The Travel Notes

For those of yous who are tired of all the "Napa Valley" theatrics of the wineries...i.e. overcharging for tasting, castles, gondolas, etc...California offers many other vino countries.  From the almost completely unknown Cucamonga Valley past times L.A., Temecula fifty-fifty further south, Monterey, Mendocino, Lodi together with more.  My favorite of them all is piddling Amador County, nearly halfway betwixt Lake Tahoe together with Sacramento.  Still mainly undiscovered, this is California's oldest continuing vino producing area.  It's unpretentious, has slap-up vino (especially reds similar Zinfandel), together with yous tin soundless notice gratuitous together with inexpensive tastes there.  We teach at that spot equally oftentimes equally nosotros can...we were at that spot concluding inwards June of '09. Here's business office 2 of our Amador Country trip from 1998 where nosotros teach from peradventure the most historic site inwards California ( part ...

Please indulge us for some other classic trip, a novel trip volition live upwards adjacent week.  For now, it's fourth dimension for some other trip inwards the WayBack Machine.  This time, means dorsum to 1998.  One caveat is that our lodging inwards this study no longer appears to operate every bit a bed in addition to breakfast.  It is right away but a house to concur weddings in addition to receptions, which is likewise bad because it was a real prissy house to stay.  Kind of similar a Tom Sawyer trouble solid along the banks of a prissy fiddling creek.  Oh well, fourth dimension marches on... After driving 300 miles in addition to getting lost on some province dorsum roads, it was amazing looking at this humble fiddling stretch of sand that is the epicenter of California history. For it was here, on a Jan twenty-four hours 150 years agone that a sawmill managing director bent over to alternative upwards a shiny flake inwards the fountain of t...

Not many Sierra towns tin john claim historic condition subsequently exclusively 40-odd years, but Kernville can. That's because the town...in it's entirety...was relocated to its introduce site when the old town was inundated past times the waters of side past times side Lake Isabella. Most people come upwards hither to drib their boat or jetski inward the lake, to run the mighty Kern River, or to grab that tasty Rainbow Trout lurking inward the cool waters of the Kern. Look closely together with you lot tin john encounter the mortal that went overboard clinging to the side Don't larn me wrong, nosotros similar all that too, but this trip nosotros came to encounter what's OFF the beaten path inward Kernville. Kerville occupies a piddling niche at the extreme southern halt of the Sierra Nevada mount range, separated from the nearby Tehachapi mountains, the desert, together with the Central Valley past times Lake Isabella. To larn in that location from L....

In Part 1 of this report , nosotros did a fiddling exploration of the expanse inwards the neighborhood of Ontario International Aiport (ONT).  Now, we're going to explore beyond in addition to come across what the residuum of the Inland Empire has to offer... As consummate in addition to busy as Ontario is, I mean value I’d even in addition to then prefer to rest somewhere else.  Just to the W of Ontario is the college town of Claremont.  H5N1 shady, tree lined in addition to beautiful suburb nestled at the junction of superb transit connections surrounded past times corking shops, restaurants, in addition to campuses that’ll brand yous mean value you’re inwards the Ivy League.  My selection hither would last to rest at the DoubleTree Hotel on the corner of Foothill in addition to Indian Hill Boulevards.  This large hotel with expansive grounds sits correct on Route 66.  The following shopping middle has a Trader Joe’s, a Buca de Bepp...

Picture courtesy of Wikimedia Jessie Terwiliger nether CC-BY licence   On the OC, it was known equally the 909. Growing upwards years agone inward L.A., nosotros knew it equally the “sticks.” We straight off know better… On the OC, it was known equally the 909.  Growing upwards years agone inward L.A., nosotros knew it equally the “sticks.”  We straight off know better… Flying into L.A., y'all direct maintain several aerodrome choices.  By far, the busiest is Los Angeles International (LAX) but if y'all direct maintain a choice, whatever of the outlying airports would go a improve choice.  Forty miles E of LAX is Ontario International Airport, located inward the view of the Inland Empire. While it’d brand a slap-up identify to brand it inward L.A. past times itself, reckon sticking about inward the neighborhood to run across what the expanse has to offer.  The Inland Empire is the expanse E of Los Angeles, stretc...

Here are roughly photos that didn't brand the cutting on this calendar week as well as in conclusion week's articles. Not because they're bad pics but only because they didn't stand upward for the narrative for roughly reason.  Still, they laissez passer on you lot roughly insight into other things that were going on during this trip.  Above, the Restful Nest B&B inward Mariposa actually has modern plumbing...this outhouse hides 1 of their H2O wells. A Woody guild joins us on the thruway on our agency across the Grapevine. This guy doesn't belong there...it's actually a VW beetle made upward to await similar a Woody. Imposter! Our solid soil blossom is starting to pigment the hillsides. Hummingbirds get together at the feeder at The Restful Nest. The pond at Butterfly Creek Winery, only due east of Mariposa. Goldfinches on the thistle sock at The Restful Nest. Graves inward Hornitos. Daffodils at Th...

Although the province is criss-crossed amongst interstates, freeways, superhighways as well as is habitation to to a greater extent than millions of Americans than whatsoever other state, i time inwards awhile y'all tin uncovering a seldom traveled stretch of asphalt that is genuinely a fourth dimension machine. One such route exists starting at highway 140 inwards the foothill town of Cathey’s Valley, nearly twenty miles due east of Merced, California. Turning due north on Hornitos Road volition accept y'all through some spectacular rolling loma solid soil dotted amongst happy cows. Green inwards the wintertime as well as spring, golden inwards summertime as well as fall. Watch the Video! After nearly nine miles, you’ll outset to run into mounds of rocks scattered nearly the creek off to the side.  Dug upward roughly 150 years ago, these are tailings left yesteryear the master copy Gold Rush miners.  Following that creek, you’ll halt upward at the picayune...