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California Fire Map

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California Wildfires & Fire Information Extreme drought conditions means super high wildfire dangers for all of California. As of August 1st, nearly 60% of the golden state is under EXCEPTIONAL drought, one level up from the 'extreme' classification. We are more than one years worth of water overdue. Wildfires in California are quiet common and occur annually in the later part of the year (summer - autumn)  when the natural vegetation, brush and forests are the driest. Drought.gov will show just how bad the drought conditions are currently in the Western U.S. drought.gov Southern California as well as Northern California experience wildland fires, and since Central California is backed by the Sierra Nevadas, you should expect forest fires at high elevations and lower river canyons too. California is currently experiencing extreme fire dangers, so many parks and forest areas have higher than normal restrictions. The new normal is becoming extreme, as you can im

Where'd She Go?

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It often seems as if I have forgotten about this long standing blogger blog, leaving it for months at a time without a post (maybe while traveling for weeks or working other more pressing projects). Over this past winter, I spent much time rebuilding older pages to a new format (WordPress) Outside Blog and I will continue this throughout the year. Covering the back roads like no other! I, DanaMite , am dedicated to the whole of Total Escape, my 8000 page web site on California travel destinations, off the beaten path . Established way back in 1996, in the web 1.0 days, on a 33k modem. First and foremost that I can offer is real world content, real experiences, travel logs, photos, GPS data and research I gather while exploring the golden state. Sleeping on the ground, tent camping outside of developed campgrounds, way back there "out in the field". Lakes, Rivers, Wilderness, Outdoor Recreation, Small Towns & Unique Lodging Managing databases on California d

Waterproof Maps

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WATERPROOF TOPOGRAPHIC MAPS Paper maps are fading fast. Literally, disappearing into landfills, campfires or into the archives of map collectors. Digital maps have totally taken over our lives and you'll be hard pressed to find a decent printed local area hiking map when traveling small towns inside California . Keep in mind that many of the middle-of-nowhere, back road destinations we feature on Total Escape do not receive adequate cell phone service, much less a wireless, high speed, digital network. So plan accordingly. Old timers, frequent travelers and experienced outdoor folks still want the hard copy - a real map! Waterproof and tear resistant plastic maps are now common. Tom Harrison was one if the first to offer quality plastic hiking maps. All the  NatGeo map titles are 2-sided, full color and plastic. USDA has slowly been transitioning their National Forests maps to plastic maps over the past few years. California Wilderness area maps are only about half

California Meteor Shower

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Vermilion Resort Originally uploaded by danamight meteor showers and comets Fair weather means anytime is a good time to watch the sky. totalescape.com/outside/event/perseid-meteor-shower The high Sierra Nevada is the place to really enjoy the show in summer camping out, but winter means snow is likely and a cabin rental might be a better choice, or grab a guest room at a rustic lodge like this one photographed above. Meteor showers are best viewed after 2AM, so you first need to decide if you are "a stay up late", or "wake up early" kinda person. Partying and drinking in the early evening means the excitement will be worn off and you will be dozing after midnight, missing the entire possibility of seeing any grazers. Taking a nap in the early afternoon before might help your odd sleep schedule adjust but be prepared to kick up the caffeine when you want to take in the awesome night views. Mount Pinos and Mount Abel are both popular SoCal spots f

Romantic California

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Romance for Camping Couple Vacations in California Why not keep the passion alive all year long. Take solo weekends away from one another and also vacation as a couple. All local, outdoors and on a budget. Kick your creativity into high gear and plan something totally spontaneous: Get a cabin or condo on the slopes for a few days. Book a lake view suite at a small resort, read, relax and fish all day long. Walk in the forest, bring a picnic and lay out to stargaze at night. Travel locally to enhance your love life, snuggle up close to a cozy fireplace, with a good bottle of wine. Hike, bike and enjoy the outdoors. Holiday season road trips & Valentine weekend ideas Local small towns in California is what Total Escape is all about. We have only small, independent lodges , but focus more on bed & breakfast inns , camping sites and cabin rentals . Discover more, stay local, spend less and enjoy your honey pie more often. top romantic places in California Auburn A