Last October, prior to my 30th birthday, my cousins (Angie & Krystle) actually flew into town to celebrate my birthday with me. Since we had a few days to spare, we made a day trip to see Alabama Hills and Red Rock Canyon. It was a fun trip but super tiring from the 4-hr drive in both directions which made our total trip time at 8hrs.
ALABAMA hiLLS


Our first stop was grabbing brunch at the Alabama Hills Cafe, which happens to be right at the base of Alabama Hills. I ordered the Sierra Nevada Rueben, which was filled with roasted turkey, ham, coleslaw served on sourdough bread. Not your traditional rueben sandwich, but still really good! On the way out, my cousins grabbed a berry pie, which we shared on the drive back to town.




After eating, we explored a bit and actually started driving towards Whitney Portal but turned around when we realized that we were gaining elevation with just little gas left in the tank. Plus, we weren’t really equipped for any intense hiking for that day.
Red Rock Canyon
On our drive back, we made a quick stop at Red Rock Canyon State Park where we enjoyed the views and climbed on some red rocks, obviously. The sun was in a great spot which made it really great opportunity for taking photos.


We got back to town around dinner time and were super tired from the drive. If my memory serves me right, we had Spam and rice waiting for us when we got home, which Chris was kind enough to cook for us. Definitely a great way to end such a long but fun day.