The Glass Beach: One of California's Hidden Treasures

California holds many natural treasures to explore.  That's one of the reasons I decided to move here from Pennsylvania.  Don't get me wrong, PA is gorgeous too, but every since I visited California back in 2011 I fell in love with the state and its natural diversity.  Today I want to take you to one of a kind place in north part of the state, a place that is on a bucket list of many Californians and world vagabonds alike: The Glass Beach.

In order to find the place you need to locate a little, quiet town called Fort Bragg.  One way to get there is to take the uber scenic Highway 1 that goes alongside of the coast.  I decided to drive through equally scenic redwood forests, with roads so curvy that anything above 30 miles per hour was just not possible.  It was a long but splendid and picturesque drive.    

The general scenery is absolutely beautiful! Rocky cliffs and beating waves is a sight in itself.  And if the weather is nice, you got yourself some spectacular colors to boot.

What most people don't know is that there are 3 Glass Beaches, all in close proximity with one another.  They do not have a glamorous past either.  The story goes that there used to be 3 different dump sites for the locals to discard glass, metal, even appliance and rusty cars.  The locations were accessible to people by foot and a short climb down the cliffs.  The last dump site was finally closed in 1967 by the California State Water Resources, and a clean up program was established to try to reverse the damage done to the coastal habitat.  The metal parts were removed and only the glass remained, which, under the constant movement of water got broken down to little pieces and polished up into smooth, colorful little gems.

 
Now the Glass Beach is a sought after tourist attraction, and every day it hosts many visitors from different states and countries.  During my trip there I met a family that came all the way from Utah just to see this famous site.  Many people like to collect the glassy pebbles but taking them home is highly discouraged and frowned upon, due to diminishing amounts of glass.  In fact, according to Wikipedia, in 2012 a proposal was written to make efforts to replenish the beach with more glass but to my knowledge, it wasn't approved.

I had some genuine fun on the beach during my visit, climbing the cliffs and looking for the most unusual glass pieces.  I have made a little short Vlog from the adventure, so feel free to watch it by clicking the video below:

 

8 Glasses A Day Challenge and Giveaway

The spring has come and it's time to do some spring cleaning! Let's start the season right and help out bodies along to detox all the winter garbage out.  So if you want to feel better and have more energy, water is the perfect start to your body's spring cleaning! I am so utterly excited to announce a spring giveaway and a health challenge! I have teamed up with another talented and health oriented blogger, Allie Hoellwarth, the owner of The Bohemian Nation and we bring you the:

8 Glasses A Day Challenge and Giveaway!

The What:
This is a simple challenge to help motivate you to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day.  You can do it by yourself, or you can challenge your friends and do it together! It's easy, it's fun, and it'll help you on your way to create a healthy habit.

The Who:
Anybody who has Instagram account, as it is primarily an Instagram challenge and only Instagram users will be eligible to win the giveaway prize.  But literally anybody can do this on their own, so don't feel limited if you don't have Instagram account.

The When:
The challenge will start April 1 and will last seven days.

The How:
The challenge is very simple: you drink 8 glasses of water, post fun and creative pics with hashtag #8glasseschallenge, each pic will give you one entry towards the giveaway and at the end there will be one lucky winner.  Throughout all 7 days both me and Allie will keep encouraging you to drink water with our own pics.

The RULES:

1. You need to follow both Instagram accounts:
@LeaveTheCouchAndGo
@TheBohemianNation
2. You need to comment on this, or any other blog entry on this website.
3. You will post water drinking related pics and tag each pic #8glasseschallenge for a chance to win!

That's it.
Simple, easy and fun!

The Water:
Any kind of water counts, except juices, teas, coffees, soft drinks and the like.  Please feel free to add fruits to you water, chlorophyll drops, infuse it with herbs, salt, make it beautiful and visually appealing so that it'll be a pleasure and joy to drink it.  Use fun glasses, jars and bottles.  Be creative, let's show the world that drinking water can be fun!

