Story & Photos by Barbara Beckley Wow! My view is amazing. From high on a bluff gazing across the vast Pacific Ocean – and entirety of beautiful San Luis Obispo Bay, curving along California’s Central Coast, with rocky coves, sandy beaches and magical coastal towns of Pismo Beach, Avila Beach, and tiny Port San …
SNOW SEASON IN BIG BEAR IS ON!
Big Bear Snow Play Gets a Jump Start to Winter by Making Tons of Snow! Below freezing weather conditions in Big Bear Lake have allowed Big Bear Snow Play to make plenty of snow and get a jump-start on the winter season. In fact, Big Bear Snow Play just reported one to three feet of …
Plan a”Solar Maximum” Alaska Northern Lights Adventure
If your bucket list includes viewing an incredible display of Alaska’s Northern Lights, Gondwana Ecotours might be exactly what you have been seeking with its new eight-day “Alaska Northern Lights Adventure.” The custom crafted tours are designed to gift guests a dose of local culture by day, then photograph the Aurora Borealis under the massive …
Cuyama Buckhorn Roadside Resort – Who Knew?!
Story & Photos by Barbara Beckley No, really. WHO? KNEW? A hip, cozy find. With just the right amount of quirky chic – in the middle of, like, nowhere. And once you experience it. You want to return again and again! “There it is!” The mid-century neon sign had a cheery look. Welcoming me to …
Art Magic Returns to SoCal’s Laguna Beach this Summer with ‘Style’
By Kathy Strong Laguna Beach has been an exclusive haven for the arts for nearly a century, as well as the sparkling jewel of Southern California’s own scenic Riviera coastline. A year-round destination, Laguna shines brightest in the summer months. Gentle ocean breezes combine with some of the cleanest beaches, water and air on the …
3 ‘New’ Reasons to Visit the Mojave Now
By Kathy Strong California’s equivalent to the Carlsbad Caverns was closed to the public for several years. The Mitchell Caverns have re-opened for public tours in certain months. As the only limestone caves in the California State Park system (and only one of two you can enter), the natural attraction offers fascinating stalactite and stalagmite …
Find Your Own Special Path in California’s Scenic Monterey
Monterey County on California’s Central Coast beckons visitors to find their own paths to adventure. With a breadth of different adventures and escapes, no matter the path – wellness, family, outdoor and epicurean – it all leads to the same place—an inspirational and memorable experience. The Wellness Path: Connect Within and Find Your Center Combining …
Celebrate the 100th Anniversary of DeMille’s Ten Commandments on California’s Central Coast
The “Lost City Celebration” is scheduled for October 6 – 8 on California’s Central Coast where the 1923 historic feature was partially filmed. Before the term ‘Blockbuster’ was invented, Cecil B. DeMille was arguably the first filmmaker to create large scale film productions with The Ten Commandments (1923). Filmed on the dunes outside Guadalupe, California, …
Take a Ghostly Tour at Historic Hotels
By Kathy Strong There may be hundreds of hotels and resorts in America that claim haunted histories, but only a handful actually offer guided tours filled with spine-chilling tales of its past and legendary ghost sightings. Too spooked to check in? No problem. Most of these tours are also open to non-guests. The Stanley Hotel, …
Pacific Mexico’s Riviera Nayarit – Expect the Unexpected!
Story and photos by Barbara Beckley Ahh…relaxing under a palapa, cerveza in hand, watching the surf wash onto the golden beach. Paradise? I think so. I was in Sayulita, a fishing village-turned bohemian art colony and world recognized surf break – on a jungle-clad bay along the Riviera Nayarit on Mexico’s Pacific Coast, an …
Celebrate 100 Years of Iconic Grand Canyon Railway
To the delight of the rail-fan world and kids of all ages, Grand Canyon Railway just announced that No. 4960 will celebrate its 100th birthday by pulling the regular scheduled passenger train from Williams to South Rim, Grand Canyon on Saturday, August 5, 12 and 19. The steam engine will also run on select days …
Hollywood Forever: Take a Self-Tour of the Resting Places of the Stars
Photos and story by Barbara Kerr Throughout history, people have made pilgrimages to burial sites: to honor and to remember. In today’s celebrity culture, many people are drawn to four Los Angeles area cemeteries which are the final resting places of stars of yesterday and today: Forest Lawn Glendale, Forest Lawn in the Hollywood Hills, …