Wave: California, Traveling, Places to Visit, Art

A friend asked me today what events or places would I recommend in northern California?

I said, I like youth hostels, especially along the California coast.

Yosemite in winter can be beautiful.

Besides Harbin Hot Springs, Sierra Hot Springs, Orr hot springs and Wilbur hot springs are also nice, but not nearly as 'big' or as social as Harbin. (I like Harbin's sociality).

Pt. Lobos State Reserve near Carmel is beautiful, as is Carmel itself, as is the Monterey Aquarium.

While not northern California, going slow along the Big Sur coast line is great.

I'd like to explore slowly Mendicino, Trinity and Humboldt Counties in a meandering kind of way. They can be pretty alternative.

And the Siskiyou - Klamath mountains {see David Rains Wallace's "The Klamath Knot: Explorations of Myth and Evolution"} in northern California and southern Oregon draw me, as do most of the wilderness areas and national parks in northern California - e.g. Trinity Alps, Shasta, Mt. Lassen, Desolation - there are many.

California has so much to visit which is really beautiful - coast, mountains. And it has so many people, - around 35 million! And it's still relatively open, away from some of the coastal cities.

I'd also like to follow California wildflowers as they emerge in spring, in the most remote, out-of-the-way, natural and wilderness areas, with a friend :) ~ AW. I'll try to explore much California back country in the years ahead. {Here are some related, inspiring, selected writings - http://www.yosemite.ca.us/john_muir_writings - by John Muir}.

How is the Burning Man, my friend asked? Have you been there last year?

I've never been to Burning Man - but I may go to Rainbow again this year. The Rainbow Gathering may be in eastern Washington, or New Mexico, or in New England (someone at the Gathering last year said New England really needs it) this year in the first week of July.

Will you go to Burning Man this year, he asked?

Burning Man seems fascinating, exciting and freeing, I said ...

***

It's the qualities with which one experiences these places that are so interesting to explore.

Eliciting the relaxation response in relation to new places,

exploring loving bliss naturally, in new places,

welcoming on great happiness while traveling,

are fascinating ways to live.

And making art as you go is also opening, regenerative, and can be freeing - photography, writing, painting, bead-making, art with your computer ... so many ways ... let's :)

Let's create :))