Santa Barbara is a coastal town sandwiched between the steep hills of Santa Ynez mountains and the pacific ocean.
The Spanish Colonial architecture, white buildings with courtyards, homes terraced on the hills overlooking the ocean, and the inviting sandy beaches – all gave Santa Barbara its nickname "The American Riviera".
Many years ago, I went on a Grand Canyon West airplane tour. After enjoying great views from above, the plane landed on the west rim, and we disembarked for breathtaking views of the deep canyons.
Fast forward to 2020, I decide to relive this experience with my family but was surprised with a totally different place.
Instead of the pristine Grand Canyon experience, we were herded through a large gift shop/visitor center, bus ride to rim locations, and wnt on the glass-bottom Skywalk.
This year we decided to go with professionals on a Stargazing tour. Sedona Stargazing runs an excellent tour using their huge telescopes to allow us to gaze into distant planets and stars.
Our guide was very knowledgable and seems to love talking about astronomy. He started by pointing out some constellations and then showed us a few heavenly objects with the telescope.
The park is about 7000 Acres of hills, canyons, and ridgelines – some with commanding views of the ocean. The trail system is well-maintained with a variety of difficulty levels.
The park contains the only three natural lakes in Orange County and a seasonal waterfall. The biggest lake is Barber’s Lake – across the street from the Nix Nature Center.
Approaching the falls from a distance I started to hear the thunderous roar of millions of cubic feet of water (per minute), dropping from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. Getting closer, I was stunned by the amazing view in front of me.
Three powerful walls of cascading water crashing into the rocks and river way below, the water rushing through the Niagara Gorge and throngs of people mesmerized by the force of nature.
Oregon is famous for its waterfalls, rivers, and mountains. A visit to Portland is not complete without a drive along the Columbia River Gorge and witnessing the gushing waterfalls. The most iconic of them all is Multnomah Falls.
