Rock climbing Cryptic, Headstone Rock, Ryan campground, Joshua Tree

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See that big boulder up there. That's where Cryptic is.

JF did it!!

Cryptic is hands down the most popular sport route in Joshua Tree (and in the overall top 10 of the park). Headstone rock stands proud and tall over Ryan Campground and simply begs to be climbed. However, the scramble up is quite sketchy with big drops, especially for short legs. It was a real shame to turn around, especially since there is almost always a line up for this awesome route (and that now, there was only a party of 2), so I stayed down with the kids while JF and Jennifer went up.

The kids found an amazing cave and bouldered in it (then turned it into a two storey house). I chatted with a super nice woman climber from Colorado as the sun was setting and I watched JF make it to the top of that crazy high boulder. The top platform is about 6 feet x 6 feet and you can sit on top to watch the moon rise, then rappel down. What a life we live!

Boondocking at Joshua Tree North BLM

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The girls made a sun dial

Do you see how different the light is in the desert? The sun feels hot on our skin during the day and it feels glorious to lay on the hard cracked soil and soak up its warmth. The night air is crisp and smells of winter. The sky is wide open and the moon shines so bright we don't needlamps. It creates the best moon shadows I have ever seen! No wonder there has been scenes from Star Wars filmed right here!

An afternoon in Palo Alto

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And we think our generation invented technological nomadism!!

First abacus and old computer chips

Playing Ping!

Left: PET the first Commodore with tape! Top right: the first Apple II. Bottom right: my first computer: a Commodore 64.... Hours and hours of video games with my dad!

The self-driving Google car! So exciting! The only vehicle in which you can actually text and drive! It was even nicer to see one on the road in traffic 5 minutes after we left the museum.

We really enjoyed the Computer History Museum. One of the highlights was playing with the Atari Pong game and seeing the Google self-driving car. There are quite a few of those on the roads around here (they still are prototypes, not sold yet). All the adults enjoyed some nostalgia from seeing devices they grew up with - which brought back fond memories of long gaming sessions with friends and relatives.  When's the last time anyone seen an Atari 2600 or Commodore 64? It was my first computer! I spent countless hours playing games on it with my dad! And who can forget those handheld football games (Coleco!).

There are all sorts of cool displays all the way back from 2,000 BC to the mainframes of the 1960s, Cray supercomputers, to the early Altair 8800, and even an original Apple 1! It clearly is more of an adult museum, but Martin made it quite interesting for the kids by explaining to them some of the exhibits, like the Babbage machine and the ancient calcultators, the punch cards for census.

If you are interested, there is a Groupon deal for 6 tickets (Kids 12 years and younger are free). It is a must see when you are at the heart of the Silicon Valley! Palo Alto is home to Facebook, Pinterest, Google, Intel, Tesla, HP, Skype, Paypal, SurveyMonkey and so many more! That is where it all happens!

Then we went to have dinner at an awesome restaurant called Lyfe Kitchen. This chain has been created by Mike Roberts, the former global president of McDonald's, teamed up with Stephen Sidwell, who helped found the meat substitute Gardein, and Mike Donahue, McDonald's USA's former chief of corporate communications, to launch LYFE Kitchen three years ago. So, as you'd expect, Lyfe aims to bring a fast-food sensibility to healthy fare: you order at the counter, go sit down to a comfortable table in a beautiful zen minimalist atmosphere (unlike McDonald’s) and your food is brought to your table in 3 to 5 minutes. The prices are very reasonable. I got a lime ginger chia water (with fresh mint and strawberries floating in it) for $1.50, a side of baked sweet potato fries with chipotle aioli for $3.50. Everything was delicious, from the Crunchy quinoa salad (with edamame hummus and arugula) to the thai red curry bowl and the fish tacos. Aisha was quite excited to see vegan faux-chicken fingers on the kids menu with the sweet potato fries! It’s a mostly vegan restaurant with lots of gluten-free options. The only meat and fish they serve is organic and grass-fed (and sustainably produced). They also serve great local beer on tap.

