Beautiful Drive and a Breathtaking View of the Bay Area

For a day trip from San Francisco, cross the Golden Gate Bridge and climb the curvaceous road to the top of Mt. Tam. Along the way, you pass by many great hiking trails (including Muir Woods) and vista points.

If you go during regular hours, you can drop by the Visitor Center and then go around the beautifuVerna Dunshee Trail. Parking is $8.

N37 55.645 W122 34.761

Getting good rates for lodging in the US

Here are a few tips to getting better rates than the published ones:

• Be a member of AAA to get good rates (often similar to AARP rates).
• Check the rates online, because sometimes there are promos (with AAA or online rates) that the front desk doesn't tell you about. For example, you might be able to get some discount coupons towards lunch.
• Ask for the "lowest available rates," not the "best available rates." They sound the same to us, but they do split hairs and give you different rates.
• Be nice to the hotel staff. (There are front desk equivalents to spitting at your food.)

Group lodging

If you are traveling with a few other people, you might get better deals by renting an entire house or a section of a house. There are sites like VRBO and Vacation Home Rentals. 

Alternative lodgings

Well, there's the usual youth hostel, but if you're not up for cramming with other people, some hostels have "upgrade" versions where you can rent a private room (and a shared a bathroom). 

Or you can try AirBnB, which lists rooms that are being rented out by home owners. It can be fantastic for very expensive places like San Francisco. Read the reviews before you book. The rooms can be a private in-law/studio, a bedroom, or just a sofa to crash in. In general, you have access to the kitchen (verify with the owner), so you can keep your travel costs down by dining in. 

If you are traveling on your own and you have concerns about safety, perhaps consider the mainstream hotel route. 

Cross country skiing

Rental and costs:
http://www.royalgorge.com/Rates.html

Lodging:
http://www.therainbowlodge.com/

Paddleboarding in Santa Cruz

SUP Shack is a family-run paddleboard rental in the Santa Cruz harbor. It's owned by Trudie Ransom, who rents the boards for $25 for 2 hours. They have carbon fiber paddles, which is great.

The lessons are run by an Australian bloke named Jay who doesn't take particular attention to his charges. We were all over the place and he didn't keep us together. But this doesn't matter if you are just renting anyway.

The best time to come is the morning, because it gets really busy around noon, and parking becomes hard, especially in the summer. If you park in the lot, it's $1 per hour starting at 11 pm. You can do street parking—if you can find it—but permit is required from April to September

2214 East Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Mobile: 831.428.2378
Store: 831.464.7467
trudieATsupshacksantacruz.com

Things to see and do in Palm Springs

Winter-time temperature of 70 degrees makes Palm Spring attractive to residents of snow-covered or rain-soaked areas. So when you come visit, check out the following:

• Andreas Canyon - Easy hike with lush oasis and California fan palms.
• Indian Canyons - Complex canyon with trails and picnic spots.
• North of town - See 5 ecological zones in 10 minutes, largest rotating aerial tramcar. 54 miles of trails. If it snows, you can cross-country ski or snowshoe. 
• Palm Spring Art Museum (PSAM) in downtown - free on 2nd Sunday of the month and 4-8 pm on Thurs. Mostly western landscapes and contemporary art.
• Palm Springs International Film Festival in January - Best foreign films and documentaries. Get to the box office hours before any screening for last-minute rush tickest for single show. OR get the pass. 
• Sunnyland - 200-acre residence of publishing titan, Walter Annenberg in Rancho Mirage. Desert garden, Rodin and Giacometti scuptures, and other art collections. Scheduled to open in March.
• Tahquitz Canyon - 60-foot waterfall is short strall from downtown. 
• Uptown district - Check out shops and galleries with retro furnitures. 
• Villagefest - A block from the PSAM. On Thursday evening, the downtown street scente turns into pop-up market/block party. try the half-dozen varieties of locally grown dates and local farm produce.
  

Places to eat:

• Koffi - Organic Peruvian iced coffee and flaky pastry. 
• Cheeky's= Try the custard cheesy scrambled eggs or the 5-styles of bacon.
• King's Highway
• Le Vallauris - Fancypants. Great place to watch desert sunset.

Places to stay:

• AAA discount in Hyatt GRand Champions Resort in Indian Wells (from $100)

Source: This article was condensed from AAA Via magazine Nov+Dec 2011 issue

Las Vegas deals

Try this site for the best deals on Las Vegas: http://smartervegas.com/

For cheap, centrally located hotel (right on the strip), try the Imperial Palace. It's like throwing the dice. For $33 (+ more during peak), you can get a clean room... or a really smoky one with clogged showers. The elevators are slow.  (The hotel might not be around for too long.)

Spectacular autumnal road trip on Utah's Highway 12

Utah's Highway 12 is also known as Journey Through Time Scenic Byway. This 125-mile curvaceous two-lane road is jam-packed with four state parks, two national parks, a national forest, and the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. It is particularly spectacular during the fall.

Start from outside Panguitch (about 250 miles south of Salt Lake City), to red canyons, hoodoos, Bryce Canyon National Park (with Fairyland Point, just outside the gate, as a highlight). Next, move on to Kodachrome Basin State Park with its gravity-defying sandstone chimneys, and then to Escalante Petrified Forest State Park with multi-colored petrified trees.

At milepost 75, you climb up Hogsback with views of the rounded dome of Navajo Mountain. After passing by Boulder Mountain, you end in Torrey, where you can hustle over to the Capitol Reef National Park.

And don't miss out on Hell's Backbone Grill, which is a gourmet destination.

For more information, see http://www.utah.com/byways/highway_12.htm and AAA Via magazine.

Picture from: http://utahpictures.com/Highway_12_Dec.php