coastal

In total, it takes 19 hours to complete the trip, trundling through the pretty countryside of Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovenia, and on into Croatia, during the just under 1,200-kilometer route. It will run four times a week

A new train route from Warsaw to Rijeka has officially opened.

On Saturday, the first PKP train from Warsaw to Rijeka in Croatia completed its journey.

The new ‘Adriatic Express’ rail route has been hailed as the first sleeper to connect five European countries. It is run by the largest Polish rail operator, PKP Intercity, and traces a line southwest from Warsaw towards the tip of the Adriatic.

In total, it takes 19 hours to complete the trip, trundling through the pretty countryside of Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovenia, and on into Croatia, during the just under 1,200-kilometer route. It will run four times a week.

The train has been launched in a bid to capitalise on renewed interest in tourism between the two countries. According to the Travel Croatia portal, Croatia welcomed more than 1.2 million Polish tourists last year.

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Discussions about the route began four years ago during the coronavirus pandemic, but were delayed by various lockdowns in Europe. It looks as if demand for it will be high, with 90% of the seats on the first train taken. There are 172 seats on the train, including 132 second class seats and 40 couchettes, Euro News reported.

Infrastructure Minister Dariusz Klimczak said: “This is the beginning of a new chapter for holiday rail travel! This is not only a fast and convenient connection, but also a symbol of accessible European holidays – also from smaller towns!”

The train leaves Warsaw at 2pm and arrives in Rijeka at 9am the following day—in time for breakfast. It returns at 7pm and arrives back in the Polish capital a little before 2pm. One-way fares on the new route start at around PLN 200 (£43).

The connection is initially designed just for the tourist season and will operate until the end of the summer holidays, with the last night train from Warsaw scheduled for 28 August.

There are plenty of reasons to make the 1,200km journey to Rijeka, which is a Croatian port city steeped in history. It sits in Kvarner Bay in the northern Adriatic Sea and is known as a gateway to Croatia’s islands. Korzo, the main promenade, is lined with Habsburg-era buildings.

The 19th-century Ivan pl. Zajc Croatian National Theatre has ceiling paintings by Gustav Klimt. The hilltop Trsat Castle complex, which includes a religious shrine, has sweeping views of the islands of Kvarner Bay.

Benidorm is a top holiday destination for Brits, with its cheap prices, sunny weather and the famous Calle Gerona – best known as ‘the strip’, but there’s a hidden gem nearby

Benidorm is a popular British tourist hotspot known for its sunshine, bargain deals, and the renowned ‘the strip’ on Calle Gerona. But while you’re likely to encounter lively stag and hen parties along the main drag, Benidorm also harbours many stunning, lesser-known gems.

For those holidaymakers looking to escape the party atmosphere, there’s a delightful little town just a stone’s throw from Benidorm. Despite being only minutes away, it offers a tranquil contrast to the party atmosphere for travellers, drawing comparisons to the idyllic beauty of Mykonos.

Hop into a car for an 18-minute journey or catch a 12-minute bus from Benidorm Intermodal station and you’ll arrive at the charming haven of Altea, Alicante.

Touted as one of Spain‘s “most iconic” towns, Altea is akin to stepping into a fairytale past with its winding cobbled lanes and radiant white houses.

Meandering through Altea’s old town, your senses are greeted by the inviting scents of coffee from local cafés and delicacies from cosy eateries.

Visitors are frequently captivated by the stunning parish church, formally named Nuestra Señora del Consuelo or more commonly called Iglesia de Arriba, and the breathtaking views of shimmering seas and vast beaches beyond it.

Alice, an online influencer who shares Benidorm’s hidden treasures and her top picks, recommends adding Altea to any traveller’s itinerary.

The TikTok creator, with an audience of more than 37,000 followers, recently took in the sights of Altea. She saied: “Hidden gem only 15 mins from Benidorm!

“Maybe Altea isn’t a hidden gem for those in the know, but the way you could lowkey be just 15 mins away from this gorgeous slice of history and culture while on your holibobs in Benidorm!”

The travel fan added: “It’s an absolute MUST see if you’re looking to escape for an afternoon to see some of the best views on the entire Costa Blanca. It’s giving cheeky altea day trip, don’t you think?”

The brief video has already racked up over 16,300 likes and a host of positive comments.

