Many veteran Southern California desert vacationers prefer some of the newer cities within a short drive of Palm Springs.

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. - Ruby Montana steers her VW convertible past the former homes of Liberace, Dinah Shore and Sammy Davis Jr., and I start to panic.

Strapped into a harness and lying only a couple of inches from the soft, dew-wet grass airstrip at Lookout Mountain Flight Park in Georgia, I close my eyes, swallow hard, and then say a little prayer. Okay. Scratch that. A big prayer.

STEARNS, Ky. - Blue Heron is a ghost town in more than one way.

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - That little extra bit of money in the form of a larger paycheck tied to the Obama stimulus plan could end up taking a bite out of your federal income tax refund or even leave you owing taxes, say observers.

Even as Washington emphasizes walking softly to pry Iran away from its nuclear ambitions, the Pentagon is speeding the manufacture of its own big stick.

The Big Valley Travel Club has several small group trips coming up.

FELTON — I had seen the Roaring Camp Railroads' Beach Train lumber past me dozens of times as I sunned by my favorite swimming hole in Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. Happy tourists in an open-air car typically waved as they passed on their way to historic Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. I was jealous and curious: Where did they come from?

E-mail digital postcards or snapshots with comments about your trip to: local@modbee.com (type "Travel" in the subject line). Send hard-copy images to: Travel, The Modesto Bee, P.O. Box 5256, Modesto 95352. Include your name, phone number and hometown. Limit: six people in the photo. Submissions may be edited and published in any format. They become the property of The Modesto Bee.

Sarah Pardee Winchester came to the Santa Clara Valley in 1884 with $20 million to her name.

"My wife and I rode (by motorcycle) coast to coast - 14 states/6,207 miles. "

Sisters Ann Maher, left, and Karen Long on their 12-day Australian vacation.

SACRAMENTO -- Think the staycation is so last year? Think again.

Spring at Point Reyes National Seashore looks like a lush carpet of green when spied through a car window. But slow down, perhaps to the speed of a mountain bike, and discover deep-red Indian paintbrush, blue wild iris and purple lupine sprouting into a seasonal tapestry.

E-mail digital postcards or snapshots with comments about your trip to: living@modbee.com (type "Travel" in the subject line). Send hard-copy images to: Travel, The Modesto Bee, P.O. Box 5256, Modesto 95352. Include your name, phone number and hometown. Limit: 6 people in photo. Submissions may be edited and published in any format. They become property of The Modesto Bee.

"My wife and I are out enjoying our retirement."

PETALUMA -- If during these hard economic times you're trying to stick to having fun at a minimal price, then head to Mrs. Grossman's Sticker Factory.

Opening day for Major League Baseball is April 6. But fans don't have to wait that long to see their favorite teams. Spring training games begin Wednesday and continue through April 5 in Florida and Arizona.

If you want to explore Angel Island in near-solitude, come now while the days are chilly and gray.

Enjoying Oscars season in Los Angeles, especially during a recession, doesn't require a designer ballgown, diamond-encrusted necklaces or a shiny, gilded statuette.

A small museum in a Walnut Creek city park serves as a haven for wounded wildlife.

My new year's adventure was to drive California from toe to top, cling to the coast, sleep only in lodgings along the water.

SAN FRANCISCO -- If the sounds of the ocean interest you, then there's a place in San Francisco to delight in the kerplunks, gurgles, sloshes and pangs of its waves.

Mardi Gras in New Orleans is called the greatest free show on earth, and while attending may not be free, it can certainly be cheap.

Three campgrounds across America are getting some new tenants, but campers need not be jealous of their shiny silver neighbors -- the Airstream rigs are for rent.

If you'd like to assemble your own personalized travel deals, here's how to find the best bargains.

EL PASO, Texas -- In bouldering lingo, a climbing route is called a "problem." Some problems here in Hueco Tanks State Historic Site are tougher than others.

We did the legwork in 2008 so you could get a leg up on picking a place to vacation.

The Big Valley Travel Club is offering several extended trips: