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Watsonville
July 11, 2026

Part 2: Through a storm and into the calm of the desert

On day two of our two-week road trip, my wife Sarah and I said goodbye to Bakersfield and drove southeast on Hwy 58 toward the Mohave Desert.  We were greeted with fierce rain as we climbed Tehachapi Pass on Highway 58. Our interest in taking...

Highlights from a trip to Petaluma

This is the third and final installment of travel writer Tarmo Hannula's account of his trip to Petaluma. Click here for part 1 and here for part 2. As we steered south from Cotati and rolled back through  Petaluma, my wife, Sarah, and I still...

Knowing the way to—and through—San Jose

I’ve been visiting San Jose since the mid-1970s.  My first stop there was when a friend dropped me off at the airport after we drove from Eugene, Oregon. I was headed to San Diego to see my parents and that drive cut my trip in...

A look back at Gold Country in the Sierra Foothills

Since I was born in Columbia in the Sierra foothills, I’ve returned there a number of times to soak in some of the history and get a deeper understanding of California’s Mother Lode. Heading east of Modesto along Highway 49 my interest spikes as the...

A different view: our short train trip to Oakland

For a different take on the road trips my wife Sarah  and I have taken over the last few years, we recently took a train to Oakland for the day in December. We parked at the San Jose Diridon Station, an historic landmark built in...

Simple drive, rich rewards through San Jose

On a recent one-day drive through San Jose, my wife, Sarah, and I took in a wealth of rich sites, from the red salty shore of Alviso Marina County Park, the splashy shops of Santana Row, and to the north, the calm and rolling...

Searching for the heart of Amsterdam

Solo trip to bustling, global city reveals hidden gems Note: This is the fourth part in a series about England, Germany and the Netherlands. When I decided to travel to Europe this year, I wanted to visit countries where I had friends. This was the case...

The slow way home from San Francisco

A view along Grant Street in San Francisco’s Chinatown.
On our one-night journey to San Francisco recently, my wife Sarah and I wrapped up day one with dinner at Mister Jiu’s, 28 Waverly Place in Chinatown.  Our seat at the bar gave us a front-row taste of the goings on at the popular and...

Paso Robles and the road north

Editor's note: This the second part of a two-part series on travel writer Tarmo Hannula's recent trip to Paso Robles. To see part 1, click here. On a recent overnight road trip to Atascadero, after exploring the innards of the Salinas Valley, my wife Sarah...

Mapping out stories in England | Travel

Trips to Haworth, Oxford become literary pilgrimages  Editor’s note: This is the second installment of a series about England, Germany and the Netherlands. In England, literary history is everywhere—from London to the smallest of villages. While in the country recently I visited many places where authors...
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Watsonville 14U All-Stars captures PONY Coast Region title | Youth baseball

In order to be the champ, one must beat the champ.  The Watsonville 14U All-Stars squad did exactly just that following an 8-1 victory against...

Offering a new hope