Photo Courtesy: Montana State University Libraries' photostream on Flickr

I love my car and have been driving it to The Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Santa Barbra, Big Sur, (this list is long so I’ll stop there). The problem is that I’ve put so many miles on it that every year my insurance goes up and I’ve had to take it in for maintenance more often than if I just put normal wear and tear on it. In other words, it’s getting expensive to drive my car for road trips. Now that I’m shooting a new travel show on California Parks I’ve got to find a better solution and so far this has been working out really well for me, renting. So here are my top 5 reasons I do it and maybe you should too:

1. Save your car from wear and tear. I can’t tell you how often I have had to rotate my tires, get the oil changed, shampoo the interior, etc. Some people make it a rule to never eat in their car but when I’m on a road trip that’s near impossible. Food will spill and the paint will get scratched. It’s not everyday wear and tear you’re putting on your car.
2. Your insurance will go up when you put a lot of miles on your car. Every car insurance company does this (if yours doesn’t then give me their number! Lol). I have been paying higher insurance solely because of it. I have an excellent driving record but due to the amount of miles I have been putting on my car I’m paying for it.
3. If the worst happens on your trip then you’ll still have your car safe at home. “The worst” meaning you get into an accident or a bear breaks into the car.
4. The gas milage might be better on the rental. I drive a midsize SUV and it can be a gas guzzler compared to a compact car. I recently rented a Chevy Impala and used less than half a tank of gas driving from Riverside to San Diego. If you know the road will be straight or there will be a lot of freeway driving on your road trip then go with the smaller fuel efficient car.
5. It’s fun to drive a different car! It gets everyone excited to go on a trip when you’re not in a car that you drive everyday for work. It sets a tone for the whole trip and can make everyone more comfortable. For example, don’t try cramming everyone into a little car when you can rent a van or larger.

Ok Travelers! I hope this gets you excited to plan a road trip soon! Some last things to consider though are costs to rent. There are weekend specials, AAA discounts and splitting the cost with your group will all help to reduce the price. Also, reserve your car early! It’s usually cheaper than renting the day you’re leaving and you’ll have more choices of cars to pick from.

It doesn’t rain often in California so I never owned a pair of rain boots growing up. Then I stumbled upon these Hunter Wellington Original Tall Women’s Boots and thought those are the classiest rain boots I have ever seen! I must find a reason to wear them! So this is where a California girl wears rain boots…

at the beach of course! This is Daisy and I exploring the tide pools at Cabrillo National Monument in San Diego. Now, you have to be careful where you place your footing and not tread on the tide pool creatures but when I visited there weren’t very many out and about. There was a lot of slippery seaweed and algae like in this shot:

But that didn’t stop us from looking! The bottom of the boots have great traction so I didn’t slip once nor did I get my feet wet when waves crashed against the rocks and splashed me. Although after a while your feet will get sweaty (they are made of rubber) so wear socks that wick away moisture like wool. I bought the basket weave knit welly sock from them and they look so cute! I might get a few more pairs if we get hit with any April showers this spring. The ones I bought are a medium, which fit fine but I think a small would fit better when I pair the boots with jeans. Also, I normally wear an 8.5 shoe size, but the boots are in 8 and fit perfectly. Here are more photos of the boots in action:

Skinny, Straight or Legging Jeans fit best with these boots

Wearing my favorite jacket: Colombia Sportswear Women's Lay 'D' Down Jacket

Super cute knit beanie from 3BirdsNest on Etsy

As you can see they’re easy to walk around in and hop from rock to rock. They are a challenge to drive in though since they’re not that flexible at the ankle but it’s not impossible. Here is what they look like without the socks:

Overall I love these boots and I know they’ll last me forever. It may not rain that often here in Southern California but these are perfect tide pooling boots for when the weather is too cold to go barefoot or you need something sturdier than sandals. And when it does rain, I’ll want to go out and show these off .

• It’s cold and very windy. The snow on the ground is only in the shade, but that’s at lower elevations. I wanted to climb Ryan Mt. today but the ranger advised me not to since it is covered in snow.
• Black Rock Campground is FULL, but you can still call for cancellations and last min availability.
• Don’t be tempted to speed on your drive out here. Police are out in full force this weekend!

Ok, I will be writing blogs about the trails I hiked soon, but right now the wind knocked out all of my energy. I am ready for bed . Goodnight Travelers, see you in the morning.

