In Joseph Heller’s classic book Catch-22, there is a character named Major Major Major Major. First name: Major. Last name: Major. Middle name: Major. He is also a major in the army. You can only meet with Major Major Major Major when he is not in his office. If he is in his office, no […]

Read more "Road Trip Report: The Road is Closed!"

So ends another ski season: skiing eighteen inches of fresh powder at Mammoth Mountain on a Monday in April. The 2025/2026 season was definitely a mixed bag. The season had a late start and then was interrupted by a persistent “heat dome” over the West that almost entirely melted the Sierra snowpack. Mammoth Mountain survived […]

Read more "Ski Trail Report: Wipeout Shoot #1"

Cerro Alto is a prominent mountain in the Santa Lucia District of the Los Padres National Forest. The most popular route to the summit begins just outside the Cerro Alto Campground and climbs 1,600 vertical feet to the top (a peak elevation of 2,624 feet). The trail is about two miles long (one way). On […]

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During the 1800s, much of California was a patchwork of large cattle ranches. A short but hilly bike ride from my home in Atascadero leads to what remains of one of these ranches, Rancho Asuncion. The rancho was carved from Mission San Miguel lands and granted to a single individual under Spanish rule, when land […]

Read more "A Special Henge Report: Winter Solstice Comes to the Rancho"

Surf Conditions: Fair to Good Swell: 3.4 ft. @ 12 secs. WNW (303 degrees) Wind: 16 kts ENE, Offshore Tide: 3.5 feet and dropping Water Temperature: 61 degrees Air Temperature: 69 degrees Weather: Sunny As Thanksgiving was originally a three day affair, I chose to give thanks over three days. On the first day (Wednesday) […]

Read more "Surf Report: 11/26/2025"

Here we have what might be considered by some to be “Type Two Fun”: a 27 mile bike – hike – bike route (round trip) with 4,400 feet of vertical ascent located on the beautiful Big Sur coastline. What is Type Two Fun, you ask? Well first let us consider Type One Fun. Type One […]

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This Trail Report is dedicated to “Corn Boy”. I hope you don’t mind an occasional and gentle reminder to act regarding issues that affect Americans’ access to trails and the outdoors. Many of you responded in support of keeping our public lands public and rehiring laid off National Park Rangers. For that, I thank you! […]

Read more "Trail Report: The Trail Starts Where the Road Ends"

Welcome back readers. I hoped the title of this trip report “piqued” your interest and you decided to take a “peek”. Speaking of readers, my reading materials prior to and during this trip were: Off the Wall: Death in Yosemite, by Charles Farabee and Michael Ghiglieri This book was discovered by Kare Bear while working […]

Read more "Trail Report: No Easy Peak"

Here we have a fifteen mile mountain bike route with 1,500 feet of vertical gain near South Lake Tahoe, California. The route begins with a cruise through a meadow bordering Fallen Leaf Lake, then ascends to the top of Tahoe Mountain. The descent off of Tahoe Mountain affords the outdoor adventurer with views of Lake […]

Read more "Trail Report: Mountain Biking Tahoe"