Marin’s Small Towns Charm Bay Area Tourists

Visitors to San Francisco will find a different world just a few miles north of the Golden Gate bridge where charming communities boast recreation opportunities you might find in a state or national park.

That’s why Marin County is an attractive place to live — as much as half the acreage is in open space, so residents enjoy an endless selection of trails and visitas, all quite clost to home. It’s expensive to live here, all right, but then how many places offer you a multi-cultural city of sophistication on one side of the bridge, and quiet trails and solitude on the other? If you crave recreation in the Great Outdoors but drive a Mercedes, you just might be a Marin County resident.

What’s nice is that any of us can stop by and experience — for a weekend, anyway — this lifestyle for ourselves. We took a little time to visit the southern part of the county, setting up our base of operations at the San Anselmo Inn, a charming European-style lodging in Northern California’s antiquing capital, San Anselmo. It was easy to drive short distances from there to explore many nearby attractions and communities;

The San Anselmo Inn is on San Anselmo Avenue, an especially enchanting downtown street that gently winds its way through the town’s historic buildings. The streets in this area are narrow and buildings close together, so the European feeling extends well beyond the inn itself. On a bright fall weekday, a wide variety of shops and stores

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I am taking a road trip from Michigan to Oregon. I’ll be stopping in North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Northern California (Redwood Forest region), then finally Oregon. Does anyone know of some good reputed haunted hotels or inns throughout these states? Any with historical value as well? I would appreciate any help given. Thank you!

We recently had a colored concrete (color is in the concrete not a stain on top) patio put in and it hasn’t even made it through the 28 days it takes to cure. I made a big blunder by laying a couple of redwood boards on it while doing a project. Some moisture from the sprinklers must have gotten underneath and now I have redwood stains on my patio. Anyone know the best way to remove the stains without effecting the color of the underlying concrete?

California Governor Proposes Closure of 220 State Parks to Make up for Budget Shortfall

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposal to close over 200 state parks to public meet predictable criticism.

The Governor said that the state can no longer afford to sustain the parks after noting a budget defect of nearly billion. He is hoping that the closure of the parks would save the state millions of dollar in service costs over the next twelve months. Predictably the public are not taking to this suggestion easily.

This proposal would affect nearly 80 percent of California’s state parks and restrict access to nearly 30 percent of California’s coastlines.

The proposal would affect parks all down the state from the Sierra Nevada mountains to the Big Sur beaches down south. Preventing access to giant redwoods and such features as Lake Tahoe.

At least 2,000 jobs would be threatened, affecting park rangers, biologists and lifeguards, who would be laid off due to the Governor’s plans.

But the National Park Service are threatening to seize some locations if Schwarzenegger goes through with the legislation.

Of the areas that the Service have threatened to siege are San Francisco’s Angel Island,  which is where Chinese immigrants were barracked, Mount Diablo, Point Sur historical park in Big Sur and three beaches Ford Ort Dunes near Monterrey.

In his warning letter National Park Service director Jonathan Jarvis warns that the state could lose any future park funding.

Speaking on Schwarzenegger’s behalf a representative remarked: “We’re reviewing the letter and state parks director Ruth Coleman is in the process of talking with the National Park Service and Jon Jarvis about these very issues.
“They are discussing a variety of outcomes and solutions depending on what final budget package is passed by the Legislature.”

So far the Governor has rejected the democrats proposal for a annual fee for vehicle registration in order to help maintain the parks.

A spokesman for the National Parks Service said that another option is to cut down the park hours rather than cut them off completely. “We want to work with them, and see what they have to offer” he said “because we don’t want to close the parks and I’m sure they don’t want to either”.

Conservationists have been raising concerns about the implications of leaving the parks untended. They suggest it would costs as much to keep people out of the parks, and in future repairs, as it would to keep them open. They also point out that the parks are a great source of revenue for the state and closing them down may impinge on tourist revenue.

With the threat of the closure of Lake Tahoe to the public many people with property being let as Lake Tahoe vacation rentals are also upset by the proposition along with a large number of businesses and hotels relying on tourist money.

A representative of The National Parks Service had this to say, “Each visitor to a state park is worth per visit. The parks have generated millions throughout California. It’s almost as if they are shooting themselves in the foot.”

