well off the beathen path

Walkway of Redding Originally uploaded by danamight My impromptu holiday road trip to NorCal was wet, very wet, to say the least. A full solid week of rain & wind, totally drenched. Camping in the mud, not so fun. Meeting locals in Redding & Willow Creek were the highlights. Pinnacles National Monument off of Hwy 101 & King City - was my first stop, where I paid a whopping $27 to camp. The most expensive overnight in a park I can ever recall. Motel 6 might have been a better choice, since the temps dipped to 26 degrees that night. Up in Redding I opted for a cheap hotel, downtown. Walked in the drizzle to find an open restaurant & Sunday night is not a big out-to-dinner night up here, so I had trouble locating a meal. Johnnie's Bar was lit up with neon, looked new & had a Santa ping pong tournament going on. I stopped in for a bite & met Larry, a local who introduced me to his whole crew. A blues/jazz band set up around 7pm & they were pretty de

Brokeoff Moon Originally uploaded by leapin26 When you have enough time to blog, you are not living. You are not outdoors experiencing the weather. You are inside looking at a box. Just because DanaMite does not write weekly, doesn't mean she has nothing to share. Maybe she will have lots to tell, when she finally sits down to write it. For those of you who choose to travel mostly thru cyberland only, be patient.

North Lake Road #2 Originally uploaded by VerPen This is the kinda day I am talking about. Outdoors, this autumn. Now, before the snow hits. This is the kinda beauty -t hat only shows up for a few days in the back country - that you are missing. Get in the car, get outta town & explore the Eastern Sierra. BISHOP CA

It's not everyday I get to write about the other side of camping. RVing makes up a huge portion of outdoor travelers in the US, especially in the baby-boomers age group. Many want all the creature comforts & hi-speed connections, while others prefer to rough it every now & then. Part timers or full time residents of the road, these motorized homes often serve as a new lifestyle for adventure seekers who are physically less mobile. I photograph the county parks, the secluded camps, the primitive sites, and the city trailer courts. Total Escape can show you the freebie spots, the lake side Campground, the small RV parks & the big luxury RV Resorts. All of it, on one web site. California RV Parks Baja California RV Parks RV Lake Park Free RV Camping RV Motorhome Rentals  

William (Will), who I met in Baja in 2005 , relocated to Tahoe CA from the east coast recently. He admits California is awesome, especially the Sierra Nevada. This summer he is traveling & volunteering w/ the Rock the Earth crew. Check out their voice via the web site.

Lowest Gas Prices in  California California  Gas Prices  provided by GasBuddy.com Paid $4.39 @ Flying J on the Grapevine yesterday. Only $75 to fill up the old Isuzu Amigo . Maybe this tank full can last most of the summer if I am a good girl & walk or bike to the post office daily.

A question you might not hear often. But as a professional camper I get it all the time. When I was in the midst of my stressful city career, I would escape Los Angeles every chance I got, which was usually every weekend. Several times per month I would be off exploring some Sierra dirt roads, playing in the Wilderness, waiting until the last possible moment to return home (SUNDAY night 10pm). Many choose their addictions carelessly. I consider myself a camp-o-holic, as my love for outdoors is so strong, that I created an entire business around it. At the peak of my adventure days I was camping about 20 trips per year. Deserts in the winters, mountains in the summer. Total Escape Adventures , the guided trips division, has lead up to 280 people per year out camping Baja or California. We took a break in 2007, but now we are offering road trips again .