California is home to 279 state parks, which cover more than a million acres combined and stretch from 230 feet below sea level at the Salton Sea to more than 10,000 feet above at the snowy San Jacinto Peak . The state park system, the biggest in the nation, preserves impressive waterfalls and wildlife reserves , some of the world’s largest trees and the state’s most stunning flowers . Today I have some recommendations for state parks to visit in the winter, no matter what sort of vacation you’re craving. And you can now check out free vehicle day-use passes for most of California’s state parks from your local library. Happy traveling. See elephant seals Roughly 20 miles north of Santa Cruz, Año Nuevo State Park is one of the few places in North America where you can see elephant seals up close. The massive animals, each about the size of an S.U.V., can be viewed at the park year-round, but winter tends to be the busiest and most exciting season, as it’s when … [Read more...] about Five State Parks to Visit This Winter
Northern california
COVID in California: Crib shortage hits U.S. as ‘tripledemic’ takes hold among kids
San Francisco’s seven-day test-positivity rate for COVID-19 has climbed to more than double what it was when it dropped to a low in October following the summer surge, city data shows. In addition to COVID, very high levels of early flu and RSV are causing a shortage of hospital medical cribs across the nation. The triumvirate of illness is also making the case for people to stay up to date on their vaccinations and start masking up again in indoor public spaces, the CDC director says. Latest updates: With potential ‘terrible holiday season,’ CDC urges renewed masking The head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is calling on Americans to once again wear masks in indoor public spaces, as the nation contends with a triple threat of COVID-19, flu and RSV. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the agency’s director, told reporters on Monday that everyday precautions are needed to prevent spread of viruses as hospitals quickly reach capacity. “One need not wait on … [Read more...] about COVID in California: Crib shortage hits U.S. as ‘tripledemic’ takes hold among kids
Unexpected monarch butterfly explosion hits California’s Pismo Beach grove
After a handful of dire years , the endangered western monarch is experiencing an unexpected population boom. The place to go? Pismo Beach , and this is the perfect time to see them. If you’re heading south on the section of Highway 1 that bisects downtown of the tiny Central Coast enclave, you’ll pass through several blocks of motels, restaurants and retail storefronts surrounded by giant tracts of trailer and RV parks. As the road takes a bend toward the coastline of Oceano Dunes Natural Preserve, there is an anonymous-looking 2-acre stand of eucalyptus trees. That grove, once a small artichoke farm, is one of the most prolific population centers in North America of the endangered western monarch butterfly . The Pismo Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove is one of five in the state that routinely records 10,000 or more of the butterflies in residence. But what makes this Central Coast destination special, even among other monarch sanctuaries in the region, is that it’s … [Read more...] about Unexpected monarch butterfly explosion hits California’s Pismo Beach grove
California woman missing in Mexico, possibly kidnapped while walking dog: reports
close Video Fox News Flash top headlines for December 6 Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. A California woman is reportedly missing after taking her dog for a walk in Mexico. KTVU reported that 29-year-old Monica De Leon, of San Mateo, California, was walking her puppy in Tepatitlan, near Guadalajara, on Nov. 29 around 5 p.m. when she was allegedly kidnapped by someone in a van. According to the Facebook group "Help Us Find Monica De Leon," which has 630 members as of Tuesday, De Leon was on her way to a gym called FIT 4 LIFE in Tepatitlan, near Guadalajara. The group is urging members to call U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., on behalf of De Leon’s family, asking the members of Congress to work with the State Department to assist in the search for the woman. It’s unclear if De Leon was visiting or living in Mexico. FLORIDA COSMETIC SURGEON … [Read more...] about California woman missing in Mexico, possibly kidnapped while walking dog: reports
In memory of Henry Fuhrmann, who believed in us before we believed in ourselves
Henry Fuhrmann, editor and mentor to generations of journalists at the Los Angeles Times, died earlier this month at the age of 65. Henry was a brilliant editor passionate about language, whose work was instrumental in changing newspaper standards for describing immigrants and people from minority communities, and in guiding this paper’s transition online. Here I want to highlight an aspect of his work that was equally heroic: his care for the next generation. I first met Henry at a journalism seminar organized by the Los Angeles chapter of the Asian American Journalists Assn. As a prize for correctly answering a question that I’m sure was quite trivial, he gave me a plain cream diner mug with black text: “Los Angeles Times Copy Desk.” Advertisement That mug meant so much to me. At the time I was fresh out of college, without steady work, connections or promising prospects in journalism. I took it as evidence that Henry thought I was good enough to work for the L.A. … [Read more...] about In memory of Henry Fuhrmann, who believed in us before we believed in ourselves
‘We Can’t Claim Mission Accomplished’: A Long Road for Afghan Refugees
As a pilot in the Afghan Air Force, Abdul Wajed Ahadi conducted thousands of missions against Taliban strongholds. He made his final flight last year on Aug. 15, piloting his plane to Tajikistan to prevent it from falling into the hands of the insurgents who were surrounding Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital. He eventually made his way to safety in the United States. But he has spent much of the past year in a state of prolonged anxiety. His wife and three children are still in Afghanistan, where the economy has collapsed and the families of those who fought alongside the United States face possible reprisals from the Taliban. “I am all the time thinking about my children, my wife, my family — what will they eat, what will happen to them,” said Mr. Ahadi, 31, who shares a house in Vancouver, Wash., with three other pilots whose families are also in Afghanistan. It could be years before they are reunited. While fast-track permanent residency was offered to Cubans in the 1960s and … [Read more...] about ‘We Can’t Claim Mission Accomplished’: A Long Road for Afghan Refugees
