California
Ask a dozen different people what they love most about Joshua Tree National Park, and you’ll get a dozen different answers. For some, it’s all about the trees. For others, photographing the Milky Way tops the list. For me, it is the Chasm of Doom, a bunch of piled up boulders wedged within a tunnel-like slot canyon.
It’s been plastered across the headlines for over a month – recent wildfires are ravaging many areas of California. Homes are being destroyed, and millions of people have been affected by power outages. It’s a seasonal occurrence brought on by the warm, fast moving Santa Ana winds, stressing out locals from September through November each year. Understandably, this has led many travelers to wonder if it’s still a good idea to head to the Golden State at all and, if so, how should they alter their autumn plans to stay safe?
In Idyllwild, a tiny mountain town in Southern California, the mayor was practically born with a tie around his neck. At just 11 weeks old, he was grandfathered into office; eager to put his paws to work, liaising with local businesses, and helping to promote the town’s message of love well beyond its winding mountain roads. In his official capacity, he’s known as “Maximus mighty-dog mueller, the second," but to this town and to the world, he’s known as "Mayor Max" – the Earth’s only Golden Retriever mayor.
Escape from California’s tangled, traffic-jammed freeways for a breezy cruise in the slow lane. Once you get rolling, you'll never want to leave those ocean views behind.
US Highway 395 is California’s backbone. Running east of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, it’s also a road of superlatives: highest, lowest, hottest, deepest, oldest – the 395 passes close by a whole host of -ests. And then there are the ghost towns, living towns, ski resorts, tufa formations, film locations and more.
Located roughly halfway between San Francisco and Lake Tahoe, Sacramento is the ideal launchpad for reaching some of California's most popular destinations on easily accessible on day trips.
