Tucked away in a valley filled with orange groves fewer than 90 miles from central Los Angeles is the village of Ojai-an oasis from stress, home to artists, health devotees and other urban escapees. Surrounded by burnished peaks, its grasses green in spring and gold in summer and fall, the Ojai Valley was the setting for Shangri-La in the 1937 Hollywood movie The Lost Horizon. It is still a place where you can retreat from a fast-paced lifestyle to find serenity on oak-shaded paths.

Not far from Portland is a healthy town and one that Jack Kerouac hailed from. That town is called Eugene! On my Pacific Northwest road trip, we were told to stop in Eugene on our way home. Good thing we listened as there was much to grub on and I'm going to share all the info with you now!

Oregon’s Dundee Hills in the central Willamette Valley is ground zero for the states famous pinot noir. With over thirty wineries and vineyards located across 2,000 acres, the area offers well-known producers like Erath and Argyle, cult wineries like Cameron and lots more offering stellar wines and all of this comes with phenomenal vineyard views.

Work dogs in pickup truck beds are an everyday sight in downtown Joseph, a ranching community in northeastern Oregon. But on January 13th, Main Street gets overrun with a whole different breed. That’s when over 100 sled dogs come to town for opening day of the Eagle Cap Extreme.