D. searches for our site

We drove out of the Los Angeles area late on a Friday afternoon, leaving behind 93-degree heat and blacktop that warmed your feet through your flip-flops.  Only an hour later, when we pulled into the campground at McGrath State Beach, on the Pacific coast in Ventura, the temperature was a balmy 65.

Ah, beach camping.

We chose McGrath because it was the only nearby beach campground in the state park system that had reservations available during the summer months when we logged on to ReserveAmerica.com, which handles all of the system’s campsites.  I wondered if that was a bad sign, but we decided to forge ahead.  Camping is an adventurous pursuit, after all, and what’s more adventurous than trying a spot we’d never even seen before?  Plus, the pictures online are pretty.  How bad can it be?

Those are famous last words for many people.  In this case, it was only a little bit bad.

Read More »

Aloha, hula!

Hawaii puts its rich cultural history on display for visitors in many ways, but once a year, they really pull out all the stops with the Aloha Festival.

On my recent visit to Oahu to explore the island and experience the festival, I was hosted by the very friendly and laid-back representatives of the Hawaii Convention and Visitors Bureau, so I had a bit of an inside look into how Hawaii is faring these days.  It was hard to tell that tourism is down.  Everywhere I looked there were tourists, and most of those were happy and smiling.  With perfect weather, lush surroundings, and gracious staff at almost every place I visited, how could one not be happy?

(Don’t forget, you  can enter to win a trip to Hawaii until October 23rd.  Details here.)

For a busy mother of two, this trip held lots of promise of down time and relaxation.  But.  Once I got to Hawaii and there was an undiscovered delight lurking around every turn, I found I couldn’t stop my mind from spinning even when my body was exhausted.  I only had just over three days there.  “I’ll sleep on the plane,” I told myself. Read More »

The lighthouse at Cape Hatteras National Seashore Hatteras, NC

There are 248 narrow, spiraling steps to the top.  The climb is strenuous.  It is hot and humid, there is no air conditioning and the stairwell is noisy with two way traffic and only one handrail.  Individuals with heart conditions, lung conditions, bone conditions, sensitivity to heat, stress or noise, those with difficulty running, walking, climbing stairs or standing erect, people with claustrophobia, agoraphobia, myctophobia, melano-leukophobia, climacophobia, bathmophobia or any other serious medical or mental condition should use their own discretion as to whether to climb the lighthouse tower.

I chose to stand outside and take a picture.

(Photo by Ed Lamaze, who had the foresight to read the warning signs prior to dragging his kids to the top of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.  That and the wait was over an hour and the kids were hungry.)