Travel Adventures and Photography
Flower fields are the stuff of my daydreams and so I seek them out almost everywhere I go. Wild or commercially grown, I don't discriminate. If you're like me you could be destined for Santa Barbara, California where the Lompoc valley has numerous privately-owned fields of flowers including Larkspur, Delphinium, Bells of Ireland, Queen Anne's Lace, Stock, and Sweet Peas. The bloom season is from April to the end of September Read More
In Lompoc, California just 50 miles from downtown Santa Barbara is the La Purisma Mission State Historic Park which spans nearly 2,000 acres. Standing on a small fraction of that property and almost a small city in itself, is the La Purisma Mission. It is the only existing example in California of a Spanish Catholic mission and is thereby known as a living history Read More
I recently did a road trip along the California coast and I thought others might benefit from my legwork to find the best places to spot wild sea otters. California sea otters nearly went extinct in the early 1900's due to hunters wanting their soft fur, and later the animal officially became an endangered species. Their numbers are very slowly improving now with about 2,700 known to exist in California. These are the Read More
I just got home from visiting Los Olivos, a town in the Santa Ynez Valley just 2 hours north of Los Angeles. I love the quiet there; the great food and wine keep me coming back. I had some great 'firsts' on this visit and I wanted to share them with you. I think these gems are definitely worth checking out. I finally got to check out the Carhartt Wine Tasting Room in Los Olivos. This is a popular one with the Read More
This summer special at the Hacienda Hot Springs Inn in California might be exactly what you need. It is a "Boutique Mineral Spa Hotel" just 2 hours north of Los Angeles and 20 minutes from Palm Springs. Their deal right now is $225 for accommodations for two with sauna and mineral water, a 60 minute spa treatment, organic breakfast, a bottle of champagne or wine, art museum passes and extended checkout. Pretty good Read More
The Santa Ynez Valley is a collection of six distinctive communities encircled by the Santa Ynez and San Rafael mountains. It is a fantastic destination if you’re looking for a mellow-paced trip to California wine country. It is just 35 miles from the Santa Barbara Coast, 125 miles up the coast from Los Angeles and 300 miles south of San Francisco. I suggest it as a destination no matter where you are from, no matter the time Read More
