Park (3/6/2021)

• https://www.daytrippen.com/mission-trails-park-day-trip/
• One hour 21minutes, San Diego direction; I5-I805-E52 to local roads; free parking but very limited in two locations; at 9am, there is no spot left; overflow at Jackson Rd turning right into a dirt road lot; no restroom
• https://mtrp.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/MTRP_Trail_Map_Apr_2020.pdf
• Easy trails are visitor center loop (3/6/2021) and old mission dam (3/6/2021), father junipeto, oak grove, Kumey, Deerfield
• Mission mountains in motion, amid houses on the hill tops, having creeks and an old mission dam; old mission dam has separate parking lot, 10 slots, at the end of the trail

81. Life of Tree Nursery, Southcoast Farm U-Pick (6/26/2021)

• 40 minues drive, exit 82 to route 79 then another 7.5 miles then turn left
• Farm site is on the right, drive slowly, with strawberries, corns, tomatoes, $5 to park car and $5 per pound on strawberries
• The Farm also has farm stand for more fresh produce for sale at Dana Point, it's located in a shopping plaza, the selections are very small, not worth the drive

82. Little Saigon Asian Garden Night Market (7/10/2021)

• The address is 9200 Bolsa Ave Asian Garden Mall plaza.  The parking lot was huge at the back end of the building, enter through Bishop street or google map position the auto shop place, there is also street parking spaces
• Weekends at 7-9pm, bought sugarcane plain juice, grilled octopus on the first time
• 6369 Bolsa has a dessert store; overall a family summer fair, very culture-driven, all so pleasing

83. Newport Beach Inspiration Point, CDM (12/5/2020)

• Set direction to Sherman library and garden on Fernleaf.  Street parking only between Dahlia and Goldrop and First street
• The flowery bridge passway connecting the 2nd and the 3rd tier of the rocks of streets are at Goldrop
• Walk into newport CDM beach, into inspiration point and into the Poppy street where things end with a neighborhood public beach access

84. Big Dalton Dam Trail, Angeles National Forest (12/12/2020)

• 45min drive on I5 then 57N then the neighborhoods.  There are multiple parking places, one on the main road (dirt road and busy) or turn in the wilderness park and park several stopping points along the main road of the big dalton
• Four easy trails along the Big Dalton trails, leading to the construction of the dam, then it was closed
• Need the walking stick and good shoes, go the rough road and come back on the paved driveway, 1mile each way, about 6000 steps
• Saw the fall season foliage and many wooden bridges, well maintained and spacious
• Neighborhood is a little strange, it's close to the edge of the mountain central CA area

85. Manhattan Beach (12/19/2020, 6/2/2022, 6/26/2022, 11/13/2022)

• 45min drive on 405 then get into the Manhattan beach blvd for three miles, till the end but find parking on the other side on the street just street parking
• Well developed small town with trendy and active living style shops, sketches, lorna jane etc
• Hilly streets leading to the beach and the pier; vacation villas all along the bike trail and boardwalk on the upper level
• Surfers' heaven with people wearing black sharkskin surfing suits, barefoot and boards walking in and out of the water, active living when you have youth and money
• Walked the north end from the pier, and a good place to explore the south next time
• (6/2/2022) Drive to the end of the Manhattan beach blvd (at pier), see the Von's parking lot, then turn left into the Union Bank lanes.  There may be a few free street parking spots in the neighborhood.  Walked the south part, 10K steps out and back, from the 30xth street to the 10xth street with lots of beach volleyball courts
• (6/26/2022) Parked in front of the Union Bank at 830AM.  Then walked the north past the City of Los Angeles Water and Power Steam Plant, round trip 11000 steps

86. Riverside Fairmount Park

• 40min drive on 91 reaching 60 and 215 at 2601 Fairmount Blvd; 
• Parking situation is unknown

87. 626 Night Market at Arcadia San Anita Park (7/17/2021)

