State Park Closures Trip

Tuh Duh! Drum roll please. Presenting Point Cabrillo Light Station State Historic Park, trip number 70 out of 70 of the State Parks that were put on the closure list a year ago! Woohoo! To be honest, when I began my visits in July 2011, I wasn't e...

This particular blog is more personal than most of my posts. I have debated whe-ther or not to write of my in-ward experiences and obser-vations while at Manchester State Park & Beach, and I have decided to do so. It was while visiting this park ...

First there was a Salton Sea. Then there was no sea. Now there is again. The Salton Sea State Recre-ation Area just south of Palm Springs is both one of the world's largest inland seas and one of the lowest spots on earth, sitting at 227 feet belo...

As always, I was pleased to find that my Google Maps directions brought me right up to the kiosk for... Armstrong Redwoods! But, but... my destination was Austin Creak State Recreation Area. As I sat in my car next to the dark booth, pondering wha...

Typically when visiting these 70 state parks, I read the general information on the individual park's website in advance. I get directions, I know approximately how long I will hike, and have a broad idea of what's in store. Be-yond that, I try to...

There's nothing quite like a climb to the top of a mountain to make you feel like you've accomplished something on a given day. Especially when you are rewarded with not only a fabulous view, but the company of Butterflies for the entire trip back d...

As Patty and I pulled up to the kiosk at Hendy Woods State Park we overheard the ranger tell the folks in the car ahead of us, "We're taking camping reservations for summer now. We're staying open." Yes! Hendy Woods is 20 miles in-land from the ...

A sleeping Sea Lion lay on the beach at Jug Handle State Nature Reserve, taking a break from his annual swim from Mexico to Alaska. Small signs with small print asked beach-goers to keep a res-pectable distance. I didn't see the first sign, and cou...

My state park trips have certainly taken me to every corner of California. From Del Norte Redwoods on the the northwest coast just ten minutes below the Oregon border, to this trip to Picacho State Recreation Area on the most southeastern point of t...

If you had asked me a year ago when I began my visits to these 70 State Parks, which type of park I thought I would enjoy the most I would have probably said, "The beaches." Or maybe the desert. But, now that I have com-pleted these particular tra-...