Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for california
Bear Valley Beckons
By Linda Tancs
About an hour north of San Francisco, California, the rugged coast comprising Point Reyes National Seashore awaits your visit. Boasting 150 miles of trails, four backcountry campgrounds, several historical structures, three visitor centers, and beaches galore, you better have a game plan to tackle this national treasure. At Bear Valley Visitor Center, you can ponder the ecological and historical exhibits along with a seismograph, weather station, and auditorium for enjoying educational programs. Whatever you do, don’t miss Kule Loklo (Bear Valley), a replica of a Coast Miwok Indian village representing the earliest inhabitants of this area. If time permits, look for the herd of nearly 400 elk at the north end of the park on Tomales Point within the Tule Elk Reserve or watch for birds or whales at the Lighthouse. It seems almost trite to call 70,000 acres of dunes, sandy and rocky beaches, coastal grasslands, Douglas fir and Bishop Pine forests, wetlands, chaparral, and wilderness lakes a national park. But as British author Landt Dennis observed, a park symbolizes man’s humanity to man. And that, after all, seems pretty grand.
If you enjoyed this post, please share it on sites such as StumbleUpon, vote for it, or bookmark it. Thanks for your support! Travelrific® was featured as Blog of the Day on NJ.com!
Share this:
California Needs Cash
By Linda Tancs
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger says the state wallet is empty. All the more reason, then, to spend some tourism cash in California. You can spend lots of it at Chateau du Sureau in Oakhurst, four hours north of Los Angeles. Live life like those to the manor born in a resplendent country-style chateau, complete with all the accoutrements of a grand house of Europe. Take your tea in the Grand Salon amidst its floor to ceiling fireplace–or retire to your room with its own embers. Around the meticulously manicured nine acres you’ll find walking paths, fountains, a swimming pool, a bocce court and a life-size chess set. And Yosemite National Park is just miles away. What more do you need? Start packing.
If you enjoyed this post, please share it on sites such as StumbleUpon, vote for it, or bookmark it. Thanks for your support! Travelrific® was featured as Blog of the Day on NJ.com!
Share this:
Of Nooks and Crooks
By Linda Tancs
Of all the little nooks in the world, the Guinness Book has it that Scotland’s Ebenezer Street in Wick takes top honors as the world’s shortest street. Situated in the Northern Highlands, Wick owes its origin to the Vikings, who named it Vik (meaning “bay”). Measuring just two yards and nine inches, the tiny thoroughfare sports one front door. For a long and winding road, you’ll need to visit Lombard Street in San Francisco, California, where the world’s most crooked street at its crest gives visitors the most stunning views of Fisherman’s Wharf, Alcatraz and the rest of San Francisco Bay. Those with nerves of steel can drive their way through the switchbacks. The rest can get there via the city’s storied cable cars on the Powell-Hyde line.
If you enjoyed this post, please share it on sites such as StumbleUpon, vote for it, or bookmark it. Thanks for your support! Travelrific® was featured as Blog of the Day on NJ.com!
Share this:
Back on the Farm
By Linda Tancs
Think “late summer” and what comes to mind? For me, it’s towering sunflowers and the waning harvests of sweet corn amidst the bountiful supplies of squash and other autumn fruits, tilled fields and hay rides. Have you visited your local farmer lately? Farmers’ markets have surged in popularity since their start in the 1800s, thanks to a strong interest in fresh and wholesome food and the feeling of community they engender. Many close up shop during the month of October, but some, like the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, are open year-round with limited hours. Check your local listings for a market near you.
If you enjoyed this post, please share it on sites such as StumbleUpon, vote for it, or bookmark it. Thanks for your support! Travelrific® was featured as Blog of the Day on NJ.com!
Share this:
A Taste of the Good Life
By Linda Tancs
Hot dog eating champs, move over. It’s time for a less hurried, more palate-pleasing competition in California. Just a few miles northwest of Philo, Greenwood Ridge Vineyards hosts a wine tasting competition this weekend. Singles can vie as connoisseurs on Saturday. Sunday is reserved for doubles. There’s even a training camp on both days for oenophile wannabees. Time to get your game on.
If you enjoyed this post, please share it on sites such as StumbleUpon, vote for it, or bookmark it. Thanks for your support! Travelrific® was featured as Blog of the Day on NJ.com!
Share this:
Burbank is More Than a Studio City
By Linda Tancs
NBC’s impending sale of its West Coast studios in what Johnny Carson dubbed “beautiful downtown Burbank” gives rise to the question: besides standing in line for hours for Leno tickets, what else is there to see or do in Burbank? Turns out, plenty. For starters, Warner Bros. is still around for studio tours. And you can catch a few flicks (30, to be exact) at the theatre complex. Is live theatre your thing? Then check out the Colony or the Falcon. Burbank also bills its Starlight Bowl as a premiere outdoor entertainment venue, nestled amidst the Verdugo Mountains. You can also shop till you drop, golf, bowl or ice skate. Wondering what life was like in the 19th century? Then visit the Historical Society’s museum and smarten up. All this and a local airport, too. What are you waiting for?
Share this:
Autumn in San Diego
By Linda Tancs
Although it may be difficult to think of fall harvests and foliage tours in sun-drenched San Diego, there are events in that area to celebrate the rise of the harvest moon. Consider, for instance, the apple harvest in the town of Julian, just one hour east of the city. Until the apples run out (and you better hurry, some picking sites are already closed for the season), you can enjoy the fall foliage mountain views of Cuyamaca from the orchards. Any particular shade of crimson you’re looking for? Check out the fall foliage maps and hotline provided by the US Forest Service, www.fs.fed.us.
Want a California shirt? Buy one here: http://www.cafepress.com/wanderfulplaces/2320877
Travelrific® Travel Journal 