well off the beathen path

And the winner is Budweiser, King of Beers! It's not a surprise that the majority of the trash we pick up on forest lands is beer cans & bottles. Of those, Budweiser, Miller (MGD) & Mickey's Big Mouth consumers are the top people who litter. Rarely do we see Sierra Nevada bottles disposed of improperly. More Pepsi drinkers throw trash outside than Coke; by far McDonald's wrappers are more common than any other fast food trash; cheap tequila bottles, soiled baby diapers, & bullet casings are also a problem. Cigarette smokers usually litter too (ciggi butts, cellophane wrappers, their boxes). Inconsiderate target shooters are notorious for leaving broken glass, targets, computer monitors, & old propane cylinders shot full of holes outside, on a vacant hillside. And it takes responsible 4x4 clubs to clean this stuff up, along with other trail crews like Total Escape . The reason for this topic is for the "stop the abuse" blogging campaign. Trashing ...

Many times over the years of Total Escape, I get letters such as this one below, which makes me realize just how important it is to take your kids out traveling & camping. My name is Wendy and when I was a toddler, we used to camp at Lundy Lake. It was pure wilderness then and my dad used to make whistles for us out of the birch trees I think. I just wanted to share my memories with someone that might love to hear what it was like then. I haven't been there since I was about 8 or 9, but we took our summer vacation every single year to the High Sierras & Virginia Lakes from years 1952-1971. What sweet memories! We went to Green Creek when no one hardly knew it was there. My dad and mom were fishaholics and we lived in Santa Barbara CA and we love the high Sierras.  how to find these sacred spaces - California Lakes & Reservoirs California National Forest Maps California Wilderness Maps California Cabin Rentals   California Rivers California Creek Campi...

Lavatube, Mojave National Preserve Originally uploaded by Mastery of Maps I knew it. There had to be cool underground features like these lava tubes & caves out there. Jesse & I searched but did not find. Been out to Mojave Preserve six times. We'll hafta keep looking. Vast spans of Mojave desert encompass historic mines, buildings, railroads, mountain peaks, boulders, joshua trees, pinyon pine forests, caverns and caves, lava tubes, sands dunes, dirt roads and a new, totally restored Kelso train depot - out in the huge triangle of land, east of Barstow . Near Interstate 40, Interstate 15 & the Nevada state line. Way out there in the middle of freakin nowhere near Kelso, Cima & Kelbaker Rd. For best results arrive in day light hours when first visiting this unfamiliar desert region. It's easy to get lost without light or without a GPS. Maps are only as good as the ones you brought and how bright your dome light is in the car. Don't rely on c...

View from Grandma's Originally uploaded by prentz This photo is near the small town of Orleans California , deep in the Klamath River Gorge in NorCal. Pam takes such nice shots of this area. The images from this region keep calling me. A serious Northern California road trip is needed.

The Big Catch Originally uploaded by danamight Autumn on the June Lake Loop starts momentarily. Cooler temps mean leaves are turning tonight. The Eastern Sierra is heavenly at this time of year, from Onion Valley to Hope Valley.

Testing out the new Google's Picasa slide show feature on what else but some beautiful California lake photos. Some of which I could barely locate on Google Maps. There is a cool "location" tag so the photographer can pinpoint exactly where the shot was taken. What is funny to me is often the lake, nor the dirt road to access it, is even on the interactive maps. Just goes to show you MapQuest, Yahoo & Google Maps are not always accurate. Best to buy a real map from Total Escape, if you really wanna get there!

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words & I truly believe that people are visual beings - that love to look at photos. Since Total Escape has been traveling & documenting California for well over a decade & my lil Nikon Coolpix just died, after much use & abuse, I decided to organize my thousands images online for your sheer enjoyment & education. Over the next few months, I will be uploading tons of awesome California camping destinations, featuring Total Escape Adventures guided trips & some of the research road trips too. Look for the links in the descriptions to lead you back to Total Escape, where you can locate these hidden spots & buy the maps to get your asses out there. And Flickr is such a great online application, so you should get your own free account too. Check out the backroads of California thru cyberspace. http://www.flickr.com/photos/danamite

Off road recreation is a huge sport on California. Just look at any given freeway on a late Sunday afternoon/eve & you can see these big boys toys being towed home. The diesel trucks pulling trailers, most anointed with colorful graphics & stickers, are referred to as toy boxes. In-N-Out burger here we come. No matter if you are a hard core back packer, an avid back road camper or serious desert off roader, you can find maps for your California adventure on Total Escape. Just remember that most people do procrastinate: ill planning on your part does not mean an emergency on mine. HINT: Do not wait until the last minute (a week before your departure) to place your map order, because holiday or summer rushes on outdoor recreation means we often run outta stock on the most popular titles.