Weekend escapes for Southern Californians

For our family, Lone Pine was the road-trip stop with the fast-food-adjacent park where our toddlers could play.

The winding drive into Jerome had me clutching the sides of my car seat while wondering how the town’s ancient buildings remained standing on such startlingly steep slopes.

Clydesdales, the majestic 1-ton horses made famous in Budweiser commercials, were bred to pull wagons.

St. George, Utah, was not on my radar for great hiking in amazing surroundings.

The quaint fishing village of Moss Landing caught my attention a few years ago as I was driving along California’s Central Coast between Santa Cruz and Monterey.

The winter wonderland that is the outdoor pool area at Reno’s Peppermill resort isn’t only because of snowfall.

When we sisters-in-law (one in California, the other in Nevada) agreed to a midway Western weekend for the brothers, we should have known better.

Wine lovers appreciate Saratoga’s laid-back sipping experience.

Tens of thousands of cowboys descend on Pendleton, Ore., each September during Round-Up, the huge rodeo for which this town is best known.

Carlsbad struck it rich with, of all things, water.

I’d heard whispers about Murphys, a speck of a village in the oak-studded Sierra foothills, a six-hour drive from Los Angeles.

Pinecrest offers an escape into the central Sierra Nevada, but with some modern-day comforts.

The Black Canyon of the Gunnison was considered deep, dark and impenetrable not only by white settlers but also by Utes native to western Colorado.

When I called Olympia, Wash., home in the 1990s, I used to tell people I lived at the bottom of Puget Sound.

My housebound spouse was getting cranky; he clearly craved a breath of fresh mountain or desert air.

Last fall I craved Perugia’s peaceful tranquillity but I didn’t want the jet lag. What to do?

“You must see Quarai,” said the friend we were visiting in Albuquerque. “It’s a mystical place.”

My husband and I have been visiting downtown Encinitas, Calif., for years, drawn by its laid-back vibe and mix of beach bohemian and new-age spirituality.

Think “Catalina,” and you picture blue sea, beaches and rugged backcountry.

We can thank Velma Johnston, better known as “Wild Horse Annie,” for the thousands of mustangs that roam the high desert of northern Nevada.

Easy ingredients for a frothy, frilly, lavender-infused weekend: Round up three girlfriends, a few purple shopping bags, a love of all things floral and head north to Washington state for the hugely popular Lavender Weekend in sunny Sequim, pronounced “Skwim.”

South-central Arizona is rugged and wild, with a rich history that includes soaring Sky Island mountain ranges and Spanish missions.

Santa Maria is one of those cities I always drive past on my way up north.

“A day trip to the Salton Sea?” my family sputtered during our golf holiday in the desert.

Some years ago, my father and I celebrated milestone birthdays with a wonderful six days of golf in Scotland.

A foodie road trip to Tijuana?

Intrastate rivalries are everywhere: San Francisco versus Los Angeles, Dallas versus Houston, Portland versus any other city in Oregon.

Think you know Santa Barbara?

My wife and I love the desert.

Petaluma, Calif., once known as the “Egg Basket of the World,” has since softened its image as a hard-boiled agricultural town.

As Southern California cedes to the Central Coast at the Gaviota Tunnel, most travelers stick to the 101.

In the Golden Age of Hollywood, Palm Springs was the desert playground for glamorous types who wished to see and be seen.

We drove to Phoenix for a family wedding in early November and had most of two days free between evening events.

If you’re a light sleeper, avail yourself of the earplugs on your bedside table at Los Poblanos Historic Inn & Organic Farm [4803 Rio Grande Blvd.

Port Townsend, Wash., was a bawdy seaport in the late 19th century, its saloons and bordellos packed with rowdy sailors whose ships docked here to clear customs before sailing into Puget Sound.

Winter’s chill quickly fades once visitors step inside the Pioneer Saloon in tiny Goodsprings, Nev.

