well off the beathen path

Los Padres National Forest spans the coastal ranges from the edges of Monterey Bay down to the mountains of Ojai California. This forest offers nearly 1000 miles of designated ORV routes and back roads. Sadly, there are also hundreds of miles of undocumented trails, most of which are the result of illegal vehicle (quad or bike) use on the Mt. Pinos & Santa Lucia Ranger Districts. Areas suffering from the most intensive use include: Mutau/Hungry Valley, Ballinger Canyon, the Highway 33 Corridor, Pozo-LaPanza, and Rockfront. Basically any OHV trails near or around Gorman, Frazier Park, Pine Mountain, Ventucopa, New Cuyama, Santa Maria & Arroyo Grande, CA. HIKERS / BIKERS / CAMPERS / OFFROADERS Total Escape list outdoor recreation for everyone, so please respect the land, the trails & keep 'em open. Simple: Stay on the trail!

For those of you who haven't been out to see the wildflowers this Spring, you are missing the best show in decades! These little beauties are short lived. Certain canyons on the coast may bloom for months, but most of inland California has pockets of color, sporadically, lasting a weeks at most. You can drive past a spectacular bloom one week and the next week it's gone. Peak season means a very temporary window of opportunity for wildflower viewing . California flora blossoms, opens to glorious color during warm sunshine and then vanishes a week later. Gorman @ Tejon is about to explode very soon. Carrizo & Wind Wolves already peaked. Lower Kern is delightful. Klipstein Canyon off Hwy 166 is blooming alive. Remember the higher the elevation, the later the bloom. 1000' to 4000' (prime time now, April 2010)

Lupine Hills Originally uploaded by danamight Spring is finally here and this seasons wildflowers are abundant. Central Coast hills and back roads are blooming with poppies and lupine. The lower elevations in the deserts are also showing well. Basically any terrain under 3000' is sprouting right now. Top places this month to see California Wildflowers: Anza Borrego Desert California Central Coast Gold Country California

brown eye Originally uploaded by dipperflyfishing The brown eye of Mono. A neighbor moved away several years ago, so he could ski Mammoth and work in the Eastern Sierra. A dream perhaps. Now here he is years later, working at the Mobile deli on the far reaches of Yosemite, working 3 jobs.... fly fishing, making your lunch and ski instructing his days away. Way to go buddy! (2013 update) Brandon just informed me via Facebook that he is now living in France, running a Mexican Restaurant. No joke. This guys really knows how to live an adventurous life!

Did you know snowmobile rentals at Huntington Lake, are half the price of the ones at Mammoth rentals? Sierra Summit Resort and a bitchin' old Saloon nearby. Over 100 miles of groomed trails in the High Sierra. Let's go. Sierra Snowmobiles CA by Chris DiNenna (reposted from Spring 1998)  It was another one of those long and tiring days in the office and all I wanted to do was find myself on a open highway heading out of town. So right after the time clock struck five, I raced home, picked up my bags which were packed with my clothing and gear the night before, stopped at my girlfriends home to rescue her from the mundane existence of the apartment, we found ourselves finally on our way into snow country of the Sierra-Nevadas. Our destination was a small resort community called Lakeshore, situated on the shore of Lake Huntington between the Ansel Adams and John Muir Wildernesses in the Sierra National Forest. The drive up the mountain at dark was breath taking and clea