Sipping morning coffee in the mountain air at Half Dome while watching the sunrise in Yosemite is one of the greatest moments I've ever had. I've written previously about my goal not just to see Yosemite, but to experience Yosemite. There is nothing like the experience of mixing fresh, hot coffee, with cold pine air, watching the light bounce off the icy needles in the trees.

Heisler Park in Laguna Beach, California is a perfect stop along the Pacific Coast Highway. It's a perfect mix of tropical and wild beach. If you want to truly appreciate how beautiful a beach can be, visit it early in the spring, after a rare Southern California dark and cloudy sky. Any beach can look appealing in bright sunshine and blue skies. For the wanderer that seeks raw and wild beauty where ocean touches the land, this is where you go.

Note from Editor-in-Chief: As we share our stories, we have been fortunate to meet others along and they have shared their stories with us as well.  We are excited to reprint an article from Mike Satterfield of The Gentleman Racer, with his permission, about his cross-country road trip by motorcycle from Ohio to California.   (Zanne)

In honor of National Park Week, yesterday we began posting our National Parks Top 10 list. Today we share the other top-five national parks according to WhereGalsWander.

The entirety of the garden is never visible at once. Instead the viewer is led to uncover intentionally hidden views of the landscape while strolling along its curved paths.