Tahquitz Canyon, Palm Springs
It's a great time of year to be visiting the desert regions of the Southwestern USA. The weather is warm and pleasant, the wildflowers are starting to bloom, and the oppressive heat of summer is a distant...
California
Gumbo's Pic of the Day, February 9, 2015: "Teddy Bear" Cholla
When you see a group of them at a distance in the "Cholla Cactus Garden" (Joshua Tree National Park), they're a memorable site. With their arms outstretched, these cacti seem rather fuzzy, almost soft, and hence the name "teddy...
Delta upgrades West Coast shuttle with more seats, amenities
Delta's West Coast shuttle that links Los Angeles to San Francisco—Silicon Beach to Silicon Valley—is getting an upgrade with larger planes on most of its flights. Eight of the daily 15 flights will now be on Boeing 717s, with more seats,...
Six Reasons Why Lisbon Made Me Nostalgic for San Francisco
A feeling of déjà vu washed over me when we landed in Lisbon and set out on foot to explore the city for the first time. As the days passed, I finally figured out what it was. Lisbon totally reminded me of San Francisco...
Monterey Bay Aquarium: Oceans Apart
Located directly on the Monterey Bay just south of Santa Cruz is a sprawling complex of nearly 200 exhibits of more than 550 species in a 2 storey building nearly 30 years old: the Monterey Bay Aquarium (MBA). Started in 1978, and open to the...
Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Where Gumbo was #85)
In addition its contributions to the performing arts Los Angeles is also home to the largest art museum in the Western United States – The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). Located on Wilshire Blvd just east of Fairfax Ave....
NYC-LAX for $32—-is it possible?
Jet Blue is doing some amazing promotions these days, including limited numbers of seats at ridiculous prices if you can grab them. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Saturdays through Feb. 21; other destinations include San Francisco, Austin TX, Fort...
New plans "Motivate" Alta Bike Share
Alta, the biggest US player in the bicycle sharing market (with contracts in New York, Chicago, Columbus and other cities) is under new management—and a new name. The company's moving from Portland to NYC, has hired Jay Walder, an experienced...
The Bear Blog
I had a hunch when Shelly and I were planning our 59 National Park in 59 weeks tour that wildlife would be center stage. I knew that the buffalo would roam in Yellowstone, that the tropical fish would dance...
Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Dec. 25, 2014: Macy's Christmas Tree, Union Square, San Francisco
A few years ago I had the pleasure of visiting San Francisco. I had visited this city a few times before, but this was the first time I was there at Christmas time. San Francisco is a beautiful city throughout the year, but...
Michelin's new maps focus on food
Michelin, the French company that makes tires, maps and food ratings has now leveraged the maps and food into a new product—quick reference maps of where to eat. The first in the series, the "New York City Map of Great Places to Eat 2015" went...
Gumbo's Pic of the Day, December 11, 2014: Jeffery Pine, Sentinel Dome
Yosemite National Park is one of my favorite places. A remarkable and grand landscape of granite mountains, sheer valleys carved by glaciers, thunderous waterfalls plunging thousands of feet and several groves of majestic Sequoia...
Gumbo's Pic of the Day, December 6, 2014: Late November, Pescadero
Sunny late November on the rural coastside of the San Francisco Peninsula. Normally too expensive for me, but it was off-season and I made a deal with the proprietor of a B&B near Pescadero for several nights while I visited my family nearby - midweek, cash, how could she refuse. A tiny cabin set in a garden, complete with kitchen and a deep bathtub, simply perfect. For more of PortMoresbys contributions, click here . ...
Historic Route 66 (pt 2) - Needles CA to Flagstaff AZ
Leaving Needles CA, I drove a route that is a MUST DRIVE if you are the kind of person that loves road trips. The main portion of my day was spent on the longest continuous stretch of the original Route 66 that is still in place - From Topock AZ to...
Cruising California's 17 Mile Drive
There are a lot of famous road trips in the USA, like California's Pacific Coast Highway and Montana's Going to the Sun Highway . One of the best known drives in America is scenic 17-Mile Drive (actually distance depends on how you...