California Tourist Spot
Vacation Ideas

We played Scrabble on a board we found in the trailer, gin rummy, and sat on the beach with the flea infested neighborhood dog that adopted us. I almost took him home with me. It was absurdly cheap, absurdly relaxing and a great way to bond with my mother. I highly recommend a vacation without TV, cell phones or even a radio and lots of lobster as a way to reawaken yourself!

No matter your interests, you will find something memorable to explore or do. We found accommodations as varied as five-star resorts and cheap-but-charming motor hotels. Just down the street there were always great restaurants, vinyl record shops, and live music events.

After strolling through the beautiful arboretums and art galleries, there is always a live play or musical to attend, from the experimental to the classics.

The weather is nearly always warm and sunny, and this gentle atmosphere infuses the entire community. There is a large flea market to explore, as well as high-profile symphony performances at the Civic Center. If ever there is a lull in the activities to be filled, a new adventure is literally around every corner.

The combination of extensive natural beauty and a quiet ambiance makes Mendocino very popular with artists. You could call it an artist’s haven. It is generally true that towns where movies are filmed are a sure bet to be a good vacation spot.

Mendocino has been used many times as a film location. Some of these films are: “The Russians Are Coming“, “Karate Kid III“, “Forever Young”, “East of Eden” and “Summer of ‘42”. Mendocino was most famous as the setting for “Murder She Wrote”, the TV series starring Angela Lansbury. In that series the town was transformed into Cabot Cove, Maine.

There was a time in the recent past when you could scoop up a cup of Tahoe water and drink it with no worries. Now, ask before you scoop. Since the lake is between several of the larger Sierra Nevada mountain ridges, the Tahoe area is known for some excellent skiing. Some say that Heavenly Mountain Resort has the best skiing. That may or may not be true but they certainly have the best name. With that sparkling clear water, scuba diving is a very popular sport. With the water depth, however, and the steep drop offs it is not a place for beginner divers. The “Tahoe Queen” is a paddle wheeler that will take you on a lovely dinner cruise around the lake.

El Capitan is also known to visitors as a super rock- climbing range. There are several other locations in the park that are favored by the serious rock climbers. Yosemite is a rather large park as measured by its over 3,000 lakes plus approximately 1,600 miles of rivers and streams. These plus nineteen waterfalls make this park a haven for fishermen, hikers, photographers and anyone who likes raw nature.

Ribbon Falls doesn’t flow with the most water but is has the largest vertical water drop of 1,600 feet and Bridalveil Falls is prettiest. The park has several small glaciers that form when conditions are just right and are helped along by the many fully shaded locations. Their size doesn’t compare with what you might see in Alaska, but never the less they are glaciers.

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