On our third road trip driving across Arizona and New Mexico this past month we had decided to allow ourselves time to stop and check out anything that caught our fancy. It turned out that not all our little side trips were successful — my failed attempt to buy Indian fry bread is only one example — but sometimes it’s […]
Just a short drive west of Amarillo, Texas, is the site known as the Cadillac Ranch. It’s been a unique site ever since 1974, and I’m not really sure what to think of it as it now appears. But we had spotted this collection of colorful cars more than once as we drove past on our previous trips to and […]
If you get a kick out of succulents, you’ll enjoy this episode of Visiting, originally aired November 2002. With a laid-back central coast vibe, a wide variety of cactus, and plenty of room for local artists to work out their creative urges, this former nursery along the coast a few miles south of Hearst San Simeon State Park was definitely […]
At the Maritime Museum near Hyde Street Pier in San Francisco I discovered dioramas, ship models, and remnants of the wooden ship Niantic. California’s 1849 Gold Rush spelled the end of her varied career at sea; once arriving in San Francisco Bay, the crew deserted to search for gold. Like so many other ships, Niantic was abandoned in the bay. She was later converted to an onshore hotel — only to be destroyed by fire in 1851. More than 120 years later, Niantic‘s remants were rediscovered during a routine excavation. You can click on any of the images to enlarge and read the text.
The 1.5-mile walking path behind our hotel in Flagstaff, Arizona, was exactly what we needed to stretch our legs and decompress from two days of desert driving. Our room wasn’t half bad, either. We hope to get back there at some point and maybe stay longer than one night! My title today is borrowed from a song on the original […]
The Audubon Kern River Preserve is located between Weldon, California and Isabella Reservoir, on the South Fork of the Kern River. First established in 1979, it’s now recognized as a Globally Important Bird Area: over 200 species nest each year in this prime area along the Pacific flyway. Through a series of purchases from local landowners, over the years the […]
Russian Gulch State Park is such a beautiful place to explore, especially on a cool afternoon in October. The sky sent down a light drizzle as I started along the headlands trail, but by the time I had circled back and later headed to the landward side of the park — following the road that crosses beneath Highway 1 — […]
Road trips can be absolutely exhausting, especially if you’re driving long distances for more than a day or two. But if you can keep your eyes open no matter where you are, you’re bound to find fun details and beautiful scenery.
Another beautiful day in Southern California and another state beach I have never had the pleasure of seeing in person. This episode of California’s Golden Parks, originally aired in February 2006, features Carpinteria State Beach is just twelve miles south of Santa Barbara and is a great family destination that offers a mile of beach for swimming, surfing, fishing, tidepool […]