My travel story for Temecula is being savored, like the fine wines and gourmet foods I sampled on a recent journey. What can you do in Temecula? Ditch the kids for a weekend or weekday trip and head for Pechanga Casino.
Next, go sample some wines--there are over 30 wineries in the region. Take a hot air balloon ride and share a champagne toast afterward.
Play golf at Temecula Creek Inn or Pechanga's new Journey Course, now fourth ranked in the nation.
Is that enough for you to chomp on? Secret tip: Eat beef at Pechanga. In all the restaurants, they serve the cattle raised on the Pechanga ranches. The quality control for such large quantities of food served was tough to come by, so Pechanga went and bought its own cattle ranch to maintain its high standards.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
June Gloom Gives Way to Sunshine
You can't help but notice the sunshine and blue skies as California enters yet another season of doom and gloom, according to State officials. Schools districts, colleges and universities are scrambling in emergency meetings to figure out how to survive the budget cut threats. It's as if everyone just sits back and waits for the next shoe to fall.
How many bankruptcies do I recall? One or two so far. And did anything seem to change? Not really. In Orange County where I live, we're told that we need to scale back water use, yet they keep building houses and high rise buildings. Is anybody held accountable for planning our future? It doesn't seem that there's much thought going into the future. I could think that it's because I'm getting older that I don't feel much hope, but I read that surveys of college aged adults and teens also show a gloomier picture than in recent decades.
While we still have our sunshine and beaches, and I have a mortgage on a house that sits in a flood plain smack dab on the Newport Inglewood fault, the weather is fine, my computer works today, and I must keep on keeping on. Life is good...sort of. As long as you don't analyze things.
How many bankruptcies do I recall? One or two so far. And did anything seem to change? Not really. In Orange County where I live, we're told that we need to scale back water use, yet they keep building houses and high rise buildings. Is anybody held accountable for planning our future? It doesn't seem that there's much thought going into the future. I could think that it's because I'm getting older that I don't feel much hope, but I read that surveys of college aged adults and teens also show a gloomier picture than in recent decades.
While we still have our sunshine and beaches, and I have a mortgage on a house that sits in a flood plain smack dab on the Newport Inglewood fault, the weather is fine, my computer works today, and I must keep on keeping on. Life is good...sort of. As long as you don't analyze things.
Monday, June 1, 2009
California Is Still a Deal
While California vacations offer thousands of opportunities in every price range, summers are the toughest time to find a deal. And that would be now! Nevertheless, with a bit of checking around and flexible travel, you can find some cheap rooms, affordable hotels and vacations that are pretty nice.
Where you won't find a deal: Yosemite National Park in the Summer isn't that cheap. But there are some cabins outside the park that are offering decent rates.
Santa Barbara (or Solvang) on weekends it not too cheap, so check out hotel rooms at Ventura or Oxnard instead.
Week day deals out in the desert aren't that bad. Why? It's too darned hot.
For history tours, gold country, etc., try some hotels outside Sacramento in Rancho Cordova, for instance.
Southern California isn't cheap, but there are soft spots. One deal we've been seeing is in the renovated Hotel Maya in Long Beach. It's perfect for a jaunt to Catalina Island or a weekend of nightlife on Pine Avenue.
Have you heard of Vacaville & Fairfield? Check them out for Jelly Bean Tours, Six Flags, Wine Country and more.
This is the start of your thinking outside the box this summer. Believe it or not, you'll find some unique, worthwhile destinations you never considered till now, when the money is tight.
If you read our blog posts about some crazy summer events, you'll find a whole lot going on, some for free, in towns and cities such as Tulare, Santa Maria and San Juan Bautista.
Where you won't find a deal: Yosemite National Park in the Summer isn't that cheap. But there are some cabins outside the park that are offering decent rates.
Santa Barbara (or Solvang) on weekends it not too cheap, so check out hotel rooms at Ventura or Oxnard instead.
Week day deals out in the desert aren't that bad. Why? It's too darned hot.
For history tours, gold country, etc., try some hotels outside Sacramento in Rancho Cordova, for instance.
Southern California isn't cheap, but there are soft spots. One deal we've been seeing is in the renovated Hotel Maya in Long Beach. It's perfect for a jaunt to Catalina Island or a weekend of nightlife on Pine Avenue.
Have you heard of Vacaville & Fairfield? Check them out for Jelly Bean Tours, Six Flags, Wine Country and more.
This is the start of your thinking outside the box this summer. Believe it or not, you'll find some unique, worthwhile destinations you never considered till now, when the money is tight.
If you read our blog posts about some crazy summer events, you'll find a whole lot going on, some for free, in towns and cities such as Tulare, Santa Maria and San Juan Bautista.
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