Adventures
Abandoned Nevada County Hospital: the historic and tragic tale of the HEW building
On the outskirts of Nevada City, sits an abandoned mental health facility with a tragic story to tell. In addition to being filled with asbestos, lead paint, mold and graffiti, this complex also contains stories of murder and haunted encounters. The HEW Building The 34,000 square foot complex has had many incarnations during its...
7 tips for finding fall colors in California
Fall is a beautiful time of the year for people to get out and explore the season’s wonderful changes in color. Unfortunately, many residents and tourists don’t know when or where to go in California to see these stunning fall landscapes. In fact, many still believe that California doesn’t even have any fall colors, or …...
Fort Ross: a multicultural historic landmark along the Pacific Coast
About two hours north of San Francisco, along the coast of California, sits one of California’s Historic State Parks – Fort Ross. Given the name Krepostʹ Ross, this fort brought many firsts to Alta California, such as the first windmill, glass windows, stoves and all-wood houses. It also became a prime example of Europeans...
Johnny Cash Trail: Walk the Line across the overpass
Since 1968, no other man, woman or child has had more of a profound impact on the city of Folsom than Johnny Cash. Some may even say that “The Man In Black” put the town on the map. We here in California are more than familiar with Folsom. But, on a global scale, Mr. Cash …...
Alden Park: an ideal park setting with historic Military firepower
Alden Park, located on Mare Island, is quite possibly the most unique little park I have ever seen. It’s overall landscape is well maintained with a bandstand in the middle. A variety of large trees provide shaded areas for picnics and the park benches present visitors with an opportunity to sit and enjoy a pleasant …...
Point Arena Lighthouse: the tallest lighthouse on the Pacific Coast
Positioned on a narrow peninsula of land along the Mendocino Coast, is the Pacific’s tallest lighthouse – the Point Arena Lighthouse. At 115 feet in height, this lighthouse provides priceless views of California’s northern coast and an opportunity for visitors to experience a more charming period in time. Lighthouse...
A three hour tour of the World War II ‘Mighty Midget’ ship
In 1944, as the United States was already deeply entrenched in World War II, 130 Mighty Midgets, officially titled Landing Craft Support (Large), were created by three American shipyards and sent to aid military efforts in the Pacific Theater operations. These ships were basically tanks on water as they had two twin 40mm guns, four...
Randsburg: the friendliest ghost town in California
California is littered with old mining towns barely hanging on to their existence, dangerously flirting with ghost town status. One location that comes to mind is Iowa Hill. This Placer County gold rush town is sadly fading away into the history books. But, unlike Iowa Hill and other towns on life support, Kern County’s Randsburg...
Silver City: a ghost town with cardiac arrested decay
Silver City is one of the most unique ghost towns in all of California. Like Bodie State Park and Calico, Silver City is in a state of “arrested decay”. This means that the structures are preserved and protected in a state of natural decay to prevent further deterioration, without building anything new. However, unlike the...
Fossil Falls: no fossils or waterfalls, just plenty of adventure
The name may be misleading, but this spectacular location is not. Although there’s no waterfall or fossils to be found at Fossil Falls, there’s plenty of adventure and awe when exploring this natural wonder. Fossil Falls is a large formation of lava rocks created by the merging of lava and the Owens River some 20,000 …...
