Steve Mac

Devil’s Postpile is the first National Monument or Park I have visited which required visitors to park outside and take a shuttle bus in. Apparently they’ve done this here since 1980 but this is the first time I had ever experienced it at any National Park. The requirement applies to day visitors only, not overnighters, nor of course handicapped visitors. There are a few other reasonable exceptions. The shuttles run every half hour and the trip from Mammoth Mountain Ski Area parking lot takes about 20 minutes. Tickets are $7 and they cover entry into the park as well as shuttle in and shuttle out. The shuttle requirement lasts from June to September. Check the park website for more detailed information. It was absolutely no imposition. Yes, it added a few logistics details to my day, ... read more

It was Christmastime 2001, and unseasonably windy and cold on the night my fiance Lisa and I arrived in Venice. The Rialto Bridge, its shops, and those of the nearby Campo San Bartolomeo were decorated and lit up for the holidays. The shop owners were eager to welcome us inside to escape from the cold hoping we would make a purchase. We were shown shoes, we were shown jewelry, we were shown luggage. We accepted each shop’s hospitality and warmth but saved our money until picking up some cappuccino chocolates from the local candy store. We had an even chillier stroll the next day braving Venice’s famous outdoor landmarks such as St, Mark’s Square, the Accademia Bridge, the Salute, and the Dorsoduro. As the day wore on, dark clouds moved over the city from the sea. ... read more

I had seen the peaks of Castle Crags rising out of the Northern California forest one time before, from the summit of 14,170 foot Mt. Shasta back on my climb there in 1996. More than a decade later, on my way up to Ashland last April, I figured it was time to see that sightline in reverse. Castle Crags State Park rises amongst the steep valleys and tight curves of the Sacramento River valley as Highway 5 winds its way up to Dunsmuir. The steepness of the landscape provides only glimpses of the crags themselves through the forest. To see them in all their glory, you need to enter the park and wind your way past the visitor’s center and the campgrounds up to the high perch of the Vista Point parking lot. Vista Point itself ... read more

January, 2009 I had time for a winter trip. I thought at one point about heading north to Mt. Lassen. But roads in this mountain park are closed throughout the season. And so in the midst of considering other mountain or coastal travels in Northern California, I realized my mistake. It was winter. I needed to head south. I had only been through Death Valley once, a midnight run between a hiking weekend along Highway 395 and a Monday business meeting in Las Vegas. So I had never seen the valley beyond the scope of my headlights. I had felt it however. The heat, even at midnight, baked right through my car. I figured a January trip would make a lot more sense. Following a massive tire blowout at Delano, my planned afternoon crossing of the ... read more