The Trona Pinnacles (not to be confused with Pinnacles National Monument near Steinbeck’s Soledad) is one of those natural geological wonders that awes. Set back five miles off SR 178, twenty miles east of Ridgecrest, …
February 21, 2012
Weekend Getaways
Trona Pinnacles, Mojave Desert, California
La Bufadora, Baja – Escape from SoCal Sprawl
Punta Banda is a narrow, mostly barren finger of land that pokes out into the Pacific Ocean at the southern end of Bahía Todos Santos near Ensenada. Near the very tip, busloads of bug-eyed tourists …
February 7, 2012
Hiking the Lower 48's Highest: Mt. Whitney, California
On a lonely stretch of Highway 395 in Central Cali, the Sierras rise from the earth and reach for the heavens. It is here, and more specifically Mt. Whitney, where the modern-day hiker goes for …
January 12, 2012
Montaña de Oro State Park, California
"Come forth into the light of things, Let Nature be your teacher." ~ John Muir I don’t know if John Muir ever visited what is now Montaña de Oro State Park, but the bard of …
December 8, 2011
Surf Trip to Jalama Beach, CA
We left at 12:00 a.m., Tuesday, October 25, 2011, en route to Jalama Beach County Park from San Diego for a surf trip. Research told us that campers have to arrive at the park's flag …
November 22, 2011
Kayaking Elkhorn Slough, California
Elkhorn Slough is one of the last coastal wetlands in California and one of 27 estuaries in the National Estuarine Research Reserve System, set up to study and protect estuaries and coastal watersheds across the …
September 22, 2011
Camping in Big Sur, California
Last New Year’s Eve we patiently waited online at www.parks.ca.gov, ready to book a campsite for the summer of 2011. We didn’t want to miss our opportunity to reserve a spot in one of Big …
September 13, 2011
The Rosarito-Ensenada Bike Ride
The next Rosarito-Ensenada bike ride will take place May 5th. (2012) The 50-mile Rosarito-to-Ensenada bike ride started in 1979 and has achieved cult status among local connoisseurs. Although attendance and participation have declined in recent …
August 16, 2011
Badwater Salt Flats in Death Valley, California
Death Valley is just that – a low-lying valley cradled between three monstrous mountain ranges. And frankly, there isn’t another way to describe it other than to assure you that it is bloody majestic! The …
July 21, 2011
Baja Revisited
Recently a close friend and I embarked on a two-week road trip that took us from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas, the tip of Baja California, Mexico. We’d been discussing such a trip for …
June 2, 2011
Sailing Newport to Ensenada
Every thirty seconds, a twenty-second countdown excites the crew, patiently waiting for our class’s race to start. We hear on the radio, “10-9-8…” At 1, “Time!” We synchronize our watches and the race has started. …
April 30, 2011
Montana to Tecate: Adventures by Motorcycle
This story is dedicated to the memory of K.P. Ward, who died unexpectedly and tragically on December 22, 2010. Finally, here it is: the start of my summer vacation of 1987, and I just finished …
April 12, 2011
Ojai, California: Searching for the Pink Moment in Shangri-La
In 1937 Frank Capra used a long shot of Ojai Valley to represent the mythical paradise of Shangri-La in the classic film Lost Horizon. Ojai (pronounced O-hi) is a small, artsy community nestled serenely near …
January 7, 2011
Danish Days in Solvang, California
The rolling green hills in Santa Barbara County wine country provide little clue as to what awaits the visitor approaching the little town of Solvang. Also known as the "Copenhagen of the Pacific," Solvang is …
November 28, 2010
The Land Where Giants Dwell: Sequoia National Park
Sequoia National Park is home to the largest living thing on the planet. The tree, General Sherman, is tucked away along Generals Highway, about five hour’s drive from San Diego. Although not the tallest tree …
October 14, 2010