Just a few miles north of Hearst Castle along the Pacific Coast Highway--if you're driving with the windows open--you may catch a bit of a strong, "organic" scent on the wind. I'm not talking about the salty, seaweed-y aroma of the ocean. The smell I'm describing is worse. Much worse. What you're probably experiencing is the awful stench of the elephant seal rookery at … [Read more...] about Wildlife of Coastal California: The Elephant Seals at Piedras Blancas
Destinations
Cairn Gorm: The Mountain That (Almost) Ate My Memories
Climbing Cairn Gorm wasn't part of the plan. To be frank, little of my time in Scotland had turned out the way I'd anticipated but after chickening out of a driving tour of the Scottish Highlands, I'd missed my chance at climbing Ben Nevis, Scotland's tallest peak. In Inverness on my last day in Scotland, I decided that the nearby Cairn Gorm would have to do. Topping out at … [Read more...] about Cairn Gorm: The Mountain That (Almost) Ate My Memories
Mesmerized by Morro Bay, California
Sitting on an angular boulder white with splattered bird droppings, I sent a sweeping gaze northward along the coast, blue sky blending almost seamlessly into wheat-colored hills before melting into the turquoise waters of the Pacific. A flock of gulls squawked and shrieked overhead, their shrill calls nearly drowned out by the roar of waves carrying surfers toward the shore. I … [Read more...] about Mesmerized by Morro Bay, California
A Quick ‘n’ Dirty Guide to the Sausalito Art Festival
The Sausalito Art Festival is one of the largest and most renowned art festivals in the country, celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2012. Held every Labor Day weekend in Sausalito just north of San Francisco, the festival celebrates the artistic history and legacy of Sausalito. … [Read more...] about A Quick ‘n’ Dirty Guide to the Sausalito Art Festival
Channeling My Inner Explorer on Santa Cruz Island
Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Grand Canyon. Yosemite. Yellowstone. Rocky Mountain. Olympic. Zion. Grand Teton. Acadia. These are only a few of the crown jewels of the United States’ National Park Service. They are among the most well-known, well-loved, and well-visited of the parks, their names alone conjuring visions of vast unspoiled natural beauty and their splendor … [Read more...] about Channeling My Inner Explorer on Santa Cruz Island