California - The Golden State | Uphill Zen

California has it all – sandy beaches, redwood forests, cosmopolitan cities, vast deserts, rolling hills, and snow-capped mountains!

There’s so much diversity here, whatever you want, you’re sure to find it. 🙂

Some California pix

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Sand #sculpture at Balboa Island. 🏝🐬 It's am

Sand #sculpture at Balboa Island. 🏝🐬 It's amazing to me what people can do with sand, when I can't even get a simple round tower to stand up! 😜 I'm not sure if there was supposed to be something after the HA, but for now that's the message! 😀👍 #beachart #california

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Coffee on the #beach... Tastes so much better than

Coffee on the #beach... Tastes so much better than at a #desk! ☕️😎 #california

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I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere... 🙄 S

I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere... 🙄 Started out intending to head south, but here I am on the west coast instead! 🚐😜 Can't complain though - #NewportBeach is beautiful! 🌴⛱🌊😎👍 #california

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Zennie and the badlands. What you can't see is tha

Zennie and the badlands. What you can't see is that we're camped out on a little spit with #badlands on 3 sides, and it was so windy it felt like we'd be blown right over! #Zennie was rockin' & rollin'! 🚐💨😱 #california

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We had flying saucer clouds! And one that looks l

We had flying saucer clouds! And one that looks like a spear coming from a great distance - not sure I've seen that before! Anybody know what these are called?☁️😀 #coolclouds #california

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Pilings at an old #marina, with water smooth as gl

Pilings at an old #marina, with water smooth as glass. There used to be power boats, sailboats, water skiers, and lots of fishing here 🚤⛵️🎣. The only boat I've seen since I got here is one kayak. I don't think they're all coming back! 😕 #modernruins #saltonsea #california

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Back at the Salton Sea! 🚐😎 Last week CA anno

Back at the Salton Sea! 🚐😎 Last week CA announced their new plan (at least phase 1 of it) for dealing with the complicated issues here. 💦🐟🦆 There are still a lot of unknowns about the future, but it's safe to say it won't look like this forever. I'd love to come back in 20 yrs for some "then & now" shots! 📷📆😀 #california #zennie

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Tumco ghost town has become one of my favorite sto

Tumco ghost town has become one of my favorite stops between AZ and CA. Mountains, scenery, hiking, history, wide open #boondocking, and a ghost town to boot! 🚐😎👻👍 #california

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Sunset reflections. Relaxing at camp as another lo

Sunset reflections. Relaxing at camp as another lovely day draws to an end. #desertsunset #california #zennie

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Woo hoo!! 😀 Projects done, paperwork ready (mos

Woo hoo!! 😀 Projects done, paperwork ready (mostly), and it's time to hit the road again! ⏰🔨🛣😜 This desert #boondocking site is a great way to start! 🚐😎 #california #zennie

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On top of Ghost Mountain lie the #ruins of Yaquite

On top of Ghost Mountain lie the #ruins of Yaquitepec. 80 yrs ago, a poet decided against modern society, and moved his family here, where they tried to live in the #desert following primitive ways. The views are spectacular, but carrying water, wood, and everything else up that trail? They lasted 16 years - longer than I would have! ⛰😳 #california

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After driving through a sandy wash, we reached 5 p

After driving through a sandy wash, we reached 5 palms, standing together on this isolated hill in the #badlands. 🌴😎 #desertbeauty #california

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Realizing you've been friends for 25 years - throu

Realizing you've been friends for 25 years - through jobs & layoffs, spouses & houses, cities & states, and a hundred great adventures... #priceless! 😎😀 #california #dk

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There be monsters in the desert! 😱 This magnifi

There be monsters in the desert! 😱 This magnificent serpent with a dragon head and rattlesnake tail is 350 ft long, and each rattle on the tail is as high as my waist! A few of the other surprises we saw scattered about in the desert were dinosaurs, camels, giant sloths, and an enormous face-off between a scorpion & a grasshopper. 🐲🐍🐪🦂 #skyart #socool #california

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We went #hiking up to an old calcite mine. Pretty