The chain now has 18 locations and ambitious plans to open 250 more within the next five years. Every dish on the menu is under 600 calories with less than 1,000 milligrams of sodium, and the average check size is $4 to $14, according to the company. Butter, trans fats, white sugar, high-fructose corn syrup and other food additives are barred from the menu, and locally sourced ingredients are used when available. There are no more excuses to eat at McDonald’s when in a hurry!

Then, we went to walk in downtown Palo Alto and stopped for ice cream at Cream for the kids and then to Scoop, a microcreamery (how cool… just like in microbrewery). Scoop uses liquid nitrogen to create their ice cream which makes for a very smooth treat. We loved everything we sampled: vegan mango and strawberry sorbet (the instant freeze from the liquid nitrogen turn the strawberry piece into a gummy bear texture: awesome!), the sweet potato and pecan one, the macha tea…

Downtown Santa Cruz

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Java was terrified of this little boy...

Santa Cruz is a cool town. A very cool hippy-surf-bum town.... There is great food here too, Café Gratitude, Penny Ice Creamery, Verve Coffee roasters and more that all cater to all types of food intolerances you could have. Bike shops and surf shops are everywhere. The beaches are right there. What's not to love about this place?

In the Redwoods

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This is the Frémont Tree, a burnt-out, hollow redwood tree. We could all fit inside it. It was pitch black in there (but we could see high up into the trunk with a flashlight). It was an incredible feeling. I stood into a tree!

As you enter a redwood forest, you are hit right away by its majestic beauty, a sense of reverence and awe. Then, you breathe the fresh forest air. The Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park is a special type of temperate rain forest, an old-growth coast redwood forest. These trees can grow beyond 300 ft tall and live to the mature age of over 2,000 years. It was stricking to see a slice of a redwood in front of the visitor center where major historical events have been marked on the tree lines (from 105 when the Chinese invented print to 1934 when it fell, this tree has seen a lot of history, Shakespeare's birth, Magellan's voyage and so much more). No wonder we feel their wisdoms when we walk in the forest! There is a feeling a protection, an embrace, not unlike what one experiences in a slot canyon...

 

Tour of the Santa Cruz bike Factory

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Last year, we were lucky to have an awesome tour of the Specialized bike factory by the Creative Director and one of the first employee of Specialized. It truly remained a highlight from last year trip. We knew that this tour of the Santa Cruz bike factory would not compare, but it was very interesting to see a smaller production where still so much is done by hand.

Santa Cruz has been making mountain bikes since 1994 and there are still some of these bikes on the trails. They still make parts for these old bikes since people tend to keep them for a while. Good bikes age well! 

If you are in the area, you can rent one of their awesome bike (their cheapest bike is $3500, so needless to say, we are talking about high-end moutain bikes here!) for $20 for 4 hours (and they fully fit it for you, make sure to reserve a few weeks ahead of time) to go ride some of the great local trails. We are looking forward to check the IBIS bike factory too.

Of course, we were not allowed to take pictures, so these are pictures of the pump track located right behind their offices!

California fun!

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Mount Shasta is considered a sacred mountain with an energy vortex. The mountain has long been revered by the Native Americans of the area, who regard it as the center of creation. 

These kids have so much imagination! Playing limbo under a fence!

Biking by brussel sprouts fields

Beautiful, secluded beach.

Two days ago, the plan was to hit the mountains to go to Yosemite, but the fact that we now needed to have chains for both our vehicles (California Law) and the fact that the nights would be well below freezing (and that our pipes could freeze made us change our mind. Two weeks prior, the original plan was to drive East of the Sierras to camp in some awesome boondocking sites with natural hot springs, but we had to change that plan because of the snow and high elevation of most of the camping spots we wanted to hit. So it was back to the drawing board, and disappointed to not visit Yosemite (again!), we decided to come back to an area we barely explored last year. Turns out, it was a great decision!! Biking by the sea in shorts and tank top (instead of rock climbing or mountain biking at 6 degrees Celcius) felt amazing! The smell coming from the crop of brussel sprouts, the sweet scent of the flowers and the sea breeze, leaving a sticky coat on our skin as we biked under the glorious sun was pure bliss!

