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Yay, the wife has scored a kayak camping permit for Tomales Bay, California a couple weekends from now. We've paddled in TB a few times (including the highly recommended bioluminescence tour), but never camped overnight. The permit isn't tied to any one site, and apparently they're first come first serve. Can anyone here recommend a beach that they particularly enjoyed camping at?
posted by mqk around California, CA at 8:23 PM - 4 answers

Are HID / Xenon headlights legal in california and if so what are the restrictions? [more inside]
posted by nurgle around California, CA at 2:23 PM - 2 answers

My partner and I (30s, no kids, both geeky/arty introverts) have a couple vacation days coming up. We'd like to take a short, low-hassle overnight trip somewhere, but we've done the Monterey thing multiple times, we don't want to go to San Francisco, and we aren't really into wine tasting. What else can we do that doesn't require a ton of advance planning or more than around 3 hours sitting in the car? [more inside]
posted by aecorwin around California, CA at 10:53 AM - 13 answers

My partner and I are headed to California in August and have 2 days to ourselves. We're both very avid hikers and are interested in seeing redwoods. Help us plan an awesome 2 day hike between San Jose/Sonoma! [more inside]
posted by olya around California, CA at 6:40 AM - 10 answers

I have a conference at Pepperdine University near Malibu CA and am bringing my kids and another adult. There is a Saturday excursion that my youngest, 6, is too young to participate. We're flying in from the East Coast, how do I find a fun, responsible college kid for that morning? [more inside]
posted by childofTethys around California, CA at 2:42 AM - 8 answers

I am traveling to California for the holidays, and I am slowly learning Spanish. I'd like to use this trip to motivate my learning. [more inside]
posted by wingless_angel around California, CA at 10:36 AM - 5 answers

Where should I go/stay/see in Southern California from mid-December to mid-January? I will not have a car since I want to promote low-carbon travel. [more inside]
posted by bluelight around California, CA at 6:13 PM - 11 answers

Traveling in California for five weeks--but without a car. Where should/can I go and what cities/places should I absolutely not miss? I'll be starting in Northern California and working my way down. [more inside]
posted by bluelight around California, CA at 4:54 AM - 8 answers

My husband and I will be leaving our current town in about a year and a half, and we’re starting to think about where we might like to go next. We have several requirements (explained inside), and I’ll probably be posting questions about this more than once! We are thinking about taking a couple of weeks to explore some cities in California this spring or summer, and I’m hoping some of you can suggest some California towns that might be a good fit for us so we can start planning the exploratory trip. [more inside]
posted by hansbrough around California, CA at 7:43 PM - 25 answers

Valentine's Day filter: My girlfriend has a relatively specific request for Valentine's Day: "an outdoor restaurant at a vineyard... that has an attached hotel." A somewhat cheaper version of this would be the idea. Ideally, it'd be $300/night or less and somewhere within ~2 hours drive of Palo Alto, California. Any ideas?
posted by ewiar around California, CA at 8:31 PM - 7 answers

I'm in the middle of a road trip and going to be in California (for the first time ever!) this week. Looking for some recommendations for places to hit along the coast, specifically beaches along the southern end, and scenic places to stop and eat/drink further north. [more inside]
posted by GastrocNemesis around California, CA at 3:40 AM - 13 answers