Raven and Chickadee
  • Home
  • About
  • Gallery
  • Contact

Archive for California

 March 17, 2019

Beautiful And Desolate Death Valley National Park

A dozen years ago, we drove through Death Valley National Park on our way to somewhere else. We were pulling our little Bigfoot trailer (our previous rig), and when we finally made it across the park, Eric said, “I am never doing that again.” The unrelenting steep grades, sharp curves, and the rollercoaster two-lane road […]

Read More →

Categories : California, National Parks, Travel
Tags : Ash Meadows Wildlife Refuge, Badwater Basin, China Date Ranch, Death Valley National Park, Delight's Hot Springs, Furnace Creek Campground, Furnace Creek Inn, Golden Canyon Hike, Zabriskie Point
 March 5, 2019

Heading Cross Country…Again

Every year, in late fall after a visit to our hometown in Southern Oregon, we begin again our journey across the country. It is a long way from Oregon to Florida, and honestly, it can feel a bit daunting when we consider the long road ahead. Inertia is a real thing—it truly is easier to […]

Read More →

Categories : California, Travel
Tags : Pinnacles National Park, Point Reyes
 February 13, 2018

Family And Friends: San Diego To Tucson

Bidding farewell to the Central Coast, our journey from San Diego to Tucson was a whirlwind tour of time with family and friends. We were looking forward to seeing family in San Diego; when we discovered that no less than four of our favorite full-time RVing buddies were also in the area, our dance card […]

Read More →

Categories : Arizona, California, Travel
Tags : Catalina State Park, Dos Picos County Park
 February 8, 2018

The Central California Coast: Monterey, Morro Bay, & Ojai

I doubt there’s anyplace more alluring than the Central Coast of California. We’ve traveled sections of the coast many times, but there’s always something more to discover in this enchanting stretch of ruggedly beautiful landscapes and charming towns. There’s even a castle, which I thought might be weird, but turned out to be fascinating. In […]

Read More →

Categories : California, Travel
Tags : Camp Comfort, Cannery Row, Carmel, Carmel-by-the-Sea, El Chorro Regional Campground, elephant seals, Elkhorn Slough, Hearst Castle, kayaking Elkhorn Slough, Laguna Seca Recreation Area, Montana de Oro, Monterey, Monterey Bay, Morro Bay, Ojai, Ojai-Ventura bike path, Point Lobos, sea otters
 December 3, 2015

Getting Our Kitsch On Route 66

John Steinbeck christened it the Mother Road, and everyone from Nat King Cole to Van Morrison has crooned the catchy tune celebrating the 2400 mile cross-country journey on this most famous of highways. Route 66 is tenacious. Almost 90 years after its creation and three decades after it was declared obsolete, the old road lives […]

Read More →

Categories : Arizona, California, Travel
Tags : Fender River Road Resort, Grand Canyon Railway RV Park, Kicks on Route 66, Route 66, South Rims Wine & Beer Garage, Sultana Bar, Williams Arizona
 November 28, 2015

Play Date In Lone Pine, California

We never intended to spend quite so much time traveling along 395. It’s not that we didn’t want to, but we needed to get to Florida by Thanksgiving, and with only six weeks to make the cross-country trip we didn’t have the luxury of lingering. But there was one more stop along 395 that we […]

Read More →

Categories : California, Travel
Tags : Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, Lone Pine Film History Museum, Tuttle Creek Campground
 November 20, 2015

Tips For High Altitude Hiking

Twelve years ago, we embarked on our first hike in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The trailhead was at 9,300 feet, and we immediately launched into a series of steep switchbacks—our goal a beautiful mountain lake several miles up the trail. We started off enthusiastically at a brisk stride but soon slowed to a snail’s pace. […]

Read More →

Categories : California
 November 13, 2015

The Quintessential Sierra Nevada Hike

If there’s only one hike that you do in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in eastern California, make it this one. You’ll walk through forests of sweetly scented Ponderosa pines, boulder hop over rushing mountain creeks, cross meadows while gazing up at 13,000-foot mountain peaks, and meander past no less than seven glacial-carved lakes reflecting the […]

Read More →

Categories : California, Travel
Tags : Hiking Sierra Nevada, Little Lakes Valley Trail, Mosquito Flat Trailhead, Upper Gem Lake
 November 6, 2015

Magical Mono Lake

Night before: “I want to shoot Mono Lake at sunrise.” “No, you don’t.” “What do you mean? Of course, I do!” “I don’t think you really want to. It’s going to be below freezing in the morning.” “Yes, I do want to. I really do.” Next morning: “It’s 5:00! Time to get up!” “Uh-uh.” Burrow […]

Read More →

Categories : California, Travel
Tags : Mono Lake, South Tufas
 November 3, 2015

Hiking Adventures In The Sierra Nevada: California

A picture-postcard landscape of jagged granite mountain peaks, glacial lakes, and groves of golden aspen splashed among stately Ponderosa pines and junipers, the Sierra Nevada mountain range offers an escape into the wilderness that challenges the body and nourishes the spirit. This was sacred ground to John Muir, the philosophical environmentalist who mused: “Another glorious […]

Read More →

Categories : California, Travel
Tags : Devils Postpile, Eastern Sierra hiking, June Lake, Lundy Canyon, Parker Lake, Rainbow Falls
Next Page »

Welcome to our blog!

Eric and Laurel

If you enjoy hiking, biking, kayaking, birding, art, music, quirky towns, good food, and good friends—you'll enjoy traveling with us. Join us as we explore the backroads of North America—we love company and comments!

~Laurel & Eric

Instructions for living a life:
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.
~Mary Oliver

Subscribe to our blog!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Recent posts

  • Finding Peace And Joy In Challenging Times
  • Hurricane Helene
  • We’re Still Here!
  • Manatees And More: Central Florida
  • Two Weeks In Colorful Largo, Florida
  • Preparing For A Long Road Trip: Heading South For The Winter
  • Creating Home
  • A Big Mix Of Everything
  • Friends Old And New, And More Tiny Home Progress
  • Finally In Flat Rock

Archives

Categories

  • Adventures With The Kitty (10)
  • Aging Parents (7)
  • Musings (65)
  • Reality RV (21)
  • Tiny Home Life (8)
  • Travel (351)
    • Alabama (6)
    • Arizona (23)
    • Arkansas (1)
    • British Columbia (11)
    • California (31)
    • Canada (17)
    • Colorado (4)
    • Florida (63)
    • Georgia (6)
    • Idaho (4)
    • Illinois (3)
    • Indiana (2)
    • Kentucky (2)
    • Louisiana (9)
    • Maine (3)
    • Maritimes (8)
    • Massachusetts (3)
    • Michigan (1)
    • Mississippi (5)
    • Missouri (1)
    • Montana (5)
    • National Parks (24)
    • Nevada (10)
    • New Brunswick (4)
    • New Hampshire (1)
    • New Mexico (13)
    • New York (7)
    • North Carolina (14)
    • Nova Scotia (5)
    • Ohio (3)
    • Oklahoma (1)
    • Oregon (41)
    • Prince Edward Island (1)
    • Rhode Island (1)
    • San Juan Islands (17)
    • South Carolina (5)
    • South Dakota (3)
    • Tennessee (4)
    • Texas (28)
    • Utah (13)
    • Vermont (1)
    • Virginia (1)
    • Washington (39)
    • Wisconsin (2)
    • Wyoming (4)
Raven & Chickadee © 2025 | Photography by Laurel Vukovic & Eric Setterberg
Website by Michaels & Michaels Creative, LLC
 

Loading Comments...