To the UC’s? Especially in the life sciences.

The American Automobile Association

The American Automobile Association, also referred to as AAA, is a non-profit organization that has over 50 million members. Its headquarters are located in Heathrow, Florida; right outside of Orlando, Florida. The group is a service organization as well as an organization that sells vehicle insurance to its clients if they wish to purchase it from them. Members of the American Automobile Association can renew their membership with the organization whenever their current membership expires and anyone in the country can join the organization if they want to. AAA doesn’t just offer services for motor vehicle owners but it also offers services for its members when they are not on the roads but traveling on planes, ships, and trains.

AAA is a discount club along with being an automotive club. The American Automobile Association not only provides emergency roadside services and maps to their members. They also provide services in four other main areas that include travel, financial services, car buying and car insurance. As a member of AAA, the company can help people with rental car reservations, lodging reservations, dinner reservations, procuring tickets to plays and sporting events, booking cruises, booking flights and much more. Their financial services include providing their members with gift cards or gift checks instead of carrying around cash when traveling to other areas of the country. If you are looking to purchase a new car then AAA can also help in this category. How? They can help their members find a car, negotiate the price, arrange the financing and even perform the financing on the car when service is due. AAA not only offers vehicle insurance from their company but also health, homeowners, and life insurance to their members.

The American Automobile Association was founded in 1902 in Cleveland, Ohio in response to the lack of roads and highways suitable for automobiles. The original membership consisted of 1,000 charter members. The first maps published by AAA were released in 1905, the company’s first hotel guides were published in 1917, and their safety school program began in 1920. One of their separate entities, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, was created in 1947 to conduct studies regarding motorist safety. Members of the American Automobile Association belong to individual AAA clubs across the country such as AAA Mid-Atlantic, AAA Northwest Ohio, and AAA Northern California, Nevada & Utah. The American Automobile Association also has arrangements with affiliates throughout the world, including the Automobile Association of the United Kingdom, the Canadian Automobile Association, and the ADAC in Germany.

The AAA automotive services offered by the company are wide ranging. They include tire changing, towing, jump starting a dead battery, delivery of gas and much more. Members of AAA will need to prove that they are members when calling for emergency roadside assistance by reading the operator their member identification number on the front of their member card. Being a member of AAA will also help you get discounts in a lot of places including restaurants, book stores, clubs, car service shops and much more.

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Oregon Tourist Attractions

There are varied Oregon tourist attractions; the most popular vacation destinations here are Mt. Hood, Greater Portland and the Oregon Coast. You can just spend your entire day in such lovely places. It is said that Oregonians are adventurous, inquisitive and wild in nature, you can explore the place all on your own, it has so much to offer for people who love food and adventure. You can have a great meal, enjoying the powdery sloppy mountains, town lighthouse views and salmon running over the place. While you are this lovely place, we advise you to become one like Oregonians enjoying good sense of humor and love for adventure. There are some of the best things you can do here while on a vacation here as the place has some greater things to offer. The famous and most visited Oregon tourist attractions includes Oregon’s regions of Eugene, Bend, Grants, Klamth Falls, Pendleton, Portland, Salem, Sunriver, Medford, Pass, Sunriver and much of other places. The most popular list of things to do and visit are Oregon Zoo, Crater Lake National Park and Train mountain railroad museum.

Abacela – Abacela is a famous winery and vineyards where you can enjoy the taste of different and finest wineries of the world. The place is located at sunny south sloping rocky hills that grows fruits like Syrah, Malbec, Grenache, Merlot, Tempranillo and other varieties in unique microclimate. The fruits are handpicked that are of finest quality and optimally ripen, they are gently fermented and processed in gravity flow that preserves the quality. The main objective is to produce the finest quality wines that give the pleasure of a grape variety and its terroir.

Crater Lake National Park – The National Park is famous for its intense blue color giving greater view, visitor visits during the place especially during summers – you can take a walk around the Rim Drive lake. Here you can enjoy your time in the boat tours, camping at Mazama village, visiting and staying at the historic Crater lake Lodge and enjoy the hiking adventures.

