Posts Tagged "California"

Avalon and Santa Catalina Island

Posted on May 16, 2010 in Airstream, People, Places | 1 comment

Avalon and Santa Catalina Island

So I meet a lot of interesting people on the road. Every so often, some of these people let me into their own lives. While waiting for some repairs in Long Beach, I met a couple who has lived full-time on Catalina Island for the past 20 years. They invited me on a personal tour of the island, and I quickly accepted. Part of the Channel Islands, Santa Catalina Island (people just call it Catalina) is about 20 miles southwest of Los Angeles. I opted to take the hour-long ferry ride to get to the island, but one day I will fly to the Catalina Airport myself — one day. It was a pretty...

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Ding! You Are Now Free to Move About the Country

Posted on Apr 26, 2010 in Stories | 5 comments

Ding! You Are Now Free to Move About the Country

Anyone following my journey for the last year has probably noticed my lack of traveling the past few months. Well, that is about to change! The reason for my stationary status was due to one reason, and one reason alone: flying lessons. On my 35th birthday, I passed my check ride and officially became a licensed pilot. Legally it is a certificate and not a license, but I won’t get into semantics. Anyway, with my flying lessons complete, I will finally be leaving the San Diego area to explore the rest of the US and Canada. Before I get back on the road, I thought I would share my...

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America’s Finest City

Posted on Jan 17, 2010 in Airstream, Places | 2 comments

America’s Finest City

Dubbed “America’s Finest City,” San Diego has always been on my list of cities to visit. And since the rest of the country seems to be permanently frozen, now is a perfect time to stay warm in “America’s Finest City.” San Diego (and the surrounding area) definitely has my attention. The geographic diversity and climate changes of the beaches, valleys, mountains, and desert are refreshing. So far, I have checked out downtown, Point Loma, Mission Beach, Pacific Beach, La Jolla, Torrey Pines, East County, and Julian. And there is still more to see! I...

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Southern Comfort

Posted on Dec 6, 2009 in Airstream | 3 comments

Southern Comfort

So I left all my winter gear in storage somewhere in Chicago. That means I will spend the winter months in the warmth of California, Arizona, Texas, and Florida. It also means very few blog updates for the next couple of months. In the meantime, be sure to follow me on Twitter! Here are some of the sights on the “quick” westbound drive from the panhandle of Florida to the coast of California. Mississippi/Louisiana Highlight: Leaving (to be fair, didn’t go to New Orleans — yet) Texas Highlight: Salt Lick BBQ (yes, it is that good) New Mexico Highlight: Carlsbad...

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Big Sur to Sonoma

Posted on Jul 15, 2009 in Airstream, Featured, Places | 7 comments

Big Sur to Sonoma

Pacific. Coast. Highway. Drive it. Seriously, it has to be the most scenic highway in all of America. My plan is to eventually drive all of Highway 1 from Canada to Mexico, but that is for another time. For now, I found plenty to do and see along the P.C.H. from Big Sur up to Sonoma. I had an outdoor dinner with impressive views at Big Sur, hung out with great friends in Carmel and Monterey, golfed at the famous Poppy Hills Golf Course along 17-Mile Drive, made it over the iconic Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, drank some of the wonderful local wine in Napa Valley, and took in the...

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The Grandeur of Yosemite

Posted on Jul 7, 2009 in Airstream, Featured, National Parks | 3 comments

The Grandeur of Yosemite

So, remember when I said Lake Tahoe had the most impressive scenery and extreme driving requirements to match? Scratch that, because Yosemite National Park now takes home top honors. I think I spent the entire weekend with my eyes wide open, grasping for a description of the sights. The one word that came to mind was “grandeur”. The first part of Yosemite actually started out a little rough. I left Tahoe with a full tank of gas, a gung-ho attitude, and a campground reservation just on the other side of the park. By the end of the day, all three were in short supply. After a...

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Mountains, Mountains, Mountains

Posted on Jul 2, 2009 in Airstream, Campgrounds, Featured, Places | 4 comments

Mountains, Mountains, Mountains

After months of anticipation, I finally got to test out the Touareg and the Airstream in the mountains. Admittedly, I still haven’t done the tallest peaks on my itinerary, but I got up over 7,500 feet with some serious ascents and descents. My first mountain stop was in Park City, Utah. I actually had forgotten it was on my route, and had no plans to stay there until I rolled through on I-80. I pulled up Google Maps, picked the first campground on the list (Park City RV Resort), and ended up staying a couple of days. I toured Olympic Park, visited the trendy downtown, and even drove to...

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