While driving to Mammoth Lakes on U.S. 395 over the years, my family and I have visited the sobering Manzanar National Historic Site, clambered over the smoothish stones at (mostly dry) Fossil Falls, called out film locations in the Alabama Hills ( “ ‘Star Trek’!”

My brother-in-law bought a new fishing boat.

Driving into the red rock mountains of Sedona, Ariz., always puts life into perspective for me.

My daughter and I recently noshed our way through the Willamette Valley, a 150-mile-long, massively productive agricultural area in Oregon.

As I rolled into Palm Springs on a recent visit, I had a fantasy about being part of its glory days as a playground for Old Hollywood royalty.

When I heard there was an off-the-beaten path winemaking region in northern Baja California that travelers were comparing to early Napa Valley, I was skeptical.

San Juan Bautista has deep connections to its past that give it a settled feeling.

Time to redefine the idea of a quick getaway. Too far? Pshaw.

Summer has shifted to fall, and that means a road trip to the University of Oregon, dodging high-season crowds and high gas prices, partaking of the best weather of the year, getting in some golf and often a football game, bike riding and definitely quaffing local brews.

I’d never taken a tour on which the guide addressed the group as “my tribe,” but it felt perfectly natural aboard the Magic Bus, which calls itself a “trip” into San Francisco’s 1960s-era hippie counterculture.

The clamor of trains and blaring whistles no longer disturb folks in Ely.

Solana Beach has quietly become one of the more popular towns along the Southern California coast.

After rendezvousing in late July with a dear friend in Washington state, we boarded the ferry in Port Angeles for three days in Victoria, British Columbia.

In our family of die-hard Dodger fans, Fourth of July means baseball and fireworks.

“Chino, with the cows?” “No, Chico, up north.” “Oh, cool, the party school.”

All hands on deck!

Felton is all about the redwoods.

My husband and I wanted to try something different for a getaway recently, so we stayed in a yurt on the Oregon coast just steps from the beach.

Between school and work, three days was all my family of four could put together for a recent vacation.

When I read about the May reopening of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art after a $305-million expansion, I headed north to check it out.

My continuing search for secret hideaways by the sea took me to tiny Two Harbors on Santa Catalina Island last month, where I hiked and biked, explored quiet coves and whiled away time gazing at spectacular views of the Pacific.

Curious about the vociferous elephant seals I heard bellowing last fall as I drove Highway 1, I returned in May to Piedras Blancas State Marine Reserve near San Simeon with my husband, Paul.

San Diego’s historic Gaslamp Quarter, once home to gambling halls, saloons and bordellos, can still kick up its heels.

Waves crashing on the rugged Mendocino Coast offer a striking contrast to the bland urban landscape of Los Angeles.

I was pursuing one of my favorite weekend pastimes, window shopping, when I spotted the perfect T-shirt.

Crashing waves, rugged cliffs and redwood trees.

Since I moved to California 25 years ago, San Francisco has been the focus of my trips to the Bay Area, and I’ve loved it.

My family’s go-to weekend escape — Monterey — has become a true memory maker.

I recently packed my favorite writing pen, sketchbook and camera for a solo trip to Newport, Ore., which was a study in contrasts at every turn.

Why Flagstaff, Ariz.?

Wineries, farm goodness, roaring river, active lifestyle and a compact, vibrant downtown … how does that sound for a getaway?

If you’ve driven U.S. 395 to Yosemite or Reno, Nev., you’ve zipped past Lee Vining, a hamlet of about 200 on the shores of Mono Lake.

As pistol-packing cowboys take to Main Street (really about the only street) in Oatman, Ariz., for a mock gunfight, they ask spectators to step off the wooden sidewalks to help block traffic.

“Uncle Andy, what kind of car is that?” asked my 12-year-old niece Dayna, pointing at a Maserati.

Visitors to Brenham, Texas, must understand that bluebonnets are spring flowers that proliferate here each season in fields and pastures.

Alisal Guest Ranch and Resort in the Santa Ynez Valley is deliberately old-fashioned — no TVs or phones in the rooms — and promotes its outdoorsy activities in an elegantly rustic setting.

