In the middle of the Southern California desert, somewhere off historic Route 66, there are two hundred outdoor art installations primarily created out of colorful glass bottles. Elmer’s Bottletree Ranch collection belongs to a man named Elmer Long. As a child, Elmer and his father […]
I thought today would be an opportune time for me to briefly discuss my relationship with wine. It began in the womb really as wine sort of runs in my blood what with my Italian, French, and Spanish heritage (yes, I’m quite the mutt). But […]
Salvation Mountain is the entrance to the last free city in America, Slab City. And it’s epic. It’s colorful, fun, random, and religious. It’s everything I like to think of myself aside from the religious part. If Webster’s Dictionary were a picture book, Salvation Mountain […]
We’re like well-oiled machines. Once neglected, we’re rendered useless. We are reduced to rust, squeaking until someone mutters, “Better get some WD-40.” We need to feel wanted and useful. We need to feel like we have a purpose. Sometimes that purpose accommodates others and sometimes […]
When I learned that there was a lawless town in Southern California, inhabited by a diverse group of hippies, drug addicts, and other eccentric types, I naturally wanted to experience it firsthand. A little over three hours southeast of Los Angeles, Slab City, dubbed the […]
The beautiful home stretch of Lone Pine Canyon Road en route to the small, mountain town of Wrightwood, California was about where my Gipsy Kings Pandora radio discontinued service. There’s something magical in the loss of an Internet connection. There’s the possibility to connect with […]
Walking amongst the oldest trees in the world kind of transcends any knowledge of time and space. These trees, called the Ancient Bristlecone Pine, exist just a little over four hours northeast of Los Angeles in the Inyo National Forest. Their bare, twisted limbs look […]
It’s not the type of place one visits to pose in front of a monument or artifact, donning a big smile. It’s not the type of place one visits with a sense of excitement, like Disneyland or the world’s largest yarn ball. There’s nothing to […]
There’s something about the mountain air that smells so right. A hike through California’s Inyo National Forest is always a pleasant reminder that somewhere in my soul, I am home. It’s a sacred place where the bluest, clearest skies marry snow-capped summits dotted in ponds […]
The beignets would have sufficed. Yet, there I was – shrimp and grits, a seafood frittata smothered in cheddar cheese, a homemade, mouthwatering biscuit, three, giant chocolate beignets, and continuously refilled coffee. It was a classic case of my eyes being bigger than my stomach. […]
