Chilling on the California Coast
The Coastside founding fathers stumbled upon a sweet brand when they came up with “Half Moon Bay.” Who can resist, right? But 100 miles to the south, the bureaucrats who named Garrapata State Park and Beach missed the mark badly if they were trying to evoke seaside romance.
Garrapata — that’s “tick” in Spanish, as in the eight-legged blood-suckers — deserves better. Continue reading “Visit the Beach and Bluffs at Garrapata; With a Name Like “Tick State Park,” it’s Gotta be Good”
The northern nub of Big Sur is open for business despite heavy rain and fire damage to roads and wilderness. But the Coastside Slackers didn’t find much to do on their recent visit. You’d think we had found Slacker Nirvana. But instead we were disappointed. Continue reading “Big Sur is Open for Business – Sorta; We Visited So You Don’t Have To”
How do you impress your British friends on their first visit to California’s wine country? Take them out for cheesy grits at the Fremont Diner and pair it with a helping of Los Lonely Boys a la Uptown Theatre. Duh. Continue reading “The Slackers Pair Lunch at the Fremont Diner with Rock ‘n’ Roll at Napa’s Uptown Theatre”
If you enjoy Coastside sand and surf but a water temperature of 55 degrees is not on your “to do” list, then consider visiting the beaches, bluffs and tide pools of the James V. Fitzgerald Marine Reserve in Moss Beach. Continue reading “Cold Day Coastside? Break out the Flannel and Chill at the Moss Beach Bluffs, Beach and Tide Pools”
It’s May in the Ozarks. The mountains are green and lush. The creeks and bayous are running full. And families from the communities that dot the hills and hollers are gathering at local cemeteries to enjoy a moment of prayer, a bit of gospel music and a whole lot of food and happy memories in a ritual of remembrance known as Decoration Day.
“It’s spring. Let’s go to Napa!” we said. “Let’s taste some wine, take a hike, pack a picnic, book a balloon flight! It’ll be great!”
But GeekSlacker caught a nasty cold. And then it began to rain – again. And the deadline for canceling our reservation at the charming El Bonita Motel in St. Helena had passed. What were two Coastside Slackers to do? Particularly with a blog to feed. Continue reading “Yes, There’s Plenty to Do in Napa in the Rain with a Head Cold; Wine Helps”
Did you ever have a hint of anxiety as a child watching your bath water swirl down the drain at the deep end of the tub? Could the drain capture a toe or perhaps a foot? What might crawl or reach from the from the soapy vortex? Alone in the steamy confines of the bathroom, would anyone hear you scream?
Our spring wildflower sojourn had yielded a brilliant carpet of color at the Poppy Reserve, and dazzling individual blooms interwoven into intricate floral tapestries at Anza-Borrego. We really didn’t know what to expect at Carrizo Plain National Monument – the road less traveled on the super bloom trail. I suppose we expected more of the same.
Wrong again! What we found was was a floral cascade of brilliant yellow California goldfields, accented by purple lupine, yellow-orange fiddlenecks and occasional patches of baby blue eyes, flowing from the mountain tops and pooling into the Carrizo grasslands across miles of the rugged Temblor Range. Continue reading “Super Bloom Part 3 — The Carrizo Plain Blows our Minds; Please Don’t Tell”
Part 2 of 3
We lived 90 minutes from the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve for 21 years and never visited. We thought about it, but we always had an excuse.
“We’re too busy.”
“It’s too crowded.”
“It’s a bad bloom.”
So since we were passing by on our way back from admiring the wildflower super bloom at Anzo-Borrego Desert State Park, we decided it was time to stop and smell the poppies. We even spent the night in nearby Lancaster so we could do it right. Continue reading “Super Bloom Part 2 – We Cope with Urban Anthophiles at the California Poppy Reserve; the Flowers are Quite Orange”
Part 1 of 3
For more than two decades, MontaraManDan has tried to convince GeekSlacker to vacation in the desert. Continue reading “Super Bloom Part 1 – Anza-Borrego Wildflowers Defy Expectations, But We Are Impressed Anyway”
With 500+ wineries in Willamette Valley, Oregon always feels like home to me. It has been the actual home to the ‘rents for the last 20 years, so I call it my second home. It is much more slacker friendly than the limo clogged drunk-fest that is Napa. Not that there’s anything wrong with that — been there quite a few half-remembered times.
