Hiking Anderson Lake County Park

February 20, 2019 By Hollie in Uncategorized Tags: california, hike, hiking, san francisco, sunset, views Leave a comment

I am still catching up on hiking posts from California. Anyway, one of my favorite hikes from the entire trip as the Anderson Lake County Park and Reservoir.

On the way up to San Francisco, my husband and I decided to stop at Anderson Lake also known as Anderson Reservoir. Located in Santa Clara County, it’s a 4,275-acre artificial lake. There are plenty of activities including fishing, boating, and hiking.

While the hike itself is less than a mile to get from the park to the Reservoir, it’s scenic and beautiful. In fact, it was one of my favorite hikes on the entire trip. I was not expecting that!

When we first got to Anderson Lake Park, we were confused and thought “wow this is small”. We missed the turn to climb to the actual reservoir. We easily found it after a little searching. We like to think we took the “car scenic” way.

To get to the top, the trail itself is steep. There isn’t any scrambling, but you do climb quickly. The top is worth it though. I don’t know what I was expecting, but everything I expected was blown out of the water.

You could definitely hike around the reservoir, but we were running out of daylight and time. I would love to come back sometime and do so!

On top of the dam

Dam selfie

After checking out the damn for a little while, we looked over at the view of mountains. You could see for miles, and with the sun setting, it was one of the best I’ve seen in a long time.

In all, it was one of my favorite hikes of the trip and that I’ve done period. Even though it’s only about a mile, it’s well worth the drive and stop.

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Hiked so high, almost touched the sky.

A post shared by Hollie (@fueledbylolz) on Jan 21, 2019 at 5:26pm PST

Other California Hikes:

Mini Trip to Los Angeles

Hiking Calavera Hills Community Park

Questions for you:

Where is your favorite spot to watch the sunset?

Do you like hiking? Where is your favorite spot?

Mel’s Diner (San Francisco)

February 17, 2019 By Hollie in Diners Tags: breakfast, california, coffee, diners, food, review, san francisco 2 Comments

While in San Francisco, I knew I wanted to go to another diner. I hadn’t picked any out, but a quick google search led me to Mel’s Diner. There are a few locations in the Bay area, but the location on Lombard street seemed like our best bet.

When we arrived for breakfast, it wasn’t too crowded. Getting through San Francisco traffic is another story, but the diner itself was quiet.

Atmosphere: A
Mel’s Diner and Drive in the sticks out like in San Francisco. You can’t miss the shiny, chrome, exterior, and the large Mel’s sign. The inside is just as retro, and you feel like you’re in a flashback. There are big metal booths, shiny bars, and tables, and you can see the kitchen.

Coffee: A
The coffee was brewed hot and fresh, and there were plenty of refills. I appreciated everyone from the waitress, to the manager, and other wait staff came around each table to bring coffee refills.

Food: A
Mel’s Diner and Drive-in has all of the diner favorites. There are plenty of breakfast, lunch, and dinner options. They are well known for their chicken. I decided to order the chicken and waffles. After living in Alabama two years ago, and going to John’s City Diner, I’ve been looking for good chicken and waffles.

These were delicious. The chicken was crispy without being overdone, and the waffle was nice and crisp without being burnt. Burnt waffles and soggy waffles are my least favorite.

Service: A
Our waitress was friendly and brought plenty of refills, and the food came out quickly. I couldn’t have asked for better service.

Cost: $
For my meal and coffee, it was $18.

Overall Thoughts/Summary:
I liked Mel’s Diner and Drive-In, and if I’m ever in the area again, I’ll be back.

You Can See All Diner Reviews Here.

Questions for you:
Have you had chicken and waffles before?
What is your favorite diner in your area?

Hiking Los Robles Trail and Open Space

February 15, 2019 By Hollie in hiking Tags: california, fitness, hike, hiking, history, nature, sports 1 Comment

It feels like this was forever ago. While in California, we hiked five different locations between 2-9 miles. Nothing was overly strenuous but each was fun and challenging in its own way.

Los Robles Trail and Open Space is located at the southern portion of the Conejo Open Space. It’s located near the highway, and you would never guess there are over 200 acres in the park.

We were traveling north from Carlsbad to San Francisco and wanted to get out and stretch your legs. When I googled short hikes, I found the Los Robles Trail and Open Space. One commenter wrote: “perfect for when you’re stuck in traffic and want to get out of the car for a short walk.”

What I didn’t realize until later was the trail’s historical significance! On Feb. 28, 1776, Juan Bautiste de Anza and nearly 200 settlers came through the Conejo Valley on a similar trail while traveling from Mexico to San Francisco.

While we were out, we saw several other hikers as well as plenty of mountain bikers too.

