Live Oak Canyon Fall Festival

Ahhh, my favorite time of the year. This year we decided to go down the mountain to Live Oak Canyon Adventure Farm and their annual Pumpkin Patch and Fall Festival. We met up with some friends and enjoyed a perfect day in southern California.

The farm is about an hour and a half from the Hi-Desert area in Yucaipa, CA. The Yucaipa Valley was home to the Serrano Indians for hundreds of years. It's a beautiful area nestled in the San Bernadino Mountains.

The kids marveled at the different shapes, textures, and colors of pumpkins.

They offer an enormous petting zoo filled with goats and sheep. Other farm animals were also on display and available to pet.

There is a whole section devoted to birds that included chickens, roosters, peacocks, pheasants, roadrunners, and more.

We spent a good chunk of time at the carnival. They have forty or more rides and attractions, games, and bouncy areas. The biggest draw was a giant corn pit. Yep, corn pit.

Getting buried in corn!

They have lots of areas set up for fall pictures with different landscapes and props.

The last thing we definitely wanted to try was the corn maze. This one is well done with lots of turns and dead ends. We played follow the leader and had a blast exploring the maze. Bonus! It wore the kiddos out running!

While they do have many pumpkins picked and sorted for purchase, you can also walk through the fields and pick your own. 

It was a fantastic day! We all had a blast and will definitely go back for their Christmas light show. Everything was well done, clean and organized. Happy Fall!

Okonomiyaki and Japanese Ice Cream

One area of Los Angeles that we've ventured into a little bit is Little Tokyo. We've really missed the amazing food from Japan; one of those being Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki. Layers of cabbage, pork, egg, soba noodles, and more... YUM!

We have looked for okonomiyaki restaurants in large cities before so while driving to this one we were cautious about getting our hopes up.

Until we saw the sign outside....

This is it! YES! No pretend-sorta-almost-not-really-okonomiyaki! We're going to have the good stuff again!

And the kiddos loved it! We purchased okonomiyaki sauce and Japanese mayonnaise so I can make them at home, but it was great to share a little piece of our Japanese food love with James and Elizabeth.

After strolling through Little Tokyo and playing on some rocks, we decided the night needed a sweet ending. James and Elizabeth loved the ice cream but weren't interested in trying some of the more "Japanese" flavors. Salt ice cream, anyone? 

San Diego

We made a quick trip down to San Diego so Dustin could attend a friend's graduation ceremony. 

Somehow through the entire weekend in San Diego we took exactly two pictures.

I'm not sure why we didn't take any at the graduation or at dinner where we met friends we hadn't seen since Japan. Forgive us, we forgot how to blog.

The Last Bookstore

Dustin and I love to read. We find it increasingly more difficult to find the time now that our family has grown. One of our favorite things to do pre-kids was stroll around bookstores. One in particular had peaked my interest as it is in an old bank in downtown Los Angeles.

The Last Bookstore is California's largest new and used book store. The ironic title alone was enough to get us in the door, but then I was fascinated with the architecture, design, and creative layout of this massive building.

A banker at heart. 

The original layout of the bank is still present and provides sectioning for various book categories. The original vaults, yep plural, still showcase the beautiful locking mechanisms and bolt operation. The above was commissioned in 1912.

The entire second floor is a labyrinth of books. The children took us through, finding dead ends and secret passageways.

My little reader

If you are looking for a book, new or old, or just a place to wander around for a few hours, go here. It's a beautiful building filled with amazing adventures.

Mount San Jacinto

Have I mentioned it's a bit toasty here right now? Today's high in the hi desert is 89 degrees. It's December! We decided it was time to explore some of the hiking trails around and give Mommy some mountains.

Mount San Jacinto is ranked 6th in topographically prominent peaks in the 48 contiguous states. We drove up through the mountains and took the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway to the Mountain Station at 8,516 ft.

The Mountain Station is beautiful with amazing views, a museum, small theater, and restaurants. There are many hiking trails that start, or continue, from this point. We opted for a short trail that would take us to see the Coachella Valley and the Salton Sea.

The smell was amazing. Crisp, clean... with a hint of butterscotch. Ponderosa pines were scattered around. James thought we were quite silly walking up and smelling the trees. He wanted to eat them!

The kids have become pros at hiking trails and enjoy running ahead. The top of the mountains is an entirely different ecosystem than just a few thousand feet below. Coniferous trees, plants, wildlife... all different than what we are used to in the desert.

Coachella Valley

The best change was the temperature! The day was a perfect 65 degrees while the sun was out. It slowly got colder as the day waned.

Definitely an amazing day and an adventure we would gladly repeat. We still want to make it to the peak at 10,834 feet and are planning that for a warmer day.

Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe is beautiful. We were only there for a short while so it was like getting a taste of something fantastic. Making the drive there was half the fun, as Dustin would say. See California Roads for my take on it. :)

When we arrived in town we parked and road the gondolas up the mountain. They are glass encased and quickly make the 2.4 mile journey up the mountain.

Halfway up the mountain the gondolas stop at an observation deck that allows for breathtaking views of Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

Check out the year-round snow! The breeze at the observation deck made it a bit chilly, but the air just feels fresher.

After getting back on the gondolas to continue up the mountain, we arrived at a ski resort and beautiful restaurant. There wasn't any snow at the time, but we could see the trails that would make for a super-fun ski trip in the winter.

Once at the bottom we had to add one more state to our U.S. map. We were so close to the Nevada line that we just had to cross over. It was funny to see how the casinos set up show right on the border.



We highly recommend visiting Lake Tahoe. We had a quick appetizer of a visit, but we are sure to make it back.

Ebbetts Pass

Birthday Snow

I've never had snow on my birthday. Being born in late August means it just doesn't happen.

This year I got birthday snow in the Sierra Nevada mountains after a short hike off the road.

The view was spectacular and we found a small patch of very dirty snow at Ebbetts Pass. Snow angels and snowmen commenced.

Lake Alpine

On Monday we trekked up to Lake Tahoe. On the way we stopped at Lake Alpine. Nestled at a cool 7,303 feet elevation this lake sits among the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

Lake Alpine

Major Armstrong

It was beautiful and a wee bit chilly near the water.