Sweet spot for a favorite park
Sweet spot for a favorite park
Plus, a 36 hour nature-filled getaway + lights in the darkness
I got back on a swing this week surrounded by green and under brilliant blue skies. All by myself. Swinging. With no one around and just the subtle squeak of the swingset chains and the drone of a leaf blower in the distance.
It was blissful. I soaked in the simplicity of a playground and moving under my own power. A welcome reminder of childhood.
Other playground scenes I observed from afar this week:
A mom parked her van next to a curb, the side van door slides open and two kids run out to the playground. They are older and she supervises them from a vantagepoint sitting on the floor in the doorway of her van while they run wild at the park.
A family in Mammoth wandering around the lake unknowingly brought tears to my eyes when one of the kids exclaimed “We can be wilderness explorers!" and proceeded to pretend play. (I just love to see play in action and appreciate when parents have a chance to allow time for it! Makes for happy kids.)
As I drove towards one playground, two women were looking off in the distance and when I got closer I figured out they were watching a child who had climbed a tree. (Joy!)
Here for all your play,
Michele
As a friendly reminder, make sure you ALWAYS check official sources when you are heading out to any of the locations I share. These are merely suggestions. Only you know what works for your family. Plus, your experience may not be the same as mine — and there can be changes to the hours or unforeseen circumstances or conditions at the suggested locations.
Featured: Irvine Regional Park BETWEEN pumpkins & Santa
This is your chance in between the madness! The Pumpkin Patch has ended and Santa’s Village doesn’t start until November 29th. (Christmas Train is already sold out.) So head to Irvine Regional Park in this sweet spot with fewer parking headaches and regular train rides!
If you go on a Tuesday, you can also catch the Farmer’s Market in Lot C which offers free parking between 9am-1pm. And, you can always visit the OC Zoo or take a pony ride while you are at the park, too! The only thing to watch for is wind closures, because these Santa Ana winds keep kicking up!
Also, if you are thinking of a BIG party, Falcon Flats Group Picnic Area off Lot B fits 350 people and got a new shade cover in March. It’s the only fully covered shelter within the park (ADA accessible, new barbecue grills, electrical outlets, and food prep counter). Reservations required.
My last little story about Irvine Regional is that I renewed my $55 OC Parks Annual Pass by parking in the 10 minute visitor parking spot at the park entrance and walking up to the park office. You can just park, hop out, and go to the window where they will take care of you and get you a new pass.
This photo is from last year when I renewed at O’Neill Regional Park office. This card is one of my most treasured possessions because it unlocks so many memorable experiences at our regional and wilderness parks every year. Read my Cheat Sheet to Park and Beach Annual Passes in Orange County. It’s an investment I look forward to making each year to support our parks.
Let’s do a playful mash up this week!
I usually share 3 parks in this section, but not this week! I’ve been sharing some resources behind-the-scenes in private messages that might be of interest to ALL of you! So I thought I’d share those instead.
Lights on at Dark Parks?
Heather over at OCParentGuide on Instagram got a question about parks with lights and asked me and her followers about it. The answers her followers gave confirmed what was already in my blog post with a few additions, so I thought I would share here.
If you have any more to add to the list, please feel free to REPLY to this email! I’ll share with Heather and the original question-asker. The original question I got back in 2015 was specifically about South County, but I just added two more from other parts of OC and I can keep building on it for other parts of OC.
Inclusive and Accessible Options for Families
I put up an “ask me anything” type of post and one of you wanted to know if I feature inclusive or accessible options for families - and gave me permission to share in this newsletter. This is my main post on accessible playgrounds and I try to also share on social media. The new Sweet Shade Universal Playground in Irvine is having its ribbon cutting on November 14th. (Thanks to Heather for sharing that event, too.)
And this post also links to blog posts on: parks without sand and parks that are enclosed/fenced.
36 Hours in Mammoth Lakes
I shared a video and pictures of a few spots from a weekend trip up there — and lots of you wanted to know where I was, so I thought I’d share here in the newsletter!
October and the beginning of November is a shoulder season in Mammoth Lakes. There’s not a big demand for the ski slopes or summer biking/hiking. It’s a transitional time of year with a chill in the air but not a lot of measurable snow. I love it because it’s easy to drive around and it’s really SLOW with no crowds anywhere. We had a lot of hikes all to ourselves.
