The Echo Mountain hike in Los Angeles is one of the most rewarding historical hikes that you can do in the area. It is supposed to be a wide, relatively easy but mildly strenuous uphill hike that takes you from the top of Altadena to the ruins of a mountaintop resort.

I love hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains! And now, after hiking to Eagle Rock from Topanga State Park, I can't believe that it has taken me so long to hike it. It is a hike that is doable for almost anyone as it is 4.5 miles on a roundtrip loop and only about 800 feet in elevation gain. Once at the rock, there is so much to explore, even some hidden caves that are a perfect place to relax and have a picnic.

There is no question that Laguna Beach has some of the best beaches in California. However, there is one hidden beach that lies between Crescent Bay and Shaws Cove that just may take the top spot and have me re-think my list of favorite beaches in Laguna. Twin Points has everything you could ever want in a perfect beach – tide pools, crystal-clear water and even a tide-filled soaking pool. Although it is not private, if you catch it at the right time, it can feel like you have your own private piece of paradise.

I never knew I had an addiction to deserted, incredibly straight roads through nothingness until I drove through the high desert of California.

The Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes lie in the heart of Death Valley National Park. The harshness of the desert valley is briefly interrupted by the soft sands that make up Mesquite Flat.

The City of Avalon saved the 4th of July! Despite all of the restrictions from the pandemic, our trip to Catalina for Independence Day was an amazing experience!

The last time that I used the over under dome port for the GoPro was with my old Hero 3+ Black on in St. Kitts a couple years ago. There was also some good shots of Amanda on the paddle board in Lake Tahoe with the same GoPro. However, one of my favorite photos that I have taken with the dome port was in Thailand.

I had the unique opportunity for an interesting scuba dive recently - but not by choice. I did a one-tank dive at the rock pools at Malibu Creek State Park. I will explain more about that in a bit.

The Embassy Suites by Hilton in Deerfield Beach is a great place to relax and spend a few days at the beach. It is close enough to all of the excitement to still partake in that south Florida life if you choose. It is also just far enough to allow you to just relax by the pool if that is what you are looking for.

The Coronavirus pandemic has really put a damper on travel both domestically and around the world this year. Being someone who loves travel and does so a lot, I have felt like something was missing in my life for the past few months. So, as soon as the opportunity arose to travel to Florida, we took it.

We recently visited Grand Cayman as part of our 7-day Western Caribbean cruise on the Carnival Legend and booked the USS Kittiwake & Reef Two Tank Dive excursion with Divers Down. This is a review of that excursion.