One visitor said: “I went there in December. Very nice.” Another said: “There are stunning restaurants and bars. It’s not Benidorm. They may be close but they are worlds apart. Altea is beautiful.”

Another person commented: “It’s simply a stunning old and new town.” Meanwhile, another user hailed it as their “fave place of all time”.

Another added it to their must-visit destinations, saying: “Definitely heading here.. never knew it was so close.”

Flights from the UK to Alicante are available from just £40. From there, you can hop on a bus, grab a taxi, or catch a tram to Benidorm, which should take about 40 minutes by road.

The first time Gene Kozicki drove to Lompoc to see a rocket blast off from Vandenberg Space Force Base, it was night, and the whole scene reminded him of the movie “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” The road was blocked off. There were police. Flashing lights. A guy standing near Kozicki had a radio scanner, and they listened as a spartan voice counted down: Ten, nine, eight, seven … Over the hill, where the rocket was on the pad, all was dark.

And then it wasn’t.

“The sky lights up, and it’s like daytime,” Kozicki said. “This rocket comes up and then a few seconds later, the sound hits you. It’s just this roar and rumble, and then it’s a crackle. And then you look at it and you realize, this thing is not a movie. This thing is actually going into space.”

People (and dogs) gather in Lompoc to watch SpaceX successfully launch a Falcon 9 rocket. (George Rose / Getty Images)

Kozicki told me about that experience as we both stood atop a sand dune at Surf Beach, just outside Lompoc, waiting for a different rocket to launch. Through my binoculars I could see a SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 on the pad at Vandenberg, with a Starlink satellite on top. SpaceX and other companies have been sending up more and more rockets in recent years, and Lompoc has become a day trip destination for aerospace aficionados.

With Blue Origin sending up an all-female crew, including Katy Perry, Gayle King and Lauren Sanchez, from West Texas in April and my social feeds full of pics of launches from California’s Central Coast — not to mention SpaceX founder Elon Musk’s preternatural ability to stay in the news — it seemed like everyone was talking about rockets, so I wanted to get as close to a liftoff as possible.

I had driven to Surf Beach on the advice of Bradley Wilkinson, who runs the Facebook group Vandenberg Rocket Launches. When asked for the best spot to experience a launch, Wilkinson had responded, in the manner typical of connoisseurs, with questions of his own.

“Do you want to see it?” Wilkinson asked me. “Do you want to feel it? Do you want to hear it?”

If I had just wanted to see it, he said, I could do that easily from Los Angeles. If I picked a launch around twilight, I could even see the jellyfish effect that happens when sunlight reflects off the rocket plume. (People all across Southern California had that experience earlier this week.) But I wanted more. I wanted to hear and feel the launch, so I took off toward Vandenburg on a clear Friday afternoon, staying just ahead of traffic.

Rocket launches have become more frequent at Vandenberg Space Force Base, located in Santa Barbara County.

(Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Not everyone is a fan of the increased frequency of SpaceX launches. Beyond the many controversies surrounding the company’s founder, there are concerns about the effects of sonic booms on the environment, and the California Coastal Commission has been battling SpaceX in court over the need for permits. Some Lompoc residents have complained about the effects of all that rumbling on their houses, but others, like Wilkinson, enjoy living so close to the action; he said he doesn’t even bother straightening the pictures on the walls of his house anymore.

As I drove up the coast, I kept checking the Facebook group for updates. Launches can be scrubbed for any number of reasons, and Wilkinson and other members of the group, including Kozicki, have become adept at reading signs: They track the weather; they watch the rocket’s movement toward the pad; they monitor SpaceX’s website and social media.

I pulled into the Surf Beach parking lot about an hour before launch, and that’s where I met Kozicki, chatting with a SpaceX engineer and her mother. The engineer was off the clock, but that didn’t stop her mom from telling everyone, proudly, that her daughter worked at SpaceX. It became a refrain for the next hour:

“You should ask my daughter. She works at SpaceX.”

“Stop telling everyone I work at SpaceX!”

From the top of the dunes, the four of us watched the launchpad for telltale signs of exhaust. I thought of how, thousands of miles away, crowds in St. Peter’s Square had watched for white smoke with a similar feeling of anticipation. Other spectators soon crunched across the ice plants and joined us on our perch. Some of them had parked in a bigger lot to the north and followed the train tracks that ran parallel to the beach.

