Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for california
Danish Heritage in California
By Linda Tancs
If a trip to Denmark isn’t in the offing, then you can experience the next-best thing in Solvang, California. The city bills itself as “a little slice of Denmark in Southern California.” And for good reason. You’ll find five windmills as well as replicas of Copenhagen’s Hans Christian Andersen statue, the Little Mermaid and the Rundetårn (round tower). The reason for all this Danish goodness (including traditional treats like aebleskiver) derives from the city’s founding by Danish immigrants in 1911. You can learn more about the town’s heritage at Elverhøj Museum of History & Art, which is built in the style of a large farmhouse of 18th-century Denmark.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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A Feast for the Eyes in Exeter
By Linda Tancs
Situated in the San Joaquin Valley near the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, Exeter is a small city in California with a burgeoning arts community. That’s because the city’s brick buildings downtown serve as outsize murals painted by professional artists from around the country. The art commemorates the history and cultural heritage of the region. You’ll find portraits of cattle ranching down Rocky Hill, the estate of a founder of the city, a scene depicting the agrarian lifestyle of the local Yokuts Indians and so much more. Take a self-guided tour or arrange for a docent-led experience with the chamber of commerce.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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A Close-Up in Los Angeles
By Linda Tancs
Los Angeles is ready for its close-up with the opening of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Billed as the world’s premier institution dedicated to the art and science of movies, its six floors feature exhibition spaces, education and special event spaces, a conservation studio and a year-round calendar of screenings. You might especially enjoy the Oscars® Experience, which simulates the experience of walking onto the stage at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood and accepting an Oscar. The museum is located on Wilshire Boulevard.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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Whale Heritage in California
By Linda Tancs
Dana Point may have some of the best beaches in Southern California, but that’s not the only reason you’ll have a whale of a time there. In January the locale became the first Whale Heritage Site in the country. Established by the World Cetacean Alliance (the largest marine conservation partnership), whale heritage sites recognize outstanding destinations for responsible and sustainable whale and dolphin watching. Dana Point bills itself as the whale watching and dolphin capital of the world, with more wild dolphin per square mile than anywhere else. And whales are viewable year round. This time of year you may see gray whales on their round-trip migration between Alaska and the warm waters of Mexico. Head to Dana Point Harbor for a watching tour.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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Art and Nature in San Diego
By Linda Tancs
Art and nature are inextricably linked at Balboa Park in San Diego, California. On the natural side, who can resist the 100-acre San Diego Zoo? There’s also the Moreton Bay fig tree, one of the three largest Moreton Bay figs in the State of California, with a height of 78 feet, a crown width of 123 feet and a trunk girth of 486 inches. Illuminated during the Balboa Park December Nights celebration each year, it was planted as a small tree in a garden of the 1915 Panama-California Exposition. That event also boasted The California Tower, an iconic city emblem and hybrid of architectural styles and artistic movements, including Baroque, Plateresque, Churrigueresque, Rococo and Gothic. You could spend days exploring the park’s rich and expansive environment. For the time-strapped, consider a ranger-led tour or stroll along at your own pace with a pre-recorded audio tour. There’s even a 35-minute guided bus tour that gives a good overview of the zoo.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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The Art of Trash in Sonoma
By Linda Tancs
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, as the saying goes. You might invoke that thought when you visit the trash art in Sebastopol, California. Made from recycled trash like old cars, cookware, discarded pipes and aluminum trash cans, it’s an outdoor exhibit of outsized and outlandish figures adorning a three-block radius along Florence Avenue in this small Sonoma County town. Conceived by Patrick Amiot and Brigitte Laurent, the works include a rat at the wheel of a hot rod, a tea-sipping Mad Hatter, a joy-riding skeleton on a chopper, giant birds and a mermaid.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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North America’s Tallest Waterfall
By Linda Tancs
North America is not lacking in the waterfalls department, especially in Yosemite National Park, home to countless waterfalls. One of those is Yosemite Falls, the tallest in North America. Located in Yosemite Valley, it actually comprises three separate falls: Upper Yosemite Fall (1,430 feet), the middle cascades (675 feet) and Lower Yosemite Fall (320 feet). A must-do for hikers is Yosemite Falls Trail, leading to the top of the waterfall, which rises 2,425 feet above the valley floor. The trail is open year round, but the falls reach their peak around May/June, so go now for optimal views.
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As coronavirus proceeds, it is likely that the vast majority of us will be limited in our travels. But this, too, shall pass. Our love for travel remains, so Travelrific will continue offering travel inspiration in this medium. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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A Little Alabama in California
By Linda Tancs
If you’re a fan of natural stone arches like those found in Arches National Park, then you’ll surely love Alabama Hills. No, it isn’t in Alabama; you’ll find it west of Lone Pine in Inyo County, California. And you’ll find more than arches (most of which bear an east/west view). In fact, you’ll be amazed at the bevy of golden granite boulders rising like sharpened pencils from the desert floor. This region of rock formations got its name from Southern sympathizers celebrating the victories of the CSS Alabama, the most successful and notorious Confederate raiding vessel of the Civil War.
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California’s Largest Lake
By Linda Tancs
The Salton Sea is an inland saline lake in southeastern California, bordered on the south by the Imperial Valley and on the west by Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. The state’s largest lake (at 34 miles long), both the Salton Sea State Recreation Area and the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge are located on its shores. The lake region boasts the most diverse species of birds anywhere in the West, recording more than 375 species. The wildlife refuge is especially important for migrating and wintering waterfowl (like geese, avocets, black-necked stilts, pintails, teal and grebes) as well as endangered species including the year-round presence of the Yuma clapper rail.
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California’s Newest National Park
By Linda Tancs
Pinnacles National Park, California’s newest national park as of this writing (designated in 2013), is an old soul at heart. Its cliffs, crags and cave formations arise from volcanic eruptions that took place millions of years ago, sending volcanic matter 200 miles away to the park’s current location in the Salinas Valley. The towering, domed rock structures giving the park its name beckon rock climbers. Divided into an east and west side, climbing routes predominate on the west side of the park. Of course, there are plenty of other activities to enjoy, like bird watching for the park’s signature citizen, the California condor. Or maybe you’d like a hike that includes cave exploration. Camping is also available on the east side year round. You can’t drive through both sides of the park. The west side is accessible from Highway 101; the east entrance is off Highway 25.
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