The Open Space

Lots of mountain bike trails too

A very old tree

Views

The end of the trail to a neighborhood

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Trying to catch a sunset and eating hair. Typical.

A post shared by Hollie (@fueledbylolz) on Jan 20, 2019 at 6:07pm PST

You Can See More Hikes here.

California Hikes:

Hiking Marin Headlands (San Francisco)

Hiking Calavera Hills Community Park

Mini Trip to Los Angeles

Questions for you:

Are you good at road trips? Can you drive for a long period of time without stopping? (not me LOL)

Where is your favorite spot to hike?

Diner of Los Gatos

February 10, 2019 By Hollie in Diners Tags: burger, california, Diner, diners, food, greek, restaurant, review Leave a comment

Before making it to San Fransico, we decided to stop at the Diner of Los Gatos. It felt like midnight to me, but it was only 5:30 pm. When we arrived, there were only a few parties in the diner which was nice because I was hungry.

Atmosphere: A

The Diner of Los Gatos looks like a diner from both the outside and the inside. When you drive by the Diner of Los Gatos, you immediately see a somewhat out of place diner (in a good way).

The entire inside is chrome, with red booths, tables, and a lot of photos of Elvis. There is a giant cardboard cutout at the front, that I thought was a real person, many many times.

Coffee: B

The coffee was hot and fresh but nothing too exciting. It was good, but there was nothing to write home about.

Food: A

The Diner of Los Gatos has a small selection listed on a trifold laminated menu. There are all of the diner usuals from pancakes and waffles, to burgers, salads, and a few blue plate options.

We were hungry so decided to order the Greek platter. It came with gyro meat, pita bread, french fries, tomatoes, and tzatziki sauce. It came only a minute before our meals, so weren’t able to enjoy it as much as I hoped. In all, it was good. I’ve never had french fries including in a greek platter, but sure why not?

For my entree, I ordered the Garlic Burger. We were only an hour or so, from the Garlic Captial of the Country so it seemed appropriate. The Garlic burger was massive, and there was plenty of garlic. It was cooked perfectly, and I have no complaints. It was one of the better burgers I’ve had.

Service: B

It took longer than anticipated to order our food, but once we did, it came out quickly. I would have preferred to enjoy my appetizer versus taking one bite, and the entree was there, but there isn’t a need to complain about food coming out too fast.

Cost: $

For my entree, appetizer, and coffee, the cost was $30.

Overall Thoughts/Summary:

I liked the Diner of Los Gatos, and it was a great stop just south of San Fransico. I would go back again.

Atmosphere: A

Coffee: B

Food: A

Service: B

Cost: $12-20.

Overall: A

You Can See All Diner Reviews Here.

Questions for you:

Do you like garlic?

What is your favorite restaurant appetizer?

Hiking Marin Headlands (San Francisco)

February 5, 2019 By Hollie in hiking Tags: california, fitness, hike, hiking, san francisco, trail

Just north over the Golden Gate Bridge, are the Marin Headlands. My husband and I were looking for a longer and scenic hike, and so we chose to go up there. We visited during the government shutdown, which meant all of the bathrooms and buildings were closed, but you could still hike or run. There are a bunch of hikes in Marin Headlands, as well as mountain bike trails, equestrians, and if you are bold enough, you can run the trail.

We decided to hike the perimeter. It’s an easy, wide trail, with the challenge being the elevation changes (about 1600 feet total). While we saw people, it was never busy, or crowded.

This is about what we did: Lagoon Trail → Miwok Trail → Wolf Ridge Trail → Coastal Trail to Rodeo Beach.

The loop itself is 7.8 miles, but near the peak, you can walk to the peak which is just over .5. It’s well worth the view and I would recommend it.

The start:

We found a well en route

You cant tell, but the incline is steep!

We added about .5, to see the very top. This area is used for flying and the giant building in the middle is called a “VORTAC”. Pilots can gauge where exactly they are in the air via these areas. It can be used in inclement weather when the aircraft is being flown solely from instruments (meaning the pilot is using modern technology to navigate). You can read more about that here.

Eating a cookie at the top

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If you hike 4 hours without cell service…did you even go?

A post shared by Hollie (@fueledbylolz) on Jan 22, 2019 at 3:56pm PST

In all, it was one of my favorite hikes of the trip. It was a beautiful open trail. The terrain is not difficult, but the elevation and climbing are.

Other California Hikes:

Mini Trip to Los Angeles

Hiking Calavera Hills Community Park

You Can See All Hikes Here.

Questions for you:

East Coast rocky trails or West Coast smooth but more climbing trails…which do you prefer?

FueledByLOLZ

Running and Laughing through the Garden State

Tag Archives: california

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