The SpaceX engineer answered questions about rocket stages and landing burns. She was not authorized to speak to the media, but she shared her knowledge with everyone her mom sent her way.

We all watched and waited. More people walked up the dunes, including Dan Tauber, who said he’d been motorcycling around the area with friends before deciding to break off from the group to experience the launch.

“You want to feel your bones rattle,” he said. “So why not get as close as you can?”

Kozicki announced to the group that we’d know the launch was about to happen — really about to happen — when we saw a deluge of water on the pad. Then it would be a matter of seconds before liftoff.

Tauber and I sat together in the sand. We watched and waited. He had been a firefighter in San Francisco. He now lived in San Diego. We watched. We waited. A southbound Pacific Surfliner train pulled up alongside the parking lot. The railroad bell kept ringing, adding to the tension.

“Deluge!” shouted Kozicki.

“Deluge!” shouted the SpaceX engineer’s mother.

Three seconds later, ignition. Fire. Smoke. Liftoff.

Cameras clicked.

Someone shouted, “Whoa!”

I might’ve done the same.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off. Vandenberg Space Force Base has hosted 836 rocket launches to date.

(Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images)

The sound of the rocket came next, just as Kozicki had described. Roar. Rumble. Crackle.

Tauber leaned back and said, “I’m just going to enjoy it. Take pictures for me.”

The rocket rose in the blue sky. I managed to get a few pics, but the flames were so bright that my camera’s settings went haywire. I put the camera down and watched the rocket go up, up, up. Then it was gone. Awestruck, I stood around, wanting more. I wasn’t sure where to go afterwards.

I knew I would be back.

Tips for experiencing a Vandenberg rocket launch

Find an upcoming launch

Start with a site like SpaceLaunchSchedule.com. There are many reasons why a launch could get scrubbed, however, so Wilkinson suggests checking the Vandenberg Rocket Launches group about 12 hours before a liftoff is scheduled to see whether it’s actually going to happen. The final authority for SpaceX launches would be SpaceX.com.

If you just want to see the rocket, go outside when there’s a liftoff scheduled for twilight or later. Depending on the weather, you should be able to see the rocket streaking across the Los Angeles sky.

For a closer look, head toward Lompoc

Surf Beach is a good spot, although the parking lot can fill up quickly. There is another parking lot to the north, at Ocean Park, about a 30-minute walk from Surf Beach. Wilkinson also recommended just parking along Ocean Avenue to feel the launch in your feet.

“There’s more of a rumble out there,” he said. “You can feel the vibration in the ground.” Other viewing spots, recommended by Explore Lompoc, include Santa Lucia Canyon Road & Victory Road; Harris Grade Road; and Marshallia Ranch Road. No matter where you park, be considerate of locals. That means no littering, and no middle-of-the-night tailgating. The roads can be crowded with cars and people, so take care whether driving or walking.

While in Lompoc

If you’re looking for food after the launch, I had a satisfying surf and turf burrito from Mariscos El Palmar (722 E. Ocean Ave) in Lompoc, right next to a bar called Pour Decisions.

There’s a renowned burger at Jalama Beach Store, where you can also view a launch. Jalama Beach County Park has many charms, but the cellular signal is spotty out there, so you’ll likely have no way of knowing whether a launch has been scrubbed at the last minute. But you’ll have a pretty drive either way.

Looking to spend the night? The Village Inn (3955 Apollo Way) just opened and markets itself as being inspired by “the golden age of space exploration.” If you’re having a space day, might as well go all the way.

Bournemouth has been named the most in-demand coastal location for buyers, with its stunning natural beauty, extensive green spaces, and appealing property market all contributing to its popularity

Bournemouth, the charming coastal town situated on England’s southern coast, has recently experienced a significant increase in popularity among property buyers. The latest figures from Rightmove reveal that Bournemouth has become the most sought-after seaside location for purchasers, a trend fuelled by its breathtaking natural beauty, abundant green spaces and attractive housing market.

Bournemouth presents a unique mix of attractions that make it an irresistible choice for potential homeowners. The town is home to seven miles of stunning sandy beaches, ideal for a variety of activities from sunbathing to water sports.