Her first photo shoot

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And some of the photos taken by Mathilde (she really wanted me to post them on the blog! She was so proud, especialy of the sun burst!)

My friend Mat (check his awesome work here)  and I decided to go explore Salton Sea Beach (another area along the Salton Sea) with our two rookie photographers. 

That place was even more eerie than Bombay Beach, the decaying smell even stronger and it was also strangely more inhabited... The full moon simply added to the feeling of apocalypse of the place. Mathilde and I walked into one of the abandoned house (3rd picture) and a flock of 20 pigeons took off from inside the building, leaving us screaming and laughing nervously. We kept exploring until a young boy came circling around us on his bike... I can't imagine how it must be to be raised in such an desolated place... I could only feel fortunate for what we have...

We ended up on the beach after sunset, playing and jumping the on the very weird moving/bouncing ground, wondering what in the world created that weird underground movement... 

I am sure Mathilde will remember her first photo shoot!!

Abandoned: a photo essay along the Salton Sea

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I've always been fascinated by abandoned places. When I started being more serious about photography (when I was 19 and developped my own prints in the college photo lab), I would drive in the countryside around my hometown and stop to explore old barns or burnt structures. 

I wrote about the story of the Salton Sea a few months ago when we first visited. I wanted to go again, see more, feel more. When I walk into an abandoned building, I feel pulled in and pushed away at the same time.

When we stopped at Bombay Beach, the wind was howling and the sun was setting. I walked through the glass shards carefully in my sandals, noticing a dead fish that had found its way in a corner, an old blanket, a few rusty cans and, a small pink pillow (maybe a child lived here?). 

As we drove back, I tried to imagine who lived there before. What the house might have looked like when it was inhabited. When it provided shelter to a family.

If only walls could talk.

Slab City and East Jesus

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Slab City is a squatters' camp deep in the badlands of California's poorest county, where the road ends and the sun reigns, about 190 miles southeast of Los Angeles and hour's drive from the Mexican border. The vast state-owned property gets its name from the concrete slabs spread out across the desert floor, the last remnants of a World War II–era military base. In the decades since it was decommissioned, dropouts and fugitives of all stripes have swelled its winter population to close to a thousand, though no one's really counting. These days, their numbers are growing thanks to a modest influx of recession refugees like the Angios, attracted by do-it-yourself, rent-free living beyond the reach of electricity, running water and the law. And while the complexion of the Slabs, as the place is locally known, may be changing in some ways, the same old rule applies: respect your neighbor, or stay the hell away.

In Slab City, there are Year-Rounders who brave the 120°F summer inferno, and Snowbirds who land from as far as Canada with their souped-up RVs and pensions, soul-searching Gypsy Kids who arrive by train with little more than the ragged clothes on their back, Spaz Kids and their electro-psychedelic outdoor parties, and Scrappers who risk life and limb to collect shrapnel from the gunnery range that flanks the camp, where Navy SEAL teams train year-round. That's to say nothing of the rowdy bikers who pass through, or the meth-addled loners on the outer edges inclined to greet a trespasser with a gunshot. If the Burning Man festival were a permanent settlement instead of a weeklong escape — remixed with a hard dose of reality — this might be it.

 "The Last Free Place in America" lives up to its nickname. Want to hang out nude in thermal mud baths or skateboard stoned in the bowl of an Olympic-size pool? Go for it. In the mood to dig an SUV-size trench for no particular reason or play 18 holes of golf on a grassless course to the sound of bombs in the distance? This is the place (excerpt from here). 

East Jesus is in the harshest, most remote part of Slab City, and is an experimental, habitable, extensible artwork in progress since 2006. It is constructed entirely of salvaged refuse and recycled materials and powered by the sun. It is a place that inspires one to think outside the box. To think about what it is modern society throws “away” while reminding us to consider where is “away” (excerpt from here).

