Don't Diss "Papa Doug's" Friends in UT Book Section
Don Bauder 5:34 p.m., May 25
Northern California
San Francisco Hippie Tour
Ten minutes late (on time if you’re on “hippie time,” I suppose), a woman wearing sparkly orange tennis shoes and a long velvet coat walks up to the street corner, shouting to us in a ...
Fall in the Eastern Sierras, California
You don’t need to travel to New England to see fabulous fall colors – a tank-and-a-half of gas away, California's Eastern Sierras are on full autumn display. A very early snowfall, up to 19 inches ...
The Ghost Fleet of Suisun Bay, California
They are a floating museum, revered by some, reviled by others. But no trip to the Bay Area is complete without viewing the huddled battalion of old military ships that haunts its northern reaches, where ...
Outside Lands Inside a Car, San Francisco
Tickets in hand: check. Place to stay in San Francisco: check. Ride secured: check. Last night for two hours I (legally) downloaded over 21 hours of tunes for the eight-hour car journey. Mobile music leading ...
Point Reyes National Seashore, California
About a one-hour drive from the densely populated San Francisco Bay Area, Point Reyes National Seashore was established to protect wilderness and natural ecosystems along the California coastline. Point Reyes is rich in biological diversity: ...
Napa: Prager Winery and Portworks
As I drive south out of Napa Valley after a weeklong housesit, I stop at Prager Winery and Portworks in quaint St. Helena on the recommendation of a friend. The tasting room is in a ...
Calistoga, California
I woke to overcast skies and decided it would be a good day to hike. With a hot cup of Roastaroma in hand, a quick Google search led me to several trails within an hour’s ...
Vikingsholm Castle, Lake Tahoe
Vikingsholm Castle sits at the bottom of a steep, mile-long switchback driveway that drops 500 feet to the shore of Lake Tahoe. Once at the bottom, I purchased a ticket to participate in a guided ...
Filoli Gardens, California
With the fragrance of wisteria in the air, one million daffodils in full bloom stand brightly in meadows near the Santa Cruz Mountains. At Filoli Gardens, forty-eight varieties of daffodils – including 65,000 golden dawns ...
Spring in Napa
Visiting Napa Valley in the spring brings some unexpected surprises. The off-season in Napa means fewer cars on the road, giving you more time to enjoy the scenery and the tasting rooms — crowd-free. Wine ...
Montana to Tecate: Adventures by Motorcycle
This story is dedicated to the memory of K.P. Ward, who died unexpectedly and tragically on December 22, 2010. Finally, here it is: the start of my summer vacation of 1987, and I just finished ...
Tranquil Pacifica, California
Another quick jaunt north is the scenic town of Pacifica, California. As a student at San Francisco State University, I once lived here eons ago, but it is still as quaintly scenic and tranquil a ...
Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, California: A Gourmet Ghetto
A trip to the East Bay Area and Berkeley makes for a wonderful weekend getaway. Fly to Oakland and take the Richmond BART train from the airport into Berkeley. Seven easy blocks north of the ...
Walkable San Francisco
On a recent trip to San Francisco, I rediscovered what a great town it is for walking. The weather was miserable on the day of my arrival, reminding me of Mark Twain's quote that "the ...
Side Trip
Coming back from Point Reyes, in no hurry, and decide to turn left toward the Sacramento River delta. As river meets greater San Francisco Bay at Carquinez Strait, there lies the unincorporated town of Crockett, ...
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