I’ve called Disneyland to ask and the rumors are true. Not only will the Happiest Place  in the Universe be open for 24 hrs. on February 29th (6am-6am the next day) but there is no additional cost! What a deal, right? Disney California Adventure Park is only open 10am-8pm that day, but if you’re considering purchasing a park hopper ticket then you should know that that park is not open for 24 hrs- only Disneyland. Still, who’s up for an all day Disney Park marathon? Need to get into the mood? Watch the amazing video above and then let me know. I’ll see ya there Travelers!!!

Hello Travelers! I’ve been very busy writing scripts and planning for a new travel web series I’m calling California Parks! I’ve got a You Tube page set up (might do Vimeo as well), but I will be posting them here too. I’m no longer working with anyone to shoot my travel shows, but I’m excited about the challenges that are ahead of me! When you’re resources are low that’s when you’re forced to be creative, right? That’s what I’ve been doing for the past 2 travel shows I shot at Calico Ghost Town and Hearst Castle- yup, that was all me .

And it wasn’t easy but I was so happy to have a camera back in my hands. I just have to make an extra effort to get me in fount of the camera now. Any way, California Parks is a highlight reel of what our California State and National Parks offer. I’ll be featuring specific hikes, tours and unique things that parks offer.  Yet what is different about these travel shows is that I will break them up into 1-2 min highlights so that you don’t have to sit through an entire show to learn about a hike I did for example. All you would do is look for the park I went to and there will be a list of short clips of that hike or whatever I featured there. This way I’ll be able to add to that park category later if I go back and do something else there. Which leads me to you, dear, dear Traveler .

I want to hear from you about what you’d like for me to feature! I already get great blog post topics from you and now is the time to let me know what you’d like for me to feature at one of California’s Parks! Email me, leave a comment, Facebook, Twitter or Tumblr me your ideas.

Ok Travelers, this is going to be a great year spent outdoors. This is a travel show that I’ve been wanting to do for a few years and now it’s finally possible. I’ll be posting some behind-the-scenes stuff on the You Tube page and here in my blog so stay tuned!

Bad Sass Backdrop and Lights from Ikea

I will be the first to admit that I am not a photographer. I’m trained in video and that is my first love since I was 12, but ever since I bought an Olympus EPL-1 something clicked (pardon the pun). I had so much fun using all of the art features and playing with the HD video that I wanted to do more. That’s when I bought the Nikon D5100, a few lenses, a couple flashes and now…a set backdrop.

Bad Sass Backdrops is one of those “girly” photography websites that mainly women frequent and they cater to. When you look around at the damask/floral/Houndsooth/etc backdrops that they offer you’ll understand what I’m taking about and the photos that they show as examples are of newborns and children. Yet don’t let that limit you if you are trying to look for more masculine backgrounds. They offer such a large variety of textures and patterns that you can use them in many different situations.

I ordered 2 of the Itty Bitty floor and wall Tri-Splits. One of them is in the photo above and the other in the blog post about Smashbox’s Camera Ready BB Cream. There are more photos that I have taken of other products that I plan on reviewing soon so keep your eyes out for those posts. So far I have been using painters tape to mount them on my wall or dresser until I can afford to get a more professional mounting system. What I really love about them is that they are printed on 100% canvas material so I can use bright lights or the flash and not get any glare! Of course, you could use a cotton sheet and tie dye it or purchase fabric from Jo-Ann’s like I’ve been doing, but I wanted something thicker and didn’t wrinkle. I’m looking forward to utilizing my little set for future product reviews and hopefully get my dog and cat on them . Wish me luck and I hope this inspires you to take more “professional” looking photos!

Hello National Park Travelers! If you plan on visiting Yosemite soon and want to climb Half Dome then you should read about their new lottery system. You can’t just climb this trail without it. I’m starting a new series soon on California Parks and not sure if I can get a permit for this but there are plenty of other things to showcase at Yosemite! I will fill you in on the details of this new series. I started one before but that format was too much for me to do by myself so I’ve got a solid plan for my one woman show that I think you’ll like better. I’m so excited and can’t wait for my first shoot this weekend! I’ll keep updating you on my progress and some behind the scenes stuff on my Tumblr page so see ya there!

Hope you find yourself in the arms of your loved one tonight. For everyone else there’s always Casablanca :).