Truckee, Calif., 10 miles north of Lake Tahoe, is steeped in ski-town charisma but without the glitz and bustle.

San Luis Obispo is a charming college community on the Central Coast where visitors are encouraged to slow down and enjoy all that the city has to offer: good food, good vibes, sunshine and a healthy lifestyle.

Amazing what a few days at the Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort on the north side of Phoenix will do for you.

Some consider the neatly laid-out town of San Miguel de Allende a Mexican Disneyland.

Downtown Salt Lake City is livelier than it used to be.

A weekend wedding on the Mendocino headlands overlooking the Pacific Ocean was the ideal occasion to celebrate newlyweds Danny and Amanda, as well as give me an opportunity to enjoy the scenic town of Mendocino, Calif.

I didn’t often think of Ventura County as a proto-foodie haven, but that was before I learned about Adolfo Camarillo, an early 20th century visionary, landowner and philanthropist (and the town’s namesake).

Without the massive wall of concrete called Hoover Dam, Boulder City, Nev., wouldn’t exist.

I panic when out-of-state visitors descend during the holidays. How will I keep them busy?

“El Niñoooooooooo!”

Baja California is dotted with all-inclusive beach resorts, but if you know where to look you can find vibrant arts and culture as well as authentic food and drink.

Trying to do the time warp in downtown Las Vegas is increasingly challenging.

Napa Valley may be one of the premier wine regions on the planet, but Calistoga has no hint of the haute tourist scene you’ll find elsewhere in this bucolic region of California.

Before there was an Albuquerque, there was Barelas, now just a neighborhood south of downtown.

San Diego’s Little Italy has become a hot foodie destination, with big-name chefs opening restaurants.

There’s camping, there’s glamping and then there’s the best of both — sleeping in a human-sized nest overlooking the ocean and the Big Sur coast, where you’re exposed to the elements without worrying about pitching a tent.

Carmel or Coney Island?

Travelers hunting for a wine country escape — without the hordes of bachelorette parties — are flocking to Carmel Valley, a subdued community just 11 miles inland from Carmel where they can be wowed by sophisticated wines, innovative cuisine and a hidden Central Coast spa.

Much of the credit for Tubac’s prominence as an Arizona artist colony goes to landscape painter Dale Nichols, who opened an art school here in 1948.

Elk bugling.

Take the long, sandy shoreline of Huntington Beach. Mix in the gentle waves of Santa Monica.

Those of us whose air-conditioning goes on strike every summer are always looking for a place to chill (in my case, with my dog).

Santa Cruz might have name recognition, but Capitola, its tiny neighbor (population 10,000) just down the highway on Monterey Bay, was an ideal summer getaway for my wife and me and our young daughter.

Shelter Island in San Diego is not an island. It’s connected to the mainland by a strip of land.

Oh, beloved Boise, or Boy-C, as the locals pronounce it.

Ah, dear, sweet Solvang.

When you think of Whistler, British Columbia, you might recall the 2010 Winter Olympics and the area’s prominence as a Canadian ski destination.

When you need a quick escape to recharge, there’s no better place to find inspiration than among the towering granite spires of Yosemite National Park.

Those who know nothing about Amarillo, Texas, might assume it’s nothing more than the sort of town where cross-country drivers get gasoline, stretch their legs and dream of being home.

San Andreas, the slow-paced town southeast of Sacramento, might share a name with the recent blockbuster “San Andreas,” but don’t expect any earthquakes here.

Carnaval with Wookiees.

Go nose-to-nose with a bottlenose. Or plant your flag in a pirate cove.

Los Prietos Campground, nestled among the massive old oaks of the Santa Ynez Mountains, feels worlds away from city life.

Nestled on both sides of Highway 101 just south of Pismo Beach, Arroyo Grande, or A.G. as it’s known locally, would be just another town were it not for three blocks of turn-of-the-20th-century charm on East Branch Street — the historic Village of Arroyo Grande.

