It doesn’t take a lot to create a sense of place and purpose. Think about how children will string a clothesline between two chairs, throw a blanket over it and immediately have a magical “tent-fort” that is somehow better and more purposeful than the room it inhabits. That’s the idea behind “lighter, quicker, cheaper”…
Shipping containers have been a promising alternative to prefab architecture at least since Stewart Brand’s Sausalito research library. According to Gizmag there is now a Canadian firm called Honomobo that will drop one of these ready-to-inhabit home spaces on your lot for the price of a basic remodel. Of course you’ll have to work out…
White-tailed Kites are fairly common around here. You often see them hunting in freeway medians. They have a characteristic way of hovering in one spot like…well, like a kite. I saw this fellow hovering at the base of the Mount Cleff Ridge in Wildwood Park. Slowly, deliberately the kite dropped ten feet, fifteen, feet, and…
Answer a couple of questions about the things that are important to you and the free app Teleport will cough out a ranked list of cities that best fit your needs. It doesn’t end there – Teleport gives you a sidebar with adjustable settings so you can fine-tune the selection. Once you’ve settled on a…
Hungry Valley is a State Recreational Vehicle Area just off Interstate 5 near Gorman. The park is packed with 130 miles of trails for dirt bikes, ATVs and 4WD vehicles. This might conjure up an image of a nuclear-broiled landscape swarming with jump-suited Suzuki pilots–something like Mad Max meets the Power Rangers. And that wouldn’t…
Somewhere around 1972 the Los Angeles Times’ California Magazine ran an article about Levis 501s and the people who wore them – prospectors, cowboys and Bing Crosby who had a tuxedo custom made by Levi Straus so that he could wear jeans at his favorite high-end watering holes. I was hooked. And even though I…
Entering from Highway 33, just south of Ventucopa, Quatal Canyon Road is the superhighway of Jeep trails. After several hours of bashing my brains out on the moguls in Ballinger Canyon it was actually kind of nice to be on a smooth dirt road for a change. (I really have to install some anti-sway quick…
It’s one bunny-hop for a man (or woman) but it’s one giant lunge for mankind. Evo.com announces an out-of-this-world travel package for mountain bikers giving you a once in a lifetime opportunity to explore some of the gnarliest single track in the galaxy. Check out Evo’s moon biking offer here. [Via pinkbike] Also – Awesome…
A collective of urban designers and an economist based in Brazil have assembled an amazing collection of before and after photos showing improvements to urban landscapes. One thing that is immediately clear when you start browsing the gallery is that it doesn’t take massive construction – or demolition – to make a city…
Are you feeling the effects of Spring Fever yet? The Art of Manliness has a quick gear roundup to help you pack for a warm weather getaway. The guide includes links to Apolis, United by Blue and other adventure wear makers, via Huckberry. Also check out How to Build a Travel Capsule Wardrobe and…
Ballinger Canyon is a high desert Off Highway Vehicle area similar in terrain to Hungry Valley, but about half the acreage. Ballinger has 11 jeep trails interlaced with about two dozen ATV and motorcycle trails. There are two main roads through the canyon, both easy to moderate with a few more challenging connectors. Entrance to…
BMW i series owners (i3, i8, X5 40e) are gathering at the Long Beach Formula E race this Saturday April 2, 2016 to organize the longest parade of BMW cars in history. The previous record was set in 2008 by 178 BMW Isettas (the car pictured above), arguably much cooler than an i3 which…
Tom Stienstra picks ten of his favorite San Francisco bay-area outdoor locations for travelers who want to experience California’s uncharacteristically lush spring this year. In this case “bay-area” is a metonymy for “Northern California”. Stienstra’s list includes: Yosemite Valley waterfalls Shasta Lake Tahoe, Heavenly’s Skyline Trail Santa Cruz Mountains, Silver Falls/Golden Cascade North Sierra foothills, Feather…
The Topatopa bluffs run from West to East, serving as a gigantic reflector for the Ojai valley. They are a numinous presence in much of the surrounding county. I can see them from my house in East Ventura. This weekend, however, is the first time I’ve hiked anywhere close to them. To hike the Sisar…
I stumbled across a provocative label on Mark Bernstein’s site, coupling the phrase “Where you are is WHAT you are” with the caption “Weber’s Qualitatvie Analysis Tools.” As best I can tell, Weber refers to sociologist Max Weber and “Where you are is WHAT you are” is a quote from Constantin Stanislavski related to his…
