On the first day, we hiked the Boy Scout Trail in Redwoods National Park, and I don't normally enjoy tree hikes, but this particular one was quite good --- seemingly endless rows of giant redwoods stretch out in the distance with the evening light dappling through onto a bed of ferns.
His sentences spring, bounce, set off sparklers, even when dwelling on mundane details: A palm tree "hikes its green slattern skirts"; a street cut off by a freeway "had a dazed feel, a man who had taken a blow to the head staggering hatless down from Telegraph, face-planting at the overpass".
After spending a week road tripping in the area — sand duning, big tree hiking, desert wandering and snowboarding — I'm convinced it's a fitting moniker and worthy of a road trip, whether you live in the Golden State or you're seeking a quieter vacay version of California.
Suitably carbed up, join Talaysay Tours for a kayak trip (April-Sep) – paddling the Salish Sea with an indigenous guide who'll share aboriginal history and culture with you as you explore the rainforest coast – or a Talking Trees hike (year-round) along the north shore.
Picnics under the shade of mango trees, hikes up mountain trails, visits to archeological sites and refreshing baths in cool river streams await the explorers.
In addition to the many beautiful aspen trees, hikes in the area including Cathedral Lake, Electric Pass, 14ers Castle and Conundrum Peaks, and the popular Conundrum Hot Springs are all reached via Castle Creek Road.
I can be found in airports, planes, climbing trees, hiking, kayaking, driving fast cars, walking the dog, standing in front of a canvas with a paint brush in hand while blasting music or quietly awaiting an ideal shot behind the camera lens, sitting in front of my MacBook Air with my fingers flying over the keyboard, or checking e-mail or texts on my phone.
Altogether, Dr. Baker's students combed through 13,000 handwritten records on 28,000 marked trees, and hiked miles in Oregon, Colorado and Arizona to find some of the trees and compare today's conditions with those from the 1800s.
Activities include negotiating nine ziplines and two sky bridges, rappelling down a tall tree and hiking, the company's website says.
The marketplace at SitePoint offers sites about chicken recipes, bonsai trees and hiking stories.
