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.

I seek places that bring the wonder, joy of play, and inspiration, and last week I found them in the Renaissance Pleasure Faire. Recapturing that sense of play, pretend and stretching the imagination I had as a child.  ? Do you wander to find the land of pirates, Vikings, and fairies? Are you drawn to legends and royalty? Or do you chase mythical creatures to the limits of your creativity?

We received a lot of advice about getting to Yosemite early, parking in one of the main lots and then taking the Shuttle, which takes you to just about every popular place, or you can hike from those popular places to where you want to be. This was our plan until my 14-year-old daughter sprained her ankle literally two days before our trip and ended up on crutches.  Our plans for hiking now had to be adjusted to Plan B: driving and parking as close to the sights as possible.