California

Death Valley is an incredible place to go EXCEPT in the summer, when temperatures have reached 134 degrees Fahrenheit!  Some roads are quite steep, and signs posted require that you turn off your car's air [...]

Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California is a bizarre landscape where rocks and cactus pop up with strange and beautiful formations.   The Colorado and Mojave deserts meet here. tr

Hollywood!  We did all the touristy stuff: Sid Grauman's Chinese Theater, the old Max Factor Building (now the Hollywood Museum), the Dolby Theater where the Oscars are held annually, and the Hollywood Museum of Illusions. [...]

Widely regarded as one of the most beautiful courses in the world, Pebble Beach, built in 1919, hugs the rugged coastline and has wide open views of the Pacific Ocean.  The U.S. Open has been hosted here [...]

With mixed feelings, we said goodbye to Tahoe.  We, along with Dan and Vicki, Jim Foster and a couple of local guys, spent the last three days there, moving, hauling to the dump, cleaning and [...]

America's newest National Park, Pinnacles was designated by President Obama in 2013.  They say Pinnacles is most beautiful from March to May when the flowers are blooming, but we found the fall hiking delightful at [...]

The National Parks Foundation invited us to Yosemite for a 3 day hiking event, and we were the first to RSVP!  What a great event to meet and greet others who love the National Parks [...]

The boys said their favorite thing at Tahoe is...  a tie between jet-skiing and toasting s'mores.

Beautiful weather in Tahoe for a little R&R for Courtney's family.

Tahoe in early June is a gamble for weather, but we really lucked out!  The lake is still 3 feet below average, but a foot higher than last year.

From Palm trees to Pine trees!  Palm Springs was so warm and balmy, we took the tram up to the mountains.  The top is at 8,516 ft. - an easy 10 minute ride where 6,000 ft. [...]