california

Destinations | National Parks | West

Pinnacles National Park With Kids: Bear Gulch Cave & Rim Trail Loop
ByRollingWilliams August 20, 2026August 20, 2026 Destinations, National Parks, West

Pinnacles National Park With Kids: Bear Gulch Cave & Rim Trail Loop Pinnacles National Park wasn’t one of our favorite national parks—but it gave us one of the most fun family hikes we’ve done. We visited Pinnacles in early April 2026 while spending two weeks in Marina, California. After several days exploring Monterey, Point Lobos and the Big Sur coastline, Pinnacles felt completely different. Instead of beaches, foggy cliffs, and ocean views, we were suddenly hiking through dry, rocky terrain, scrambling around giant boulders and walking through caves. Pinnacles National Park is one of America’s newer national parks, designated in…

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Destinations | Travel Guides | West

Marina, California: Two Weeks Exploring Monterey, Big Sur & Point Lobos
ByRollingWilliams August 19, 2026August 20, 2026 Destinations, Travel Guides, West

Marina, California: Two Weeks Exploring Monterey, Big Sur & Point Lobos We spent the first two weeks of April 2026 in Marina, California, using it as our home base to explore Monterey, Carmel-by-the-Sea, Point Lobos, Big Sur and even Pinnacles National Park. Marina sits along Monterey Bay on California’s Central Coast, surrounded by beaches, coastal dunes and open space. It is close enough to Monterey and Carmel to make everyday exploring easy while still giving you quick access to Highway 1 and the Big Sur coastline. Marina itself also has access to the Monterey Bay coastline and nearby Fort Ord…

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Destinations | National Parks | West

One Day in Yosemite National Park With Kids: Our Yosemite Valley Experience
ByRollingWilliams August 19, 2026 Destinations, National Parks, West

One Day in Yosemite National Park With Kids: Our Yosemite Valley Experience Yosemite National Park is one of California’s most famous national parks, known for the massive granite walls of El Capitan and Half Dome, waterfalls, giant sequoias, and the dramatic scenery of Yosemite Valley. The park covers nearly 1,200 square miles, but for our first visit, we focused almost entirely on Yosemite Valley. We were staying just outside the park at Thousand Trails Yosemite Lakes and only had one full day that we wanted to dedicate to exploring Yosemite. We brought our e-bikes, packed a lunch, and headed for the…

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Campgrounds | RV Life

Thousand Trails Yosemite Lakes Review: Camping Near Yosemite National Park
ByRollingWilliams August 18, 2026August 19, 2026 Campgrounds, RV Life

Thousand Trails Yosemite Lakes Review: Camping Near Yosemite National Park Thousand Trails Yosemite Lakes is an RV and camping resort located just outside Yosemite National Park near Groveland, California. It’s about 20–30 minutes from the Yosemite entrance station, although it’s closer to an hour from the campground to Yosemite Valley and the Curry Village area. We stayed for seven nights in a 50-amp full-hookup riverfront site, and our campsite ended up being one of our favorite parts of our entire Yosemite stay. Quick Links Our Campsite We had a 50-amp full-hookup back-in site directly on the river, and the location was incredible. Our site…

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Gym Reviews | Train | West

Humboldt Jiu Jitsu Review: Training in Arcata, California
ByRollingWilliams August 14, 2026August 14, 2026 Gym Reviews, Train, West

Humboldt Jiu Jitsu Review: Training in Arcata, California While staying in Trinidad to explore Redwood National and State Parks, our girls trained at Humboldt Jiu Jitsu in Arcata, California, throughout the week. Eli also joined an adult class, so we were able to get a feel for both the kids’ and adult programs. Overall, we had a really positive experience. Quick Links Kids’ Classes Our girls were nine and eleven when we visited, so they trained in different youth groups. The younger class was roughly ages 5–9, while the older group was around 10–14. On Fridays, the groups trained together. They offered both…

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Campgrounds | RV Life

Elk Country RV Resort Review: Trinidad, California
ByRollingWilliams August 14, 2026August 14, 2026 Campgrounds, RV Life

Elk Country RV Resort Review: Trinidad, California We stayed at Elk Country RV Resort in Trinidad, California, for one week in mid-April while exploring Redwood National and State Parks. We paid about $400 for the week for a spacious 50-amp full-hookup site in the meadow area. Overall, it was a great fit for us because it was quiet, practical and incredibly close to the Redwoods. Quick Links Our Site Our site was in the meadow section and gave us plenty of room for our fifth wheel and F-350 dually. We had 50-amp power, water and sewer, and we don’t remember having any issues with the…

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Destinations | National Parks | West

Redwood National and State Parks With Kids
ByRollingWilliams August 14, 2026August 14, 2026 Destinations, National Parks, West

Redwood National and State Parks With Kids Redwood National and State Parks is easily one of my favorite national parks we have visited — and honestly, the entire Redwood Coast has become one of my favorite places we have traveled in California. I already know I have a bias here. Give me moss, giant trees, ferns, creeks and everything dripping in green over a dry desert landscape any day. The Redwoods felt like someone took all of those things and turned the dial all the way up. It is genuinely otherworldly. We visited in the middle of April and spent…

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Campgrounds | RV Life

Thousand Trails Ponderosa Review: Camping on California’s South Fork American River
ByRollingWilliams August 11, 2026August 14, 2026 Campgrounds, RV Life

Thousand Trails Ponderosa Review: Camping on California’s South Fork American River Quick Links for Your Stay Planning your own stay in Lotus and the South Fork American River area? These are the resources I’d start with: Sometimes a campground doesn’t need to have incredible amenities to make us want to come back. Thousand Trails Ponderosa in Lotus, California, is a perfect example. The campground itself is small, the sites are tight, and during our stay we were stuck with 30-amp service during some seriously hot California weather. But just a few minutes from our campsite was the South Fork American…

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Gym Reviews | Train | West

Gracie Barra Roseville Review
ByRollingWilliams August 11, 2026August 14, 2026 Gym Reviews, Train, West

Gracie Barra Roseville Review Quick Links Finding a good jiu-jitsu gym while traveling isn’t always easy. Finding one where your kids can walk in for a single week, immediately feel welcomed, train almost every day, get hard rounds, and accumulate 20 combined hours on the mats is something entirely different. That’s what we found at Gracie Barra Roseville. We spent a week in the Sacramento area while staying at Thousand Trails Ponderosa in Lotus, California. We didn’t do much traditional sightseeing that week. Instead, our girls trained. A lot. By the end of our stay, Sullivan had trained approximately 13…

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