Tag: California

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Red Rock Canyon State Park- Cantil, CA

Cherry and the Hoot

Out of all of the places I’ve explored in Southern California, Red Rock Canyon State Park is probably one of my favorites. The park is located in Cantil, CA, and can often be mistaken for the Red Rock National Conservation Area in Nevada. Although they have similar canyons, they are two different parks. Luckily, I’ve been to both, so I’ll make another post on Nevada soon! 

The canyons and cliffs at the State Park are just mindblowing and beautiful. The shapes and colors vary and are beyond unique. Since I’m a “daredevil,” I love climbing the rocks and admiring the marvelous views from a high elevation. The only thing I dislike is taking pictures because they do absolutely no justice. You have to be there to understand this experience because it is an experience.

Based on my visits, the trails there are pretty much like walking trails. I’m sure there are challenging routes, but my sister is scared of heights, so I never bothered researching. Honestly, hiking the area is okay, but I’m more interested in the various small caves and unique canyons. When I hike, besides seeking peacefulness, I’m always looking for cool things to take photos of, so it isn’t unlikely for me to go off-trail.    

One cool thing about the park is you’re able to camp, so I’ll for sure be doing that when the weather warms again. I’ve visited the park about three times, and each experience was different due to exploring various areas. Even though I have been multiple times, I’ve never explored the entire park, but that is a goal. A dull moment seems almost impossible when revisiting, and that is what I love about the area.  

Since I’m terrified of bees, that is probably my only complaint. In my opinion, the place is pretty much infested with them. If I’ve seen more than two, that equals infested to me. Haha! Being stung by a bee is something I’ve never experienced and not something I’d want to feel. I’ll never forget being on the edge of a cliff, and what do you know? A buzzing bee near my face- yes, I almost panicked and was done after that!

Besides the bees, Red Rock Canyon State Park is a remarkable piece of art and nature to see if you’re adventurous. Because it is a desert area, I highly suggest taking plenty of water because it does get scorching hot there (even in November). There are numerous picnic areas and restrooms, which are always clean, so that’s a plus. I have not encountered any snakes, but I’m sure, they’re there!

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The Broad- Los Angeles, CA

Cherry and the Hoot

Located in Downtown Los Angeles, you can visit this uniquely designed museum and all of the creative art displayed by talented artists. The Broad is a beautiful place for those who love contemporary art like me and quite impressive. When my sister and I visited, we almost could not enter due to the museum hosting an exclusive exhibition that required tickets. Fortunately, we knew nothing about the reservation list giving us access to explore the “Free Admission” floor of art. I’m assuming the difference between the two areas; the exclusive exhibitions are specifically theme-based and last for a seasonal period. While the top floor is distinctively randomized and free of a theme. Either way, if you’re ever in the area and love dope pieces of art- check it out.

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Museum of Selfies- Los Angeles, CA

Cherry and the Hoot

Today we live in a “selfie queen” era. When you see a large variety of your followers’ photos on social media, nine times out of ten, they were taken in selfie-mode. For sure, most of my portraits are because I’m a camera freak and I love capturing memorable moments. When taking selfies you can see exactly what you’re capturing- the lighting, those “popping” angles, if anything is between your teeth, your hair sticking up, and much more. Pretty sure that’s why most prefer selfie-mode.

The Museum of Selfies can be found in the Hollywood tourist area of Los Angeles, California. It is also where the Hollywood Walk of Fame is located. I knew immediately I was going to love this place before I could visit. My sister and I went on a great day because there wasn’t much traffic inside of the museum. Minimum traffic equals extra time to capture the perfect selfie. Haha! We were able to freely explore the museum without other visitors rushing us. Overall, the entire museum is a fun-filled, creative, and cool place, plus it is suitable for all ages to enjoy. My favorite part was the pool filled with emoji balls. It reminded me that I’m still a big kid at heart, and I’m not ashamed to admit that.

Long story short, if you’re ever in Los Angeles and you love taking selfies, add this museum to your itinerary. Be sure to go selfie crazy!

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Devil’s Punchbowl Loop Trail- Pearblossom, CA

Cherry and the Hoot

With so many trails to explore in SoCal, I try to hike a new location each time. There are a few I would revisit, but why when I have various options to choose from? It’s such a great feeling to be able to view the mountains or parks from multiple angles and heights. Not only that, it’s intriguing how each site gives me a different unique experience. Nature is amazing, and I adore all of its offerings because it never gets boring, and it’s fun to explore and learn.

Devil’s Punchbowl Loop Trail is a one-mile trail located in Pearblossom, California. Just before the state shut down all trails due to Covid-19, my sister, brother-in-law, and I were able to explore this adventurous park. It was our last hike before everything closed, and I’m glad we were able to do so. We honestly were not expecting the park to be packed, but it was. From my previous hikes, I knew there weren’t many people out due to the cold. This situation was different, and I assume it was because they didn’t have anything else to do. The parks and beaches were slammed with so many families out and about causing the closures.

