Pepper

I don't mind the sun sometimes, the images it shows
I can taste you on my lips and smell you in my clothes
Cinnamon and sugary and softly spoken lies
You never know just how you look through other people's eyes
Some will die in hot pursuit and fiery auto crashes
Some will die in hot pursuit while sifting through my ashes
Some will fall in love with life and drink it from a fountain
That is pouring like an avalanche coming down the mountain


lyrics by - Butthole Surfers

Zaca @ Rancho Nuevo

"The Zaca Fire has moved east towards Highway 33 has become established in Deal and Rancho Nuevo Canyons in the Dick Smith Wilderness."

Will we loose half of Los Padres National Forest - in less than a year - due to wildfires?

Last summer it was lightning strikes all around Mount Pinos, San Emigdio & Tecuya Ridge. Then there was the Day fire that started on I-5 at Labor Day & lasted until late October. No one thought it would get all the way to Lockwood Valley. No one thought it would jump Lockwood & it did. That wildfire took out most of Sespe Wilderness. Now we have Zaca Fire wiping out even more Wilderness lands.

Why do we have such vicious raging fires? Cuz there is plenty of fuel to burn. Why do we let our delicate 'Wilderness Lands' get so overgrown? Maybe the reason is - WE CANNOT ACCESS them. The fire crews with vehicles cannot maintain these hidden precious lands. Mountain bikers cannot ride these hundred year old trails. Motorcycles, quads & 4x4 Jeeps cannot access any of it. Nope. Only backpackers & horses can enter these most valued canyons. WE CLOSED IT OFF decades ago, to protect it & let it grow.

Makes you wonder if we are micro managing our forests? Or neglecting them? Who's running this show anyway?

California Car Shows

There is no doubt about it, Californians love their cars. Hot rods, luxury coupes, convertibles, 4x4 trucks & all. This weekend was the annual CAR SHOW in my small mountain town. Mike & Bob needed some transport drivers for the new cars. We gathered up some local friendly faces & headed down to Bako Motorcity where we each got to drive a new car up the hill. Mine was a sweet black Lexus, with burl wood steering wheel & dash, plus a hard top convertible. Tad got a big beefy GMC 4x4 truck. BBQ Mike drove the Solstice this time around. Screaming orange with turbo!

BTW, Total Escape lists all kinds of fairs, festivals & events for California. You can get your car show or local fair listed in our new database. Submit online here.

More California for You

This old Mind Ranch blog was getting way to crammed with off-topic subjects, so I have decided to give Total Escape it's very own web log. Yep, that's right. Another freaking blog to add to the world of cyber life. But DanaMite will make sure that this one gets noticed.

Linked from the bottom of the Total Escape front page, this resource will be updated weekly & easy to locate. And I will share way more insiders details on back country discoveries on everything I can find.

If you are ready to discover the true great escapes of California, then visit this link & bookmark it. Outdoor recreation to best lodging, I will cover it over there.

Total Escape - the Back Roads, Well off the beaten path.

California Green Lodging

The lodging industry is going green. Mainly the chain hotels, but more independent inns will follow. Hilton, Marriott & Doubletree lead the way. Environmentally sensitive cleaning products. Energy efficient lighting. Hotels that are heavy on recycling. Making this tourism industry more eco conscience is a step in the right direction.

American Canyon California has the world first fully environmentally sustainable hotel named Gaia & more are soon to following. California is recognized for its environmental beauty & its environmental leadership. Let's keep this ball rolling.

Missing from California

Historical accounts of California tell of flocks of birds so dense in the sky that they cast a shadow on the ground, and of thunderous rivers of geese, ducks, and swans moving down the state to the lagoons of Mexico and beyond. Today, citizens and travelers in California take for granted skies empty of almost everything but the contrails of airplanes. But far more than wildlife is missing from California today...

Dynamic Fuels: Biodiesel US

Tyson Foods & Syntroleum Corporation -- The first facility will produce about 75 million gallons of synthetic fuel annually. Construction of this initial facility is expected to start in 2008 at a yet-to-be-determined site in the south central United States, with production targeted for 2010.