{"id":4302,"date":"2013-10-02T11:15:14","date_gmt":"2013-10-02T18:15:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.russbishop.com\/blog\/?p=4302"},"modified":"2018-07-12T07:39:51","modified_gmt":"2018-07-12T14:39:51","slug":"government-shutdown-alternatives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/russbishop.com\/blog\/government-shutdown-alternatives\/","title":{"rendered":"Government Shutdown Alternatives"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Cypress<\/a>
Cypress Tree at sunset, Point Lobos State Reserve, Carmel, California<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It’s unfortunate that this week our government here in the US has closed its doors, especially for those who had travel plans to visit our wonderful national parks. But all is not lost as there are many beautiful locations in state parks, wilderness, and BLM (Bureau of Land Management) areas around the country that are open and often free of charge.<\/p>\n

In California, a few of the standouts\u00a0include Anza-Borrego<\/a> Desert State Park (the largest in California and second largest in the country). Northeast of San Diego, this sprawling wilderness park offers endless hiking and photographic potential in a remote setting of cactus covered hillsides and palm oasis. With Borrego Springs as your base, you can enjoy day hikes from\u00a0numerous lodging options in town, or wilderness camp for free under a star-filled sky and not see a soul for days.<\/p>\n

Point Lobos State Reserve near Monterey, Garrapata\u00a0and Limekiln State Parks (all on the Big Sur Coast), provide some of the best views on the California coast. Limekiln includes coastal access and camping and trails through a primeval forest of old growth redwoods and crystal clear streams. Garrapata is a rugged, undeveloped park adjacent to Highway 1 offering quiet coves, sea arches, and stunning views of the Pacific.<\/p>\n

Further north, Point Lobos<\/a>\u00a0State Reserve, which was a local haunt of Ansel Adams and Edward Weston, is part of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. It’s wind-swept shores of rare Monterey cypress are a diver’s paradise and a great place to watch migrating whales and sea otters –\u00a0and the sunsets can be truly spectacular. Other excellent spots in the area include Julia Pfeiffer Burns<\/a> State Park, and Sand Dollar Beach<\/a> in the Los Padres National Forest.\u00a0On the east side of the state along\u00a0Highway 395 in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the Alabama Hills<\/a> under Mount Whitney are a vast moon-scape of giant boulders and arches made famous in early Hollywood movies and a wonderful photographic destination.<\/p>\n

So while\u00a0the politicians in Washington\u00a0try to\u00a0see eye to eye, those who had planned to visit America’s best idea don’t have to feel short-changed. There’s still plenty of natural beauty waiting to be explored outside the confines of the National Park System.<\/p>\n

\u00a9Russ Bishop\/All Rights Reserved<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It’s unfortunate that this week our government here in the US has closed its doors, especially for those who had travel plans to visit our wonderful national parks. But all is not lost as there are many beautiful locations in state parks, wilderness, and BLM (Bureau of Land Management) areas around the country that are … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Government Shutdown Alternatives”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wpmdr_menu":1,"wpmdr_menu_extended":{"individualPostRemove":1,"individualPostRemoveDate":1,"individualPostRemoveAuthor":1,"individualPostYoastRemovePublished":1,"individualPostYoastRemoveModified":1},"footnotes":""},"categories":[173,8,20],"tags":[436,86,65,15,500,612,36,66,293,569,14,146,69],"class_list":["post-4302","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-landscape-photography","category-nature-photography","category-travel","tag-alabama-hills","tag-anza-borrego","tag-big-sur","tag-california","tag-limekiln","tag-monterey","tag-national-parks","tag-pacific-ocean","tag-point-lobos","tag-russ-bishop","tag-sierra-nevada","tag-state-park","tag-sunset"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t