Figs Falling
By Chuck Graham   |   November 19, 2024

I needed a snack, and I had eyeballs on a girthy, ripe fig. I climbed up on the fence and balanced myself by holding onto a fig tree branch. What I didn’t notice was an island fox on the same limb, concealed in the large, clover-shaped leaves. As I reached out for a purplish-colored fig, […]

It Began with a Loon
By Chuck Graham   |   August 13, 2024

The Channel Islands National Park has always been a haven for migratory birds needing a rest, especially during and following big windstorms. From my kayak, I’m always keeping an eye out for any seafaring feathers that might be out of the ordinary. Seabirds like Pacific loons are on my radar come spring, big northwest winds […]

 

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More from Montecito

Ten Amazing Flower Walks: Santa Barbara to San Francisco
By Dina Saalisi   |   July 9, 2024

One of the things I love most about living in California is the diversity and abundance of floral life throughout the year. Taking road trips is a hobby of mine, and I especially adore the drive from Santa Barbara to San Francisco Bay. I’ve compiled a list of 10 amazing flower walks that can be […]

American Dirt Baller
By Chuck Graham   |   June 25, 2024

It was another 2:30 am wake up call to drive from slumbering Carpinteria out to the Carrizo Plain National Monument. I was chasing another breathtaking sunrise in partly cloudy weather, another hopeful moment with whatever grassland fauna revealed itself. Although it would’ve been real easy to sleep in, wildlife waits for nobody. It would’ve gnawed […]

Sensei Porcupine Creek: A Real Life Mirage in Rancho Mirage
By Leslie Westbrook   |   April 16, 2024

After a three-day wellness program visit to Sensei Porcupine Creek in Rancho Mirage, California, I can honestly say that the bar for health retreats was set incredibly high. I’ve visited many stellar “health retreats/spas” over the years (Rancho La Puerta is a favorite that comes to mind), and this one is right up there in […]

Ticked Off
By Chuck Graham   |   March 19, 2024

After bushwhacking and rambling across three mountain ranges and crossing two rivers between Nira Camp in the Los Padres National Forest and the Carrizo Plain National Monument, amazingly I didn’t find a single tick on me. It was December 2023, and fortunately, the same went for my five comrades as we spent seven days and […]

Alluvial Alternatives
By Chuck Graham   |   March 5, 2024

The Channel Islands National Park has more sea caves documented than anywhere else in the world, with close to 300 grottos. However, there isn’t a toothy grotto quite like the geological feature that’s wave-battered into the sheer, 200-foot-tall cliffs of West Anacapa Island. As I kayaked inside the dark, dank sea cave at dawn, I […]

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  • From Zero to Zen in an Hour: A Sublime Time at Nobu Ryokan in Malibu
    By Leslie Westbrook   |   February 20, 2024

    I’ve always wanted to visit Japan – a country that recently reopened to tourism. In the meantime, I thought I might approximate a Zen-like trip to Japan along the coast of California… just an hour’s drive away. These days, you can go throw a dart just about anywhere on the tourism planet map and visit […]

    A Grand Weekend at the Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach Resort & Spa in Dana Point
    By Leslie Westbrook   |   November 14, 2023

    Why travel? To celebrate a special occasion? Birthday, anniversary, retirement, new job, you name it.For a change of scenery? To alleviate boredom? To explore new regions, to be pampered or just sneak off and indulge? Whatever your reason, I love flopping onto a freshly made bed in a hotel room – preferably with a view […]

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    Rafting Up
    By Chuck Graham   |   October 31, 2023

    It was a rare summer day along the Southern California coast, as the fringe of Hurricane Eugene crept northward from Baja, California, into the sleepy coastal town of Carpinteria. It was early August. Since pre-dawn dark clouds had delivered steady rain, as water droplets trickled down the tinted glass of my beach lifeguard tower. The […]

    Grassland Solitude
    By Chuck Graham   |   October 3, 2023

    From afar, the Temblor Range in the Carrizo Plain National Monument was swept in different shades of yellow. Rancher’s fireweed, goldfields, and hillside daisies brightened the arid mountain biome. From where I stood at the base of the Caliente Mountains looking east, it was the only color on what are typically barren hillsides.  Another super […]

    Ritz-Carlton Bacara: Out-of-this-World Experience in Our Own Backyard
    By Leslie Westbrook   |   August 29, 2023

    Why would anyone want to spend $55 million for a three-day trip to the moon on SpaceX (estimated cost in the future) when they could merely drive 15 minutes from Montecito to The Ritz-Carlton Bacara Resort and book an “out of this world” spa experience? I indulged in “Body Melt,” an 80-minute treatment that has […]

    Peaceful Paddling on the Russian River
    By Chuck Graham   |   August 15, 2023

    The little North Coast town of Jenner was still asleep as I slid my kayak off the boat ramp and into the glassy waters of the Russian River, a couple hours north of the San Francisco Bay. I had a solid head start, maybe 90 minutes of paddling before sunrise would light up the tallest […]

    Lovely Laguna and Montage Laguna Beach Eat. Drink. Swim. Nap. Walk. Get Pampered. Repeat. Not necessarily in that order.
    By Leslie Westbrook   |   July 25, 2023

    There’s nothing more SoCal picturesque than cruising down the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway, in case you’re not a Californian reading this story) on a sunny summer day.  I headed to one of Laguna Beach’s stellar spots: Crystal Cove and Montage Laguna Beach, perched elegantly above the Pacific and adjacent to a lovely seaside public park […]

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