Starling Travel

Two-Heel Drive has a beautiful review of the Guadalupe River Trail in San Jose. You can read it and see all the lovely photos here:

• Two-Heel Drive - A human-nature hike on the Guadalupe River Trail

Speaking of flowers, the best excuse for walking the Guadalupe River Trail is to check out the nearby San Jose Municipal Rose Garden. A couple years back it was a monument to the city’s errant previous mayor, who could introduce appalling City Hall structures to stroke his ego but could not prevent the once-glorious rose garden from declining into an embarrassing state of disrepair. The good news is it’s great now — a riot of pure rosy loveliness, even with blooms fading a bit with summer’s approach.

Where: The Guadalupe River Trail San Jose, California

Length: 11 miles open (discontinuous)

Surface: Gravel – Alviso at Gold Street to Highway 880 (6.3 mi.)
Paved – Highway 880 to Grant St/Highway 280 (2.7 mi.) Paved – Chynoweth Avenue to Lake Almaden Park (2.0 mi.)

Our friend, atp_tyreseus, is driving across the country from San Francisco to Cincinnati right now. Before he left California, however, he took a trip to Muir Woods. He was kind enough to share his pictures with us on his Flickr photostream:

• atp_tyreseus’ Muir Woods Trip on Flickr

Considered “the best tree-lovers monument that could possibly be found in all the forests of the world,” Muir Woods is nestled in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. You can see the national parks’ website for it here:

• Muir Woods National Monument (U.S. National Park Service)

View Larger Map

Just north of San Francisco, you can see a lovely forest of redwood trees and enjoy the best that California wilderness has to offer.

Ted went camping in the Lakes Basin Region in the North Sierras and shot this quick one-minute vacation so you can feel like you’re out in the wilderness for just a minute.

Enjoy this moment of zen!

Via: Spidey Senses -> Tingling :: Ted Rheingold’s Web Journal » Blog Archive » Sweating Mushroom Hunting Insect

I loved this moment while hiking on the Wildwood Trail in Welches, Oregon.

Those little clover leaves taste like sour apples if you bite them. I don’t go around biting flora, but a local said mentioned it to me, so we tried them.

If you are feeling stressed at work, take a One Minute Vacation and watch the clover in the wind.

Where:

Wildwood Recreation Area
65670 E Highway 26
Welches, OR 97067
Google Map

Phone: (503) 622-3696

Take a One Minute Vacation to the Wildwood Recreation Area. While I was filming the latest Walking Video, I took a break and watched the water for a minute. Come along with me and relax by the Salmon River.

Where:

Wildwood Recreation Area
65670 E Highway 26
Welches, OR 97067
Google Map

Phone: (503) 622-3696

Jared, our friend, is only four years old, but he has been diligently practicing his writing. He sent us this postcard last month and we were delighted!

Here’s the front:

Here’s the back:

The postcard reads:

Timpanogos Cave National Monument Utah: A column guards the entrance to a lighted alove against the greenish flowstone and drapery-covered wall of the Big Room in Middle Cave. Photographer - William Hendricks

They write:

Dear Laura and Mike,

I opened the door to the cave.

Love, Jared

Please send me a postcard from your travels or your hometown. If you do and it’s interesting, I will publish your postcard on Starling Travel.

Send your postcards to:

Starling Travel
Attention: Laura Moncur
P.O. Box 522032
Salt Lake City, Utah 84152

It’s like sending a postcard to the whole world when you go on vacation. It’s like bragging about your hometown to the everyone on the planet.

Imagine walking on a hiking trail in Spartanburg, South Carolina when you happen upon this scene:

The Scarecrow Wedding decorated the trail back in March and entertained the walkers, runners and hikers along the way. You can see more photos here:

• Wooster Collective: Scarecrow Wedding in Spartenburg, South Carolina

Where:

• Hiking/Mt. Biking Trail - University of South Carolina Spartanburg Passage of the Palmetto Trail (Spartanburg County)

Michael Edwards went to the Kyambura Gorge and on his way to the Jacana Lodge, they stopped at the bat caves. This is in West-Central Uganda.

There are many places to visit bats all over the world, but Michael got some great video of them flying around this head.

Halfway between San Jose and Salinas is Mount Madonna County Park. It is a great place for camping and hiking. If you are planning a trip to California, you can find so much more than the Disneylands and the Sea Worlds. There is an entire state of experiences waiting for you. You can find out more here:

• Two-Heel Drive: Mount Madonna County Park

• Bay Nature: On the Trail: At Home off the Range: A Cattle Baron’s Refuge at Mount Madonna, July-September 2007

This park belonged to a Cattle Baron during the Gold Rush Era. All that is left of his mansion are moss-covered stones. It’s a surprising reminder of how quickly our most cherished possessions can deteriorate into nothing. It also serves as a warning that everything that we do to the planet is merely a scratch and Mother Earth can recover and overgrow your mark within years.

For a different sort of vacation, try camping at Mount Madonna County Park.

Where: Approximately 38 miles north of Salinas off Highway 101 - Google Map

The folks over at 52 Projects always give me fun ideas for craft projects, but today, they have some sound advice about traveling shoes.

• 52 Projects: Summer / Travel Tip — Hiking Sandals

These hiking sandals went all the way to Cambodia:

Normally I would have worn running shoes on a trip such as our visit to Cambodia. That’s what I have always done in the past. But when I was in South Africa last year, I saw this couple wearing hiking sandals (matching colors, to boot), and I was like, “I am getting shoes like that.” (My feet were so hot and sweaty the entire time I was in South Africa.) So two days before we left for Cambodia (such a good planner, I know), I rushed to the sporting goods store (Paragon in Union Square) and purchased the above sandals. Those are Merrells, which is a popular brand, but there are several other companies that sell this kind of shoe. They cost me about $75.

Personally, I love my Merrell hiking sandals as well. They have taken me up and down Elephant Hill twice now and all over Disneyland. If you are taking a trip where it’s hot and there is a lot of walking, invest in a good pair of hiking sandals. Your feet will thank you for it.