Travelogue. And Going A Little Wizard Of Oz.

My Dear Readers:

There are multitudes of vacation show places. One can go to to Yosemite. Breathtaking. Really. One can go to the Grand Canyon.. a little different.. your breath is actually taken away. True. Upstate New York is gorgeous and if you've ever been to Woodstock and spent the night you know you have to return. The hills call you. The small lakes and parks outside of Cleveland are romantic. New York is New York. The Park is so good. San Diego's Balboa Park is just out and out beautiful and should probably be everyone's first choice. But.

I am going to go a little Wizard of Oz here folks. Look in your own backyard. If you can't find what your are looking for, look behind you, or over to the next street or up the hill. If you live in LA you can look west and north. If you live in NYC you can look north and south and east. I can't speak to any more large cities. I don't know them all.

I want to travel.. just a little bit. I want to leave my house with my husband and go somewhere. We have been lucky. In our lifetime we have traveled, mostly because of my work or to see his family. We have spent time in NYC, in London, in Cleveland, in Boston (love Boston), in San Diego, in Seattle and San Francisco.  We have visited relatives in Saint Louis. I have lived in St. Louis for a week or two. On tour I have visited more cities than I care to count.

I have been to a lot of places. I still want to go back to the Ventana Inn. My favorite place. On the coast of California. So beautiful and part of Big Sur. Ah.. too expensive now.

So... my husband and I take these amazing little trips. We happen to live seconds away from the Angeles Forest, and Angeles Crest Highway. Really? You haven't heard of it? Oh, My Gosh! It is a trip through the San Gabriel Mountains, on one side is the Mohave Desert... you are up so high... and the other.... downtown Los Angeles. It is a rim drive. Wow. Unbelievably Cool.

I have lately (within the last 5 years) become obsessed with a small campground about 30 minutes form our house. The picnic ground is called Switzer, pictured above.
 Or just here.. The Wash.. minutes from my house. They call it the "Tujunga Wash." I call it a river in the spring and a spring in the summer. Really, this is 10 minutes away on foot. So beautiful and so calming.

If you can't find your heart's desire within your own backyard, maybe you didn't want it in the first place.

Seems true. Well, my backyard is particularly wonderful. Yet.. I had to go looking for it. Will you?

xo
m.