That is the view from my sister’s family AirBnB condo (not booked yet for this weekend or next, btw) — which they were gracious enough to share with me & a friend for a girls trip this past weekend. We got a little dusting of snow overnight, but it was otherwise dry and clear for exploring town in the off-season. Here’s what we did . . .
Friday (5.5 hour drive with no stops, longer if you make stops!)
Left OC at about 6:30am and made stops on the way, including Eastern Sierra Visitor Center in Lone Pine and Schat’s Bakkery in Bishop to pick up lunch.
Picnic and exploring at Convict Lake
Dropped stuff at the condo and went up to the Lakes Basin for a blustery/snowy walk around Horseshoe Lake. Stopped at Mamie Lake and Twin Lakes overlook for photos. Stopped again down by Tamarack Lodge to walk on the bridge and explore a bit.
Earthquake Fault short hike followed by driving up to the Mammoth Mountain ski area to see what it looked like without the crowds (opening day is November 15th).
Dinner at Mammoth Brewing Company (best burgers with waffle fries)
Saturday
Slow morning and then started walking down Lake Mary Road bike path to town
Looked in a few stores and ended up having Split Pea Soup and Clam Chowder at Schat’s Bakkery in Mammoth Lakes for lunch
Kept walking down to explore the Mammoth Lakes Welcome Center and asked if road to Hot Creek was okay to drive (answer: yes!)
Took the free trolley back up to the Village and then had to walk the mile back UP to the condo (it was a 3 mile walk total)
Pit stop at the condo and then drove to Hot Creek Geologic Site which is just outside of town behind the airport and requires 2 miles of bumpy gravel road driving to a paved parking lot and a tiny hike through a geologic site. Arrived a bit before sunset and it was beautiful!
Headed back to town before dark and tried Giovanni’s Pizza for the first time. Yummy and very family-friendly!
Sunday
Lazy morning and then packed up to go, leaving by around 11:15am
Got down the mountain for sandwiches at Mahogany Meats
Then a straight drive back with another quick stop in Lone Pine, arriving home around 6pm
A few tips if you decide to go: We always bring our own groceries when we go up there (to preserve local resources for locals). We also keep a close eye on CalTrans Quick Maps app, National Weather Service Weather reports and Mammoth Lakes social media accounts like: mammothlakesrecreation, mammothmountain, and visitmammoth on Instagram for local updates. The weather and conditions can be unpredictable in the mountains.
Updated on the Blog
Just wanted to let you know that I did make updates this past week to these two blog posts . . .
It feels WAY too early for this, but the lights are on starting on November 13th which isn’t long from now!
I think I just did the final update for year? Let me know if you know of a place that’s NOT on the list?
PLAY: Comfort in Nature’s Beauty
This is the section of the newsletter where we talk about PLAY or connecting to nature each week. I might share a video, an article, a book, or something inspiring. Just trying to help keep you empowered to prioritize play to benefit development and preserve childhood!
I know many are seeking comfort or rest this week. I originally wrote this in 2012 and have sadly revisited it many times.
Tiny Hike Teaser: I love this spot for spring, but couldn’t resist a fall visit. It has everything I love for your: oak trees, birds galore, a stream, a small waterfall, and lots of pretty views.
OC Tiny Hikes are a PAID add-on/upgrade to this FREE newsletter subscription. When you become a paid subscriber, you get a mini trail guide sent to your inbox each week in addition to this regular free newsletter.
This week’s trail guide will come to your inbox before noon Friday (if I can finish by then) or Saturday before noon!
You can subscribe for $5 a month OR $39 a year - just be aware that it’s NOT a full year since I don’t send out hikes in August/September. It’s still a good deal because for those 10 months of trail guides, it costs only $39 for the annual subscription and would cost you $50 total if you were paying monthly. So an annual subscription is more like a 22% savings on 10 months. [Again, there’s a pause on monthly billing for the months of August and September to skip the heat of summer and then it restarts back in October for prime fall hiking season.]
If you are becoming a new subscriber in November 2024, I highly recommend coming on as a monthly subscriber for the $5/month. Then you can see if you like it and cancel any time.
Inspirational! And muchly needed! Thank you!!