As lucky as we are to have beautiful 70-degree sunshine most of the year here in Southern California, every now and then a yearn for the romantic dreariness of Northern California calls to us. We took a road trip up to the Big Basin Redwoods for a 6-mile hike through its enchanted forest, stopped by Santa Cruz for some rainy, muddy, amazingly otherworldly magical walks, a historic farmhouse visit and then settled in the quirky, surfer town for the night to hunt vampires with our two East Coast friends. It was off along the coast to San Francisco the next day for some urban indulgence, delicious sushi and a lovely walk through the Golden Gate Park where we stumbled upon giant magnolias and pre-historic plants.

Here are some highlights from a most enjoyable mini vacation without living the state! Ah...the advantages of micro-climates..