Outfit Details:
TopShop Dress (old, similar here and here)
and Jeffrey Campbell Sneakers (old, similar here)

This past weekend I got to go see the poppy fields, and oh my what a site! They poppies were overflowing over the hills and the bright orange color was amazing to see. Due to the rain this past season in California, the poppies experienced a Super Bloom, and I am so glad I got to physically see and capture the moments on camera.
​Warning: lots of orange color ahead ;)

My friend Ashley (blogger of Not Scared of the Sky) and I went to see these blooms and here are some tips we learned. The Antelope Poppy Reserve is a zoned area where poppies are protected and cherished by only walking on trails throughout the reserve. There are multiple trails, rolling hills, and a visitor center at the reserve. However, the astonishing thing that I did not realize is that these poppy flowers are literally lining the road up to the reserve! This is where many people were pulling over to get a closer look at the poppies to not disrupt the Antelope Poppy Reserve. We both did our best to not damage any poppies inside the reserve. It was such an incredible site for sure and a must if you live in or are visiting southern California!

I chose this simple slip dress (similar here and here) with buttons down the middle for an easy, breezy look since it was pretty warm outside. I also paired it with my go-to Jeffrey Campbell sneakers (last seen in these posts here and here). 

Vintage Jacket (similar here) , North Face Fleece (old, similar here) ,
Amazon Ski Goggles , Gloves (old, similar here) , and Costco Ski Pants (old, similar here)

Growing up my family and I went skiing every year for President's Day weekend and man are those some of my favorite memories! Since moving to California, this is the first time Patrick and I have been able to make it out to Big Bear Mountain to ski. Sometimes it is hard to bite the bullet and just plan the trip, so here is my full guide to a snow skiing weekend in Big Bear to make it a little bit easier for you. 

We booked the cutest little cabin throughBig Bear Cool Cabins. We stayed in
Cornerstone Cabin in order to be walking distance to the slopes and have a pet friendly space with a hot tub. Our backyard was literally a forest that Finley loved running in.
​See my post here of our day in the snow. They have filters to choose hot tub, dog friendly, or whatever your needs are. I found the best deals here over Airbnb or VRBO. Also the biggest perk of booking through Cool Cabins is to get discounted lift tickets!! We saved so much money purchasing our lift passes through them. 

I highly recommend finding a cabin within walking distance to the slopes themselves or to one of the free parking lots that has a shuttle. We went during snow, so it was nice to not have to think about driving anywhere on the mountain. We also took Uber/Lyft to eat or go out in the Village. We ate at Hacienda Grill for Mexican food and margaritas which is super close to Bear Mountain Resort. Getting to and from the mountain make sure to always check the road conditions here. There could be a snow chain mandate required so make sure you have them and know how to put them on. We ordered these from Amazon for our Chevy Volt since it has low tire clearance. 

We skied at Bear Mountain Resort and man was I pleasantly surprised as to how many medium blue slopes and harder black diamond slopes there were. I was expecting a very tiny mountain but they did not disappoint for an easy weekend skiing. We got our ski rentals at the resort so that we would not have to carry or keep up with them. We found them maybe $10 - 15 cheaper if you rented elsewhere but we thought that carry them was not worth that savings. It's up to you!  If you reserve online 72 hrs in advance you get a discount as well. 

There are lockers downstairs across from the ticket booth to put shoes and belongings in. We packed a book bag with additional layers just in case we got super cold or needed to shed some layers. You never know so I like to be prepared! There is also a restaurant and lodge to eat, drink, and rest. No need to really leave the resort during the day since they pretty much have everything right there.

