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    Tips for Booking the Fire Pits at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

    February 20, 2021 millionmilermom

    While on my endless quest to find fun, unique things to do in the San Francisco Bay Area while international travel is off the table, I stumbled upon the Santa…

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    5 Tips for Planning a Beach Bonfire with Kids

    October 28, 2020 millionmilermom

    This post may contain affiliate links. When you think of summer fun, beach time probably tops the list. A close second, enjoying nighttime at the beach with a good old-fashion…

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About Me

Kristina Bullock

Million Miler Mom

Hi! I’m Kristina. Join me as I share my experiences traveling with my husband and 3 kids around the globe.

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  • Tips for Booking the Fire Pits at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk February 20, 2021
  • Staying at Sanctuary Beach Resort February 15, 2021
  • 7 Northern California Destinations for Your Summer Road Trip February 8, 2021

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Just another beautiful winter's day in California! Just another beautiful winter's day in California! Our February weather has been nearly perfect and we've been able to get out to explore almost every weekend. 

This past weekend, we went to Pescadero and visited Bean Hollow State Beach. We've often driven by and I'm so glad we finally stopped. 

♦️SAVE THIS POST FOR FUTURE REFERENCE♦️

What to know when you plan your visit:
✔ Bean Hollow State Beach is about a 45 minute drive north of Santa Cruz. 
✔ There is a sandy beach (southern section) and a pebble beach (northern section). Both have parking lots. 
✔ If you're looking to swim and build sandcastles, definitely visit the sandy section. But, if you like to explore tide pools and check out the amazing variety of rocks, hit up the pebble beach. 
✔ What to pack for the pebble beach: a blanket or something to put on the ground if you want to sit down, sturdy waterproof shoes for exploring tide pools and, if you have kids along, toys that work well with pebbles. My son had a blast with his toy construction vehicles and a few tools. 

Do you prefer sand or pebble beaches?

#californiastateparks #californiabeaches #california #californiawinter #beachtime #beach #rockybeach #pebblebeach #beanhollowstatebeach #pescaderocalifornia #pescadero #funoutside #bayareawithkids #bayareadaytrip #daytrip #daycation #beachwithkids #pacificocean #highway1 #northerncalifornia
#throwbackthursday to that time when an afternoon #throwbackthursday to that time when an afternoon of tubing in Utah conflicted with my daughter's nap. I found a reasonable solution for all parties (and it was actually quite comfortable!) 🤣

Where is the strangest place you or your child have slept while traveling or out exploring?

#naptime #napping #nappinginthesnow
#kidsofinstagram #kidsdothedarnestthings #snowday #snow #tubing #parkcity #utah #lifeelevated #parenting #parents #thingsparentsdo #momlife #mommingainteasy #vacation #vacationmemories #travel #gorgozapark
New blog post (link in bio): Booking fire pits at New blog post (link in bio): Booking fire pits at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk!

On the weekend, we booked one of the private fire pits at the @beachboardwalk in Santa Cruz, California to celebrate my daughter's birthday. 

We had socially-distanced fenced off space, our own fire pit right next to the sand and we added on some s'mores supplies. We also lucked out with some epic February weather - not too windy, moderate temp and, most importantly, no rain!

This is a new add at our local boardwalk - have you had local places get creative with offerings to help entice visitors to come back?

#beachboardwalk #santacruzbeaches #santacruzbeachboardwalk #santacruzcalifornia #california #northerncalifornia #beachesincalifornia #beachbonfire #beachfirepit #firepit #firepitsmores #smorestime #familytime #daycation #daytrip #bayareablogger #bayareathingstodo #bayareawithkids #californiawinter #familytravelblog #discoverunder2k
Califirnia's Highway 1 coastline has to be one of Califirnia's Highway 1 coastline has to be one of my favorite places in the world. While much of it is cliffs, there are also many beaches that allow you to take in the hills and the waves simultaneously. 

During the pandemic, we've been heading down this way much more often and I couldn't be happier. It's peaceful and, more importantly, you lose cell coverage in a few spots so you can escape the world temporarily 🤪

What's been your local go-to spot during the pandemic?

#garrapatastatebeach #garrapatastatepark #carmelbythesea #carmelcalifornia #visitcarmel #northerncalifornia #california #californialove #seecalifornia #seeamerica #pacificcoasthighway #highway1 #californiahighway1 #bigsurcalifornia #bigsur #travelinspiration #instagood #instatravel #travel #armchairtravel #explorecalifornia #nocellservice #nocellcoverage #digitaldetox #coastcommunity
New blog post: tips for planning a stay at Sanctua New blog post: tips for planning a stay at Sanctuary Beach Resort in Marina, California (near Monterey). A gorgeous, beachside resort perfect for families, couples or even a solo getaway. Link in bio. 

