Locally Lost: Cache Creek Regional Park worth drive alone
If you live in Yolo County and haven't driven up the Capay Valley, shame on you.There's something about rolling down the window and heading up Highway 16 that really showcases Yolo's hidden folds. It...
View ArticleLagoon Valley makes for the perfect after-work leg stretcher
It's close, it's accessible and your boss likely won't follow you there.Lagoon Valley lies just outside of Vacaville, roughly 30 miles south of Woodland. Davis residents will have an even shorter...
View ArticleLocally Lost: Ode to Lake County, an underrated destination
To me, the word "travel" encompasses more than the miles passed under the tires."Travel" insinuates discernible movement: we travel through things like time, space, life changes, friendships and...
View ArticleEven mosquitoes have their place in the ecosystem
Recent word that two Yolo County residents have been infected with West Nile virus this year scared a few people, particularly since both victims were hospitalized as critically ill, according to Yolo...
View ArticleCyclist Special: Rockville Park a black diamond in the rough
Like a diamond in the rough - perhaps a black one - Rockville Hills Regional Park is home to some prime mountain biking, even though it might not look impressive.Tucked away in the mountainous terrain...
View ArticleWhat's in a name? Plenty when it comes to a school
Brewing beneath the surface of the Woodland School Board's decision to name the new school "Spring Lake Elementary" is an effort to rename it after Neil Roberts, a Woodland man who later became a Navy...
View ArticleLocally Lost: Wave summer away at Bodega Bay
Wave summer away at Bodega Bay.Finally, actually, believably, the weather is cooling down, unlike my use of adverbs.Even in the sunniest patches of Yolo County, one can feel an autumn breeze skip along...
View ArticleLocally Lost: A round of disc golf at John Ferns Park
Dallas Tringali has more than a mean backhand throw - he also has some serious love for Woodland's very own John Ferns Park.That park, complete with a short 'n' sweet 9-hole disc golf course, is...
View ArticleLocally Lost: Have dog, will travel south
Meet my mutt: Saoirse.The name is pronounced "SEAR-shah," and I'm just now wishing I knew how to type that little upside-down "e" thing called a schwa.In any case, it's weird name for a weirder dog -...
View ArticleLocally Lost Cyclist Special: Cache Creek Regional Park
No jumps.No berms, no wall-rides, no rock gardens, no see-saws.And definitely no cell service.Most mountain bikers probably don't mark Cache Creek Regional Park on their maps, but it's worth the...
View ArticleLocally Lost Cyclist Special: The Perfect Auburn Loop
After several outings and more than one wipeout, I think I may have found the perfect Auburn loop for Yoloans.I'll start by saying that I don't intend to stray from my usual column coverage - you know,...
View ArticleLocally Lost: Oakland, the other Bay Area
Bear with me - I didn't grow up here, but Oakland seems pretty awesome.It should be noted that California from the eyes of a native Midwesterner generally looks like this: crazy rich liberals in San...
View ArticleLocally Lost: Test suspension at Yankee Jims
As far as "hidden gems" go, the area surrounding Yankee Jims is like a sapphire in the sea. If you can actually haul your rig over the rough terrain, the destination has some seriously cool ways to...
View ArticleLocally Lost: 10 mountain bike destinations for the new year
With 2017 cinched up and tossed down the chute like smelly laundry, I, like many others, look upon my greatest successes and failures during one of the most news-rich years in the last decade.All in...
View ArticleLocally Lost: try the other side of Lake Folsom
As much as I love sharing parks with other people, sometimes solitude is the only solace for the soul. The great - but heavily populated - state of California has so many iconic parks and reserves, but...
View ArticleWhat is the benefit of Sites Reservoir?
Last week, state regulators released their initial findings for potential dam and reservoir projects that could receive funds from Proposition 1, the $7.5 billion water bond passed by voters in 2014 in...
View ArticleLocally Lost: Trailbuilding with Tuleyome
On a bright Saturday morning, I joined Woodlanders, Davisites, Sacramentans and Yoloans abroad gathered in the hills of the Capay Valley to hike, then dig, then commence hiking.I've never had so much...
View ArticleUCD chancellor says 2017 was a blur
As a collector of superhero action comics, it was only fitting that I created an action verb to describe my new job as UC Davis chancellor. I call it "chancell-ing."Since Aug. 1, my days have been...
View ArticleLocally Lost: Farewell, California
It's time I got lost again, but not locally.This is the final of several "Locally Lost" columns I have written on The Daily Democrat staff. I'll be moving out of state for a job with one of our sister...
View ArticleXavier Becerra: California isn't in the deportation business
The Trump administration and California can agree on this point: Public safety must be a top priority. But in California, we believe our communities are safest when we have trust between our law...
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