Page 10 - Condor - Born to Fly

Extreme Climate - Death Valley is the lowest, driest, and hottest place in the United States. Enjoy beautiful
hiking, canyoning, backpacking, and biking, with mountains colored by volcanic ash and magnificent sunsets. Or,
simply take a tranquil walk along the salt flats at Badwater Basin and enjoy the monochromatic vista and the feeling
of being 242 feet (85.5 meters) below sea level. Wildlife is most visible in the early morning and evening.

Surfing - is a popular sport up and down the entire California coast
and the state has world-class waves. The water in southern California
is much warmer than the water up north. In fact, surfers in northern
California wear wetsuits year-round.

San Clemente south of Los Angeles, boasts Trestles, which has a huge
sand beach and warm weather. This is the place to take surf lessons!
And, San Clemente is a great little surf town with a laidback culture,
beachside hotels, and delicious food.

Yosemite National Park - Take your camera and binoculars.
Massive rock walls. Spectacular landscapes. Watch the rock climbers
on the 3,000-foot rock walls and at the historic Camp 4 bouldering
site. Hiking and camping are fantastic—just don’t feed the black bears,
which are only dangerous to your food. This is California nature like
you cannot imagine. Cabins and luxury hotels are also found here but
make your reservation well in advance of your visit. Although several
hours from any major city, do not miss this place. Day trip bus tours
from San Francisco are available, but the park is large so consider
staying a few days.

The Cities - San Francisco (S.F.) and Los Angeles (L.A.) are
California’s largest cities and don’t forget a coat and jeans for S.F., even
if visiting in the summer as it can be cool.

The food cultures are so unbelievably great in both cities that
you may want to stay forever. Food trucks are popular in both cities.
L.A. is known for Korean food, so visit Korea Town.

Meanwhile, S.F. has a strong farm to table and organic food move-
ment, originated in nearby Berkeley by Alice Waters. Visit the Ferry
Building for an overview any day, but on Saturday’s, the Farmer’s Mar-
ket is world renowned. If you want to get an S.F. local talking, just ask
them where you should go to eat for the best… well, anything.

Off The Beaten Track - Oakland is located 20 minutes from
San Francisco. Take the 3-mile walk around Lake Merritt, and visit
the bonsai garden. People from all over the world use the land-
scaped lakeside trail for exercising, walking their dogs or strolling
with their families. Make some stops along the way. Rent a kayak
at the boathouse.

Visit Fairyland (adults must be accompanied by a child), the inspiration for Walt Disney’s Disneyland. And, if
you really want to get local, plan on Friday dinner at the Oakland Museum of California. After walking around the
lake, walk across the street and visit the museum, buy dinner at the food trucks, eat in the sculpture garden, and
dance to live music.

From its celebrated coastline to its broad heartland and granite Sierra peaks, California offers a lifetime of vacations
in one Golden State. In a place this big and diverse, there is truly something for everyone—and plenty left over to
keep you coming back. Sunny beaches and surfers in the waves, dazzling cities filled with culture and entertain-
ment, jaw-dropping parklands and vistas worthy of any bucket list—California has incomparable star quality. Enjoy
a kid’s wish list of iconic theme parks, or indulge in some of the best food and wine experiences in the world.
Whether seen from a five-star hotel balcony or through tent flaps, California is truly golden.

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