well off the beathen path

Brewer Lake Campsite , a photo by totalescape.com on Flickr. If you still need me to spell it out - in every photo, in every forest, at each lake, enticing descriptions - every year, year after year.... just so you can be inspired to go outside and enjoy California, I will do so repeatedly. Or you could just cruise thru the years of archives on this California Back Roads Blog . Some of my suggested destinations require a 4x4 to reach, but many do not. Maps are essential. Road trip ideas and cheap travels await. Please also visit my ancient totalescape.com web site. California LAKES LIST Eastern Sierra Lakes Lassen Lakes Sequoia Lakes Shasta Lakes Sierra Nevada Lakes Wilderness Lakes Yosemite Lakes

You can pick up any popular road atlas of California in the supermarket. These Rand McNalley's and Thomas Brothers map books will show you how to get around in the freeways and the cities of Cali. We wanna show you more, much more. The real scenic drives, the back roads and rural highways. More of REAL CALIFORNIA Total Escape has every possible wilderness map you could ever need for this golden state. The Sierra mountains, the Coast, SoCal and NorCal. We want to inspire you to be outside, to hike and explore the back roads. To fish, kayak and snow ski. To re-create in our recreation paradise called Cali-forn-ia. MAP STORE - for planning your escape

Mammoth Pool Reservoir Originally uploaded by danamight Dreaming of 90 degrees and sunshine? Sick of June Gloom on the coast? Will the California mountain thunderstorms last into July? Is global warming causing season shifts & more erratic weather patterns? And what are you gonna do about it?  enjoy it while you can Who wants to play on the lake? This weekend, or next? MAMMOTH, California two Mammoths in Cali? MAMMOTH POOL RESERVOIR is a virtually unknown recreation lake, way, way back there in Sierra NF; campground and boat launch ramp on a steep dirt road; located on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains, due south of Yosemite National Park. MAMMOTH LAKES, CA  this is the well known ski mountain and upscale (bankrupt) village in the Eastern Sierra, north of Bishop, CA and south of Yosemite National Park. Fishing on Lake Mary near Mammoth Lake, California

The Road to Joy Originally uploaded by danamight Outdoors is my passion & this stuff, these photos, these stories, my web site is my work, my art, for you to discover what I have seen. The back roads of California are alive with all flavors. My gift to you, the world. Enjoy. Green Creek California is a very special place I visited back in mid 2004. These Sierra Nevada photos have taken a while to upload, but here they are, for your viewing pleasure. This prime Eastern Sierra camping area is well worth the long journey. Plan to spend a minimum of a week here for the full spectrum of recreation. The graded dirt road is suitable for passenger cars & RVs too. Hiking, fishing, camping, it's all out here near Bridgeport CA; Altho most are so in a hurry to reach Bodie Ghost Town State Park, they completely ignore this area, just on the other side of Highway 395. If you have some free time, I would highly suggest this primitive camping location on the Hoover Wilderness bounda