Grand California Adventure - Natural Wonders

Salton Sea, United States

The Salton Sea. I chose this picture because it is a fairly accurate of what happened during my time there. We totaled a car and I got in the worst car wreck of my life. I got the bruised ribs to prove it, though.

To the east of San Diego and Los Angeles, and about equidistant between the two, lies the Salton Sea. This desolate place in the interior of California reminds you that California isn't all about the coast. There are wide swaths of desert as well.

This gigantic salt lake is saltier than the Pacific, is the biggest lake in California, and lies 226 feet below sea level. it doesn't drain at all, and thus is a trap for agricultural runoff and raw sewage. Once a resort town, it is now largely abandoned. The New River, which flows into it, is considered the single most polluted river in the US. Despite this, the area is incredibly fascinating. it is the biggest lake in California, and yet the surrounding area is desolate, scorched, uninhabited, and encrusted in salt. There is a fantastic amount of bird biodiversity (along with tons of new avian illnesses every year due to the bacteria.) Definitely makes my list of strange places to see in California.

Joshua Tree, CA, USA

Joshua Tree National Park, aside from being the inspiration for one of the best rock albums ever made, is also quite beautiful. It is conveniently located alongside Highway 10, which is the southerly route you'd be taking across the United States. This is the one that terminates in Las Cruces NM.

Joshua Tree is very popular with rock climbers, and like the Mojave, is a stunning reminder of the deserts and desolation fo California. The tree (cactus? yucca?) is also ubiquitous throughout the park and along the highway. It lives up to its name. This is another off-the-beaten track destination that many Americans, or even Californians, ever venture into.

Big Sur, CA, USA

Continuing farther north into California, between LA and San Francisco, is Big Sur national Park. Forget about deserts and desolation; Big Sur is arguably one of the most beautiful coastlines in America, if not the world. The dramatic topography, the crashing waves, the green water, and miles of hiking tracks; this is the place to go camping. Not as popular as Yosemite, but still well-touristed, Big Sur is one of my favorite places in California. It is an epic landscape, reminding me of some of the coastline of New Zealand. Well worth the trip if you ever get the time between the two Californian meccas.

Yosemite National Park, Wawona, CA 95389, USA

Yosemite, especially in the summer, is incredibly crowded. it is the National Park everyone in America knows about, and it seems that one Labor Day every Northern Californian on the planet is either in Yosemite or Tahoe. There's a good reason for this.

Half Dome still beckons climbers from the world over. There are miles and miles of hikes to do in the Park, enough to get lost for weeks at a time. There are also bears. Once you get past the typical tourists and teir day hikes, it becomes true wilderness. Its designation as one of California's most-beloved treasures is well deserved. Always something new here for me to see.

Mono Lake Park

Mono Lake belongs in the same category as Salton Sea and Joshua Tree; places most people don't go to, the less-touristed gems and definite oddities of California.

Mono Lake is first and foremost a lesson in ecological mismanagement and disaster, and by itself explains just how must of California (like Los Angeles), which is actually DESERT, looks so darn green and supports so much agriculture. All that water has to come from somewhere. We don't have the rainfall. The dirty little secret not many people know is that one of places LA's water comes from is Mono Lake, and there have been consequences.

The Salton Sea is a saline lake. Mono Lake is hypersaline. Water was diverted from the Owens River, which feeds into it, to satisfy LA's water needs. By 1982 the lake had lost 31% of its surface area. You can go hiking to it and see a sign that says, "water level in 1951." Then you hike about a mile in before you get to the lake-shore, with its strange, otherworldly tufas pointing out of the lake. The effect is quite sobering.

Luckily, people took notice, and the lake is now protected. Its evaporation ahs slowed in recent years, and recently water levels have actually been rising. The same cannot be said of nearby Owens Lake, which evaporated years ago. We came very close to having a Lake Chad disaster in the "green" Bay Area's backyard.

Point Reyes, Inverness, CA 94937

Point Reyes, in Marin, is a beautiful area within driving distance of the Bay Area. It is a wonder more people don't go there. Many do; I'm just surprised the numbers aren't greater.

Perhaps it is the narrow mountain roads it requires to get there. Either way, Point Reyes National Seashore is a national treasure. it is often incredibly foggy, is a popular hiking and kayaking destination, and I recommend every Bay Area resident visit it at least once, and spend some time hiking around it. Did I mention they have ELK there?

Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe is where everyone with the means goes to vacation in Northern California. In the winter there is great skiing and snowboarding, and in the summer water-sports on the lake beckon. It really is incredibly beautiful, words don't do it justice. I really enjoy it in the winter, when it is blanketed in snow. This is the only place most Californians every really get to drive in snow.

It is a natural wonderland and recreational paradise, no matter what the season. it is also the backdrop for much of Godfather II. Yosemite and Tahoe are the Big Two in California that everyone knows about, and the reputation is well-deserved.

Redwood National Park

The first time I ever came to California, I drove down the coast along Highway 101 from Seattle all the way to San Francisco. Redwood National Park was my first real stop in California.

I have never seen trees this size. All I can say is, believe the hype. There's no other word beyond majestic. And ancient. Did I mention tall? Coastal redwoods are the tallest trees in the world. Period. Bar none.

Very fun to roam around in, and reminds one that California is not all coastline, beaches, and desert. There are also vast expanses of forest. It is what makes this state so great; it has a little of everything. You really can't peg it into one category.

Also, this place isn't to be confused with Humboldt Redwood State Park, which is also quite nice, but further south. This is the driving destination one, with Avenue of the Giants, and the gigantic tree you can drive through with your car (hole cut into it is the '30s or '40s.) Did I drive my car through? Yes I did, ok? Kitschy, touristy, wouldn't do it again, but you have to do it once, I did, it was awesome, and I have no regrets.