Salvation Mountain, Slab City

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Salvation Mountain is located in the lower desert of Southern California in Imperial County, just east of the Salton Sea, about an hour and a half from Palm Springs. Salvation Mountain is Leonard Knight's tribute to God and his gift to the world with its simple yet powerful message: God is Love. Leonard's passion has lovingly created this brilliant "outsider art" masterpiece resplendent with not only biblical and religious scripture, but also including flowers, trees, waterfalls, suns, bluebirds, and many other fascinating and colorful objects.

Salvation Mountain must be seen to be fully appreciated as those who have made the journey will attest. Its 50 foot height and 150 foot breadth is made totally of local adobe clay and donated paint and is truly unique in the United States and probably the world. From its Sea of Galilee at the bottom, to the big red heart in the middle, to the cross at the very top, the reoccurring theme of "Love" is everywhere.

A scene of the movie Into the Wild has been filmed there in 2007 in which you can see and hear Leonard talk about his mountain.

Leonard died in 2014, at the age of 82.

Boondocking in the Anza-Borrego desert

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The friendships that you create on the road are quite unique. You spend many hours a day together, every day (if you choose to stick together, of course). You drink coffee in your pj’s around the bonfire, explore, drive places (and get stuck) and talk, talk, talk…

They have some of your forks and cups and you have their card decks and coats in your rig. You feed each others’ kids and care for them like they were your own.

Day after day, you share a bit more of who you are with them. It’s like a group love story on fast forward, friendship on speed. As the days go by, you realize that you will have to say goodbye at some point. And that feels heartbreaking.

It is hard to imagine that you have known each other for only 4 short months. It is hard to imagine life without them when they have taken so much space in your life. In your hearts.

And you realize that home really is an experience more than a place.

 

"When you travel, you release all ties to who you were yesterday, and you succumb to the person you are now. With that comes freedom and the ability to relate on a deeper level with the people you meet. This freedom brings celebration. (ytravelblog.com)"

La Jolla Cove

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Mara and I kayaking in La Jolla

La Jolla Cove is San Diego’s most desirable spot for kayaking, snorkeling and diving. The water is calm and ecologically protected, providing a safe home for colorful garibaldi, yellowtail, rays and even leopard sharks. The harbor seals came very close to the people swimming on the beach. There was a little boy that even felt it was a little too close for comfort!

Actually, I wasn’t surprise to read that the small number of sea lions that swimmers used to enjoy watching frolic some years ago has turned into a colony of as many as 300, ranging in size from 100-pound females to 900-pound bulls, which have been mounting, biting, charging, and baring their teeth at swimmers and beachgoers.

Lately, the increasingly territorial animals have started blocking swimmers from getting into the water, forcing people to walk back and forth on the beach until they can find a safe opening to enter the ocean… Of course, people are exacerbating the problem by tossing fish, potato chips, and leftover food off the cliffs and over the sides of boats. While we were there, we saw a few people jump over the fence to take pictures of the seals and sea lions.

The other big disadvantage is the foul odor of sea lion and bird poop. And I mean, cover-your-face-with-your-t-shirt-or-scarf-exclaiming-OMG-this-is-awful foul. It is actually driving locals and tourists away from area restaurants and hotels.

Ocean Beach Farmers Market, San Diego

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I love how a Farmers Market ambiance speaks about its city. Ocean Beach is a funky neighborhood with a free-spirited vibe and the Farmers Market was ubber-crunchy. There were lots of awesome greens and sprouts, raw food, , tons of vegan options, fresh artichokes, kumquats, cherimoyas, unique homemade arts, old hippies dancing to some good bluegrass live music. A real cornucopia of sights, sounds and smells.

We love to support local farmers as much as possible, and we love to have the freshest greens possible for our (almost) daily green juice.

We sat on the beach wall while we enjoyed our dinner. San Diego, you're awesome!

The Ocean Beach Farmer’s Market occurs every Wednesday from 4-8 pm, and is located on the 4900 Block of Newport Avenue, between Cable and Bacon Streets in Ocean Beach.

