well off the beathen path

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.

My drummer pal from San Diego, Bill Ray took this awesome shot of the recent lunar eclipse on Monday night & neighbor Lynn forwarded it to me Tuesday morning. Way to go! Wish I would have gone outside to see it, but I was distracted with a movie. Duh...

Fly fishing California is best in the Northern half of the state. With the minimal rains and minimal lakes inside Southern Cal, you best be driving north to find your perfect fishing hole -  way north. All areas around Mount Shasta & Mount Lassen are excellent for fishing. Feather River, Hat Creek, Trinity River , Klamath River , Northern Gold Country's Yuba River near Downieville & even the Sacramento River are all excellent spots for casting your line. Most of the Eastern Sierra is decent for fly fishing too. Rock Creek near Tom's Place ; behind Mammoth Lakes is Minaret Creek & Boundary Creek; Hot Creek is across the highway from Mammoth. Golden aspens are always awesome in autumn near June Lake with Rush Creek ; Green Creek is near Bridgeport CA & the Walker River is just north of that. You can find professional fly fishing guides to help you get started. Online fishing reports are updated by anglers, who also run extensive web sites on the spo