Ladd Photos

We started off our day of hiking at Montaña de Oro, walking along the cliffs. Then we headed further inland, to the Elfin Forest by the back end of the Morro Bay estuary. We had the mini oak tree forest all to ourselves for exploring.

School is taking on our couch this year, due to the Covid pandemic. We still ran the kids by their schools so we could get a photo.

Baseball seasons were cancelled, but we still find time to grab an unused field and keep the boys’ skills sharp.

With Covid cases getting under control, we decided to risk a trip to the Safari Park. It is hard to believe that it has been 10 months since we had visited, when we normally visit monthly, if not more often. There were more people there than I would have liked, but everyone was good at wearing their masks.

The trail itself wasn’t anything special. The boys had fun collection acorns fallen from the oak trees along the path.

On the way back, a coyote showed up to check out what we were doing. I didn’t have my zoom lens, so I couldn’t get close up pictures of our visitor.

There are not a whole lot of options regarding how to celebrate your birthday in a pandemic, so I went for a hike with my favorite people. We walked down the La Orilla trail which ran along the back part of the San Elijo lagoon.

On the way back up the trail, I surprised a bobcat, who dashed into the vegetation and then stared at us. It was dark so I had trouble getting a good photo, but you can barely make out his pointy ears and yellow eyes looking out from the bushes.

We had a shelter-at-home Christmas, so we missed hanging out with all the family. The boys still enjoyed opening their presents.

A few videos of them opening gifts:

We all kicked off the New Year with a rugged hike along Lake Hodges. The boys have fun trying out their new (to them) camera. On the way back, we saw a beautiful coyote.

The hike up to the top of our local mountain was nice and the views were breathtaking. You could even see the ocean in the distance.

The county preserve was much nicer than its name sounds. The hawk overhead didn’t think it was too bad either.

Enjoying the sun outdoors, first at Balboa Park and then on drive downtown and along the bay. We ended up at Harbor Island, looking at the city from across the water.

We had to spend another Easter at home, due to the pandemic. The boys still enjoyed their baseball themed baskets of treats and decorating eggs.

We spent our first afternoon in Joshua Tree learning about the geology and wildlife at the visitor center. Then we did a short hike to Barker Dam, getting some up close experience with joshua trees and meeting some friendly ground squirrels.

A cool desert iguana greeted us at the desert oasis we explored to kick off our second day of the trip. Then we headed further into the park, to hike amongst and climb around the boulders. Somehow, no bones were broken in the process.

We finished off the day at Keys View, admiring the dust storm and smog filling the Coachella Valley. Before Los Angeles had so many cars, I’m sure that the view was amazing.

We bid Joshua Tree farewell while visiting the Cottonwood Oasis in the south section of the park.