Hike Lake Tahoe's Rubicon Trail (The foot trail not the OHV trail)

There are a few ways to reach Vikingsholm on Lake Tahoe's Emerald Bay. One is to take the mile trail from the Vikingsholm parking lot. It's a steep trail that is about a mile long. But on the way back to the parking lot, you will have to hike straight up for a mile. The second option is to take a boat (which allows visitors to also visit the teahouse on Fannette Island on the way.) 

The third option is to take the 6 1/2 mile Rubicon Trail which connects DL Bliss State Park and Emerald Bay State Park

The route from Emerald Bay State Park (the highest point of the trail) down to Vikingsholm offers a virtually uninterrupted view of Emerald Bay. As you hike down, you'll see that each view is a new vision of beauty. But there really are no bad views of Tahoe.

This section of the trail is the newest portion of the trail and doesn't exist on many older maps.

Great Deals on Bay Area Attractions

I was planning a couple of last minute, summer's almost over I'd better get out and enjoy it excursions and discovered that San Francisco Bay Area Attractions has a round up of great coupons posted on their site. Here are the deals:

$10 off general admission to Great America

1/2 off admission to Gilroy Gardens (weekdays)

$15 off General Admission to Gilroy gardens

$5 off Classic Sightseeing tours in San Francisco

$2 off per person at Winchester Mystery House

Up to $12 off Roaring Camp Railroads

$3 off admission to Ripley's Believe it or Not

Here's the link to the coupons:

SFBayFun.com - Coupons

Be sure to read the fine print for restrictions.

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The Blue Spruce Inn, Soquel, CA

The first place my husband and I stayed on our honeymoon, besides the generic hotel near our reception site,  was the Blue Spruce Inn, a cozy bed and breakfast, in Soquel, California.

The room was cozy, the innkeepers were friendly, and the food was fabulous. The innkeeper gladly shared her recipes with us (we are making mango salsa to this day). The town (which neighbors Santa Cruz) is quaint and friendly. What more can you ask from a bed and breakfast?

We got this lodging recommendation from The Best Places to Kiss in Northern California--a great book filled with lodging, restaurant, and activity recommendations for the romantically minded travelers. It makes a great bridal shower gift. Get it here.

The Blue Spruce Inn is located at

2801 S. Main Street
Soquel, California 95073

Phone: 831-464-1137

E-mail: info@bluespruce.com

Pie in the Sky Pizza Mi Wuk Village

Never judge a book by it’s cover, and never judge a pizza parlor by it’s exterior until you’ve tasted the pizza inside. Pie in the Sky Pizzeria in Mi Wuk Village, California may be painted sunny yellow with Smurf blue trim, but the pizza inside is worth stopping for.The Pie in the Sky Pizzeria menu features pizza, salads, breads, hot sandwiches, and a variety of brews on
tap. A variety of specials cater to couples, families, and groups. The interior of Pie in the Sky looks like a cozy ski shack and a couple of retro arcade games are available for play.

My rule of thumb for ordering a Pie in the Sky pizza, is to order one size (or two)

The Best Places to Kiss in Northern California

The Best Places to Kiss in Northern California is a great gift for a travel minded couple. I received it for a shower gift and my husband and I used it to find bed and breakfasts and restaurants geared toward vacationers with romance on the mind.

View of Mount Whitney from a truck stop

I took this picture of Mount Whitney a few years ago on our way home from Washington at a truck stop where we had stopped for gas. The clouds had finally moved aside enough that we could see most of the magnificent mountain that dominates the scenery in that area of California.

Wooden Bridge at Knights Ferry

Built in 1864, the 330 foot bridge at Knights Ferry is the longest covered bridge in the western United States. Closed in 1980 to vehicles, it is still open for foot traffic.

There are nearby campsites, shaded picnic areas, and many access points to the Stanislaus river. The park is popular with hikers, bikers, rafters, and joggers. It also has a visitors center with interactive exhibits about the history and ecology of the area.

A fun rafting trip for most ages begins just downriver from the bridge. Bring a large water gun, because water wars happen all along the river.

Big Tree at Calaveras Big Trees State Park

If you have neck problems, don't visit Calaveras Big Trees State Park, home of some of North America's largest trees, because you will be spending your trip looking upward at the phenomenal Sequoia redwoods. This photo is taken on the popular North Grove trail, near the park's entrance.

If you go, visit Calaveras Big Trees' official site.

Boardwalk in MacKerricher State Park

The cypress tree lined boardwalk in MacKerricher State Park ends at Laguna Point, where harbor seals lounge in the sun. MacKerricher also boasts Lake Cleone, which is stocked with trout and visited by over 90 species of birds, Haul Road, a coastal trail that is popular with bikers, joggers, and walkers, and and a grey whale skeleton to greet guests at the visitor center at the entrance to the park.

If you're going, visit MacKerricher State Parks website.

The Beach at Jug Handle State Natural Reserve

If we hadn't have woken up on our last day of camping to a very flat tire on our car, we wouldn't have had to put the "donut" on and drive north to the nearest service station in Fort Bragg, and we wouldn't have had two hours to kill while the flat tire was repaired in a very busy repair shop. Without that flat tire, we wouldn't have ended up at Jug Handle State Natural Reserve, for a last minute picnic lunch to pass the time while we waited.

We are grateful for that flat tire because the beach was a beautiful, half-hidden gem that we had driven past several times during our stay in the Mendocino - Fort Bragg area, but never stopped at. The sand was soft and warm, the waves were gentle, the water was clear, and heavy winds bypassed the sheltered cove, which is as much as can be asked for in a Northern California beach.

If you go, here is the California State Parks Department's guide to Jug Handle SNR.

Unnamed Waterfall in Russian Gulch State Park

Maps simply refer to this waterfall in Russian Gulch as "waterfall," but I wish I knew its proper name because it is a refreshing end to a peaceful, shaded stroll on the Fern Canyon Trail. The first part of the trail can be biked, but the last mile or so can only be hiked. A group of picnic tables provide a pleasant rest stop midway through the trail. The total round trip is about 6.5 miles depending on where you park your car, a bit far for our then 4-year-old son to walk, but we misheard the ranger and thought "just over three miles" was round trip, not one way. Needless to say, we carried him piggyback most of the trek out. 

For your reference, here's the California State Park Department's description of the trail and a map of the location. If you go, wear layers and don't forget mosquito repellent.