Bright white skies, soft sand and wildflowers galore are the essential elements to an adventure. After a long desire to drive up the North Coast, we packed a picnic and headed to Caspar, California in search of fresh air and cool vibes. While the ocean washed up seaweed along the shore and the flowers rooted in the sand danced in the wind, I couldn’t help but appreciate everything the earth provides to us. We set up our beach blanket and had a mini-wine tasting of our own on a mild Saturday. For most traveling on Highway One, Caspar Beach can easily be missed as bigger towns such as Fort Bragg or Mendocino are popular destinations. Lucky for us, the beach was close to empty and the dunes were just begging to be enjoyed.

Two years of drooling over Instagrams, researching on travel sites and daydreaming about a northern romantic getaway to Mendocino and it finally happened! The winding road to this section of the coast through tall redwoods from San Francisco is nothing short of amazing, so try not to have doubts when you enter the directions on your GPS and it tells you how long it will take. The sun may not shine much in Fort Bragg, but the colorful display of sea glass at Glass Beach, the quaint downtown shops and restaurants in addition to the pastel buildings dotted along Highway One make this seaside village shine bright.

It had been exactly one year since my last getaway to South Lake Tahoe, so when it was time to pack my weekender bag and drive the four hours in search of sapphire blue waters and crisp mountain air, I was ready to hit the road. Celebrating the 4th of July in Lake Tahoe is one of the craziest and most crowded weekends to visit, but it’s also one of the most fun. The overall vibe is friendly and patriotic, with American flags everywhere, a chance to participate in water sports and sunshine galore.