A last minute trip to round up 2021 hiking

The skies opened and we got a chance to do a last minute trip to enjoy the day. The plan was to drive all the way to Limekiln State Park (which is almost near San Simeon, 3 hours away), spend time at the falls, see the stacked stones and stop at McWay falls on the way back. 

Have to always put a picture up front in the blog so it gets picked up for the preview in other media! Really wanted this to be the pic for this post and possibly a summary for the entire year! Our friend Priya took this shot.. watching the waves even if for a few minutes and just enjoying the moment is what life is about!

We didn't know that all trails in Limekiln were closed and the falls were inaccessible. It was a bummer.. so we just took a photo at the entrance and turned back.

There was also a landslide which we had to cross. We waited for a good 15 minutes for the area to clear and started back. 

We thoroughly enjoyed the vista points on scenic Route 1 on the way back. You can see some of the pano's. 

There is this private beach between McWay and Limekiln that also has a waterfall going into the ocean. We were told there are only 4 falls that go to the sea in the continental US and two of them were in CA and they were McWay and Alamere.. guess that is not true! 

The view of the bridges and Route 1 itself as it bends around the mountain side is in itself a treat to watch!

We stopped at Mcway falls, ate a packed lunch and found that here too landslides had made the path restricted. we could only go so far on the trail. Luckily we could get a view of the falls.

We walked through this tunnel to see McWay falls and I got a rush of old memories.. of taking a picture of Jr. with her cousin as they walked through the same tunnel many many years ago! 

The photo and smiling faces is the trip highlight..

We decided to stop by Paddington Cove on the way back. It was a really good trek down and we enjoyed the little waterfalls, the coves and the water going into the sea! The photo below is from the creek that goes to McWay falls.. we were a crisp red after being in the sun for an hour..

The walk to the cove is along the creek and there are many little falls that make it beautiful! 

Then I tried to do Yoga on the edge.. 

and almost slipped trying a toe stand

and the group let out a shriek.. I promptly balanced myself and said "that is my last try" .. and the group was happy again..

It was six plus hours of driving between 7:30AM-4PM and some hiking but was worth it all!

These days the kids don't show up for hiking trips and that is that..

2021 has taught me to accept a lot of things.. Hope 2022 is a better year!

Here is to a healthy and happy new year to all of you!

A ____ is worth a 1,xx,xxx,xxx _______

A picture is worth ~ 1000 words
A video is worth ~ 400 pictures (my typical 30 second clip that is!)

As a tribute to the lazy, I have compiled a video of the recent trip..

Warning : This Video must be worth approximately 75,000 words !

Things seen in video that were left out in photoblogs..

There is a store in downtown Solvang called Del Sol. All products in the store are made with a special compound that changes color under sunlight.. T-shirt logos, bangles, hairclips, caps, you name it !!

There is a wonderful Chocolate factory that sells home made ice cream .. must have when you go to Solvang!

The road to happiness (aka Route 1) with screaming kids + ARR hits + Ocean wind noise.. only the video captures it best..

We really enjoyed this trip. Hope you enjoy the video..

Better, hope you actually get to experience this someday!

The original posts can be found here:

Intro to trip
Sisters at play
Coastal highway
Solvang downtown
Lake Cachuma
The Santa Ynez (Saint Agnes) Mission
Morro Bay
Limekiln State Park

In other news, the Digital Rebel XTi has been VETO'ed !! Apparently, this video is so good!! inspite of being shot with the S30.. so it is "Dream on, camera boy!!" for Daddy Narayanan..