The ghost town of Amboy was once a major stop along Route 66 until Interstate 40 was opened. The city only has 10 remaining buildings, Roy's gas station and motel cafe being the biggest landmarks. You can stop in for a Root Beer and wander through some of the abandoned hotel rooms with art installations.

Red rock canyon lies right off the 14 and features gorgeous multi-colored rock formations. The facade is swirling mix of reds and whites. The park is located where the southernmost tip of the Sierra Nevada converges with the El Paso Mountains.

Experience Mammoth Lakes for a weekend summer trip. Instead of a relaxing in a cabin with hot totties and hot tubs, switch it up and go tent camping and enjoy the sunshine under the stars. 

Alabama Hills is right off highway 395 near the city of Lone Pine. It's a gorgeous stark contrast to the Sierras just beyond it in the landscape. Large sand colored boulders and desert heat beneath the largest snow-capped mountains of California. 

Elmer’s bottle tree ranch is just off highway 40 on Route 66. It’s a plot of land filled will artistic trees made from old collected bottles and found objects. Elmer inherited these bottles from his father who collected them and other antiques. He turned this junk into over 200 art installations free for all to explore.

Amboy Crater is a 6,000-year-old cinder cone volcano that rises above a lava field. I loved seeing all the plants spring up from the black lava forms. New life sprouted from the darkness.

The Lost Coast is the most undeveloped and remote portion of the California coast. The stretch is 24.6 miles, a hefty undertaking for a the 48 hours we allotted ourselves to hike it. I highly recommend hiking this trail, but learn from our mistakes, and prep accordingly.

Santa Barbara is a quick two hour drive from L.A.. Better yet, you can take the Surfliner, a train that goes through a lot of California’s major coastal cities. The Pacific Surfliner drops you off in Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone, a wino’s dream.

Two benches sit perched on a mountain facing the sea. I’ve been lucky enough to experience this on a less traveled day. It’s quiet, breathtaking, and feels so far removed from the hustle and bustle of the city below.

There are over 120 rock climbing routes on high quality volcanic rock in Malibu Creek Canyon, and it’s considered some of the best rock climbing in Southern California. 

About a year ago I had a dream of owning a small cabin in Joshua Tree that I could both enjoy as a vacation home, and also Airbnb. That dream has finally come to life.

Surprising as it may be for most people, Los Angeles is surrounded by national parks and within a 30min drive you can go off the grid and into nature for an escape from the concrete jungle. My friend Rachel and I headed to Crystal Lake in the San Gabriel mountains on a sunny October weekend to unwind.