Opening Up the Itinerary for My California Road Trip

One of my favorite things to do is open up itineraries when they are sent to me for my next adventure. It’s like they’re wrapped up little gifts, with the details of all of the things I”ll do and the people I”ll meet in a place I’ve never been.  I always request that my hosts mix in meetings with interesting local people and fun activities that will be good for the stories.  Next Saturday I fly to Sacramento California for my next trip.

I begin with a stay at the City Hotel, a grand old structure right in the center of the city. Who reads about Sacramento, except in the context of the California budget battles, Arnold versus those Democrats in the legislature.  That’s one of the reasons why I want to go there, to find out what makes this capital city fun.  I’ll meet a man named Bruce who will ride bikes with me around the city and I’ll go where they first discovered gold, a town called Calura.

Later in the week I”ll drive north to Mendocino, and I’ll jump in a kayak with a local man and we’ll glide in and around a river that flows into town.  The next day I’ll take a cooking class in the town of Fort Bragg.  I’ll also drive myself to the Anderson Valley en route to Ukiah where I’ll spend the night in the mountains. By Saturday morning I will have experienced two unique slices of life in California and have the makings of at least two articles before I fly home.