A Weekend with Mono Lake

Adventure truly never sleeps!  However, keeping blogs current and up to date is another story for another time. With slightly over 2,500 unique visitors to Adventure Never Sleeps last year alone, we thought we owe it to you to get back on our horse and start pumping out another well written and highly innovative blog post.  We had taken a bit of a hiatus from both adventuring and blogging, but we are back with another semi-adventure. 

The Happy Tummy: Sonoma County, Wine & Dine.

    As a fairly new wine enthusiast I have limited wine tasting experience to draw from and few expectations that need living up to.  I don’t know much about tannins or quality ratings and I’m not stuffy or sophisticated, a.k.a. stuck up.  I’m a down home girl who knows what tastes good to me and what doesn’t, even when it is the most expensive and prized vintage on the menu.

Sleeping Essentials 101: The Gear

Sleeping is essential. Preceding or following any great adventure, a good nights rest out in the wild can make the difference of whether you wake up rested and ready to tackle another day or not. When it comes to sleeping essentials, there are many options to choose from and one must determine the proper equipment for the adventure. Back packing obviously does not inherently proclaim some of the finer creature comforts, where as car camping (driving up next to the camping spot) can be a splendid adventure into sweet dream land. What ever adventure is currently floating your boat, we have the necessary information that will help guide you when preparing to spend a night or seven outside. 

Just Get Out There

Summer tried its best to hide away from the west coast this year, but it has finally arrived! The days are longer, the warm sun is more common and the great outdoors beckon you. So what is the hold up?

Summo'tyme Guide to the Lakes

With summer time closing in on us, a review of fifty or so different (semi) local lakes just might be a useful and helpful entry on this site. Carefully examining each lake and dispelling information that the readers of this blog might find useful. For instance, that information might include driving directions, best times to visit, water temperature, the closest you can park without having to pay and just about anything else one might want to know about a certain lake. This is not that article.

Mount Pilchuck - Cascade Range - Washington State

Need something to do in the Cascades? There are plenty of hiking options and plenty of mountains to conquer. The easiest and most accessible peak in the Cascades happens to have a rewarding summit, complete with a retired fire lookout. The Mount Pilchuck hike is a 6 mile round trip hike with just over 2000ft of elevation gain.

Cheap Like Me: Bargain Hunting One'oh'one

After years of research I have concluded that, money does not in fact grow on trees. With that in mind, gearing up for an adventure or adventures can become costly in a hurry. I believe that with some fiscal prudence (read – "being cheap") one can still obtain the right gear for the right job and at a decent price.

Sleeping Essentials: tent - bivy - hammock (The pro's and con's)

Not everybody is a fan of camping, but if you are then perhaps this might be worth a read. There are four mainstays of camping abodes each with their own strengths and weaknesses. This article aims to educate readers on various tent options, provide personal reviews on gear, and hopefully nurture the call of the great outdoors in as many people as possible.

Kar Kamping - Sugarloaf Ridge State Park

Sometimes, we all just need to get away for a bit--there are many ways this can be accomplished. Although car camping has never been a personal favorite, it has always been successful at providing a much needed break from the dull-drums of day to day business and the ever piercing ho-hum of the city.

The Basics of Footwear

Face it, the majority of us spend most of the day on our feet. It is extremely important to have the correct shoe for what the situation demands. With an ever-increasing array of shoes to choose from the task of choosing the right shoe can be daunting.

Port of Call: Seattle, Washington

   From the town that brought us the famed names Starbucks and Nirvana, Seattle, Washington has much more to offer than trendy coffee and dirty musicians. 

Port of Call: San Francisco, California

San Francisco (CA) is a tourist destination city for thousands of people each month. It goes without saying that the city has a lot to offer and it should have something for everyone. As with visiting any large metropolis, when visiting San Francisco be prepared to spend time in lines, in traffic, running into people and wondering how to get from point A to point B in the most direct way possible.

Medical Relief Work - Haiti

Humanitarian aid, charity work, or mission trips are all very similar ideas that conjure up the notion of one person or group helping another.  The core motive and expectation of such doings are different for every person, but generally the goal is to be of assistance or to do an unselfishly motivated act of kindness.  These events are not characteristically grouped with the usual adventure or “R&R” that most people seek when heading out on a vacation.  Certainly setting out into the epicenter of a disaster would be even further down on the list of choices for an exotic vacation destination, but as you continue to read hopefully you’ll be able to see the value of choosing just such a place. 

Looking for fellow writers!

Greetings all,

Even though I do a fine job of entertaining millions of people with this blog, I am looking for some help. 

Sacramento Capital Airshow (or any air show!)

(F-18 Aggressor Squadron)

It doesn't matter who you are or even where you are from. If you haven't been to an air show ever or even for a couple of years then you are missing out big time!

Surfuss Maximuss

Being a native Californian doesn't mean much if you don't experience the state. I know this blog was originally intended to provide "bored" people with ideas for vacations, adventures, and local attractions, but that is just going to have to change.
Ever since my Montana by two-wheels adventure, this blog has taken on a new light. A light that can become costly in a hurry. No need to worry though, because I am cheap!

Stay Tuned In!

ANS - or Adventure Never Sleeps, is a work in progress, but some bigger changes are coming in the near future.
Please check back often and also leave some comments. If you want to know more about something, hiking, camping, in a certain area, or where to kayak near Sacramento, etc etc, please leave a comment.

The most resent request I received is "why not do some bars and post reviews?" - I answered, "I'll drink to that!"

Montana by way of two-wheels

Greetings adventurers,

Breaking pace with normal posting habits (heh' no real norm has been set yet), I have decided the best way to tell the story of Montana is in cheap slide show presentations. Have fun!

A little back story first though:

Castle Crag State Park - Snow Camping 101 - Jan 08

Castle Crag State Park

I admit I am new to backpacking. I am even less experienced with winter backpacking. With my limited experience, I thought it would be wise to do research and read about proper gear and get as many survival tips and tricks as possible. After spending much time reading the different discussions on gear and tips on various sites, I felt that I had a good handle on what I needed and what I should expect when camping in colder or snowy conditions.