The Atlas Heart

Hi! I'm Mimi.

As someone who has spent over 80% of her life in California, I created this space to share local insight, practical travel tips, and everything you need to explore the best of the Golden State. From cities to beaches, historic sights, and raw natural beauty, let’s go find somewhere beautiful to get lost!

Popular posts

Destinations

latest adventures

crystal cove beach cottages

18 Best Hotels Along the Pacific Coast Highway (To Rest & Recharge)

California

18 Best Hotels Along the Pacific Coast Highway (To Rest & Recharge)

things to do in lake tahoe, california

50 Things to Do in Lake Tahoe, California (From a Regular Visitor)

High Sierra

50 Things to Do in Lake Tahoe, California (From a Regular Visitor)

Things to do in San Jose California

55 Things to do in San Jose, California (From a Bay Area Local)

Bay Area

55 Things to do in San Jose, California (From a Bay Area Local)

parsons landing campground

Camping at Parsons Landing Campground (Full Guide)

Los Angeles

Camping at Parsons Landing Campground (Full Guide)

catalina island hiking guide

Catalina Island Hiking Guide: Best Trails & Viewpoints on the Island

Los Angeles

Catalina Island Hiking Guide: Best Trails & Viewpoints on the Island

sibley volcanic regional preserve

Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve: What to Know Before You Go

Bay Area

Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve: What to Know Before You Go

26

Years in California

3

Regions I've lived

8

years of blogging

my travel essentials

All of my favorite travel essentials in one place! Find out my recommended travel resources, preferred products, and must-have gear that I use in my own travels so you can be prepared for your next trip.

As of May 1st, I finally took the leap and ended a

As of May 1st, I finally took the leap and ended all client work to start running The Atlas Heart full-time. I've had a month to get a taste of how I might be able to grow my business in the way I want with more time and space to devote to it full-time. And I'm excited to finally be diving all in after running my website part-time for close to a decade.

So, in the spirit of this big change as well as to have more accountability and transparency, I've decided to create a challenge for myself.

The goal? To write and publish a piece of content on my site (either new or updated old content) every single day. I have no idea how long I'll be able to keep this up (and I want to be mindful of not burning out), but I thought it would be a fun way to see how much I might be able to grow with consistent action every day.

Here's the baseline of where I'm currently at:

Total Pageviews in the last 30 days: 69,685
Blog revenue from the past 30 days: $3,261

I actually started this challenge 3 days ago, so I'm currently on day 4.

Here are the first 3 posts I've published in the last 3 days:
1. 6/4/21 - https://theatlasheart.com/pacific-coast-highway-road-trip/
2. 6/5/21 -https://theatlasheart.com/things-to-do-in-julian/
3. 6/6/21 - https://theatlasheart.com/california-state-parks-list/

I'll be posting on here every day that I have content (on stories) until I break the chain. Wish me luck! <3

5 days, 38.5 miles, 17,230 feet total elevation ch

5 days, 38.5 miles, 17,230 feet total elevation change, 77 lizards, 5 foxes, 2 bison on the trail, 7 blisters, 4 campsites, 3 bonfires, 2 buffalo milks.

We finished the Trans-Catalina Trail today, just in time for my 31st birthday. We spent the last 5 days taking in panoramic coastal views, discovering hidden coves and beaches, and feeling our legs and feet burn with each of those Catalina hills climbed. Hiking this trail was all about early mornings and nights, appreciating the simple but beautiful parts of our days, and disconnecting from technology and the need to always be “doing” things. It felt rejuvenating to only focus on one big goal each day - to make it to our campsite and enjoy the journey on the way there. Here’s to 31 and to focusing on goals that are just as much about the journey as they are about the outcome. ✨💫

Anyone else ready for endless summer days and road

Anyone else ready for endless summer days and road trips? #vaxxedgirlsummer 🌻🚗☀️
.
.
.
Found this gem when I was doing a Big Sur road trip a few months ago - Gibson Beach at Point Lobos. I’m putting together a bunch of road trip guides on the blog this month, very excited to share them with you soon! And there are many more travels coming this summer, including backpacking the Trans-Catalina Trail over 5-days for my 31st bday, another island getaway exploring the Channel Islands in August, and many more fun little trips in between. Letzzz go!

Last year, Suneel invited me to hangout on Valenti

Last year, Suneel invited me to hangout on Valentine’s Day. I turned him down to spend time with a cute puppy instead.

Luckily, he didn’t take it too personally...we celebrated our one year anniversary together last weekend.  And what a year it has been.

We only had a month of normal dating before the pandemic hit. We had short spurts of not living together (but pretty much living together) in San Francisco, Tahoe, and Berkeley, and we finally moved in together (for real) in Berkeley last December. Over the past year, we’ve taken 303970 day trips to explore more of the Bay Area, had creative quarantine date nights like blow up beach ball soccer, DIY wine & paint nights, karaoke, and legacy board game nights. We’ve had hours and hours of conversations about every subject under the sun (and there was plenty to talk about in 2020). We’ve had so much quality time together since we’re lucky enough to both work from home. It feels more like five years of dating instead of one (in the best way possible).

It’s hard to believe that just over a year ago this person wasn’t in my life, he’s become such a good part of it.

Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone who is celebrating today, hope you get to spend today with your person - whether that’s a romantic partner, best friend, or puppy. ❤️

I've been to quite a few national parks in Califor

I've been to quite a few national parks in California, but there's one that I ignored for years...

Pinnacles!

I thought it would be a dry, almost desert-like landscape with spiraling red-tan pinnacles.

Maybe it would be a mini Joshua Tree with, you know, less desert.

I couldn’t have been more wrong with what I was imagining.

From the first trail we hiked...

We came across lush Jurassic Park ferns, stepping stones of falling water, and damp piles of orange leaves in every direction.

Eventually, as we hiked to a higher elevation we came across the park's famous pinnacles and a drier landscape, but one that was still lush in its own way.

Some rocks looked like they could’ve been a Jackson Pollock masterpiece with their dotted multi-color lichen across their face.

I couldn’t help but think how underrated this California national park was as I walked its trails, oohed and ahhed at its viewpoints, and was scared silly when a huge condor flew overhead out of nowhere.

So I put together a comprehensive guide for you so you can enjoy the best of what this park has to offer too.

Head to the link in my bio for the full post! (Right now and the spring are the best times to go).
.
.
#pinnaclesnationalpark #pinnacles #pinnaclesnps @pinnaclesnps

What’s the first thing you think of when someone

What’s the first thing you think of when someone mentions San Francisco?

Growing up in Santa Cruz, I used to always think of it as a glamorous place, somewhere I’d live when I was in my 20s, with my closest friends in a quirky apartment (queue “Friends” montage).

Now that I’ve had 20+ years of visiting and getting to know the city, I have different images that come to mind. I have a more realistic picture of San Francisco with all of its imperfections, but a picture that is still full of a warm fondness, almost like a first love.

It’s taken me a while to write about the city, I always thought I wouldn’t know where to start (which is partially true). It seemed like such a daunting task to write about a place where I’ve had so many memories throughout my life.

But, I finally did it.

I put together a massive post on my favorite things to do in San Francisco (once things open up again safely - although there are some COVID-friendly things in it too). And now I want to share it with you so you can get as much out of the city as it’s given to me over the years.

Head to the link in my bio for the full guide. 🌁🧉☀️

Follow Me on Instagram

Join the Adventure

Get first dibs on travel updates, tips, and deals. Life is an adventure, join me around the world!

© 2019 The Atlas Heart | made in collaboration with Ink & Honey Design Co. + Michelle Robins Creative