The more wine the better, really, but this post isn’t about wine. ‘Cause sometimes you just need a little something to soak up all that Pinot Noir. Continue reading “Wait, There’s More to the Willamette Valley Than Wine? Say Cheese!”
True confession: I may live in San Francisco Giants country, but I’m a Cubs baseball loyalist. I can’t help it. I grew up that way in Suburban Chicago.
So as the Cubs brought home their World Series victory in 108 years last fall, I immediately began plotting out a slothful weekend in Arizona for a Cactus League victory lap with a handful of my old Wrigley Field bleacher buddies – Manny, Moe and Jack – to gloat celebrate in the desert sunshine. Continue reading “Cactus League Dreamin’ – True Confessions of a Coastside Cubs Fan”
The Peabody Award-winning TV series Portlandia taught us that the Dream of the ‘90s is alive in Portland. And for nearly two decades during visits to Dawn’s folks at their hillside Silverton, OR, home we have coveted the fantasy of retiring young and weird.
Perhaps our favorite activity in Oregon is sitting on the ‘rents expansive deck overlooking pine covered hillsides and the Silver Creek Reservoir, sipping wine while watching the bats emerge from beneath the shingles of the house at dusk
A close second, however, is Silver Falls State Park. Continue reading “Seven Miles of Weeping Bluffs, Moss-Shrouded Woods, Roaring Waterfalls … and One too Many Staircases”
With the Sierra Nevada snowpack at record levels, a break in recent storms that left roads clear and dry, and California Ski Week throngs back in school – we decided to venture east last week to play in the snow at Lake Tahoe. Continue reading “Don’t ski? Don’t gamble? Shoe Tahoe!”
Perhaps you’ve heard we’re having an extreme rainy season Coastside. In addition to easing California’s drought, the ongoing string of winter storms has activated scores of dormant and seasonal waterfalls throughout the state. Continue reading “Winter Rains Activate 200-foot Coastside Cascade – Bring your Binoculars”
We drove way up the coast last week to the land of hipster-slackers, IPAs and knit caps just in time to enjoy a taste of Zwickelmania 2017, the Oregon Craft Beer association’s annual celebration of home brews gone commercial. Day 1 on Feb. 18 featured Portland metro breweries, and the party continues with Day 2 on Feb. 25 at regional breweries throughout the state. Continue reading “Zwickelmania 2017 – Try Funky Sours or a Hint of Axe Handle in Your Brew; Oregon Craft Beer Fest Continues Feb 25”
![Gray Whale Cove [photo: Dawn Page]](https://i0.wp.com/coastsideslacking.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/img_3976.jpg?fit=740%2C493&ssl=1)
The mountainside trail between Gray Whale Cove and Montara state beaches is a middling means to two rather spectacular ends. It’s about the beaches, not the journey. Featuring a moderate descent to and ascent from the beach into McNee Ranch State Park on each end, the bulk of the winding Gray Whale Cove Trail is carved into the side of Montara Mountain and roughly parallels Highway 1, whose sights and sounds detract from some otherwise spectacular views of the ocean meeting the shore. Continue reading “Trail with a View Joins Two Spectacular Coastside Beaches”
![Ano Nuevo elephant seals [photo: Dawn Page]](https://i0.wp.com/coastsideslacking.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/img_6784.jpg?fit=740%2C493&ssl=1)
Dawn and I slipped down the coast on a misty, windswept afternoon last week to check out breeding season and the resulting offspring at Año Nuevo State Park. The coastal park is home base to as many as 10,000 elephant seals who return twice a year to alternately breed and molt between sea voyages of up to 12,000 miles. Continue reading “Birth, Death and Debauchery on the Beach – Must be Elephant Seal Breeding Season at Año Nuevo”
Even slackers should consider a bit of preparation before heading to Yosemite National Park to enjoy the gushing waterfalls, glistening snow, misty meadows and dramatic lighting that are hallmarks of a wintertime visit. In addition to the unique scenery, winter travel to the park means less traffic and more rooms available in neighboring communities at cheaper rates. But it also means fewer services in the park and, at times, treacherous driving.
Continue reading “Tips for winter travel at Yosemite – Don’t forget those chains!”