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The dream of the nation’s first transcontinental railroad—a cross-country rail line to connect the West with the rest of the nation—was first dreamed in…
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People love to poke fun at Sacramento. Mark Twain was among the first. In Sacramento, he observed, “It is a fiery summer always, and you can gather roses,…
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We’ve been wandering the western Sierra Nevada, visiting unique California state parks and revisiting the legacy of the California Gold Rush, cultural and…
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We tend to romanticize California’s gold rush, picturing, in our mind’s eye, grizzled old guys in wide-brimmed hats wading into scenic mountain streams,…
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Winter is upon us. Fortunately, even in winter, when we desperately need a cure for cabin fever, most California parks are wide open and welcoming.…
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Need a spa vacation but can barely make the rent?I say: Head for Grover Hot Springs mid-week to grab one of those 20 first-come winter campsites near the…
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We continue our appreciation of California’s unique state parks, this week stopping at a spot you’ve probably passed many times on the way to and from…
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We’ve been dipping into books for the winter reading season—books that help us appreciate this unique place, what we’re seeing when we set out to enjoy…
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To honor the ideal reading weather of winter, Up the Road is suggesting some California and travel books well worth your while. This week it’s California:…
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Cold days, long nights. The season for serious reading is upon us. And Up the Road has good reads to recommend for the winter reading season, books about…
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You’ve probably already heard my Santa request. Maybe you even asked for the same thing. But: All I want for Christmas is sanity in the public arena.…
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We continue visiting unique state parks this week, this time Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, north of Mexico, east of San Diego, and south of Palm…