It was 30-34 degrees with wind and snow when we went. I like to dress in layers because you honestly never know the temperature or how it is actually going to feel while skiing. I like to start off with a base layer of leggings and a tight under armor, thermal layer, long sleeve tee. I typically have on two pairs of thick wool socks. Then I layer over a fleece pull over or sweatshirt. I packed an extra pair of jogger sweat pants in my bag just in case but ended up not wearing them. I layered by ski pants and ski jacket on top with gloves and ski goggles. The ski helmet kept my head pretty warm but some extra layers to consider to bring in your book bag are: scarf, ear headband or beanie, and face mask.
​Here are some great options I suggest below:

Sometimes for holidays I just want to recharge and spend time with my husband and puppy dog. And that is exactly what we did this year for Thanksgiving in Joshua Tree. Patrick and I have both been before last year camping, but this trip was very different and more relaxing. Oh and if you are wondering if Joshua Tree can be a dog friendly trip, then follow along because Finley had a BLAST and everything we did was dog friendly!

We stayed in the Cactus Mountain Airbnb located in Twenty nine Palms which is about 20 minutes north of the Joshua Tree Park entrance at the Oasis Visitors Center. It is a cozy, studio house sitting on tonssss of land. You feel like you can enjoy the entire desert all to yourselves. It was wonderful to just explore the backyard in the mornings with Finley after drinking our morning coffee on the covered patio. We chose to Airbnb this time instead of camping in Joshua Tree like we did last year in October (read post here) because  it was pretty chilly at night camping in the middle of October so it would have been freezing at the end of November for Thanksgiving week. Plus we really wanted to bring the dog! There are plenty of modern, eclectic homes for rent in the Joshua Tree area.  If you click this link, you can get $40 in travel credit when ​you signup with Airbnb. 

Indian Cove Campground was a hassle free way to enjoy a picnic and walk with your dog without having to "officially" enter the Joshua Tree park. Head to the visitors center for Indian Cove Campground to get the map and confirm where your dog can go within the campground. We were able to take Finley to the picnic areas and within 100 feet where a car has access, aka all roads. We drove all the way through the campground to the far end at the picnic area. There is a place to park your car and enjoy a packed picnic lunch sitting right up next to the boulders. From there we walked the dirt road that we just drove to get to the picnic area back to the campground spots. Finley loveddddd being on alert chasing lizards or whatever she could see. The road is flat and an easy walk. Highly recommend on for a fun half day with no stress.

The dog rules for Joshua Tree park was very similar to Indian Cove campground. We found on the map that there were multiple backcountry roads, meaning a dirt path for cars to drive on but was less frequently traveled on compared to the main Park Blvd paved path throughout the park. So we parked our car at a bathroom location right at the entrance to Geology Tour Road. We then crossed Park Blvd to do a pretty lengthy hike along Desert Queen Mine Rd to Queen Valley Rd to Odelle Rd and then back along the main Park Blvd to the car. It was pretty secluded and not many cars on the road when we went so it was the perfect hike with Finley. All flat and you felt completely immersed in the scenery. It was roughly 4.5 miles to walk the entire route back to the car so bring plenty of water and maybe a snack just in case. This was our longest day in the park to just enjoy seeing all the Joshua trees away from the crowds in the park. We then headed directly to the back patio area of the Joshua Tree Saloon. They had great burgers and a bar with live music playing. Also, dogs are allowed on the back patio area. Parking was located at the back where the entrance to the patio is. 

On the last day, we stopped at the Joshua Tree Coffee Company to enjoy yummy coffee on their back porch before making the drive from the Joshua Tree Visitors Center to the Cottonwood Visitors Center. We had never driven through the entire park before and wanted to enjoy a nice scenic drive viewing how the landscape and plants change as you go from the north end of the park to the south end. Right where the North from South part of the park starts to drastically change in scenery and plants is the Cholla Cactus garden. If you haven't stopped here, I highly recommend going to visit. I covered the cactus garden in my last trip to Joshua Tree in this post. Once we made it to the end, we got out at the Cottonwood Visitors center to get one last photo and take a restroom break before heading to Palm Springs for lunch. We ate at Wexler's located on the patio in the Arrive Hotel. They have a shaded patio with yummy brunch and lunch options. And yes, dogs are allowed as well. 


Also, here is a good reference map of Joshua Tree Park.