Mount Rose Meadows, Nevada
My roots are in Asia but America is the country I've lived in for the last decade. It is a country that has been so good to me and despite its shortfalls, it still is one of the best in the world to live, work, and play.
I love our National Parks and if I had a bucketlist (which I don't), to see them all would crowd that list. Someone asked me once where I think the best food in the world is. For all its diversity, creativity, and passion, I sincerely think it is in California. If it isn't the best, at least it's in the running for first place.
ARIZONA
Sedona
Berkeley
Sacramento
Santa Cruz
HAWAII
ILLINOIS
NEW YORK
NEVADA
OREGON
UTAH
WASHINGTON STATE
CANADA
Mont Tremblant, Quebec
postcards
This is our stomping grounds! It inexplicably makes me giddy to snowshoe here after a huge dump of fresh snow. Mount Rose is a skip and jump away from Lake Tahoe and about an hour from Reno, NV.
Yosemite National Park, California The best time to go is late spring or early summer. It dries up in late summer when all the snow has melted.
El Capitan, Half Dome and Tres Hermanos (Three Brothers) all in one breathtaking view
The California Coast is very dramatic - with rugged cliffs, hidden coves, crashing waves (and super cold water). I love spending long weekend here.
Hiking along the California Coast is one of the best ways to experience it.
.. But a picnic ain't bad idea either..
These are elephant seals hanging out at Ano Nuevo State Park. An easy hike (about a couple miles, if I remember) leads you to hundreds of them.
In Pescadero, CA. The drive alone is worth it. It's insanely beautiful. During the whale migrations between February and April, mother whales and their young supposedly come very near the shore to frolic and play. We have spotted them from a distance, but not up close (yet).
San Francisco, CA
"Off the Grid" Picnic at the Park Presidio, San Francisco, California
Come during apple season which is early fall. Freshly baked apple pies (a la mode - yes, yes!), apple strudel, apple cider and everything fresh apples is a definite yes.