Reserve America...and do it early!

California offers an incredible variety of camping options. From the coast to Lake Tahoe, Death Valley to the isolated northern stretches of the state, there is a site for everyone....or so it might seem until you actually try to book one. This past weekend, as I furiously searched the Reserve America website for some - any - Memorial Day weekend option, I realized I need to think a bit farther ahead. Reserve America is a great site - you can put in a zip code, a park name, amenity requests or a combination there of and it will - ideally - provide a list of private and public, state and federal camp grounds that meet your criteria. However, the best spots often involve serious pre-planning. You can generally reserve about six months in advance so, as I have now learned, if you want to camp at Sunset Beach in late May, you better be at your computer November 1st at midnight to nab your spot.

The good news is that cancellation fees are nominal if they exist at all, so checking the site regularly a few weeks prior to your planned trip can sometimes land you a spot. This is true even for Yosemite, which books months in advance for peak season, but often opens up if you check again about ten days before you hope to go. The other piece of good news is that many camp grounds do not take reservations, or set aside a section on a first come, first serve basis, so if you don't mind taking your chances and getting up early, you have a decent shot at nabbing a spot. And, while it can be chilly, Northern California is chock full of camp sites, and the crowds are much thinner than the rest of the state, making it a good choice for last minute plans.

A visit to the de Young

A rainy week with guests to entertain found us at the deYoung Museum last week, the first time I had been to just visit the museum, not a special exhibit. The art museum is located in Golden Gate Park, and going during the week (or, I presume, early on a weekend) means four hours of free street parking, which was a nice bonus. The museum has a full range of free, docent-led tours, and we decided to take advantage of one - a great decision. Our guide, Suzanne, took us through several galleries, stopping at one or two key pieces in each. In a little over an hour we covered part of the American, African and Oceanic galleries. Suzanne was the perfect combination of knowledgeable while also be very accessible and friendly. After taking in about all my mind could process, we stopped for some lunch in the museum's very nice cafe, then headed up the de Young's tower for a view of San Francisco and area through the clouds. I noticed a family-oriented docent tour on the list, and we will no doubt be back on another rainy day to check it out. Your entry to the galleries also includes same day admission to the San Francisco Fine Arts Museum's other location, the Legion of Honor, which is in nearby Lincoln Park, so a well planned day could certainly include a stop at both.

Summertime is grill time

Summer is coming - time to brush off the barbecue cover and get grilling! To many ex-pats, this is a uniquely US phenomena, associated with hot dogs, hamburgers and loads of ketchup. And traditional barbecuing - cooking meats, generally with some sort of sauce or rub, over low indirect heat for a long period of time - did indeed originate in the US south. But barbecue has evolved into so much more than that. From tiny portable grills you can use on your deck or take to the park to enormous professional grade outdoor kitchens, barbecue is a wonderful way to prepare a meal for two or twenty, and an easy way to entertain. Moving well beyond the basics, you can prepare anything from veggies to desserts on the grill - we've even had our Thanksgiving turkey cooked on it rotisserie style. That is a big bonus on a hot summer day, when the last thing you want to do is turn on the oven. There are many good, basic BBQ cookbooks to chose from, or simply search recipes and tips on-line. The head outdoor chef in our house particularly likes Weber's Big Book of Grilling.

If you live in an apartment, check with your leasing office; most do allow small BBQs on decks and patios, but there are exceptions.

Aquarium of the Bay

We recently took out an annual membership to the San Francisco Zoo - partly because after two trips it more than pays for itself, and partly because the zoo membership offers discounted admission to a variety of other spots, one being the Aquarium of the Bay at Pier 39 in San Francisco. With a week of grey weather and visitors to entertain, we decided to give the aquarium a try.

After holding a membership to the Monterey Bay Aquarium last year, I was perhaps not in the best position to evaluate, as comparing the two if really quite unfair. The Monterey aquarium is an amazing facility, one of the best in the world, and can easily consume an entire day. San Francisco's version, by contrast, is a about a one hour walk through. It has some nice features but for my money, I would certainly pay a bit more and visit the Monterey Aquarium. However, since we paid half price I was quite satisfied with our day. The aquarium is a not for profit, aimed at educating and advocating for our oceans and the life they support, and keeping this in mind helped keep my experience a good one. One bonus - we purchased the optional movie ticket ($3), and they let us stay and watch as many of the rotating series of 20 minute films as we liked - everything from cartoons about saving the ocean to the lives of sharks to the rebuilding of the Bay Bridge. The location is great too - if you are entertaining guests and making the obligatory stop at Pier 39, the aquarium offers a calm respite from the frenzy of the area.

We decided to skip the crowds and walked down to the Ferry Building for lunch afterwards - a great option anytime, but especially when you have a variety of palates you are trying to please.

Living in an Earthquake Zone

While most don't give it a passing thought on a day to day basis, we are all well aware that we are living in an earthquake zone. So it's only smart to educate yourself, take a few basic precautions, and be prepared...just in case. There are a few simple things anyone can do. One is to pick up a copy of the US government publication "Putting Down Roots in Earthquake Country". It provides some great tips you may not think about if you have never lived in an earthquake prone area -  things like securing your hot water heater and book shelves, making sure you store your bleach separately, and to avoid hanging pictures and light fixture directly above the beds. You can also pick up a grab and go emergency pack, or make you own. We have one stored in each of our cars as well as our home. Other things we've done to help feel a bit more in control? A family meeting spot, an out of state contact person and an old pair of shoes and a flashlight tied to the foot of all our beds; you do not want to have bare feet in the aftermath of an earthquake! We hope to never use any of it, but a few small steps are worth the effort.

The publication can be found on line at http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/2005/15; for other useful links check out http://earthquake.usgs.gov/hazards/prepare.html

Big Sur

It is an iconic drive, and for good reason. Coastal highway 1 south of Carmel provides spectacular views around each winding bend in the road. There are dozens of pull over stops, official and not, from which to hop out and drink in the view. If you are a runner, the Big Sur Marathon is considered one of the top races in North America. Hikers, nature lovers, foodies and those who excel at doing nothing at all will all find much to love about Big Sur. One must-stop destination: Nepenthe. It has a restaurant, cafe and shop but what it has most of all is spectacular views. Sitting outdoors having a bite to eat while gazing at the Big Sur coastline is one of my favorite memories from this past summer. Although a do-able day trip from the South Bay, to fully appreciate the Big Sur vibe, plan to stay a night or two. Accommodation options range from tent camping to luxury lodges, and everything in between.

Your private beach awaits

One of the best kept secrets of the Bay Area is, in my opinion, the coast between Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay. While those two places are great destinations in themselves, I much prefer the pleasure of discovering the many small coves and beaches that dot the coastline in between. And you don't have to be terribly intrepid to make a discovery. Simply head along coastal highway 1, and keep your eye peeled for a small path, a particularly wide gravel shoulder or a small gate. Pull over and take a peek. Chances are you have found a path to the coast. Some are steep, some flat, some go through sand dunes and some have small boardwalks to help you navigate through whatever vegetation is about, but all lead to spectacular views and, in my experience, little or no one to share them with. This is when you pull out your camera and get that wide angle shot of you on your private beach. With a blanket, a good book and a picnic lunch there are few better ways to enjoy a sunny day.