The start of the trail was pretty interesting, there was a sign-in box for visitors to write their names and where they were from. I hadn’t experienced that and thought it was cool to see everyone coming from so many different states (possibly even countries). The hike in itself was a breeze but definitely a work out towards the end- going uphill almost killed me! The massive rocks were amazing to see- the next time I go I’m going to climb them. My favorite part of the hike was towards the end when we discovered a soothing creek at the bottom of the trail. There’s something about the sound of a creek that I absolutely love! I guess it’s because creeks give me a sense of relaxation, peace, and serenity- causing my heart to smile.

I highly recommend visiting this park if you’re ever in the area because it isn’t too bad of a hike. I use an app called All Trails (I’ll talk about it soon in another post), and it classifies the trail as easy, even though it seemed longer due to all of the turns. If you are afraid of heights, there are a few steep areas but nothing too bizarre- then again, I’m not scared of heights so you may think otherwise. Some may think many areas are dangerous, but I’m a daredevil so I like taking a little risk at times. Since we went with snow still on the mountains and freezing cool, there weren’t many annoying bugs out. I’m sure there’s plenty during the hotter months. I can assure you all I will be visiting this beautiful scenery again and staying for lunch to really enjoy the peacefulness!

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Monrovia Canyon Waterfall- Monrovia, CA

Cherry and the Hoot

Hiking alone is probably something most wouldn’t dare consider. The good thing is, I’m not most and I actually prefer to hike solo. My family for sure doesn’t agree with those choices but hey, I choose to not live my life in fear. Hiking gives me a sense of happiness and peace so going alone is best. So yes, I hike alone most of the time.

Lately, since the weather has been warming either I’ve been terrified of running into a rattlesnake or thanks to this particular trail- BEARS! Plus, due to Covid19, California keeps shutting down trails so I haven’t been able to explore too many new trails.

Monrovia Canyon Park is located in Monrovia, California. The waterfall can be found deep in the park making it an “out and back” trip. Before this journey I was pumped and excited. I went early in the morning before work thinking it was going to be refreshing. As I’m preparing myself in the parking lot, I notice a huge bear statue and that to me was a red flag. I’m well aware wild animals happen to be throughout all or most of the trails I hike. Seeing a bear was not something I was prepared to encounter especially being by myself. I honestly did not get concerned until I headed towards the start of the trail and a warning sign read, “ATTENTION, YOU ARE ENTERING BEAR HABITAT.” Ha!

It took everything for me continue and I had no choice because I had to get to work on time, and I didn’t drive all that way to just leave! Luckily, I did not see any bears, rattlesnakes, or mountain lions and I felt more comfortable seeing other women walking alone. I stopped one Asian woman to ask her about bears and she said, “Oh honey, it’s no scary! You’ll be fine, I’m here everyday”. Okay, that was relieving and I was able to enjoy the remainder of my trip with no worries. I did see a cave but I kept it pushing as fast as I could!

When I successfully made it to the waterfall the short expedition was well worth it. The waterfall was so beautiful and I was able to relax alone on a boulder for a few minutes to admire the scenery. Although I was able to capture a lot of amazing photos my favorite part was walking alongside the stream and listening to the peacefulness of nature. I had to stop a few times to take videos of the soundscapes for memories. I will definitely be returning to the park (especially now that I have a new iPhone with a much better camera).

Enjoy the journey!

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Finding Time for Fitness While Working

Cherry and the Hoot
17 Motivational Quotes to Inspire You to Be Successful | SUCCESS

Although my health and fitness journey started on the “right” track, I have to admit how badly I’ve begun to slack since returning to work. My routine was going so great, but then I lost my “mojo.”

I returned to work at the beginning of June and was confident keeping things in order would be a success. Sadly, that wasn’t the case because since it had been almost three months of leave, I forgot how draining employment was. Don’t get me wrong, my job is somewhat smooth and I’m grateful even to be employed during the circumstances. The issue is, most of my shifts consist of ten plus hours, plus I commute a little less than 200 miles (about an hour and a half to and from work) each day. That alone is beyond bizarre, but hey, it’s what I signed up for!

I guess you can say I became spoiled with my break.

My sleep pattern was ultimately off, and I was able to work out whenever I felt like it- most mornings just not exceptionally early. Of course, I now had to re-figure life out, and that only took dedication (as I’ve spoken of previously). For some reason, the commitment was absent. Luckily for me, I will always be the one to “practice what I preach.” Having a lifestyle category on my blog, expressing how easy it is to lose weight or get fit with just dedication and consistency- I can’t BS my audience, and I won’t!

