Not your momma's vacation

When you think of the traditional vacation in Calif., you may think of Ward & June Cleaver with Beaver, Steve Erkel, or the Ozzy Osbourne family going hand in hand into the ocean. I've seen a lot of travelers & tourists, and trust me, the picture I'm getting isn't like that at all!

Take for instance the extreme sports events that attract people to Calif. to compete. Paintball, BMX, skateboard and surfing are a few of the many draws that attract large crowds. What can you expect to see when you visit? Probably anything at all. While California's free for all image is more of a myth than reality, there's still an edge to the ennvironment and hopefully a few suprises will welcome you on a vacation in California.

What you might find appealing is the weather which is generally awesome till you get to the North Coast where it rains over 40 inches per year. That's kind of bummer if you prefer sunshine. And you'll find extremes. From the highest mountain west of the Continental Divide (over 14,000 feet), to the lowest point (below sea level), California does have a variety of things to check out.

When I said it's not your momma's vacation, I was referring to things that suprise conservative destination management organization specialists, especially. If you work in hotels or on the battle line of tourism, you quickly learn to throw the stereotypes out the door. For instance, I got such a kick seeing white-haired grandmas come from Indiana, New Jersey, Minnesota and other parts of the country to a paintball event, to watch their grandkids shoot it out on the beach. Perhaps it's just a new version of cowboys & indians, but still, the tourists aren't as conservative as you may imagine.

Momma may come to your city to attend at a Tattoos & Brews convention (Santa Rosa). I sincerely hope momma shows a little restraint and doesn't get a tattoo on you, kid. Maybe the parents are in town for the UFO convention in Los Angeles, or San Francisco, where they talk to other abductees who have implants and life-long visits from the grays or Nordics. Or maybe your dad is out with the Harley club riding to Cook's Corner for the time-honored Sunday cruise. From surfing santa that rides into town on a surfboard in Santa Cruz, to the surfing priest who blesses the waves in Huntington Beach, you really don't know what to expect in California. And a vacation will hopefully offer up some of the unexpected, pleasant journeys that avail themselves during your visit.

When California Tourism decided to brand the state as a destination a few years back, a theme kept repeating itself. Nutty, like fruits & nuts, hedonistic (as in wine, beer and booze), eco-centric as in green, no smoking, and save the Monarch, and star-crazy as in Hollywood, were bundled in advertisements and print collateral to show that California isn't your momma's traditional vacation.