Today I would like to welcome all the Blogtrotters out there to Double the Adventure. I am a mother of twin three year olds living in Orange County, CA who loves to travel, hike, and explore with my children. I hope you enjoy my introduction to the outdoor side of Orange County and stick around to join us on all of our adventures around the country and beyond. If you are one of my usual readers and not familiar with Blogtrotting, I suggest you check it out. Its a great way to learn about amazing places around the world from the people who live there.
When most people think about Orange County, CA, they think of Disneyland, the original “Real Housewives”, and wealth pouring out of people’s eyeballs. I am not going to lie- there is an obscene amount of wealth in Orange County and I have run into my fair share of pampered women but MY Orange County is far from anything that television has portrayed it to be. The Orange County I love has incredible weather, friendly people, and fantastic outdoor opportunities.
The most obvious outdoor opportunities are at the beach. I don’t think I will ever grow tired of a day watching the waves crash as my children frolic and play at water’s edge. Our beaches vary widely from the stereotypical wide spans of sand, lively piers, and bike filled pathways of Huntington and Seal Beach to the grand cliffs and serene beauty of Crystal Cove and Laguna.
Orange County beaches offer everything from world class surfing to quiet places to get up close and personal with nature at the tide pools. Some people choose to just lay back and absorb the rays while others are much more interested in being active in one of the most beautiful spots on the planet. We love to hike so following one of the ocean front trails is always high on our “to do” list.
And lets not forget those perfect sun
sets…
What alot of people don’t realize is that there are many more outdoor opportunities beyond the beach in Orange County. Yes, Southern California is a sea of humanity and Orange County alone has a population of three million. Luckily developers have not snatched up all the land and there are still plenty of protected spaces that are perfect for hiking, biking, and wildlife viewing.
One of my favorite spots is the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park with its incredible vistas, beautiful rock formations and the only natural lakes in Orange County. We love hiking here year round because the ocean breezes keep the trails cooler than many places more inland.
Another great place to explore is Whiting Ranch. You start your hike with houses on either side of you and quickly escape to true wilderness complete with deer, snakes, rabbits, and even the rarely sighted mountain lion (which I plan on never seeing!). Can you believe all of these pictures were taken on the same hike?
I hope you enjoyed experiencing the gorgeous and diverse outdoorsy side of Orange County. We certainly enjoyed having you here and hope you will come back for another visit again soon!
11 comments:
Unbelievably, I've never been to southern California. San Francisco, yes, but no where else. What have I been waiting for? It is so gorgeous! You've sold me, I absolutely must come to Orange County!
Beautiful photos and a great tour!
I love the last three photos, that's definitely a hike I would love to take.
Congratulations on being featured today. What absolutely stunningly beautiful pictures. I, personally, love the water shots the best, but that one with the trail in the middle and the vista view was pretty spectacular too.
Thanks for sharing your little corner of the world.
Oh wow! What a wonderful tour. I love the hike the best. You can see so much in such a little bit of time.
Hope that you are enjoying your day today. Have a great rest of your week!
Kim
The Misplaced Midwesterner
It's wonderful they way you share the best of SoCal. It's the sense of appreciation of what you have, and choosing to enjoy it, versus the alternatives we so frequently come across. Great post, I will also check out blogtrotting.
I admit that my trips to Orange County have thus far been more of a beach and Fashion Island variety, but I'd love to check out the wildlife and the hiking as well, especially with my kids.
Love, love, love your photographs!
Beautiful. I'm always struck at how breathtaking the natural world in the western half of the country is: so dramatic. Thanks for sharing a little bit about your world.
Oh wow, what a great tour. Thanks for visiting my blog too, and yes, it is me that's buds with Debi. Oh I'd love to meet you all one day.
I love CALI!!!!! I have been to Carmel, San Fran, Monterrey, and driven the PCH! It's so pretty and personally I prefer west coast mountains to our tree covered east coast mountains.
Great post! It makes me want to hop on a plane and get back there.
Great trip through Orange county. You paint such a beautiful picture, I so would love to visit one day and not just because one of my best friends lives there :)
Sorry, I'm a little late to the party, but so happy to stop by. I love Southern California, but of course I've really only seen the tourist traps. So great to see it through your lens!
Thanks for sharing.
Post a Comment