Yosemite National Park, where scenic sights overwhelm the senses

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When I encountered my first giant sequoia in Mariposa Grove, my head did not tilt back far enough to see the top. Walking around the trunk practically required a GPS. Leaving noise and civilization behind to walk among these

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LA's Huntington Botanical Gardens in 'Spring Has Sprung & U.S. Gardens Await Discovery'

Spring is here, and summer's already around the corner!  If you’re a flower gardener - and the National Gardening Association estimates that members of over a third of U.S. households are - you already may have begun to till soil and plant seeds.

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4 great experiences in sunny San Diego

If you love the sun and spending relaxing time on the beach, San Diego is a perfect getaway! This southern California city of three million offers a fantastic, sundrenched mix of history, nature, nightlife, dining, and a slew of great attractions

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Napa Valley ballooning cited in 'Romantic Valentine's Day Activities In/Near 26 Iberia Destinations'

Sure, going out for an intimate dinner à deux is pretty much everyone's default on this day for lovers. But to make Valentine's Day extra special, seek out an experience that will make it truly memorable for years to come. High and low, on land and

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The winning wine country of Paso Robles

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Scopa at the Sea B&B is a NoCal coastal gem

We were heading down the picturesque Oregon and California coasts along highways 1 and 101 to the port of San Francisco, where we were scheduled to board a Princess Cruise to the popular Mexican Riviera.

We thought the drive would be an excellent op

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Sustainability at Gundlach Bundschu Winery in Sonoma, California

Established in 1858, sixth-generation family-owned Gundlach Bundschu Winery is located on the southwestern slopes of the Mayacamas Mountain Range in the Sonoma Valley's southernmost point. The winery's very own 320-acre Rhinefarm is situated on terr

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Visiting the elephant seals at Año Nuevo State Park

If you fancy yourself a nature lover, there’s a habitat for elephant seals along the California coast that you won't want to miss.  About a bit over an hour south of San Francisco near Pescadero, during the December-to-March mating season, there ar

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Boney James headlines jazz festival in Temecula

The Thornton Winery in Temecula, southern California is now hosting the 29th edition of its “Champagne Jazz Series,” and while I might seem like a relative “newcomer”, I have been fortunate to attend shows for the last seven years, enjoying jazz i

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Calico & Bodie among USA's top Western 'ghost towns'

Abandoned towns and villages can be found all over the world. But there’s something especially haunting and charismatic both about the remnants of settlements that photogenically preserve the look and feel of the 19th-century Wild West. Especially b

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Reagan Library in 'Parsing History, Politics & Personality at the USA's Presidential Libraries'

Sightseers at a setting near Boston enjoy a leisurely stroll through a magnificent 18^th-century garden.  A man in Texas plays president as he reads a speech from a teleprompter.  Children in California take a pretend horseback ride with Ronald Rea

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Santa Barbara cited as one of '5 Fab Lesser Known Places to Visit in the USA this Year'

Boasting inspiring national parks, gorgeous lush green valleys, plenty of adventure parks, thrilling adventure sports, and stunning beaches - the United States is the perfect place for you to head to for a refreshing vacation in 2020! And it off

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Long Beach's Queen Mary ship turned hotel is open for business

The great cruise liner Queen Mary has faced many challenges since her keel was laid in 1930. Now she is part of a new effort to beat an unprecedented enemy as she helps the world get back to business. Here's a little more of her inspiring story.

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2 winning wineries of NoCal's Livermore Valley

I’ve been going to Livermore California for more than 25 years. My sister lived there and worked at Livermore Labs, where a lot of winemakers actually come from. We would pack a picnic and head out to the wineries. Back in the 90’s,  Livermore was

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Mendocino's luxurious Inn at Newport Ranch

The latest subject in our series of articles about luxuriously uncommon coastal lodgings in northern California is unique in many respects. This coastal cattle ranch covers 2,000 remote acres chock-full of forests and plains. It’s the perfect locat

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Tinkerbell toilet testimonial: the best & worst of Disneyland's commodes

Disneyland has long touted itself as the place where dreams come true, and this is one of the rare cases where a slogan perfectly captures the essence of a place. Millions flock to Anaheim, California every year to experience the Magic Kingdom first

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Benbow Historic Inn is a comfortable oaisis amid northern NoCal's redwoods

Wherever you decide to stay, a drive along the northern California coast is visually breathtaking, and if you find a comfortable inn to lay your head, so much the better. The Benbow Historic Inn is just such a place. It is also as interesting an a

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Fantastic NoCal road trip: San Francisco to Carmel

Northern California offers some of the USA's loveliest road tripping, with scenic views, great beaches, beach towns and state parks as well as attractions such as the Monterey Aquarium and the Carmel Mission. One particularly appealing stretch is t

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Heavenly Mountain Resort cited in '6 top winter resorts of the USA's Rocky Mountains'

Speaking to my fellow Europeans, if you’ve gone skiing or snowboarding on the Continent but not yet in North America, you’re in for a real treat. Welcome to an unexpected world in which everyone seems to be intent upon you having a good time. Take sk

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Palm Springs' Preferred Small Hotels - the perfect girls’ getaway

Recently my girlfriend Sue Montgomery and I were off for a girls’ getaway to Palm Springs, the Southern-California city of luxurious, boutique hotels designed to pamper and emanate old world charm from those days of past Hollywood glamour and relaxa

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