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These beaches, along with 2,000 acres of green space, offer a perfect equilibrium between coastal and city living. Adding to its allure, Bournemouth is conveniently located near the Jurassic Coast, a World Heritage Site renowned for its dramatic cliffs, historical importance, and natural splendour.

This close proximity allows inhabitants to experience the best of both worlds: the serenity of seaside living and the thrill of exploring ancient landscapes.

Bournemouth’s property market has witnessed substantial growth over the past five years. The average asking price for properties in 2024 stands at £360,298, representing a 22% increase since 2019.

The surge in property values is a clear indicator of the surging demand and Bournemouth’s escalating allure. The town is becoming increasingly sought-after due to several enticing attributes.

With its stunning beaches and lush parks, Bournemouth offers an abundance of outdoor leisure activities and spots for unwinding, reports the Express.

Its vibrant cultural landscape is dotted with festivals, theatres, and a selection of eateries, contributing to an enriched living experience. Excellent transport links mean Bournemouth is well-placed for those wishing to commute to metropolises like London.

Educational institutions, including highly-regarded schools and Bournemouth University, increase the town’s attraction for families. Locals have voiced their joy over the area’s burgeoning popularity.

On Trip Advisor, an enthused resident remarked: “Living here feels like being on a perpetual holiday. The community is welcoming, and there’s always something to do. The rising property values are a testament to how wonderful this place is.”

Bournemouth’s rising fame as a residential hotspot augurs well for its economic prosperity, with potential upticks in investment and tourism.

Yet, this popularity boom poses hurdles, notably in ensuring growth is handled responsibly and the town’s scenic charm is preserved.

In spite of these challenges, the outlook for Bournemouth remains promising as it cements its status as one of the UK’s most coveted living destinations.

Three Cliffs Bay in Gower, South Wales is a tranquil haven with limestone cliffs, golden beaches and rich greenery. It is just one of the beautiful beaches around the bargain seaside settlement

The cheapest seaside town for a day out is also home to a beautiful hidden beach.

In an era of penny punching and inflation, knowing where to go for a classic British day out at the seaside that isn’t going to leave you needing to remortgage the house is key.

The UK Seaside Index 2025 looked at the cost of four different seaside staples – all-day parking, ice cream, fish and chips and all-day deckchair rental – to find out which coastal resort offers the most bang for your buck.

At the top of the list is Wales’ second city Swansea, where parking can be bagged for £3, an ice cream £1.65, fish and chips £7.06, deckchair rental £5, bringing the cost of a day out to £16.71. In sharp contrast, at the other end of the beach bargain scale is Brighton, where the same goods will cost you £38.20.

Swansea is not just good for a bargain. It is also homes to beautiful bits of landscape such as Pwll Du Bay. Tucked away at the bottom of a valley, this beach is one of the least accessible in the city, with only three footpaths leading to it.

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Those who have been there will tell you that the experience is second to none. The beach features a unique bank of thousands of pebbles, encircled by limestone cliffs, all set within a secluded and scenic location. The pebbles are piled up in waves, resembling ripples from the beach and sea, and are deep, forming dunes.

Another coastal classic is Three Cliffs Bay, a short drive out of the city. Nestled on the Gower Peninsula, it is a serene bay that delivers a slice of paradise with its dramatic limestone cliffs, shimmering golden sands and lush greenery. It’s a bit of a trek to reach this secluded beach, but that only adds to its charm.

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Just a stone’s throw from the village of Parkmill, about 15 miles west of Swansea, ramblers can follow the scenic path leading to the bay. Boasting an idyllic shoreline, dunes, salt marshes, rock pools and rugged cliffs, it’s the perfect spot for some peace and tranquillity.

Visit Wales hails Three Cliffs Bay as one of Gower’s most snapped locations, and it’s easy to see why with the Pennard Pill stream meandering through the sand and sweeping views atop the cliffs – the journey there is absolutely rewarding. But heed the advice from the official website: “Stay safe, this is one of our most beautiful beaches, but nature can be wild too – watch out for strong tides and currents at all times.”

The bay has become quite the draw for visitors, earning a stellar five-star rating on Tripadvisor. A satisfied visitor shared their experience: “We parked in the Gower Heritage Centre which had a lovely woodland walk down to the beach. It’s impressive, one minute you’re walking through magical-looking woodland with weaving streams, and the next you’re on an open expansive beach. There’s a pretty walk up to the castle which has amazing views over the beach too.”

