Category Archives: Outdoors

Room with a View … And Not Much Else – Booking a Fire Lookout Rental in California

Next Level Camping is what I was looking for when I discovered you could rent fire lookouts. I’d been a member of the Forest Fire Lookout Association for years because I lived close to the Butler Peak Fire Lookout while up in Big Bear, and thought that I’d eventually be able to volunteer at the lookout. Solitude is always a draw for me, and the forest is my church. So going up to the steeple seemed like a pretty cool idea.

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Jeep’s Badge of Honor mobile app update adds new trails!

Since its introduction way back in 2013, the Jeep Badge of Honor program has been the only official Jeep off-road program exclusively for Jeep brand vehicles. The program was developed and is operated by the Jeep brand and FCA US LLC.

This is a fantastic program that allows Jeep owners to discover trails, engage with other Jeep enthusiasts within the off-road community, and earn hard badges they can display on their Jeeps showing off the trails they’ve conquered. Participants earn points and can gain rankings from “Trail Rookie” all the way up to “Trail Expert!”

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Free Fishing on the Fourth of July!

Every year the California Department of Fish and Wildlife offers up a couple of days where you can fish in California without a license. The first of these days for 2020 falls on July 4, 2020 – Independence Day!

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20 Million Young Chinook Salmon Released Into the Wild!

Just in time for fishing season, hatcheries operated by the Central Valley California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) have completed the final release of Chinook salmon. These smolts are raised in state-run hatcheries and released yearly into the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers, the Delta and San Pablo bay. In two years or so, they return as adults to Central Valley tributaries to spawn.

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U.S. Forest Service Launches Online Map for Designated Recreation Sites in California

The U.S. Forest Service Pacific has launched what they’re calling a “GIS map” (for those of us – like me – who are acronymically deficient, you can just call it the “geographic information system map) that provides information on the current status of campgrounds, day-use, picnic, and other designated recreation sites on national forest ground throughout California.

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