With their unpredictable temperament, the ostriches took the meal event to another level. One approached our car, acting like a machine in War of The Worlds with its stilt-like legs, tank-like feathered body and garden-hose …
July 19, 2010
Kid Friendly Travel
Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch, San Antonio, Texas
Forks, Washington and Twilight
Not long ago, Forks, Washington, was among the dreariest and most unremarkable expired lumber towns in the country. Teenagers would kill time getting twisted on the “A” road, a desolate lumber route rumored to be …
June 30, 2010
Wolf down that pie in Julian
If you think the only way to see a wolf is to watch Dances with Wolves, think again. Two top-tier North American predators, the Alaskan and Mexican wolves, have dens at the California Wolf Center. …
March 30, 2010
Gems of Pala, California
Walking up the dirt-and-gravel path from the parking area, you’re greeted by a Buddha and two rusted truck corpses. Wooden bins of large rocks stand next to the stairs leading up to the store’s entrance. …
February 17, 2010
June Lake, CA
“We’re going to June Lake!” We tell that to friends often – we travel to the Eastern Sierras up Hwy. 395 at least four times a year. “Where’s that?” most say. By simply describing it …
January 28, 2010
Huntington Library & Botanical Gardens
The jewel of San Marino, California, Huntington Library is not your typical lending and borrowing library. Its collection contains over five million books, volumes, manuscripts, photographs and other works mostly related to American and British …
January 15, 2010
Hawaii Down Under
They’re dark. They’re a bit creepy. They’re lava tubes. Lurking beneath the lush tropical foliage that decorates the island of Hawaii, what appear to be mine shafts drilled through solid lava are actually nature-made. During …
November 23, 2009
221B Baker Street: Mr. Holmes, I Presume?
Like so many bookish boys, I devoured Sherlock Holmes stories. Years later, visiting my girlfriend in London, I discovered that 221B Baker Street, the detective's fabled domicile, was a "real" place. The Sherlock Holmes Museum …
November 18, 2009
Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden, Long Beach
Tranquility is a state of mind that is hard to achieve in today’s world. Fortunately for the addled and the anxious, there are Japanese gardens. One of the loveliest Japanese gardens in the state is …
November 16, 2009
Stunning Zion National Park
Zion National Park doesn’t get its name from one of its Mormon settlers of the late 1850s, but rather from the Old Testament, which refers to Zion as “a place of refuge.” This Mormon community …
September 4, 2009
Hilmar Cheese, California
We all know that real California is about the cheese – you know, those happy cows and all. But do you know how all that cheese is made? At Hilmar Cheese Company, the largest single-site …
August 20, 2009
Where the Wild Things Are: Salinas
It’s hard to imagine an agricultural town like Salinas being home to well-known movie and television stars. But celebrities from George of the Jungle, Mighty Joe Young, and even the model for The Lion King …
August 18, 2009
Gold Panning in Jamestown, CA
If you want to step back in time and experience the life of an 1849 gold prospector, plan a trip to Gold Prospecting Adventures, 18170 Main Street, Jamestown. The experience will transport you into Gold …
August 16, 2009
OstrichLand USA
The next time you want to invite two dozen friends over for breakfast, you can feed them all with one scrambled egg – if you’re cooking an ostrich egg, that is. Weighing 3-4 pounds, an …
August 10, 2009
Sinless Fun in Vegas
For lots of sinless fun in Las Vegas, these are my favorite options: Take a trip to the top of Eiffel Tower at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel – nighttime is best for a view …
August 6, 2009