Strawberry Rock

September 24, 2009
On this day we hiked an unposted trail called Strawberry Rock that's well known to the locals but hard to find for others. Alex & Mike, who'd been up the trail in the past, were our well-equiped guides. The first thing I noticed at the trailhead was the "No Tresspassing" sign posted on the gate, but this didn't seem to be a problem with Alex, who said that no one pays attention to it anyway! We hiked uphill until we came to a rock quary, where we could view our destination, Stawberry Rock, in the distance. I'm glad Alex was with us, as there were some forks in the road along the way with no clear indication which way to go. Along the trail were many kinds of ripe berries....blackberries and some that looked like wild blueberries. We followed a gravel road for a short distance before hiking uphill once again to face of Strawberry Rock.The first thing I noticed was that I had to climb (scale?) the very vertical (for me, a NON climber) face of that rock. I was last and had a lot of trepidation about whether I could make it up there but since I REALLY wanted to see the view from the top I persevered and finally made it up. It was worth it! Even though the day wasn't perfectly clear it was still an awesome view. Quiet. Peaceful. Serene. Now and then you could hear cars on Hwy 101 but you couldn't see them...they were well hidden in the trees. We stayed up there for awhile but all too soon it was time to hike back. I was nervous about climbing back down the rock but it proved easier than going up. Someday it would be worth a trip back at sunset!

Happiest Place on Earth

Recently I went to Disneyland. For me, it's always been a land of creativity & magic...a place where dreams come true, a place where you can always feel like a child with all the wonderment and excitement that comes with being in such a magical place. I've never even considered that someone would actually hate Disneyland. Does it depend on how and where you were raised as a child? Does it depend on whether or not you had a happy childhood? Maybe it does. After all, my memories of Sunday night with Disney and Disneyland are filled with the magic, the romanticism, the creativity, the dreams of childhood. If I grew up without all that, would I still feel the same about Disneyland? I really hope I would. I hope it's the core of who I am inside and not my background and how I was raised.

To me, it's not just about your past....it's about all that can be in the future. It's about believing in magic & innocence & fairytales and that life is a good place. For a time, while walking the streets of Disneyland, I can believe in all that. Don't we need a magical & happy place we can go to from time to time?

I know that Disneyland is crowded and that there can be cranky children (and adults) all around me. I know that Disneyland can be an expensive place. I know that I can stand in line 60 minutes for a 3 minute ride. I know all that. But for me, right in the middle of Aneheim, outside of Los Angeles, California sits a few acres of "magic" and "wonder" and "fantasy" and for a little piece of time, Disneyland transports me to a place of innocence, fairytales, wide-eyed wonder, and most importantly, childlike laughter.