Lots of people think of Benson, Ariz., along Interstate 10 about 40 miles east of Tucson, as just the exit for Tombstone.

What I wanted: Sunny days, balmy breezes, umbrella drinks and pupu (appetizer) platters.

After a trying few months, I announced to my family that I was taking us somewhere to lift our spirits.

Sea glass shimmered in the morning sun.

Silverton, Ore., is known as the Garden City in a state famous for lush greenery and prolific gardens.

You won’t find Rodeo Drive glam here: Residents of bucolic Rancho Santa Fe in north San Diego County prefer to live under the radar, hidden behind gates in multimillion-dollar estates.

My siblings, my husband and I went to Santa Barbara for a long weekend — and to Ensenada.

Traveling with a teenager doesn’t often offer appealing options for keeping parent and child equally entertained.

The closer you get to the border, the more passionate people become about Mexican food.

When it comes to pet travel, the Palm Springs area really knows how to throw a dog a bone.

Lands End, at the northwestern tip of San Francisco, is the antithesis of the typical experience here.

Morro Bay is tough to miss.

Highway 101 divides Sonoma County neatly in half.

Where can you stay in a historic sentinel — rumored to be haunted — on a rugged coastline?

A late-summer trip to San Francisco with my wife, child and parents had all of us wanting to check out different parts of the City by the Bay.

Having a child is the clichéd motivation to move to the suburbs, and so it was for me and my husband.

Boonville, at the beginning of the Anderson Valley appellation (the wine-growing region that stretches along California Highway 128) sometimes feels like a place beyond the frontier.

Once upon a time, the best reason to stop in San Jose was to visit the Winchester Mystery House (525 S.

Turns out there’s more to the desert than just Palm Springs.

Carmel suffers from a paradox that many places would beg to have: It has so many quaint, historic homes, so many gleaming galleries filled with rare artworks, so many beautiful beaches and sweeping cliff-side vistas that the area seems almost a fantasy.

Old school or new, Sin City’s downtown is in the midst of a revival, thanks in part to Zappos’ CEO. The Mob Museum, the Boneyard at the Neon Museum and Container Park are among the attractions.

It took only three-quarters of a century to realize Frank Lloyd Wright’s vision for a golf clubhouse.

After an early July backpacking trip that had my wife, 7-year-old daughter and me eating instant oatmeal and fending off swarms of pesky mosquitoes, we indulged in a hotel stay, shopping and eating out in the resort town of Mammoth Lakes.

A short drive from the hectic Strip is a relaxing, Mediterranean-style resort village on the shores of a 320-acre lake.

Cedar City, Utah, is a midsummer’s dream of a spot, where top-caliber theater rubs shoulders with high-desert canyons from warm late June through chilly mid-October.

How cool would it be to escape for a few days for free, without being hustled to buy a timeshare?

Imperial Beach, at the southwest corner of the United States and a short hop from Tijuana, is the poor cousin of Southern California beach towns.

The four main islands of Channel Islands National Park are as close as 13 miles off Ventura County’s coast, yet neither my husband, Michael, nor I had been there.

Oceanside boasts all the trappings of a seaside town: good surfing, a pier and shopping. Add to that a new ocean-view hotel, fresh eateries and a secret garden. Take the train there and enjoy.

Marathons and 10K races are so last year.

The hilly scrublands of the Cleveland National Forest, just east of San Diego, are home to the Lions, Tigers & Bears rescue sanctuary.

The unincorporated community of Templeton, Calif., just south of Paso Robles, is a secret worth discovering.

Surfing, gawking and a ride on the Giant Dipper — all this and more await at San Diego’s centennial-celebrating Mission Beach. Walk, skate or bike — it’s the best way to get around.

Weekend Escape: The former western movie set near Joshua Tree has rustic charms while remaining peacefully disconnected from online world.

Weekend Escape: Grab some kettle corn or a gyro. Listen to music. Pet a pig. That and much more is part of the weekly Thursday evening event that draws throngs to Palm Canyon Drive.