well off the beathen path

Ward Lake Originally uploaded by danamight This is one of those places you drive by once, looking at the scene, you say ONE DAY. I gotta get back to this spot. Well, this is the day that you start the plans to make it happen. seriously dude No more procrastinating, no more excuses, no more weekends a wasted. This alpine paradise is just up the road a piece from Fresno, of all places. Yes, you read right - Fresno, that smoggy, scarey Central Valley mecca in the middle of California. From Highway 99, find Hwy 168 & head due East into the mighty Sierra Nevada. This epic outdoor recreation area is just south of Yosemite National Park. After climbing in elevation, thru oak foothills and pines, passing Shaver Lake and continuing on past Tamarack. When you are near Huntington Lake, hang a hard right up the Kaiser Pass (a windy steep paved back road) and just keep on going toward Florence Lake. Ward Lake is a small lake on the way and you may miss it, if you blink. This adventure ...

A fair amount of last minute inquiries on this upcoming Utah trip. 3 Cali girls meeting up w/ 'hippy from the beach' Jan & 'mister white trash' Ardell way out in Moab, Utah. California group meets FRIDAY night; depart Tejon Pass/I-5 SAT May 9th AM. Please post inquiries regarding this MAY UTAH CAMP excursion here. 8 nights camping back roads of Utah drive your own rig on dirt roads; 4x4 not required. ZION, Bryce, Gobblins and Moab..... UTAH CAMPING PHOTOS back roads, off roading, hiking, all over next weekend. yep, we know you wanna go.

Owl's Clover Wildlfower Originally uploaded by danamight This photo is the mighty AV, the Antelope Valley @ Hwy 138 - with the best bloom I've seen in quite a while. Purple Owl's Clover flowers are sprouting up near 110th & the power lines. The hills all around Fairmont Butte are yellow. Poppies can be found all over. The show is best outside of the Poppy Preserve, so save your cash & head off road. Bring a picnic & a camera for a full day of fun in the sun. Wind can be an issue here, so check the weather forecast. Gorman wildflowers are getting some more rain tonight & will be peaking later this month (April). Upper Klipstein Canyon via Cerro Noroeste or Hwy 166 is also going off with color. This looks to be an excellent year for all California wildflowers, so do not delay. Plan your road trip soon!

wild wood ED020 Originally uploaded by The Wildebeest Wowwie... Los Angeles area hikes, off the beaten path. This waterfall is near Thousand Oaks, CA. A great outdoorsy find for those looking to escape the traffic, smog & malls.

Yeah, I know you've heard it. America is in a recession or a depression. But that doesn't stop you from wanting to travel. Needing to get away from your daily grind. Can you expect to escape your hurried life for a weekend, for under $100? What bout a $200 limit? No seriously. You would spend that much or more just staying home & hanging out in the city. Really! Think about it. Shopping, dinner at a restaurant, coffee afterwards, or a concert, some drinks during, plus the parking. It adds up super fast as you already know. Total Escape web site traffic is WAY up -- 50% from last winter, cuz people are realizing they gotta travel locally & inexpensively. This goes for the maps store at the dot net & our main site at dot com . DanaMite has the ideas for cheap road trips all over the golden state. Thanks goes to all the newcomers & the avid Escapers. The new residents in Cali, the transplants, the native, the locals, anyone who uses Total Escape on a regul...

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...

Mount Pinos Peak 8830' elevation, Kern County We all seek a wilderness trail to hike or stroll. Wonderful weather, enveloped in scenery, a peaceful place to call our own - if only for the day or the whole weekend. Deep inside the sacred space we call nature, Mother Earth. Maybe a picnic and waterfall as the highlight of the whole day. In California we are lucky to have plenty trails to enjoy and explore. Whether you want a foot trail to a lake, a fishing trail along the river, a backpackers trail over the highest peaks, an equestrian trail, a mountain bike route, or snowmobile trails new and fresh, we just might have it on our maps - somewhere in here . California Wilderness Areas California Forest Maps California Wilderness Maps California Topo Atlas California Recreation Maps Tom Harrison Topographical Maps