• 48 miles, one hour drive, enter from the east entrance at the sign of gate 5, then park as close to the entrance as possible; advanced ticket purchase 5.75 from website
• The town of Arcadia is close to Pasadena, mountain area, lots of power grids, asian resources but this place feels old
• About four rows of food vendors and food trucks in a spacious playground, no shade, very hot, high wind; food was very over priced, about 50% higher than the usual places, service members are mostly kids from the summer camps, they assemble the pre-made pieces into the finished products; lots of grill, lots of drink places
• Norigamitaco, yakitori-yada, lamb kabob, shin sen yakitori are the four places I've tried food
• Good fortune supermarket is not the place for me, just about 8 minutes drive
• I605 connects I5 and I405, 50min to come back home

88. Angeles Stadium Anaheim for baseball game (7/16/2021)

• Within 30min drive, heavy traffic, stadium holds 45000 people, $10/$20 parking, all unmarked; move the car in the right lane when turning left
• At least 5 gates, suites are located at level 3, lots of food and drink concession places
• The lamp post in the parking lot has some faint marks, so look around and mark where the car is parked
• Suite 23 is under the shade in the 5-8pm hours in July
• It says the stadium may have college football and concert events, but there are non of them going far into the September month

89. Ojai, spring time is the best, sunday for farmers market

• 2 hours drive to the north of LA
• Trail - Ventura river preserve river view; rose valley falls (not that easy) tucked in the Los Padres National Forest this 1.1-mile out-and-back hike is easy enough for the whole family to enjoy – except for small children (it's not stroller or wheelchair accessible)
• If you're looking for an easy place to hike near town, head to Ojai Meadows Preserve for majestic mountain scenery and spring wild flowers
• Ojai certified farmers market
• https://www.planetware.com/california/top-rated-things-to-do-in-ojai-us-ca-564.htm

90. Malibu Rock Pool and Century Lake Trail (12/30/2020)

• https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/rock-pool-and-century-lake-trails
• Easy, 4.4 miles, $3/hr parking fee, max $12, 1.36 hours
• Rock pool, visitor center, century lake, mash site (another 1.1 miles away) and regan ranch (2 miles+)
• The Rock pool and century lake took 2 hours and involved fairly steep climbs
• College kids rock climbing and mountain expeditions

91. Heart Rock Trail (12/31/2020, 6/18/2021)

• 1 hour 19 minute, in the Crestline area; 80 miles
• Easy, 1.7 miles, in the Santa Ana route; the reality is that it's not that easy, requires the hiking shoes as it's dirt road and super dry, very slippery
• Park in Camp Seeley in a small dirt parking lot by the 138 street
• 55N, 57N, 91N, 18, 138, in the same direction as Lake Arrowhead; nested in high mountains, best for the summer season for the high altitude, drive is very winding and use with care
• Turned back on the last day of 2020 as snow covered the main road, realizing the rain system in the monday produced heavy snow and is making the hike very unsuitable
• The trail is not too well marked.  Watch out for when the trail has more rocks on the right side and with a note on it that says so; stand on top of the rocks and look down for the heart rocks

92. The Sign of Hollywood (7/3/2021)

• Set google map to the lake of hollywood park; winding roads, confusing signs, get past that parking sign before the winding roads and uphill to see the lake, then park; park early otherwise the incline will make it even harder to make a turn
• The park is tiny on green grass with the Hollywood sign up small, then walk up the inclining road of traffic to the insbrook trail head; it says no pedestrian beyond this point, but can walk in, just follow the group
• Walk carefully for car traffic, all the way in, until coming to a roundabout, do not turn right, keep straight at the left side, get past several houses (on the left side or fork of roads).  There is a small entry in between two private lanes that is the open access to the trail and the stopping ground with really good views of the sign of hollywood; then return back to car
• Drive 101 then 10E into the san gabriel area for food

93. Vicente Lighthouse at Palos Verdes and Del Cerro Park (2/14/2021)

• 1 hour 5 minutes drive from 405 then 110 south then several local roads
• Del Cerro Park is right on mountain top of the Portuguese bend and requires special permit parking.  The nearby public street parking is always full.  Actually the mountain top trails aren't even interseting
• Instead, turn left into the road to drive down to the cliffs of the point vicente.  The parking lot of the Vicente lighthouse is all free and has plenty of space.  Or two additional places, one, turn into the Oceanfront estate, and then right again into the neighborhood streets, park right there at the mid trail entrance.  Two, park at the shopping plaza right in front of Trader Joe, then walk in
• Two trails, Seacove trail and Goldencove trail, ocean front
• Extremely beautiful scenes, and watch out for additional stop points in the area
• The lighthouse is closed, only open on the 2nd Saturday for tour, the hours are 10-3pm