Whenever friends or family visiting L.A. ask to go spend a day swimming in the ocean, I always take them to Leo Carrillo State Beach.

Unlike Santa Monica or Venice beaches, Leo Carrillo is not crowded. Parking is usually easy. And it’s a great place to swim and explore, with its tide pools where you can spot a starfish and scramble on its huge rocks (I may have had a goofy photo shoot or two with my friends there).

But until recently, I did not know that the adjoining Leo Carrillo State Park was home to a magnificent series of hiking trails where, when connected, provide you with a seven-mile trek with striking ocean views, wildflowers and birdsong. The halfway point is a pond and wetlands area where you can spot waterfowl and, if you’re lucky, listen to frogs! This is now the hike I take friends on when they want to both hike and have a beach day. I recommend you do the same.

Along with striking views of the Pacific Ocean, the Nicholas Flat Trail includes great vantage points of local peaks.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

The hike that I took through Leo Carrillo State Park — which I would gauge as mostly moderate with a few short but hard stretches — connects a few different trails, and I will explain how you can even just do portions of it and still have a great time before heading over to the beach.

To begin, you’ll park at Leo Carrillo State Park. An all-day pass is $12, payable to the ranger at the gate or via the machine in the parking lot. Once parked, you’ll head northeast to the trailhead. You’ll quickly come to a crossroads. Take the Willow Creek Trail east to officially start your hike.

A western fence lizard perches on a hillside.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

You’ll gain about 575 feet in a mile as you traverse the Willow Creek Trail. I took breaks along the way to gaze at the ocean, watching surfers bobbing on their boards and a kite surfer trying to gain traction. I spotted coast paintbrush and California brittlebush, a flowering shrub that features yellow daisy-like flowers, on the path, along with several lizards.

A mile in, you’ll come to a junction in the trail where you have three-ish options. You can continue west to a branch of the Nicholas Flat Trail that will take you a mile back down to the parking lot. You can head south onto ocean vista lookout point (which, though steep, I highly recommend). Or you can turn north onto another branch of the Nicholas Flat Trail.

Leo Carrillo State Beach is easy to spot from high points along the Nicholas Flat Trail.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

I did a combination, hiking 235 feet up the lookout path, where I had one of those “Wow, I get to live here” moments. The ocean was varying shades of blue, from turquoise to cerulean to cobalt. I could clearly see in all directions, including about eight miles to the east to Point Dume. I was, once again, amazed to be alone in a beautiful place in a county of 10 million people.

Once I finished at this awe-inspiring point, I headed north onto the Nicholas Flat Trail, taking it about 2.3 miles — and about 1,100 feet up 🥵 — through laurel sumac and other coast sage scrub vegetation into the Nicholas Flat Natural Preserve. Along the way, I observed loads of deerweed covered in its orange and yellow flowers along with scarlet bugler (which I spotted hummingbirds feeding on during my way back), Coulter’s lupine and small patches of California poppies.

California poppies growing amid invasive weeds, Coulter’s lupine and Longleaf bush lupine in Leo Carrillo State Park.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

If you need to catch your breath but don’t want to share that fact with your friends, just yell “Look at that view!” which is relevant for the hardest parts of the first stretch of this path, as the ocean grows only more beautiful and expansive as you climb.

About 2.5 miles in, you will see a path on your right that heads south. I’d skip this. It is a lookout point, but is washed out and looked sketchy to me. Instead, continue east-ish for another mile, and you’ll reach the charming little Nicholas Pond.

This is a great spot to sit, have a snack and observe the waterfowl and other birds, like red-winged blackbirds, song sparrows and lesser goldfinches (which are only lesser in their names). As I sat there eating my Trader Joe’s veggie sushi, I imagined decades ago when cattle probably drank from the pond, given a portion of the preserve resembles pasture and not native coastal sage scrub, and thus appears to have been used for ranching.

The Nicholas Pond in Nicholas Flat Natural Preserve near western Malibu.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

I continued north and then west on the Nicholas Flat Trail through the preserve. You could also turn around at the pond and head back the way you came.