BMXing

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When JF found out that we were camping 15 minutes away from the US Olympic Team Training Center in Chula Vista, he convinced us to check it out. Since our traveling friend Mat had done some BMX competition as a teen, it was even more exciting. Athletes from all over the world train there and we were lucky enough to see some of the fastest racers in the world when we were there during the pro training.

When the boys found out that it was possible to rent bikes and try the track, we decided to go for our friend Jennifer's birthday. They all had a blast (I borrowed Mat's D700 and 24-70 mm f2.8 amazing lens and took pictures instead). The smiles on their faces was priceless. Our girls had a few crashes, but got back on their bikes. 

Once the track closed, we had a tailgate party with cakes to celebrate! 

Banjo making and Old Town, San Diego

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A friend had organized a homeschooling tour of the Deering Banjo company, the biggest banjo producer in the United States. It's always interesting to learn how things are made!

Then, we headed to Old Town, a San Diego neighborhood considered as the “birthplace” of California. San Diego is the site of the first permanent Spanish settlement in California. It was here in 1769, that Father Junipero Serra came to establish the very first mission in a chain of 21 missions that were to be the cornerstone of California’s colonization.

We visited the historic buildings La Casa de Estudillo, one of the oldest surviving examples of a typical large Spanish-Mexican U-shaped one-story town house in California. We then walked around Heritage Park where several of San Diego’s most notable Victorian homes have been relocated and authentically restored to their original splendor.

We all  had dinner  together on the terrace of a Mexican restaurant and celebrated another great week of traveling and exploring.

Sunday in Balboa Park, San Diego

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Balboa Park is a 1,200-acre urban cultural park in San Diego. It’s actually larger than New York's Central Park! In addition to open space areas, natural vegetation zones, gardens, and walking paths, it is home to 15 major museums, renowed performing art venues and several theaters, housed mostly in ornate Spanish-Renaissance structures. Placed in reserve in 1835, the park's site is one of the oldest in the United States dedicated to public recreational use.

The Botanical Building in Balboa Park is probably the most photographed location in San Diego, and it's mostly due to the beautiful Lily Pond. Located in front of the building, this pond is home to a number of koi (Japanese fish), a few turtles and some lotus plants too. The US Naval Training Station actually used the pond to teach rowing and swimming to new sailors during World War I and the US Naval Hospital use dit as a physical therapy pool for wounded sailors during WWII.

It is especially busy on the weekends, but well worth a visit!

Cabrillo National Monument, San Diego

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Cabrillo National Monument, established in 1913, commemorates Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo's voyage of discovery who led the first European expedition to explore what is now the west coast of the United States.

At the time Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo sailed into San Diego Bay in 1542, a rich diversity of life was present, ranging from desert cactus to moisture-loving algae, tarantulas to sea slugs, and gray foxes to sea lions. Approximately 3,000 Native Americans lived in the San Diego area at that time. The Kumeyaay, or Diegueños according to the Spanish accounts, lived simply in the environment but likely impacted the landscape through the use of fire. Today, largely due to the impacts of European colonization and centuries of growth and development, the habitat Cabrillo saw is now among the rarest in the world. 

During periods of low tide, pools form along this rocky intertidal area in which you may see flowery anemones, elusive octopi, spongy deadman's fingers, darting fishes and the always entertaining hermit crabs.

Under the palm trees...

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We were delighted to find out that the campground where we decided to stay for two weeks was also a working farm. We slept under date palms (that had been harvested in September; we bought a pound of those delicious organic dates on location for $5!) and picked our own citrus (oranges, grapefruits and tangerines) in the trees near our bus for free!!

We swam in the pool, played pickleball (mini-tennis), shared meals outside at night, made some new friends from Quebec. There were roadrunners zooming through our campsites, a magic show by a fellow traveler that inspired our girls to create their own show, singing Christmas songs in bathing suits, sewing Christmas stocking outside and rollerblading hand in hand.

You can read an article I wrote on our unconventional life choices that was featured on the Rawfood Family blog.