We went #hiking up to an old calcite mine. Pretty interesting! 🚶‍♀️😎 Instead of a big open pit, they just cut slices out of the mountains following the veins of crystals.⛏ It was a wartime effort (WW II), when the calcite was used for high-tech bomb sights. Today, we were the only people up there. 😀👍 #california

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Yeah, Anza-Borrego has some badlands... 😉 This $Yeah, Anza-Borrego has some badlands... 😉 This is just a fraction of what you see from Font's Point! 😮😀❤️ #amazing #justamazing #california$

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Zennie and her new friend "98 Jeep" at Anza-Borreg

Zennie and her new friend "98 Jeep" at Anza-Borrego. The jeep gets to drive us around all the little 4WD roads in the park, while #Zennie relaxes back at the campsite. #lifeisgood #california

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The Salton Sea is a beautiful freak. It's an accid

The Salton Sea is a beautiful freak. It's an accident, a historical oddity, a trendy hot spot turned ecological disaster. But it's still beautiful, and there's this beach where I can camp... 🌴😎 #enjoyitwhileitlasts #california

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Out #hiking in the Mecca Hills Wilderness - a maze

Out #hiking in the Mecca Hills Wilderness - a maze of sandy washes and twisty little canyons that wind around between these rock formations - all thanks to the San Andreas fault! 😎😀 #california

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Look who else is at Slab City! We had fun checking

Look who else is at Slab City! We had fun checking out the place. The sculpture garden & behind-the-scenes tour of East Jesus was really cool, and Saturday night at the Range was a show within a show. It's always fun to see #familiarfaces in #newplaces! 😎😀 #california #dk

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Zennie found a bunch of distant cousins out at Sl

Zennie found a bunch of distant cousins out at Slab City! 🚐🚗🚚🚙🚍 Some of them went to Burning Man, too. They do look kind of cool, but they don't get to travel as much as Z does! 😀👍 #artcar #mutantvehicle #california

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Slab City is an unusual place (understatement!) so

Slab City is an unusual place (understatement!) so I had to camp here awhile to check it out. The largest of many #art projects is Salvation Mountain. A guy spent 30 years building this, to spread his message that God is Love. You can follow the yellow brick road up to the top for views, and there's another section like caves built around a tree. #slabcity #california

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The Algodones Dunes in Southern #California look l

The Algodones Dunes in Southern #California look like fun! As you can see, this part is open to vehicles, but right over across that road is wilderness... Cool spot for #backpacking, eh? I would love to camp out in the middle of the dunes sometime! ⛺️🌠 #somanyplaces

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Found this giant gold nugget as big as my foot, ou

Found this giant gold nugget as big as my foot, out hiking in the Cargo Muchacho Mountains! This ought to fund my travels for awhile! 💰😉😜 Seriously, there WAS #gold in them thar hills, and this place was booming with gold miners ⛏ more than 50 years before the big #California gold rush. I see that somebody has a mining operation going on today too - wonder what they're finding? 🤔😀

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Local version of Peru's Nazca lines! 😮 Near #Qu

Local version of Peru's Nazca lines! 😮 Near #Quartzsite and Blythe are some of these #ancient intaglios, aka geoglyphs - the only ones in the US. They're enormous #art works inscribed on the desert floor, which can only be seen well from high above.
This is the Google earth view of one of the figures. The biggest is about 170 ft long, so they're hard to make out from ground level (not a pic worth posting😉). I read they're between 400 & 1,000 years old, but nobody really knows. Such a cool surprise to find these! 😎😀 #california

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Classic Joshua Tree scenery. Love it! 😎❤️ #

Classic Joshua Tree scenery. Love it! 😎❤️ #deserthiking #california

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Life is good! ❤️ Sweet little campsite 🏕 in

Life is good! ❤️ Sweet little campsite 🏕 in Joshua Tree, surrounded by rock formations.
At night, the crescent moon 🌙 was so bright I didn't need a light, yet I could still see a zillion stars and the Milky Way.✨ And I had this amazing place all to myself! 😀 #backpackingrocks #california

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Sunset over the desert is always a lovely sight! 🌅❤️ All the campgrounds in Joshua Tree are full... but there are miles of open space for #boondocking right outside the national park. 🚐😎#backinthedesert #california