The walk through the preserve featured views of the pasture and some shade from large oak trees, but it didn’t delight me the same as the rest of the hike. Additionally, just before finishing this leg of my hike, I noticed a steep, washed out hill and thought, “Please don’t let that be the trail.” Dear Wilder, it was. There was a nice view once I cursed my way up, but I give you permission to, again, just turn around at the pond.

The Nicholas Flat Trail is steep in spots but worth it for the views.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

At six miles in, or when you have only a mile left, you’ll return to the junction with the ocean vista lookout point. Instead of taking the Willow Creek Trail back the way I came, I took a right (northwest-ish) onto the last bit of the Nicholas Flat Trail. This trail also offered tremendous views and had patches covered in brittlebush with its yellow blooms.

I hiked this trail on a Thursday and did not see another human for the first six miles. It was just me, the western fence lizards, California quail and one very shy skinny silver striped snake who, upon hearing my footsteps, bolted into the bushes.

If you start this hike early enough in the day, you can simply trek back to your car and change into your swimsuit for an afternoon at the beach. And if the tide is out, you might also be able to walk around the tide pools. In the same day, you can hang out with both lizards and starfish, and when lucky, even spy an endangered bumblebee on the trail and an octopus on the beach. Please, go have yourself a remarkable Southern California day!

As the sun sets, golden light blankets the hillsides in Leo Carrillo State Park.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

3 things to do

1. Pedal your heart out in Pico Union
CicLAvia will host its 60th open streets event, CicLAmini—Pico Union, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday in Pico Union along Pico Boulevard between Normandie and Union Avenues. Guests are invited to travel the 1.4-mile pop-up park through their favorite people-powered mode of transport, whether that’s walking, jogging, biking, skating or shimmying. The route will feature booths from nonprofit organizations and photo opportunities and food. CicLAvia, a nonprofit whose events are always free, invites participants to show up anywhere along the route during the event to take the time to explore one of L.A.’s most historic neighborhoods. Learn more at ciclavia.org.

2. Observe waterfowl and more in Castaic
An instructor-led bird walk and talk will be hosted from 8 to 10 a.m. Sunday at Castaic Lake. Guests should bring binoculars, sun protection and water, and wear comfy shoes for this relaxing stroll along paved pathways, sand and grass. Participants should meet at parking lot No. 4 and check in at the office. Register for free to this L.A. County site.

3. Fly a kite at Los Angeles State Historic Park
Clockshop, an L.A. arts and culture nonprofit, will host its fifth Community & Unity People’s Kite Festival from 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday at Los Angeles State Historic Park. This free event will feature free arts workshops, live music and booths from local community organizations. There will be a kite competition where contestants will fly their handmade kite, to be judged by kite masters. A $5 donation to Clockshop is requested but not required. Register at clockshop.org.

The must-read

A western fence lizard, also known as a blue belly.

(James Maughn)

Anyone who has hiked for three minutes in L.A. has spotted a western fence lizard. They’re seemingly everywhere, scampering up a hillside, along the trail or on a rock. Turns out, Californians love documenting these little guys. Sean Greene, an assistant data and graphics editor at The Times, analyzed data from the citizen science app iNaturalist and found more than 130,000 verified identifications of the fence lizard in California. That’s way more than the number of poppies observed (almost 47,000) and red-tailed hawk (almost 76,500), two common and beloved things found in Southern California. “Outside California, iNaturalist users focus on other things,” Sean wrote. “Oregonians enjoy snapping pictures of ponderosa pines. In Washington, it’s mallards — the most commonly observed species worldwide. Nevadans have a thing for creosote bushes.” Biologist Giovanni Rapacciuolo told Sean that the fence lizard’s population on iNaturalist almost certainly comes down to “what human beings think is cool.” Like a large sunbathing lizard. As an added bonus, the piece features a video of a lizard doing push-ups, one of my favorite natural phenomenons to observe while hiking. So swole!

Happy adventuring,

P.S.

As we head into summer, the kind folks at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park remind us to check the ground temperature when hiking with pets. I often bring my dog, Maggie May, with me on trails. In the summer, I take the back of my hand and leave it on the ground for five seconds. If it’s too hot for me, it’s too hot for Maggie. If so, we just go find a swimming hole in the shade that we can both enjoy!

For more insider tips on Southern California’s beaches, trails and parks, check out past editions of The Wild. And to view this newsletter in your browser, click here.