The best part of living in California is being able to get beautiful weather like this in the middle of winter. It is totally random so, if you're like me, you pick some dates, think positive thoughts and then can enjoy a day like this one we had a week or so ago. 

It is really windy... can't tell that from the photo but definitely something to consider in Monterey Bay!

#sanctuarybeachresort
#marinaca
#montereybay #seemonterey #pacificocean #ocean #beach #beachtime #fathersonbonding #dadandson #familytime #familyblogger #traveler #familyvacationplanning #familytravelblog #discoverunder2k #visitca #seecalifornia #seeamerica #californiawinter #mildwinter #dogfriendly #dogfriendlyhotel #dogfriendlybeach #marinastatebeach @sanctuarybeachresort
Last week, we discovered this amazing place in Car Last week, we discovered this amazing place in Carmel's Garrapata State Park aptly known as "calla lily valley". You park alongside California's Highway 1 and it is a short walk into this little valley that is full of calla lily blooms from about mid-February to mid-April. And there's a stream flowing through leading out to the ocean...it's a dreamy little spot! 😍

I learned about this from another travel blogger. Have you found out about a spot near your home through Instagram?

Check out my blog for a full post on this spot including some directions on how to find out.

#instagramdiscovery
#igdiscovery
#garrapatastatebeach #garrapatastatebeach #carmelbythesea #carmelcalifornia #bigsurca #bigsurcalifornia #callalilyvalley #callalilybigsur #callalily #superbloom #flowers #nature #daytrip #daycation #flowerphoto #cabeaches #beachlife #bayareablogger #bayareakids #kidsatbeach #optoutside #visitcarmel
Need some ideas for a Northern California road tri Need some ideas for a Northern California road trip this summer? I've partnered with 6 other family travel bloggers to bring you some ideas to jumpstart your planning.  Each destination featured comes with at least one accommodation recommendation and suggested things to do in the area. 

Scroll through for a highlight reel and then head to the blog (link in bio) for all the details. 

Featured destinations include:
✔Sea Ranch (Sonoma County) from @familytripguides 
✔Emigrant Gap camping from @norcalkids 
✔Lassen National Park by @jjandbug 
✔Redwood National Forest by @stuffedsuitcase 
✔Mendocino by @dqfamilytravel 
✔Sonoma Coast/Bodega Bay from @luckybendlookout 
✔Yosemite National Park by me

Which destination is at the top of your travel wish list?

#roadtrip2021 #roadtrip #norcaltravel #norcalroadtrip #californiasummer #california #nationalparkpass #nationalparksincalifornia #travelinspiration #summertravel #summertravelplanning #searanch #emigrantgap #lassenvolcanicnationalpark #redwoodnationalforest #mendocino #bodegabay #sonomacounty #sonomacoast #yosemite #yosemitenps #travelideas #wheretonext #northerncalifornia #familyvacationplanning #familytravel #familyroadtrip #millionmilermom #visitcalifornia
Cannot believe the one year mark has passed since Cannot believe the one year mark has passed since my last flight! ✈

My daughter and I flew to Austin last year at this time and, never in a million years, did I think that would be our last flight for the foreseeable future!

How long has it been since you flew?

(Today's pic is a fun memory of my daughter's beloved teddy bear verifying his identity with @clear at the airport)

#travelwithkids #travelmemories #imisstravelling #imisstravel #airportsecurity #airport #airportlover #love2travel #kidswhotravel #motherdaughtertrip #familyblogger #familyblog #familytravel #familytravelblog #bayareablogger #flyingwithkids #millionmilermom #discoverunder2k
Want to picture yourself running along the beach o Want to picture yourself running along the beach on an island in the Great Barrier Reef next year? Read my new blog post with tips on planning your own post-pandemic family trip to Australia 🇦🇺 (link in bio)

What would be on your wish list for a vacation to Australia?

#australia #australiatourism #seeaustralia #greenislandresort #greenislandaustralia #GreatBarrierReef #beach #kidsatbeach #ocean #oceanphotography #beachphotography #familyvacationplanning #familytravel #familyblogger #showthemtheworld #havekidswilltravel #vacation #postpandemictravel #travelinspiration #travelblog #travelbloggers #instatravel #vacationideas #millionmilermom #greenislandcairns
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