The Occidental Tourist

What does a Colorado native, who has been transplanted to San Diego, crave? Trees and mountains! Real trees and real hills. Not the glamorous palm trees that are outside my window right now. Bushy green leafy trees that provide shade and spill onto the sidewalk. Not gentle rolling hills covered in desert scrub. I miss hills that make me breathless and trails covered in pine needles. To satisfy this craving, I decided to explore the Redwoods of Sonoma County in Northern California. After scouring the vast amount of options available in Sonoma County, I chose Occidental as my base.

Occidental is a charming town approximately 70 miles north of San Francisco. The town is surrounded by Redwoods and the coveted green leafy hills. I stayed at the Inn at Occidental, which is a beautiful property perched on a hillside that hosts wine tasting nightly on its wraparound porch overlooking the town.

Splendid Sognefjord

Standing on the deck of the boat, I am surrounded by three different climates. To my left, the sun is blazing bright in the electric blue sky. To my right, fingers of fog swirl and cloak the mountains. Behind me, heavy mist falls obscuring the wake of the boat. I guess this is springtime in Norway.

Norway may not be known for its grand weather, but it is known for its fjords. The largest and most famous fjord in Norway is the Sognefjord. The Sognefjord is also the world’s second longest fjord at approximately 127 miles. Too often travelers only experience the Sognefjord by boat as they travel from Bergen to Flam (or Flam to Bergen) as part of a tour called Norway in a Nutshell. While the scenery from the ferry is spectacular, you miss out exploring the treasures of the fjord villages along the way.

This was my first trip to Norway and my goal was to hike in the sparkling mountains of Balestrand and visit the historic churches of Vik before heading to Oslo.

Weekend Oasis

I was desperate to get out of town. Over the last few weeks, the incessant traffic and concrete fortress of my urban neighborhood was threatening to swallow me whole. I longed to be somewhere where I could hear the birds sing, see the stars dance at night, and most importantly, be able to ramble aimlessly up a mountainside. On the advice of some friends, I decided to explore Anza –Borrego Springs Desert State Park for the first time on a recent weekend.

The town of Borrego Springs is only a two hour drive from San Diego and was an easy journey at the end of the work week. My goal for the weekend was to explore the desert, hike, and enjoy the desert evenings.

The first morning, I woke up shortly after sunrise due to the chatty birds conversing loudly in the early morning sun. With a spring in my step, I quickly got ready for the day of hiking and enjoyed a cup of fresh coffee in the crisp morning desert air. Having arrived after dark the previous night, I wasn’t prepared for the spectacular stark desert scenery that stretched out before me. It was hard to absorb the endless shades of brown and grey of the desert hills, the crisp brilliant blue of the cloudless sky, and the sun glowing in the morning air. Perfect. I could feel the stress of the city already easing from my shoulders.