California Vacation: Sequoia Park

California is very unique in the sense that it is one of the few places that can offer the best of both worlds. The cities of California co-exist with the natural resources. Technology has not led to the destruction of the natural resources of the state. It is this unique feature that encourages people to experience the California vacation.
California is home to many national parks and forest reserves including the Yosemite National Park and the Shasta Cascade. Another national park in California is the Sequoia National Park. It is located in southern Sierra Nevada and was named as national park in 1890. Its size is 3 962 m and it is home to Mount Whitney.
The park is home to Giant sequoia trees which include the German Sherman Tree. The sequoia trees are shared with the King Canyons National Park.
The park has two entries; the front and the back. The front entrance is located near the Town of Three Rivers. This part of the park is teeming with blue oak woodlands, chaparral, grasslands, yucca plants and river valleys. It is also home to many animals like squirrels, bobcats, foxes, and mule deer. At the back of the park is a refreshing wilderness and can not be entered by vehicles. People will have to walk to have access to 84% of the park. This part is composed of high alpine beauties, Great Western Divide, Bearpaw Meadow and Kaweah River Drainage.
Sequoia has many tourist attractions. One of these attractions is the Tunnel Log. The Tunnel Log is a tunnel from a cut giant sequoia tree which fell in 1937 because of natural incidents.  Another attraction is the Crystal Cave which is a cave consists of marble. The cave is only accessible to tourists who have tour guides. It is now a protected area because of the vandals that have appeared on the walls of the cave.
A crescent meadow is also one attraction in this park. It is a tiny meadow with lots of sequoia. It if often referred to as the "Gem of the Sierras". The last notable attraction in the park is the Moro rock. The Moro rock is dated back to the cretaceous time and is a granite dome. It is located at the center of the park and provides a good view of the park.
The park offers many activities like sightseeing, hiking, ranger programming, yoga and horseback riding. It also offers cross country activities, skiing, snowshoeing and snow play. Ranger programming offers a wide variety of programs that aims to entertain and educate. The park also has booths where children and adults can learn the art of snowshoeing.
Sequoia also prides of its diverse restaurants and dishes. At the park, many restaurants offer different dishes to cater to more audiences. One of these restaurants is the Wuksachi Lodge Dining Room. This dining room serves the three essential meals everyday. The ambiance in the dining room is a mixed of forest colors and country décor. This mixture has created an elegant look to the room.
The Sequoia National Park is home to many attractions and restaurants. Like most other California tourist spots, it is worthy to be included in one's California vacation. It offers a habitat to different animals and a refuge to people who want to take a vacation.

Southern California Beach Tips - Dogs, Bonfires

If you're heading to a Southern California beach with your dog, or if you're hoping to build a beach bonfire, here are a few pointers:

Beaches and Dogs

For dog owners, call ahead. Most beaches in Southern California don't allow dogs on the beach, and with good reason. It may be fun to take Fido for a run through the waves and fling him a Frisbee or two. But beach park rangers say dogs can cause two problems. First, the poop factor, so clean up after Fido! Second, dogs, even if they're well-behaved and on a leash, tend to scare away wildlife and lower beach habitat values.

Wes Chapin is an interpretive specialist for the California State Parks Channel Coast District, which operates state beaches from Oxnard to north of Santa Barbara. He says studies of beach trails that allow dogs have come up with surprising findings: In areas where dogs are allowed on trails, even on leash, wild animals keep much farther back than in areas where dogs are prohibited.

The finding probably has to do with dogs' predatory ancestry, and wild animals' understandable wariness, Chapin says. But whatever the reason, the presence of dogs discourages wildlife.

Find a Dog Beach

That said, dog-friendly beaches abound. In Southern California, the communities of Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach, Long Beach, Newport Beach, Ocean Beach, Oceano, San Clemente and Seal Beach, as well as San Diego's Mission Bay all have dog beaches. Check with each community's Web site for specifics.

Beaches and Bonfires

Fire pits are practically ancestral: a gathering-place for story telling, and when they're a bonfire on the beach, there's the added fun of that ancestral beach desert: s'mores. Building fires seaside, California however, with our wildfire dangers always present, well, some beaches prohibit beach bonfires or enforce tight restrictions.

Chapin points out that many well-intended beach-goers carefully extinguish their bonfires at the end of their evening, and conscientiously cover the remaining coals with sand. That might seem like a good idea, Chapin says, but all it accomplishes is to keep the buried coals and covering sand toasty hot for some beach visitor to burn their feet on the next day.

Find a Bonfire Beach

State-run beaches in California do not allow fires on the beach, period. If you've got your heart set on a bonfire vanity, call ahead to find a beach that allows them, and find out what the beach's rules are. Some cities, such as Huntington Beach, maintain concrete bonfire rings that have become a local tradition. Also, be sure to use only unprocessed, natural wood that won't pollute the beach with contaminated remains. And, of course, carry out your trash, including bottles and cans.