The Prize:
One random winner will be picked after the challenge ends, the following day April 8th.  The winner and some of their pictures will be featured on my Instagram and on this blog. :)
I am giving away two things that will help you continue stay on the right track:
"Your Body's Many Cries for Water" book by Professor Batmanghelidj, M.D and a cute panda food-grade stainless steel water bottle, (0.6 liter - 2.5 glasses of water).  The book is a treasure trove of information and it was one of the staples in my recovery from Rheumatoid Arthritis.  This is THE book about water that will blow your mind, guaranteed, with all the info backed by scientific studies.

So there you go! I hope you'll take on the challenge and bring your friends aboard, too! Let's support one another in healthy lifestyle choices and let's all strive for better health, while having fun at the same time! Good luck to everyone!  

Beautiful Place for Health Minded People

There are some places so magical that you think you stepped into a whole other world.  Some places take you back in time to another dimension.  There is one special place that will take you into the world of health and blissful peace.  That place is Sun & Soil Juice Bar in Sacramento, California.

I learned about this amazing place from my vegan boss, who wanted to stop there for lunch one day. I have lived in Sacramento area for four years and that was the first time I heard of Sun & Soil. It is located in a small strip of bright orange buildings in the very center of downtown, so it's hard to miss.
The moment you walk through the door you get hit with picturesque, earthy decor and healthy feeling of peaceful existence.  The walls feature raw wood shelves covered with bouquets of yellow mustard flowers, antique mirror surrounded with vine foliage, and homemade granola displays mixed with quaint jars and bottles.  All of that intertwined with interesting art pieces.

The biggest attraction to me was the huge antique cash register.  Of course it would be obsolete nowadays, but the shell was preserved and wired with modern forms of payment.  Absolute treat to look at.  Makes me want to push all the buttons and half expecting it to ring!

There are about 10 spots to sit and quietly enjoy your meal.  Oh yes, the meal! The name says it's a juice bar, but it's far more than that!  Sun & Soil also offers nutritionally wholesome, organic, fully plant based vegan and raw food options.  The food is very flavorful and everything is so delicious! I would highly recommend their zucchini noodle pasta with lemon, garlic and sun dried tomatoes; it is to die for! I also love their homemade Chickpea Sando with a gluten free bread, and let me tell you, with each bite my body knew it was getting the highest quality energy fuel.  For the perfect snack I'd recommend trying Coconut Crispies; one piece has just enough chocolatey richness to finish your meal, although I'll almost guarantee you'll want more.

 
I so glad that plant based vegan restaurants and juice bars are sprouting more and more all over the states.  It warms my heart to hear that, because it means that more and more people take charge of their health and turn to the wonderful plant based diet and lifestyle our Creator originally designed for us.  More and more people realize the incredible benefits we get from truly healthy living, and what a difference it makes on one's life! I myself have nothing but praises, since it was very much (there were other components to my healing as well) a plant based, vegan and raw diet that hugely contributed to me beating Rheumatoid Arthritis.  From not being able to walk, or to put my socks on to playing guitar and having absolutely no pain and swelling at all!  Plant based lifestyle is truly a lifesaver! But that's a whole other story to tell! :)

Hiking Auburn State Park in California After Crazy Rainstorms

For the last few months California got hit with torrential rainstorms that had a major impact on the local landscape.  Overflown rivers claimed many beaches and mud slides modified the natural architecture of slopes and cliffs.  Not to mention the Oroville dam fiasco in the norther part of California.  But now, that the sun came out and days became warm and springy, George and I decided to visit one of the hiking trails that's not too far from us: Auburn State Recreation Area.

Motivation Method Gone All Wrong!

For a little while I’ve been wanting to write about the ways a girl can motivate herself to go and exercise.  Mainly for personal reasons, because I, too, fall short in the workout department.  I don’t always feel like it, and sometimes I have to seriously kick my own butt to go to the gym.  Speaking of butts… I have a story for you about how one motivational method went all wrong on me!

How To Go From Stressed To Blessed in 5 Steps

We all live in a stressful world, and if somebody tells me to get rid of stress in my life, I just laugh at them! Seriously? Unless I go and become a hermit in some mountains, there is no way I can do that.  And yet, I would see people with high jobs or people going through hardships that seem to be unfazed stress-wise.  "How in the world???" I used to wonder... But now I know the secret!