"GOLDEN STATE" a California Travel Page by mtncorg

What can you say about the Golden State that has not been said before? It is the Big Brother on the Left Coast of the US. Urban sprawl might not have started here but its definition is here in force. LA, San Diego, Anaheim, Bay Area, Fresno, Sacramento, the list of sprawiling cities goes on. New populations of a great mixtures of peoples. Amongst all of these peoples and all of this sprawl lie natural wonders to be discovered that still leave you speechless. Even in Southern California - with a little knowledge and planning, you can spend a night along a babbling brook deep within a pine forest.

For me, an alpine enthusiast, the Sierra Nevada, the Range of Light, is one of the main highlights of this huge State. These moutains invite a literal lifetime of exploration - just ask retiredranger. US 395 is one of my favorite major highways in the world. The views of the eastern Sierra wall never tire me. But California has other mountains as well, from the southernmost volcanoes of the Cascade Range - Mt Shasta and Mt Lassen, mountains more in common with the mountains of Oregin and Washington - to the high peaks of Southern California, literally rising directly out of the urban sprawls below; the long coastal mountains rolling rugged parallel to the coast, cloaked in the north with tall coastal redwood forests; the rugged Marble and Trinity ranges; and the Great Basin ranges of the Warners and the massive White Mountains - both home to some of the most surprising ground in Calfiornia. Beyond the mountains, there are wild coastlines, grand lakes, unique deserts, riverine and coastal estauries all waiting for you to explore.

So when you are finished with the Mice of Disneyland, grab a good bottle of great California wine and discover the other California.

From the lowest landscape in the lower 48 States of the US ....

..... to the highest. California is a land of extremes - you could say that the humanistic extremes are mirrored in the landscape itself.

The Sierra Nevada - also known by their nickname as the Range of Light - is one of the World's greatest mountain ranges. It is the highest range in the US outside of Alaska and offers wilderness experiences you could spend a lifetime with. The mountains are high enough that altitude sickness can come into play. Weather can change an exciting trip into something quite different - be prepared for where you are going. For more ideas on these grand mountains see any of the towns in my California section - Bishop, Bridgeport, Big Pine, etc..