John Day Fossil beds national Monument – It is a world renowned site famous for heavily eroded volcanic deposits that gives the beauty to the place across the scenic river basin with well preserved fossil records of plants and animals. The records of these animals dates back to more than 40 years of the total 65 million years of the Cenozoic Era. Cenozoic Era is termed as the age of mammals and Flowering plants. The monument is spread over 14,000 acre park that is divided in three wide units including the Clarno unit, painted hills unit and the sheep rock unit. The headquarters of the monument are located at Cant Ranch visitor center.

King of the Rogue Outfitters – the Rogue outfitters provides you with the highest and finest experiences of the southern Oregon and Northern California. You can enjoy the activities of mild whitewater rafting and also enjoying the fishing trips of Salmo, smallmouth bass and steeelhead.

Oregon Zoo – Oregon zoo is one of the most popular Oregon tourist attractions that takes you down the trip enjoying the animals in all its natural habitat looking over the birds, monkeys and crocodiles. The Savanna takes you down to the journey to visit zebras, giraffes and rhinos graze.

Fort Rock Homestead Museum – It was one of the last regions of the continental USA that is open for homesteading. It possesses the collections of original buildings that starts from the early 1990s that are arranged in the village setting. The place includes land office, church, homes, schools and log cabins, they are all furnished with tools and sundry objects used in olden era.

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Medford Oregon – A Great Place for Entertainment in the Rogue River Valley

Medford Oregon is well known as being the professional, retail and touring center of southern Oregon and northern California. The many cultural, business and recreational opportunities make it one of the most popular places for visitors in the Northwest. In addition to its natural scenery and diverse landscape, there is a myriad of entertaining activities available.

Located in the heart of the Rogue River Valley, Medford has all the conveniences of any large metropolitan area in a setting that also allows access to vast natural landscapes. The wide diversity makes it a memorable destination for anyone who enjoys a blend of urban and outdoor activities.

Of course, the main attractions lie among the vast forests, mountain wilderness and natural beauty of this spectacular region. People flock from all around the world to take advantage of the parks, campgrounds and nature trails. Biking, hiking, hunting and fishing facilities are available in great abundance throughout the region.

The crowning glory of the landscape is the Rogue River. As the river winds gracefully through the valley, it is surrounded by some of the most magnificent and diverse terrain in the world. Known for its salmon runs, whitewater rafting, and rugged scenery, it was one of the original eight rivers named in the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968.

There are spots where the waters are calm for boating and fishing enthusiasts. Canoes and kayaks are welcome and the river provides miles of pleasurable, leisurely paddling. Trout are plentiful and fishing is a major pastime for anglers who venture to the more secluded spots along the river.

For those who are a bit more adventurous, white water rapids here are a big attraction along the more rugged portions of the waterway. White water rafting tours are available most of the year, with equipment and experienced guides for a safe and fun experience. These trip packages range from a few hour day trip to four day adventures.

Northeast of Medford you can find the deepest lake in the United States, which is also the ninth deepest in the world, at the Crater Lake National Park. Most any outdoor activity imaginable is offered here. Backpacking, rock climbing and hiking draw many people, with plenty of room for everyone to enjoy the wide open spaces.

Crater Lake became a national park in 1902 and has all the modern amenities you might expect, while maintaining its pristine beauty. Accommodations are easy to reserve with a number of options to suit most any traveler. Hotels, motels and lodges can be found near the park, with camping available inside the park itself.

Just down the road from Medford, you’ll find the historic town of Jacksonville. Located in Jacksonville is the world famous, non-profit organization called the Britt Festivals. This is a premiere summer performing arts festival presenting lively summer concerts. It features many musical genres including blues, folk and pop, among others, in a naturally formed outdoor amphitheater.

Fine courses cater to golfers and networks of trails fulfill the needs of horseback riders. Music, shopping and a variety of entertainment are always readily accessible. Whatever your tastes, Medford Oregon has something around every corner.

We’ll be staying near Time Square at the Hilton Garden Inn, is there anything around there that is really good that is a must?

I would love to visit California soon. I am really excited about this place because of the gay/lesbian lifestyle. I’m a lesbian myself, and I’m planning to take a week vacation to California soon.
Could you please recommend where to go, what to do, best gay/lesbian places to visit. Which area should I visit? I have no idea about where to go, I’ve just heard how wonderful and easy it is for homosexuals to visist/live there. I’m from Fl.
Thank you!