San Diego County

Annie’s Canyon Trail ❤️🏠📸⭐

This place was kind of cray. It was sunny, but wet here. When I parked there were houses nearby the trail and its along HWY 5. I’m like woah, this is weird! The pictures look great, but now being here it feels like I'll be in someone's backyard. You eventually get more nature as you continue the trail, but this amazing gem is basically close to someone's house. There are two paths, an “easy” and “difficult.” Though, I found the difficult one super easy as well. It would be very difficult for large people to do it as you have to twist and turn through some areas, but overall, a very short and easy hike. It’s a mini slot canyon in the hood, which I never heard of before. You get a nice view at the top of the marsh lands, and can even hike them, but the trails were super muddy and wet.

I hear that this place is super packed on weekends. Like Disneyland line packed. Come here on a weekday early morning for best results. 

Sunny Jim’s Sea Cave ❤️🏠📸

This is in a pretty nice location to explore nature and urban areas, but the cave itself is 10 USD. Too much for the attraction. 5 is a good deal. You basically go down a bunch of stairs to a cave.You can get the same thing in San Francisco for free, by the Sutro baths. With that said, the shop has a lot of history with photos, about the cave and business, which is quite interesting and that doesn’t cost a thing.

Luscomb’s Point ❤️🏠📸

I love leaving room for exploration. I don’t like tight plans. I like being flexible and being able to make changes and that’s what happened when I went to Luscomb’s point. It was less than an hour to sunset and I wanted to catch it. Luscomb’s point was fairly near the hotel, so I made the drive to catch it. It’s a nice romantic little spot to hang on the cliffs and watch the sunset.

Harper’s Topiary Garden 📸

I didn’t know anything about the history of this place when I got here. It was some rando’s house in some neighborhood in San Diego, with a pretty impressive topiary garden. Researching, I found out this place was created by Edna Harper in 1994. 

Crazee Burger ❤️🏠⭐

This burger joint is pretty crazy. I was born and raised in the U.S. i have lived Mexico, Colombia, Taiwan, and Vietnam. I have also traveled to over 45 countries. I say this because I have tried a lot of food. This place has some meats I’ve tried, but also some I haven’t. If you want to try something familiar and something different at the same time, give this joint a try.

Churros El Tigre ❤️🏠⭐

This little gem has several locations and serves some bomb sundae churros. I didn’t try everything, but what I did try was legit. Lot’s of options and a great place for desserts. If you are fiending for churros and desserts, pay a visit to Churros El Tigre!

Anza Borrego State Park ❤️🏠📸🚗⭐

Anza Borrego Desert State Park,  offers a captivating tapestry of rugged landscapes, vibrant wildflowers, and boundless opportunities for adventure seekers and nature enthusiasts alike. Spanning over 600,000 acres, it stands as California's largest state park, boasting sweeping desert vistas, slot canyons, and unique geological formations. Visitors can explore the park's diverse ecosystem, home to bighorn sheep, desert flora, and elusive wildlife. From hiking along scenic trails to stargazing under the vast desert sky, Anza-Borrego promises unforgettable experiences for those seeking solace in nature's grandeur. This is an amazing park! I spent an extra day here because I liked it so much.

The Slot ❤️🏠📸🚗⭐

The slot was an amazing hike. Like super good! If you are in Anza Borrego, you want to go here.  The loop was difficult and I wasn’t able to do it. I almost ended up getting lost in the desert. If you are interested in that little adventure and some tips on this hike, check out my Southern Cali Epic Adventure video.

Wind Caves ❤️🏠📸🚗⭐

This was another difficult find. The parks department needs to better make the pathways for hikes. This was as cool as the Slot, but much harder to get through. For this awesome adventure, I recommend you watch the video. You 100% need 4WHD. When I told the park ranger I drove to this location with the car I had, she was surprised. She gave the route a scary nickname. I forget what she said, but worth it, if you have the means.

Borrego Springs ❤️🏠📸🚗⭐

Yosemite is the closest place that's a park that I visited that has stores and a small community. Borrego Springs is a cool little village nestled right in the park and was our home base while there. Restaurants, super markets, a small mall, even a golf course can be found here among other things.

Palm Canyon Hotel RV and Resort ❤️🏠📸🚗⭐

This is where we stayed. It was the cheapest place to find. Normally I don’t mention hotels, because I don’t complain. I will stay in almost any hotel. Shit, I went to Mexico every summer as a kid during the 80s. We had no AC, we had to check for spiders and scorpions every time we went to the toilet, had to take a shower outside and there was a huge tub we couldn't go in, but that's where we used a bucket to take a shower and the tub had fish and moss in it. I mean, so many people complain about hotels that I don’t mention them, because I am not picky and chances are, you are.

This resort was nice and affordable. It had an old west theme which I really like, a pool, and hot tub. Rooms were clean, the water pressure was good, and the staff was very helpful.

Montezuma Valley Lookout ❤️🏠📸🚗

If you are staying at the Palm Canyon Oasis, this is a mere 5 to 10 minute drive and you get a spectacular view of the scene below. It’s easy. Just park right off the road, take some pictures, enjoy the scene, and bounce.

Galleta Meadows Galleta Meadows Dragon

Galleta Meadows Cactus Statue ❤️🏠📸🚗⭐

There are several meadows with various sculptors of fantastic creatures, people, and animals. Some are within a 10 minute drive from Borrego Springs. Good place to take star shots with amazing sculptures in the foreground. Easy to get to, so most def check them out!

Palm Canyon Oasis ❤️🏠📸🚗⭐

This trail was fairly close to the resort. You could walk to the entrance but you’d add a couple miles on top of the 4 mile hike. Driving there from the resort is less than 5 minutes. It has 2 trails. The alternate trail gives you a  chance to see  bighorn sheep, is much more scenic and beautiful, but a bit more difficult. On the way back we took the regular road which to me was not as scenic, but a real easy hike. The hike leads to an oasis in the desert with palm trees and all. A great hike to do!

Cactus Loop Trail ❤️🏠📸🚗

This was a pretty short easy hike through a garden of cacti. It was kind of like a land coral reef in some respects. Quite beautiful and worth the time to hike.

Drone Sanctuary ❤️🏠📸🚗⭐

This was a nice hidden gem. An awesome man by the name of Eric has a bunch of acres at the state park. He decided to use his land to allow droners of all skill levels to come and fly. It’s easy to get to when you know where it is, but even with directions it’s super hard. I had to talk to Eric while driving to find it. I will pin it here, but watch my drone video. The description there will give you more info. I would NOT go here without proper directions, even with the pin. You need 4WHD for this, but it's easy.