94. Michael D. Antonovich Trail (12/27/2020)

• 40 minutes drive, San Dimas, California, 6 miles; park at 1100 S Valley street staging area
• Northeast direction has about 1 mile of steep climb to the mountain top gardens; car relic in one side road, crossing 1/2 river streams
• Southwest direction has a lot more, 5 miles of walking and there were river streams to pass as well
• Car hit the wood logs on the parking lot, very displeasing 
  

95. Carbon canyon regional park (12/31/2020)

• 30minutes in Yorba Linda to south parking lot near the redwood trail
• $3 parking fee on the weekdays and $5 on the weekends
• Small grounds with a lake; several trails, carbon canyon trail -> redwood grove trail -> yorba linda trail seems to be able to get on top of the hill and have birds eye view of the area
• Dirt road, mostly flat, is ok without the hiking sticks; park at the redwood grove trail side is a good one

96. Oso Creek Trail, Mission Viejo (1/10/2021)

• 20minutes drive on I5 to exit 88 then get onto Margarite parkway
• Two parking places - 1) High ground coffee shopping plaza directly leading to Oso creek trail head right away in 3 minutes 2) Thomos Potocki art center parking lot, leading to Oso creek trail in about 10 minutes
• Lots of trail exits and roundabouts, 1.5miles to Pavion Park
• https://funorangecountyparks.com/pavion-park-mission-viejo.html

97. Catalina Island (7/23/2021)

• Catalina Flyer, prepaid tickets with discounts and park mobile prepaid permit; an alternative is the Catalina Express, departing from Dana Point or Long Island; look for potentially birthday discounts
• Arrive at least 40 minutes to be in the line for boarding, tail end outside is the best position for seasickness or inside the bottom level towards the middle
• The trip was 1.5 hours between fast speed and slow speed 
• Golf cart rentals are white (weekdays 2 hours plus one hour free) and blue (efficient, good either way); follow the map for returning routes and they time the return for cash returns
• Golf cart ride was very enjoyable, small island place, next time, try the descanso beach club place for eating and beach sitting; also try the other two harbors for visiting
• Hotels are really nice on the hill, full of characters but not sure how they will travel in between the town and the hotel

98. Laguna Beach and Farmers Market (1/30/2021)

• 21min drive from 405 into 133 before Spectrum, then 8 miles, turn left into Lot 11 of the farmers market
• Free parking before 12pm on Saturdays.  Small farmers market, veggies, emphinadas, coffee, bread; good potato and tomato stands
• Walk to the main beach and go left into Heisler park and there are several staircases to walk-downs, really good for picnic, beautiful scenes in the Bird Rock etc
• Drive south for another 1.5-2 miles, about 1.9 miles away from Mission Hospital, right before arriving at the West Street, there may be street parking and there is a "coastal access" staircase, it's steep but safe, leading to a secluded beach place, quiet, but waves could be big and upcoming
• In between west street and back the main, treasure island is around, and try to find parking right outside of the official parking place

99. Pacific Airshow at Huntington Beach (10/2/2021)

• Parked at 1416 Hungtington street; lots of street parking for free, 1400s at Oswego and Hungtington, 35min walk into the show at gate A (close to the Huntington beach pier); must arrive at 10am
• $25 ticket may get to the beach and to the main stage views better, but it's not mandatory and in between gate A and the pier is a good spot
• Thunderbirds, Blue Angel, Snowbirds all in one show, rare event
• Pacific airshow website and app

100. Downtown Disneyland District (12/24/2020)

• 2020 Christmas opens up the downtown shopping center and part of the adventure park; follow parking on google map and $10 parking
• It's all around 6000 steps, many shops have separate entrance and exit, also requires waiting in line
• Star wars trade post has the resistance force landing zone with gears etc
• On the way back, visited Trieu Chao restaurant for a pound of beef balls and a pound of fish balls and a bowl of house special noodle