Eventually (about a week later), once I was back into the “groove of things,” I pushed myself to get up early enough to visit my local park. At my local park, I’ve been able to walk at least one to two miles before work. I haven’t been able to ride my cruiser since, but walking is all I need to keep my weight loss journey going. Each day I do walk, I try to beat my previous recorded time. Sometimes I walk a little faster, sometimes a bit slower, but that doesn’t matter because I made it there in the first place!

The moral of the story: KEEP PUSHING, even if it is draining, KEEP PUSHING! Stay true to yourself, find the time for yourself and make it happen, be consistent, and DO NOT GIVE UP!

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Cherry’s “21st” Birthday

Cherry and the Hoot

Years ago, on June 27th, a healthy, beautiful (funny-looking at first- laugh it off), supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, baby nicknamed, “Cherry,” was born!

Thanks to this lovely pandemic, I was not able to celebrate traditionally. Luckily, I’ve been blessed with an amazing sister and brother-in-law, who made my special day joyful! Although a “quarantine” birthday was not ideal, we still made it the best under the circumstances and had a great time. Since I’m older, I don’t get too excited about gifts, but let me tell you, I’m thrilled about EVERYTHING I received! My favorite is my new “toy,” a selfie light ring on a tripod! Sorry, but I’m about to start flooding you all with more pictures due to the perfect lighting. Plus, my new iPhone has a stunning camera. I just may reconsider a YouTube page- we shall see.

Thanks to everyone who showed me so much birthday love, I am so thankful to have such amazing family and friends! A special shoutout to Just Like Honi Creations for doing everything possible to safely mail me a surprise cake from the East Coast all the way to the West Coast. Receiving the cake felt like back home because it tasted delicious, and I’ve always gotten two cakes for my birthdays. Guess you can say, I’m spoiled. My second cake was from one of my favorite cupcake shops, Nadia Cakes, which has made appearances on, Food Network, TLC, and BuzzFeed! If you’ve ever been to Small Cakes, you’d love Nadia Cakes. We’ve had cake for days so don’t blame me if I gain over the next week!

Overall my small birthday celebration was fabulous and I was able to put together a cute little iMovie to show a snippet from the second part of my day. Enjoy!

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Venice Beach; Los Angeles, California

Cherry and the Hoot

Venice Beach can be a “hit or miss.” I’ve visited a couple of times, and each time I’ve fallen in love with the atmosphere in general. Although, there is a crap ton of homelessness- the best part about the beach is seeing all of the crafty artists selling their creations and artwork along the strip. The random graffiti and murals are also super dope, so I tried to get as many pictures as possible. Plus, I can not forget to mention the beautiful palm trees! Minus all of the homelessness and tagging, Venice reminds me of the Virginia Beach strip back home.

Check out some of the dopeness I captured:

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Venice Beach- Los Angeles, CA

Cherry and the Hoot

Venice Beach can be a “hit or miss.” I’ve visited a couple of times, and each time I’ve fallen in love with the atmosphere in general. Although, there is a crap ton of homelessness- the best part about the beach is seeing all of the crafty artists selling their creations and artwork along the strip. The random graffiti and murals are also super dope, so I tried to get as many pictures as possible. Plus, I can not forget to mention the beautiful palm trees! Minus all of the homelessness and tagging, Venice reminds me of the Virginia Beach strip back home.

Check out some of the dopeness I captured:

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Runyon Canyon- Los Angeles, CA

Cherry and the Hoot

As we know, I absolutely love hiking! Although, I once succeeded an extremely challenging hike back in the Blue Ridge Mountains, I have never experienced anything like Runyon Canyon. That has to be my first super hard hiking expedition that I will not visit again until I’m super fit! Ha.

Runyon Canyon is located in Los Angeles, California. I chose the hike because I kept seeing celebrities posting via social media. They made it seem like a piece of cake compared to what I experienced! The park is one of the most visited in Los Angeles. The best part about the hike were the stunning views. The challenging part were the excessively steep hills and steps. Goodness, I was never scared of heights until going uphill at a dramatic angle with little to no railing support. At that moment, I was officially afraid of heights for the remainder of the journey. Seeing the whole Los Angeles, Hollywood, Burbank, and everything else was dope and all but I needed to make that a quick trip!

The confidence I originally had slowly drifted away plus, being out of shape did not help! I wanted the hike over because I felt like I was about to pass out and fall down the hill. Not to mention, wearing a pair of old Nike Huaraches was not the ideal hiking attire. The slipping was real especially when going down a steep hill of nothing but lose rocks- I thought I was going to die. I can’t forget the numerous warning signs for rattlesnakes! Good thing I went in the winter. My motto of life is, “Live a Little” so I pushed through to the end and was satisfied once the hike was defeated!

I would recommend for those who love a challenging fitness workout or those who love breathtaking views! Check out some of my journey below: