Conduct your own training session in the Tehachapi. Embrace your solitude and immerse yourself in a lush green wilderness. Keep a wary eye open for bears on a food run. Soak up ice cold exhilaration in moss-covered swimming holes.
All aboard for a weekend escape to Tehachapi
“Folks might want me to say that the famed train loop is the thing. And it is stirring to see: long, noisy trains emerging from the tunnel, lumbering, then “spiraling” or “lapping” upon themselves. The costumed guides at the Tehachapi Depot Museum helped explain this engineering marvel of the 1800s. But I was equally entranced by the self-guided wind-farm driving tour. At the start, the smallish wind towers are early models, then the tour progresses to spinning behemoths dotting the hillsides.” Los Angeles Times · Sara Lessley
This Olympic National Park Rainforest is one of the quietest places on Earth
“Olympic National Park—in particular the Hoh Rainforest, one of the emerald gems of the U.S. national park system. The Hoh Rainforest is tucked deep within a glacial river valley less than 50 miles from the Pacific Ocean. It sits in the shadow of Mount Olympus, the 7,980-foot peak that gives the park its name, and is a solid half-day drive from bustling Seattle. In addition to the lush biodiversity you’d expect from a temperate rainforest, that remote quality makes Hoh one of the quietest places anywhere on Earth, almost completely free of any human noise pollution. Immersing yourself in this lush, green world can be a peaceful forest bathing experience or a challenging excursion into the wilderness. However you choose to enjoy it, you’ll find peace and quiet abounds.” The Dyrt
Take the plunge in these California swimming holes to keep your cool
“Natural Bridges is a swimming hole in the Sierra foothills. This summertime hot spot near the Tuolumne-Calaveras county line rewards hikers with a swim in ice-cold Coyote Creek through a moss-covered cave. The Natural Bridges parking area is between Columbia State Historic Park and the wineries of Murphys. The round-trip hike is about two miles but make sure to pack plenty of water because the return back to the car is all uphill. Info: Natural Bridges, bit.ly/natrualbridges” By MIKE MORRIS
Drivers Should Keep an Eye Out for Bears on Tahoe Roads
“Lake Tahoe’s thriving bear population is very active and many of them are getting hit by cars. Bears have been out looking for food following their winter slumber. It is also mating season and the time when juvenile bears are venturing off on their own for the first time. All of this activity can put them in the path of moving cars and these collisions are not uncommon. ‘Some years it just spikes up to the point where there’s 50 or 60. Some years, more normal would be maybe 25,’ said Ann Bryant, the executive director of the BEAR League.” Dennis Shanahan
North America’s best national parks day hikes
“If you have limited time in the Grand Canyon, you can’t do much better than this beautiful hike. The wide and well-maintained corridor trail offers shady rest-houses and stretches along a delightful creek. At the trailhead, the canyon beckons in all its glory. If you suffer vertigo, look to the left for a while – the first five minutes are the hardest. Highlights include two tunnels, Native American pictographs and the visual reward of the dramatically broad Tonto Platform. Continuing down the Bright Angel adds difficulty but brings you to the shady oasis of Indian Garden. For an even more challenging and very exposed hike to expansive views of the inner gorge, cross Tonto Platform along a spur trail to reach Plateau Point. It’s a popular destination for strong day hikers, but the long, exposed stretch can be searingly hot.” Lonely Planet Michele Falzone / Getty Images
“Most people associate the Pacific Northwest with a lush region that receives large amounts of rain during the winter months, with wonderful summer days. But the Northwest has a variety of climate regions, from the Pacific Coast to the valley and, once over the mountains, a desert region — all within a few hours drive of each other. There is enough to keep the outdoor enthusiast busy.” Map – Wikitravel
“A new state park designated underwater trail at Emerald Bay State Park at Lake Tahoe includes the largest collection of sunken boats in America. California State Parks will open an underwater trail to four sites in Emerald Bay that will lead visitors to a boat graveyard from the 1920s and ’30s — and provide those in boats with a chance to peer down into the lake for a glimpse. State park divers have found two large barges and 12 recreational boats, including a vintage 27-foot launch, said Denise Jaffe, associate state archaeologist with the California State Parks and a scuba diver who helped develop the project. This collection is the largest, most diverse group of sunken small watercraft of their type, in their original location, known to exist in the nation, Jaffe said. The underwater shipwreck route will be named the “Emerald Bay Maritime Heritage Trail.”Tom Stienstra sfchronicle.com Photo: Mylana Haydu, Center for Underwater Science, Indiana University
“Tahoe just got a truckload of fresh powder—tis the season for snowmobile treks, chilly swims, mountain-view skydiving, spicy coffees, and icy seafood.
“For over 50 years, Jack’s Surfboards has been an Orange County icon and Southern California favorite for surfboards, wetsuits, clothing, footwear and accessories. Being voted as Orange County’s #1 surf shop year after year is a testament to Jack’s dedication to offering the largest and newest selections for men, women and children. Jack’s Surfboards flagship store in Huntington Beach is a destination spot for surfers and surf fans from all over the world. The huge 10,000 square foot surf shop is located just steps away from the Huntington Beach pier on the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Main Street. Jack’s Surfboards also has six other coastal Orange County locations that offers the same extensive selection and excellent customer service.” Visit Huntington Beach – Surf City USA.
“For Vail Resorts’ part, the new-for-2019-20 Keystone Plus Pass replaces the Keystone A-Basin Pass and offers unlimited holiday-restricted skiing at Keystone, unlimited late-season days at Breckenridge (after April 1), five holiday-restricted days at Crested Butte, and 10 (up from six) Buddy Tickets when purchased prior to the April deadline for $369, $259 for kids. Kirsten Lynch, chief marketing officer for Vail Resorts, said that while they’re pleased to offer an option for skiing from mid-October through Memorial Day at a great price, “we want to thank Arapahoe Basin for their partnership for over 20 years. We are disappointed but given the success they have had and their recent investments into the resort, we respect that this is the right time for them to move in a different direction.”
“Why wait for ski season to experience everything this gorgeous destination has to offer? The stunning cobalt blue of the water in Lake Tahoe is one of those rare natural phenomena that’s even more breathtaking in person than on Instagram, and 
“On the shores and mountains that ring the 
“Many of the homes that are listed on websites including Airbnb and VRBO are on the water and have private docks. But the growth of online rental agencies has created a bitter rift in the city between those who like vacation renters and the dollars they bring, and those who say they are disrupting 
“Vacation in Tahoe doesn’t have to be so pricey– this 1950s cabin is $375K and you can also snap up the lot next door for another $60K. Built in 1953, the one-bedroom, one-bathroom abode (that sleeps more than its one-bedroom designation might indicate) has had only a handful of owners. 
“Spend Christmas Eve evening at a higher elevation, at High Camp, while feasting in honor of the holiday. HIGH CAMP: It’s the Beyond Merry Wonderland Christmas Eve Holiday dinner
“Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows’ Merry Days and Holly Nights delivers plenty of cheer each December. Ski runs and slaloms draw powderhounds to the slopes each winter. But those in the Sierra sparkle with more than simple snowflakes: Here are six holiday festivals to warm your spirits.” The Mercury News
San Ysidro Creek cut a path of destruction through the center of Montecito early Tuesday morning when intense rain released a deluge of debris from the Santa Ynez Mountains, which were burned by the Thomas fire. 
Below, in blue, was scrawled “Augie & Karen Johnson,” with a question mark in front of their names. Below and next to it were other names, also with question marks, as people searched for loved ones. One name at the top had been crossed out, with “He is OK” scrawled next to it. 
“But the rain was heavy enough that she woke up at 3 and watched it with her boyfriend, Norm Borgatello. They stepped out the front door to look, her family described later, and a cold sludge of gravel and mud and boulders picked them up. She tried to hold onto the door frame, but the force was overwhelming. He was thrown against a fence and pinned there, buried in mud up to his neck. She was swept away. “Josie!” he called out, over the roaring river. “Josie!”” 
“I came around the house and heard a deep rumbling, an ominous sound I knew was … boulders moving as the mud was rising,” resident Thomas Tighe told CBS SFBayArea. “I saw two other vehicles moving slowly sideways down the middle of the street in a river of mud.” 
“Out here, disasters often prey on hillside castles overlooking the sea. If that seems fair or just, try sweeping three feet of muck out of your child’s closet some time. There is nothing fair about any of this. Heartache is heartache. Precious photos are precious photos. No one owns the exclusive rights to hard luck. We can’t take a hint though. This has been going on for decades, and we rebuild in vulnerable areas, because they bring us nearer to nature and soothe our jangled souls. “It’s worth the risk,” we say. “Ever seen our sunsets?”” 
“For many travelers, Amtrak trains may be the best way to get from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara for the foreseeable future. Caltrans said late Friday that the 101 Freeway would not reopen Monday, as originally thought.” 
“U.S. Highway 101, a major north-south artery that carries 100,000 vehicles through the Central Coast each day, was initially expected to open Monday, but officials said cleaning up one part of the freeway was proving more difficult than imagined. In a section of the road near 
Martin’s Beach has been ground zero for beach access activists, surfers and those on the Coastside with fond memories of walking or driving the path from Highway 1 to the relatively small and protected beach. Khosla bought the property from a Coastside family in 2008. A year later, the new owner closed the gate and painted over a billboard that once advertised access to the beach.
Romeo Pier demolition to cost $2.3 million
