#136 One Thousand Steps Beach
Beneath the quiet bluffs of Santa Barbara, One Thousand Steps Beach is a secluded rocky and sandy beach. The many steps down to the beach feels like a thousand but are actually only 150. This secret spot is a locals paradise hidden away from the world.
#135 Santa Monica Pier
Santa Monica Pier has been a classic California experience since 1909. Its iconic views of the Santa Monica Mountains make it a perfect spot to catch a sunset at the end of Route 66. The pier has always been a pleasure pier from its original ballroom, aquarium, arcade, Ferris Wheel, and carousel. Originally built in 1922 featuring 44 hand-carved horses, the current carousel was rebuilt in 1990 under the Looff Hippodrome, an architectural monument on the National Register of Historic Places. Join the amazing docents for free historical walking tours Saturdays and Sundays 11 and 12pm.
#134 Borrego Badlands
The Borrego Badlands in Anza Borrego Desert State Park are a wonder. Miles and miles of desert vista await among rugged golden canyons. The water sculpted lands are a fossil paradise where sea turtles, sharks, bears, ground sloths and camels once lived.
#133 Box Springs Mountain
Box Springs Mountain is a beautiful reserve in Riverside. With its many hiking trails and rolling green hills in the wintertime, the 3,000 foot park provides sweeping views of the Inland Empire and its surrounding mountains. The City of Riverside as well as University of California Riverside manages the 1,155 acre reserve. Early Pioneers used this mountain for its natural spring and surrounded the spring with a box from which it got its name.
#132 Manzanar National Historic Site
Manzanar National Historic Site protects and preserves one of America's darkest moments in history. Japanese Americans were sent away to live in 'War Relocation Centers' aka concentration camps during World War II. This Owens Valley camp had very primitive conditions and was extremely hot and dusty in the summer while cold in the winter. It is not a place many choose to live by their free will. These American Citizens worked to keep the camp running with pitiful salaries about $8-19 a month or $115-275 in 2016 dollars.
Even though treated unfairly, these Japanese Americans were extremely strong and bonded together. They made the camp more beautiful by creating gardens with stunning landscapes while growing closer as families. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan gave a formal apology for the treatment of these law abiding citizens and created a reparations act. Although it is hard to remember, it is important to never forget about our past so we do not make the same terrible mistakes today.
#131 Crystal Cave
Crystal Cave is a beautiful cave in Sequoia National Park and one of 240 known caves in the park. Amazing polished marble chambers and formations decorate the walls and ceilings. At a constant 48 degrees, Pleistocene era fossils and minerals are protected among stalactites and stalagmites. Crystal Cave is a must see and a great way to discover the subterranean of Sequoia.
#130 Mission San Diego de Alcalá
Mission San Diego de Alcalá was the first of the 21 California Missions founded on July 16th 1769. It is known as the birthplace of Christianity in the West and was created to convert the Kumeyaay Native Americans. The Mission System was a new way of life for the Kumeyaay whose lives now consisted of living and working by the ringing bells. This linear idea of time did not serve the Kumeyaay well and the mission system crumbled during Mexican Independence. Unfortunately, many Native Americans had passed away from the diseases they were exposed to during Mission times.
#129 Cathedral Cove
Cathedral Cove is one of the jewels of Anacapa Island in Channel Islands National Park. Its crystal clear waters and rocky shore provide a dramatic ocean vista while seclusion and lack of visitors make it an extremely peaceful treat.
#128 Black Hill
Black Hill is a 665 foot mountain vista in Morro Bay State Park on the Central Coast along Morro Bay Lagoon. The hill provides a 360 degree view of San Luis Obispo county including the lagoon, ocean, Santa Lucia Mountain Range and the rolling green foothills. It is one of the famous 'Nine Sisters' volcano plugs in San Luis Obispo which formed over 20 million years ago. At a half mile round trip hike, this short hike boasts an incredibly memorable view.
#127 Abalone Cove Shoreline Park
Abalone Cove Shoreline Park in Rancho Palos Verdes is one of the most beautiful stretches of coastline in Southern California. This 64 acre ecological reserve includes beautiful coves, tide pools and bluff top trails. Starfish and sunbathing seals surround the deep blue waters while the rolling hills in the background make for a perfect wild afternoon close to the city.
