HEART ROCK FALLS CRESTLINE

We decided to head to the Heart Rock Falls (Seely Creek Falls) near Crestline for an easy hike, while I was in California last year. Neither my boyfriend nor I had ever known about it all these years. Have to say it is a lovely little hidden gem. Only knew about the Heart Rock through one of the recommended sight-seeing spots on my AirB&B booking (it was a family trip that lasted till end Oct though I stayed on till mid-November).

How to get there:
Take the 210 freeway, then onto CA-18/N Waterman Ave, then Highway 138 towards Crestline. Pass a few junctions and when you reach a brown sign 'Camp Seely' & its barricaded carpark, follow left on a narrow single-lane dirt road, yes you can drive through this although we had doubts at first. At the end of this road you will see a small parking area straight ahead (maybe good for 5 cars) and a barricade that starts the trail.



The drive up the mountains are always nice. The general consensus is that there is nothing much going for San Bernardino, although the national forests and surrounding mountains are totally worth checking out.

This is the start of one of the trail heads that is just at the end of the parking lot, past the barricade. I came here on two separate occasions. At the end of the post I will show the other trail.

This is the easier trail if you'd like a stroll first, it is evenly paved, nicely shaded, sometimes the wind gets gusty and cold.

The other trail is towards the bottom of the hill (right).

After about a mile stroll, you will come to this sign that directs you downwards right.

This hike is about 1.7 to 2 miles round trip. There is a bit of a slope and slippery areas (because of all the fallen loose leaves) after this paved area to get to the rocks so you can bring a hiking stick or wear proper shoes if you are not used to it. If you have climacophobia or bathmophobia or vertigo, please bring those and tell the phobias to pipe down and not disrupt your fun activities (at least that's what I do).

This is the descending slope, after that you will see some useful graffiti to know you're on the right track. It is probably a bit steeper than it looks in the photos.

The Heart Rock is after this rock ledge. A couple was ahead of us, walking their cute puppy.

I gingerly climbed and peered over the edge of the cliff. Aw it's dried up! It did rain last week though but I guess there was just insufficient water.

Sweet. I plan to come back when there's a waterfall going.

Wanted to go down there, but don't know how high we were up here, but yep it may spell death if I slip.

Oh yes, there was an incident at this spot. I saw an animal foraging in the high forest on the opposite bank but thought it was the couple's huskie puppy, but something wasn't quite right in its gait. So I asked boyfriend to look again for me as I have pretty bad eyesight even with my glasses. He said 'Yeah? It's their dog.'. Then I thought it was strange they were comfortable letting the puppy roam in the wild without supervision. And then I looked again at the couple and saw they were holding the dog. Hey..... if that's the puppy down there, then what was that I just saw?!

Turned out it was a bobcat. Both grey, and similar sized. Bobcat has bigger hind legs. Dammit... By the time we figured that out, we missed our chances to take pictures/ film it! I mean what if I'd just spotted Bigfoot lol. Trust my gut instinct the next time and snap first, ask later!

 Ah well. We didn't want any trouble with wild animals so finished our food before climbing down.

It's nice. Granite I think? Unfortunately there are some graffiti and litter around.

Wondering how I was to climb back up later? Well the same way I climbed down sorta.

The creek was almost dry.

I do not recommend going in the water but I know some people do, um leeches, folks. The water's pretty stagnant at this point and the leaves are rotting. We've had experience with leeches in the stream near Waterman Canyon, which may be linked to this. Not fun. Traumatised for life lol.

After that it was getting late so we climbed back up where we came from. This is the nice view driving back to civilisation.

****

Okay I mentioned the other lower trail closer to the creek, from the parking lot you go down the slope, past the swimming pool at Camp Seely.

The view will look something like this after a short walk. It is a winding dirt path,  and rather uneven terrain. It goes uphill and downhill with some treading on small boulders and rocks. It is less windy. You can choose this way but I felt it was a bit more tiring.

We went further down the valley for this 2nd trip but came a bit too late in the afternoon so had to turn back shortly after.

Just to note I left one of my walking sticks (it was just a long branch I found in the stream) propped against a tree for whoever wants to use it. 14th or 15th November 2017, and you're most welcome lol.

Thanks for reading and see you in my next post.

SINGAPORE GARDEN FESTIVAL 2016

This is the Singapore Garden Festival on 25 July 2016. I had planned to release a video but no time for that so please enjoy the numerous photos below! I went with my mom and we had anticipated this for months.

The weather was good, it wasn't hot! It was drizzling a bit and the floor was damp from earlier rain but I'd rather take that than the scorching sun. The drizzle stopped shortly but the sky remained cloudy so that was nice too since you can't view the outdoor displays if it was pouring. It was held at Gardens by the Bay at Bayfront Marina Bay again. It was half outdoors and half indoors, and ever since they held the event here, it is getting bigger and bigger, compared to previous years when it was at Suntec City Convention Centre.

Here are my old posts from the previous years, I didn't blog about the 2010 one:
- 2014
- 2012
- 2008

Hanging terrariums. Terrariums are all the rage now in Sg. You can put them in your office or flat where you can't get full sunlight, nor do they require green fingers, you can also decorate them with (bootleg) Totoro miniatures everyone is selling now!

 The terrarium dome is nice and chilly, and misty. Smells a bit funky though. Nice concept.

A section full of hanging ferns, orchids, nepenthes pitcher plants! It got crowded towards the late afternoon so I got real lucky for this early people-less photo after several visitors went through the door and out of my shot lol.

Best of show. That is the hugest winter melon, I never knew we could grow such fancy pumpkins or melons in our urban landscape.

 Florist competition.

 Bonsai section.

I think this is the Fantasy section. This area was dark and some had nice lighting and fountains and video is the best way to showcase its movement and atmosphere.

 Cute outdoor display with lots of blooms. See in Sg we can't grow most of the pretty flowers due to the tropical climate (they don't bloom), only greens like grass, ferns, shrubs and trees. And maybe orchids.

 Lots of sunflowers and lots of (real) dragonflies. You can see that one that looks like a helicopter in the sky.  I'm afraid of dragonflies lol.

 Outdoor landscaping design section.

 You cannot go into any of these... They are barricaded and for display only.

 Except for this small sugar cane maze with mirrors.

 Might be nice for a local resort.

Bright morning glories, though it wasn't morning but late afternoon. Hmm called Ipomoea if I recall right.

 Glass dragonflies.

Secret Garden section.

The ground was covered with wood chips and damp, so it was squishy and muddy.

 It was crowded and due to it being enclosed, the atmosphere felt muggy.

 We took a long walk to the Flower Dome for the Orchid Show, which was outside the main festival area. The ticket allows us free admission into the Flower Dome, which is a permanent attraction.

I like this place, it's air conditioned and smells nice at times.

Getting dark and trying to view the dizzying varieties of orchids. I don't really fancy orchids but my mother does.

 Now that leftmost orchid is CRAZY stunning. See its many awards?

Ooh good idea, a durian house! It reminds me of a durian hat kid I drew back in 2004.

Thanks for reading! I may update with a video if I have some time.