As I get back to blogging this month, I need to catch up on half-written posts and posts that are still in the form of thoughts traveling deep inside my brain. That will take time so I decided to make a quick list of the places we have visited that I would love to revisit (and visit again) and at least one reason why (I will start with the geographically closest for me and list the closest ten today). Each of these places is worth one full travel post and I will work on this soon.

    Hakone Gardens – Serenity, Harmony, Beauty – all within minutes from home!
    Half Moon Bay Beaches – The many beaches along scenic Highway 1 between Santa Cruz and Pacifica are wonderful. There are many beaches offering everyone what they need – quiet, calm, uncrowded beaches if you are looking for peace; beaches with lots of people and activities and fun; fun beaches like Pebble Beach (not to be confused with the more famous Pebble Beach for golf) – this Pebble Beach is actually full of Pebbles instead of sand and is about 10 minutes drive from Pigeon Point Lighthouse – this is another hidden treasure.)
    San Francisco! – Golden Gate Bridge, museums (including the wonderful Academy of Sciences in the Golden Gate Park),
    Sacramento – The state capital is a treasure overlooked by many. Old Town Sacramento is a gem – Museums, historic buildings, the river, quaint shops and restaurants all this make it worth exploring many times over. Some of my favorites – the Railroad Museum, The Candy Barrel, Annabelle’s
    City of Mt.Shasta – this town nestled in the foothills of Mt.Shasta is full of small-town flavor. I remember going out to eat breakfast at a mom and pop diner where all the localites had come out to eat too. About Mt.Shasta itself, John Muir once said  “When I first caught sight of Mount Shasta over the braided folds of the Sacramento Valley, my blood turned to wine, and I have not been weary since” (Such wonderful words to describe it – and I agree that a sight of Mt.Shasta does completely remove all your weariness)
    McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park – one of the most amazing and spectacular falls I have seen. My first glimpse of this falls and I fell in love!  – knew why it was called “the Eighth Wonder of the World” by President Theodore Roosevelt.
    Dunsmuir – this town is worth a stop just for Mossbrae falls – the beauty of the falls is breathtaking – it is a tropical paradise in mainland America! It is almost surreal – like something made for a movie and forgotten later. A must-see and one place I plan to visit again, this time  with the kids. Checking on this again made me notice this – the trail to this is closed currently (check http://www.dunsmuir.com/visitor/outdoor.php for information)
    Yosemite National Park – Half Dome, El Capitan, wondrous falls, John Muir, need I say more?
    Avenue of the Giants – This scenic detour enroute to Crescent City should not be the detour – it should be the mandatory route – driving between the giant Redwoods here fills you with awe, a sense of peace, and a wonderful feeling that all is right in the world. I would drive back and forth on this route if I could..
    Mt.Rainier National Park – I think this is my favorite national park (well, the one I have visited most often and love almost as much is our home state park – Yosemite) but there was something about Mt.Rainier and its serene beauty that got to me when I went there (for the first and only time so far) 9 years ago.