Surfing for Summer Fun

Now, through the miracle of digital technology, you can stall even longer before heading outside this summer for sports and recreational activities.

Yes, you can waste away hours in front of the computer screen, using various search engines and indexes on the Internet to seek out information on your favorite outdoor pastimes.

But we’re going to cut down the time for you.

We have a sampling of World Wide Web pages that can be found on activities in the San Fernando, Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys, and in Ventura County. You can surf right to these sites, avoiding the labyrinthine world of search engines, and in many cases use them to also find links to related sites in your field of interest.

So, no more excuses. Hit the computer just long enough to get the information you need--then get outside and play.

* Baseball: This is the only non-participatory sports site on our list, but to avoid being called un-American, we present the home page of the Lancaster JetHawks, our national pastime team in the California League. You can find the score of the most-recent game played, plus the schedule, ticket information and team news. You can also browse the team’s gift shop.

This digital field of dreams is at https://www.jethawks.com.

* Bicycling: Curtesy of The Times, you can get an extensive list of local road rides and mountain trails at our Web site, http://161.35.110.226/HOME/DESTLA/BIKING.

Cycling clubs have taken to the Web big time. One of the most extensive local sites is maintained by the Encino Cyclery Cycling Club, which you luckily don’t have to say fast to check out.

At its page-- https://members.aol.com/encinocycl/team.htm --you can find schedules for the club’s mountain and road rides. But be warned: this is a hard-core group that trains for races. Information about training and racing at the Encino Velodrome is found here also.

Other clubs on the Web include the San Fernando Valley Bicycling Club at https://www.oucad.com//sfvbc/frames23.htm and the Conejo Valley Cyclists at https://cycling.org/org/id/354.html.

* Camping and hiking: To check out trails and campsites in the region’s national forests, go to “GORP,” the “Great Outdoor Recreational Pages” at https://www.gorp.com.

Follow the links on this commercial site (that means there are advertisements and links to a gift shop) to “Attractions” and then “Forests,” where you will find detailed information about the Angeles and Los Padres national forests. Also included are contact numbers.

The Sierra Club’s Angeles Chapter hosts numerous hikes in the area. Check out the schedule at https://www.edgeinternet.com/angelestrips.

The CSUN Outdoor Club sponsors “nonlethal” events (no rockclimbing or rappelling because of insurance issues), such as hikes and camping trips. They’re at https://www.csun.edu/~hbecs223.

The commercial outfit Discovery Trail Adventures--https://sketch.com/hiking/index.htm--offers guided hikes and classes in the area.

* Disc golf: There is only one course in the region recognized by the Professional Disc Golf Assn., but it’s a tough one, according to its website found through https://home.netscape.com/people/bfitler/pdgadir/pdgadir.htm.

The 18-hole course at Veterans Memorial Park in Sylmar is “very challenging with lots of trees and hills,” the website says.

* Fishing: For information on Lake Castaic in the Santa Clarita Valley and Lake Piru in the Los Padres National Forest, try “Fisher’s FishNet” at https://www.fishersnet.com.

Here you can find a description of the lakes and their facilities, contact numbers and locater maps. You can even find what’s biting (catfish are popular, currently, at both lakes).

* Hang gliding: There are two sites to check out for this kind of adventure, and both include beautiful pictures of this graceful and training-intensive sport.

WindSports Soaring Center of Van Nuys is a popular source for training and equipment on the West Coast. It’s at https://www.active-media.com/media/windsports.

To the north, instructor Tammy Burcar of the Santa Barbara area maintains her “Fly Away” site at https://www.bodytrends.com/flyaway.htm.

* Rodeo: As of this year, the San Fernando Valley has its own annual rodeo event. The L.A. Rodeo, held in the Hansen Dam Recreation Area, is sponsored by a gay and lesbian group, but all participants are welcome.

It’s among the few rodeos in the nation in which women are invited to participate in the full slate of events. Information: https://users/aol.com/gsgraglac/hansen.html.

* Roller hockey: Teams that play four on four plus goalie are organized by Skating Plus of Ventura for ages ranging from 6 to 17. The site is at https://www.fishnet.net/~sk8plus/hockey.html.

* Scuba diving: Some of Southern California’s best ocean diving can be found in the Channel Islands, a short boat ride from Ventura. At a site sponsored by Scuba Diving magazine--https://www.scubadiving.com-- click on “U.S. Destination Guide” and then “Anacapa Island” or “Channel Islands” to get not only information, but also diary entries from those who have explored the area.

* Volleyball: The California Beach Volleyball Assn., based in Ventura, sponsors numerous beach and grass tournaments for its members. To get basic information, locations, rules and the schedule, surf to https://www.volleyball.org/cbva.

The site also provides links to USA Volleyball, the national governing body for the sport.