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Camped at Sawtooth Canyon, a pretty cool area surr

Camped at Sawtooth Canyon, a pretty cool area surrounded by wild & rugged rocks. Another free campsite, thanks to the #BLM, who I am appreciating more and more! 👍
How many times have you driven through Barstow & never stopped? This is just a few miles away, and makes a great stopover! Tons of space to roam around in the hills, too. 😎😀 #happycamper #california

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Hiking at beautiful Lake Alpine. I love the #Sierr

Hiking at beautiful Lake Alpine. I love the #Sierras! 😎❤️🏔 #california

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View from the deck on a wet and foggy day. 🌧 I

View from the deck on a wet and foggy day. 🌧 I love it, especially because there's a nice fire going right inside! 🔥😊 #winterweather #california

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Thousands of ladybugs 🐞🐞🐞 were crowded to

Thousands of ladybugs 🐞🐞🐞 were crowded together on the branches of this fallen tree, and others in the area. Pretty amazing to see! 😀 Apparently they congregate to spend their winter dormant period together. #whyhibernatealone #california

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Rain, rain, rain... Extended wet weather = leaky r

Rain, rain, rain... Extended wet weather = leaky roof... 🌧🚐💦😱 So until I can fix it properly, #Zennie has a new hat! 🚐👒😜 #california

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How can you hike in beauty like this and not feel

How can you hike in beauty like this and not feel your spirit soar? 😎😀 #naturethegreat #california

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Hiking with my good friend and long-time adventure

Hiking with my good friend and long-time adventure partner, Maryellen, and remembering why I loved living in #Marin!
So many beautiful open spaces here... including the redwood groves around the local water district lakes. It's wonderful to be back! 😎😀 #california #dk

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I ❤️ the huge, wide-open beaches of #Californi

I ❤️ the huge, wide-open beaches of #California, that seem to go on forever... There's nothing like a long walk down the sandy expanse, with the wind in your hair and the waves rolling in. 🌊😎😀 #california

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Day 60 on the road! 🎉🎈😊 One thing I love

Day 60 on the road! 🎉🎈😊 One thing I love about Zennie is the big picture windows. From the dinette, I get views on 3 sides, including some lovely sunsets. And I see more sunrises from my bed than I've seen in many years! 🌅😀 #california

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Love being back in the oak studded hills of #Calif

Love being back in the oak studded hills of #California! Feels like coming home. ❤️😎

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Know what this is? I ran across it in a field by a

Know what this is? I ran across it in a field by a BLM campsite.
It's an EarthScope Plate Boundary Observatory Station, designed to track movements of the earth's crust. It uses a solar powered GPS to record the position of this spot to within a few mm, so somebody somewhere can see how our tectonic plates are shifting. Yes, this is #California! 😉👍
#earthquakeshappen

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My plan to make back the cost of a new engine by p

My plan to make back the cost of a new engine by playing the slots doesn't seem to be working... 🎰💰😉 #california

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At Tumco ghost town, where gold was discovered a l

At Tumco ghost town, where gold was discovered a long time ago... #california #dk

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At Two Harbors for Buccaneer Days. Pirate costume

At Two Harbors for Buccaneer Days. Pirate costume to follow! #california #dk

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Lovely morning at the harbor, waiting for our ride

Lovely morning at the harbor, waiting for our ride... #california

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Moonrise over the harbor. #california

Moonrise over the harbor. #california

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Waiting for the start of the #americascup race...

Waiting for the start of the #americascup race... Fingers crossed! #california

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Last day of the Sea Wench! #california

Last day of the Sea Wench! #california

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View from our balcony on another gorgeous #califor

View from our balcony on another gorgeous #california day!

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377 ft mega-yacht Luna docked in San Diego. Wow! #

377 ft mega-yacht Luna docked in San Diego. Wow! #boat #mustbenice #california

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In case u were wondering. THIS is the Official Cen

In case u were wondering. THIS is the Official Center of the World. :-) #california

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Boats in the harbor #california

Boats in the harbor #california

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