June 2008

Lassen Volcanic National Park

06/28/08

Lassen Volcanic National Park

California is a lovely and serene piece of paradise between cataclysmic natural disasters.  Right now, fires are burning all over the northern and central parts of our state. Smoke chokes the air as I write this. Hundreds of fires, most caused by dry lightning strikes, burn through our overly dry landscape.  And it's only June!  Welcome to the world of global warming. It's real. It's with us. Now, we must act to minimize its impact for generations to come. But that's another story.

I'm actually filing this post to urge you to spend some gas dollars if you can to visit one of California's most beautiful but volatile natural treasures, Lassen Volcanic National Park.  Lassen is only about five hours northeast of San Francisco, but it's typically...

Posted at 06:20 PM in Doug McConnell’s OpenRoad.TV Travel Tips | Permalink | Comments

06/12/08

San Francisco By The Sea

It's getting awfully hot inland.  Time to head for the ocean. Along the coast of central and northern California the choices of where to go are almost endless and they're all terrific.  Sometimes, however, amidst them all we tend to forget about San Francisco. 

I love hiking around Land's End as it straddles the Golden Gate with fabulous views of the Marin Headlands, and then turns to face the open Pacific and views of the Farallones,  Seal Rock and the Cliff House.  This whole area is being substantially spruced-up these days thanks to the exceptional work of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy in association with the National Park Service.  Take a walk, breath the fresh and cooler air and then grab a bite to eat at Louie's or the Cliff...

Posted at 06:46 PM in Doug McConnell’s OpenRoad.TV Travel Tips | Permalink | Comments