Huntington gardens or art are reasons to visit Pasadena area

Wander between cacti and succulents paths through a desert garden before winding around to the lily ponds

The botanic gardens, art collections and library of The Huntington just south of Pasadena in San Marino, Cal. are worth a visit year round.

Share

Hotel Los Gatos & Spa – Silicon Valley’s Mediterranean retreat

Hotel Los Gatos, California

Hotel Los Gatos is an ideal base for a visit to the Santa Cruz Mountains, to the Silicon Valley or to Central California. The hotel’s spacious rooms and suites, elegant courtyards with outdoor pool and excellent service will make Los Gatos feel like home for a weekend or for a multi-week business stay.

Share

Explorer’s Guide to Yosemite and the Southern Sierra Nevada region

Yosemite and the Southern Sierra Nevada

The second edition of David T. Page’s Explorer’s Guide to Yosemite and the Southern Sierra Nevada (Countryman Press) is an encyclopedic collection of information about the entire Southern Sierra Nevada (Snowy Range) and adjacent desert valleys. If you like to know history and culture of places to which you travel, this book needs to be in your backpack.

Share

Unusual museums start from private collections

Tinkertown photo courtesy http://tinkertown.com

Many collections originate from personal passions. But what happens when they outgrow those simple beginnings? Some morph into public museums that continue to reflect the owner’s love for specific, often quirky, items.

Share

Thrill seekers find adrenaline rush rappelling down Moaning Cavern

Rappeller at Moaning Cavern

I was on Part 3 of a day of adrenaline rushes at Moaning Cavern Adventure Park, which has transformed itself from the basic cave tour that I remembered vaguely from childhood, to a full-fledged adventure destination, welcoming daredevils to test their mettle against a variety of thrills.

Share

Moaning Cavern Adventure Park-Zip line thrills and cave walk

Zip line aunch pad shack (Steve Mullen)

I was enjoying the thrill of a zip-line at the multifaceted Moaning Cavern Adventure Park in Calaveras County, but instead of the traditional semi-sitting position, which we had already done, my husband and I elected to go Super-style for our second ride. I loved the sensation of flying with no ropes visible beneath me, and feeling calmer on the second ride, could look around and enjoy more of the scenery.

Share